Judy Shepard Responds To "Hoax" Comments

Judy Shepard appeared on last night's edition of the Rachel Maddow Show to discuss the recent expansion of Federal hate crimes legislation and the remarks made by North Carolina representative Virginia Foxx, who, in testifying against the expansion, suggested that Shepard was merely the victim of a robbery, and that suggestions that he was targeted because he was gay were all a part of "a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."

Shepard responded thusly: "Well, you know, attacks of lesser consequence, I guess, have been said about Matt since the beginning, and in 2007 when it passed the House, the same sort of vitriol' was spoken from the floor as well. I did not ever expect it to be called a hoax. Anyone who has done research into what happened to Matt knows it was a hate crime, although technically we couldn't prosecute it that way because there was no hate crime law in Wyoming and no Federal hate crime law protecting sexual orientation. So we couldn't call it a hate crime, but it was."

Told that Foxx had later "clarified" her remarks by saying that "hoax was a poor choice of words," Shepard wasn't particularly mollified. "It's apologizing for semantics, not her ignorance."

On the matter of how the expansion may assist the victims of other hate crimes, Shepard offered some specifics: "How it will change in Matt's case in particular, in Wyoming, because the federal law did not cover sexual orientation as a protected category, Laramie was not eligible for Federal resources...they had to furlough four employees to pay for the investigation and subsequent trials. That's not right. That's not right...This is an amazing advance of what already exists."

Also worth noting is Maddow's excellent elocution of the rationale behind hate crimes legislation, which intentionally guard against miscarriages of justice, but are often interpreted as political correctness run amok:

MADDOW: The concept behind this kind of legislation is often misconstrued but here's the deal as I understand it. The idea is that the federal Justice Department can get involved in a case to help local authorities or even to take the lead on a case if need be, in prosecuting individual serious violet crimes and murders in which the victim was selected on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability - the idea that crimes like that are intended not only to hurt or murder an individual, but to terrorize an entire community, and so there is a national interest in ensuring that those crimes are solved and prosecuted, particularly if local law enforcement doesn't want to because they are blinkered by the same prejudice that led to the crime in the first place.

[WATCH.]

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Comments

[SallieParker]

Maybe there was a sexual motive, maybe there wasn't. It's irrelevant. Judy Shepard does not seem to realize that people have been brutally murdered since the dawn of humanity. There was nothing special about the death of her son. He was robbed and beaten because he was preyed upon by some cruel young men. That is how young men often behave. If Judy Shepard wishes to believe that her son was killed because he belonged to a certain club or special class of people, she is deluding herself. Nature remains red in tooth and claw, even if fat little complacent people want to deny it.

[rpagan]

Hooray for Ms. Shepard - what a class act! Ms. Foxx is definitely ignorant and like so many others in Washington they offer a non-apology. They never express sorrow for the pain caused or acknowledgement for the ignorance shown. Ms. Shepard has shown grace and dignity through out this most tragic of all events in her life.

[thevealchop]

I find it sad that supposed leaders in our U.S. Congress, like Virginia Foxx -- no matter where these "leaders" are from -- that they can spout ignorance and hatred without censoring from their peers of some sort... It frustrates me beyond words.

[ladyearth]

Virginia Foxx is the kind of Republican representative or senator we have come to see as totally insginificant in their grasp of what is important to the American people. Her callous disregard for a human life whose cold-blooded murder she calls a "hoax" is dispicable.

[Tommygun264]

Criminal Intent or Motive is taken into consideration in all murder cases. Is finding someone guilty of Premeditated Murder considered convicting them of "thought crime"? Would you give an elderly driver who becomes confused and kills someone when they step on the accelerator instead of the brake the same sentence as you would give to someone who plans and then carries out a murder? Why do we only hear cries of "thought crime" when it comes to the murder of gay men and women and other minorities?

[marcozuon]

Exactly. Wanting to murder someone is not a crime; planning to murder someone is not a crime; but executing that plan is a worse crime than killing someone in the heat of the moment without the prolonged malice aforethought.

A hate crime murder is worse because the motivation is worse, and because its effect on those outside of the victim, friends and relatives is far greater; someone who commits such a crime is a much greater danger to society simply because it causes terror. Likewise, a serial killer who, to the public, kills seemingly randomly is a much greater danger to society than someone who commits a premeditated murder over money or adultery, etc., beyond just the body count.

It's really quite simple and has nothing to do with prosecuting people for hating others without acting on that hatred, which is something that will never be done.

[Isis N]

Foxx needs to be impeached!

[josephebacon]

Do Republican members of Congress check their bedsheets in the cloak room before they take to the floor?

[Cogs]

Foxx should do more than apologize for her callous remark. I'd like her to open the checkbook and make a donation to a gay rights group in North Carolina. Money talks.

[boatsfra]

She represents North Carolina? Well, then North Carolina? What are YOU doing about it? Also...dock her pay and MAKE a donation...she was hired, she can be fired.

[rsprags]

The saddest tale about these congressman like Fox and that clown from MN Buchmann is that they have no idea until they are called out that what they are saying is hate and racist. These Repurgs are so out of touch with God and the American people as well as the World. We must continue to support the President and our agenda. This includes letting the democratic party congressman know that we expect them to work with the President and get the people's business done --- not the banks, lobbyist, mortgage companies, grandstanding for the news media, and focusing so much on the next election they cannot govern during this dispensation.
It is funny that Cantor, Bush, and Romney think all they have to do is sit in a pizza parlor and cry about liberal ideas to re-re-re-launch the Repurg agenda. These folks are out of touch with the American people; I listen to some of the reporting to see what they would say and it is the same Song and dance with fiscal responsibility and tax cuts during a time when the country GDP (following 8 years of nothingness) has shrink it is ludicrous. The worst economist in the world knows that they are blowing smoke up your dress if the FEDS don't spend because the economy would collapse further, banking system would shut down worst than it has now, and the world would collapse with folks fighting & begging in the streets for crumbs

[Acidic]

On the contrary, it is God that blinds them.

[shaunmarie]

I had always been uncomfortable with hate crime legislation until Ms. Shepards explanaition of it. (I have always felt that hate crime legislation bordered on 'thought crime' legislation; which is something that troubles me deeply.

However, her clear explanation as to how this could help insure equal justice has swayed me a bit... However, how can we keep this sort of legislation from becoming a defacto extra penalty for 'bad thoughts'?

Murder is murder and I am not sure that it warrants any additional penalties due to the cause of the premeditaion; whether my son would be killed for a few dollars in his pocket or because he was gay should have no bearing on the penalty.

[kristin1030]

Maybe he wouldn't have been murdered if all they wanted was the money out of his pocket.

[kitsinu]

Motive is fundamental to prosecution of crime.

If I point a gun at you and shoot you, it is murder.

If I shoot a deadly poisonous snake that is about to bite you, but the bullet ricochets and kills you, then it is manslaughter (under the circumstances, I might get a few years parole).

In the first case, I was trying to kill you, but in the second case, I was trying to save you. Either way, you are dead. But whether or not I am a threat to society determines how I should be dealt with.

[Tommygun264]

The "thought crime" argument is a false one. It sounds like common sense, but like "evolution is only a theory", it only holds up when you are using generalized layman terminology. It's not "bad thoughts" but "Criminal Intent", and Criminal Intent is taken into consideration in sentencing in all murder cases. It is the murderer's intent which defines the differences between Premeditated Murder, a Crime of Passion, Manslaughter, and even determines whether or not a person can be found Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Disease or Defect (aka The Insanity Defense). Would you call a longer sentence for Premeditated Murder over a death as a result of an accident a defacto extra penalty for "bad thoughts"?

[staticnoise]

Many passages in the bible would rejected as communist or socialist if they where suggested in today's "christian" USA, not a whole lot about capitalism or self government therein either. Even Thomas Paine had streak of communist like thinking in him. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper2/CDFinal/Paine/agrarian.html

[boatsfra]

What's a bible?

[josephebacon]

For Republicans, their bible is Atlas Shrugged.

[OswegoKayaker]

A real Christian could not be a conservative in the way it is defined in this country. Jesus never said a word against homosexuality; he didn't check how many coins people had in their pockets when he performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes, he just fed everyone; he talked about love not hate, etc. Christ would not be very happy with only rich people being able to afford healthcare. He would probably be called a commie or socialist and run out of town by these same folks who call themselves "Christian." Virginia Foxx considers herself a Roman Catholic and I can't imagine how this woman can belong to a church which considers itself to be the world of Jesus Christ and tell such an outrageous and hurtful lie when the facts of the case were so obvious. To hurt Matt's mother in such a hateful way just to gain some political points is disgusting. Of course she was one of 11 members of Congress to vote against the aid package for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and voted against the extension of the Voting Rights Act in 2006. What a Christian.

[rsprags]

Amen to everything you stated; Repurg used Christ to change politics and God is holding every Pastor and politician that participated in this lie responsible for slandering his name and character. They must apologize to God and everyone in America for what they have done to governance and the political process in this country for the last 30 years going back to Ronald Reagan where they first began to develop their Right Wing Agenda.

[larissa68]

Shhhh! You'll give the secret away. The Christian Right in this country do not know where the word Christian came from and they only study the bible up to the New Testment and then turn around and start over at Genesis.

Because gosh, fire and brimestone is much more fun and scary than love!

[boatsfra]

Who is Jesus? That illegal immigrant? Oh yea...now I know...thanks

[PinkysBrain]

I'm not sure that Jesus would be as comfortable working under the banner of government as many christians are today.

[azbird]

The murder of Matthew Shepard is indeed a hate crime. There should be no argument about it. Rep. Foxx is also biased and bigoted person who should not be on any ticket republican or democrat. I doubt that she runs again much less wins.
My main problem is with the posters on this site. It is a big jump to say all republicans want hate crimes and hate gays. I am a proud republican and Ihave the utmost respect for gays as their lives cannot be easy. I believe they are born gay and that God loves them as much as anyone. I feel very bad when the writers condemn all republicans . On this site the only real hate comes from the mouths of ultra liberals. I however will not blame all liberals for them

[Megan97401]

I was with you until you said "the only real hate comes from the mouths of ultra liberals." That's totally incorrect. I've witnessed it far more times from Republican­/Conservat­ive/Christ­ian trolls.

But yes, we should be careful not to over-generalize.

[peskime]

azbird

I am a liberal democrat raised by two socially liberal, open minded, fiscally conservative republicans and I agree 100% with what you;re saying.
You just have to understand with what we (liberals) have seen the last eight years and understand why we're disgusted with what the GOP has become. No offence,intended.

[shaunmarie]

Strange. I have never seen an ultra-liberal show up at a republican funeral waving a sign saying that God Hates etc.... I have only seen that sort of repugnant and horrible behavior from your side of the street.

You sound like a reasonable and smart person. How can you still call yourself a member of that party, now that it has betrayed you?

[larissa68]

"Strange. I have never seen an ultra-liberal show up at a republican funeral waving a sign saying that God Hates etc.... I have only seen that sort of repugnant and horrible behavior from your side of the street."

And there it is. How any group with CHRIST in their name can show up with signs stating that God hates anyone is a mystery to me.

Or, you know, claim AIDS is God's punishment is not only a mystery but smacks of blasphemy.

[tom90069]

the real hoax is that these bigots continue to get elected into any office.

[Srkdqltr]

Elected by other bigots who like that kind of thought, or, by people who just vote for a familiar name.

[billygore2000]

Virginia Foxx now owes it to herself to become acquainted with how brutually Matthew Shepard was killed. Then she needs to apologize to his family and to this country, for her ignorant remarks. And it wouldn't hurt if she got to know some real, live gay men, in Matt's memory.