Matthew Shepard was attacked by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson on October 7, 1998, the victim of an anti-gay hate crime. He was pronounced dead on October 12th. Shepard's funeral was protested by Fred Phelps, notorious leader of the Westboro Baptist Church. The protesters bore signs with phrases such as, "God hates Fags", "No tears for Queens", and "Fag Matt in hell".