The Fence

After taking Matthew from the Fireside Bar, his
killers took him clear across town -- then 1 mile
outside of the city limit. This fence has become an
infamous icon in this Wyoming tragedy. Its only
intention was to keep trespassers from a man's
property.

It's difficult to get to, only because of the terrain.
An extremely rough road takes you to the fence,
less than a mile from a thriving neighborhood. Off
in the distance, you can see a home all by itself --
within sight of where Matthew was beaten and left
to die.

The University of Wyoming student who
discovered Matthew's body was out riding his
bicycle in the rough terrain. He said he didn't know
what made him go this direction. Thankfully, he
did. If only it had been sooner.

Ironically, as we drove to the scene, we followed a college-age man bicycling the rough terrain too. Except this time, he
turned west well before you see the fence. The path naturally takes you west. We turned northeast where, after a few
hundred feet, we found a hill. At the bottom of the hill, the infamous fence. Matthew's killers, it seems, knew where they
could finish out their plan.

Along the way, he was severely pistol-whipped. Upon arrival, he was tied to the fence and beaten further -- while begging
for his life. Matthew was left to die, only to be found 18 hours later.

During our visit, a man and woman walked over to see the fence too. The man told us he knows the paramedic who initially

performed CPR on Matthew that night. He couldn't get himself to see the fence until that day, nearly 3 years later. He also
grumbled about being close to someone who was friends with one of the killers -- and that person still hangs out with that
crowd. That concerns him.

I was struck by how close "civilization" is to the fence. I followed the story from my home in Omaha. It seemed more remote.

However, look at the picture and you can see the house that is up the hill. A housing development is even closer in the other

direction, but hidden by the hill.

The scene is surrounded by brush and a beautiful open sky -- which Matthew's father spoke about before the primary killer was

sentenced. Since the murder, the owner of the land has added onto the length of the fence -- you can see the extensions in the
pictures. The original fence still stands. Its age sets it apart frm the rest -- a darkened bark flakes off the posts. During our visit,
no sign of Matthew's murder was visible. However, I was told that you can often find tributes to Matthew that are left behind
by friends and strangers.

Imagine that it was here where Matthew was taken against his will. His killers shined their headlights on the fence so they could
see what they were doing. Up the hill stands a house. If only someone had seen what was happening.