Gay Beating Victim Clings to Life

A gay college student was clinging to life as residents condemned his brutal beating but defended Wyoming as a safe, fair-minded place to live. Matthew Shepard was found savagely pistol-whipped and tied to a fence outside Laramie, Wyo., last week. Police have said robbery was the main motive, but the two men accused in the bludgeoning also targeted Shepard because he flirted with one of them at a bar, the Denver Post reported. Shepard, 22, was unconscious at a Fort Collins, Colo., hospital in critical condition with severe head injuries. Hospital officials said his condition had deteriorated since the midweek beating.