Before Rep. Foxx speaks publicly again she should know what she’s talking about . When she made the original statement I believe she waas speaking from her own bias & prejudice, not from any "reliable accounts". What a backhanded apology!! If that was the best she could summon, she might as well have not said anything at all. My hearts goes out to Judy Shepard & any other families of hate-targeted crimes. I have always wondered what these ignorant people, like Foxx, would do if one of their family members were gay. Would they shun them, try to de-gay them, or actually continue to love & support them?  I’ll probably never know since she would likely keep that secret in a locked closet.

This particular case was A HOAX of sorts, but the gay lobby used it anyway to turn Matthew into a martyr. The murderers KNEW Matthew, they were all into the Crystal Meth drug scene in Laramie, and most likely knew each other on a social basis. The truth about the robbery motive (not simply gay bashing) in Matthew’s killing is swept under the table because the fairy tale works better for those who seek to exploit Matthew’s memory. Regardless, it’s too darn bad that Matt’s killers didn’t the death penalty for their crime.

Did Matthew Shepard Know His Killers?

Another widely held belief about the case is that McKinney and Shepard had never met before their fateful encounter at the Fireside Lounge. But a number of sources tell "20/20" the two were not strangers.

"Everybody knew Matt Shepard was a partier just like Aaron, just like the rest of us," said Bopp.

In fact, Bopp said he had seen Shepard and McKinney together at parties. "Aaron was selling [drugs] and him and Matt would go off to the side and they’d come back. And Matt would be doing some meth then," he said.

Though they frequented the same party scene, McKinney maintains he had never met Shepard before the night of the crime and wonders why people might say he had. "I’ve never met him. … Maybe they seen us somewhere in the same spot or something. I don’t know," McKinney said.

A bartender familiar with the local drug scene, who asked to be identified only as "Jean," says she was friendly with Shepard. She also says McKinney and Shepard knew each other.

When she learned of the beating, she said, she recalls thinking, "It’s either money or dope, yeah. He’d be the perfect target especially because Aaron knew him."

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=277685&page=3