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A small town rallies in support of American flag mural. The brick wall that had the American flag mural was littered with graffiti.

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A local pizza shop in a small town in New York state came under fire for proposing an American flag mural on the side of its building, but it brought the community together in a special way.

When Maria Lisante, the owner of La Bella Pizza Bistro in New Paltz, proposed an American flag mural on a brick wall littered with graffiti, she didn't expect any pushback. But some in the community were offended by the idea because the mural is across from a middle school and would force the kids to look at the American flag, which they call a symbol of hatred and oppression.

Lisante's friend Joey Garcia, a New York state corrections officer and Army National Guard veteran, organized an "American flag appreciation walk" to rally the community together and show their support for the flag, military, law enforcement, and the country.

"To me the flag represents many things: freedom, compassion, strength, and pride to name a few. In my opinion, we live in the greatest country on earth," Garcia told Fox News. "But lately our Flag seems like it's under attack. People today speak out against our flag and country so much and want to only point out what they feel is wrong with it. I understand and respect their right to their opinions, but I feel like those of us who do not feel that way have a voice too and deserve to be heard."
FLAG'S CROSS-COUNTRY JOURNEY RAISES FUNDS FOR CHILDREN OF FALLEN HEROES
The patriotic demonstration grew out of an effort to raise money on GoFundMe to pay for the materials and an artist to paint a vintage-looking mural of the American flag on the brick side wall of the pizza shop. Lisante said she got approval from the mayor, who told her to do a GoFundMe page and make the mural a community event.

Close to 500 people showed up to the flag rally Sunday afternoon, while a handful of protestors, who identified as anti-fascists, held signs like "Yes, I'm anti-AmeriKKKan" and "Stop Pretending your Racism is Patriotism" and chanted: "No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!"

But for Garcia and Lisante, it was never about politics. In fact, the walk had one rule: no politics, which meant no campaign buttons or political slogans.
OFFICER GETS STANDING OVATION AT GRADUATION FOR STOPPING SCHOOL SHOOTING
"I asked anybody who can find any good with our flag and our country, even if we don't agree on everything, to come together in a peaceful and positive way to express that," Garcia said. "Everyone was welcome at this - Democrat, Republican, liberal - everyone."

Garcia told the pro-flag crowd to ignore the protesters because they share the same right as their group, to voice their opinion and practice free speech. Their group countered with chants of "USA!"

The walk started with music, honoring veterans, a prayer, Rolling Thunder Patriot Brigade of motorcycles revving their vehicles in a procession down Main Street, and they ended with refreshments and food at La Bella's to help raise money for the mural.

"Before we headed out on our walk I had a United States Marine come up and we had several veterans that were there come up, and in honor of all of the military heroes who have fallen, we had a military benediction read and then taps was played," Garcia said, adding that a low moment came when one of the protesters tried to spit on the U.S. Marine who was in uniform.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS, FANS SING 'STAR-SPANGLED BANNER' AFTER PA SYSTEM FAILS
"We've been called racist, hateful, unpatriotic and worse," he added. "It's very sad, because it really was an amazing and positive day in the community that so many are thankful for and say they will never forget."

As of Tuesday, the community had raised more than half of its $8,000 goal.

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Small town rallies in support of American flag mural after initial outcry

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A local pizza shop in a small town in New York state came under fire for proposing an American flag mural on the side of its building, but it brought the community together in a special way.

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A British man is dead after a venomous sea snake bit him during a fishing expedition.

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A British man is dead after a venomous sea snake bit him during a fishing expedition off the northern Australian coast, in what may be the first such recorded death in the region, officials said Friday.

The 23-year-old man, who has not been identified, was bitten by the creature Thursday as he was pulling in a fishing net in a remote part of the Northern Territory, police said.

Sea snakes are highly venomous but not usually aggressive, so they rarely bite humans. This may be the first recorded death from a sea snake in Australia, the BBC reported.
BRITISH MAN TRAPPED IN SHED AS 'SLAVE' FOR 40 YEARS, OFFICIALS SAY
A rescue helicopter with a medical team was sent from Darwin, a city 435 miles away from the man's location, CareFlight spokesman David Wheeldon said. The crew didn't make it in time to save the man, however.

Emergency responders didn't have many options to help a person who was in such a remote location, St. John Ambulance spokesman Craig Garraway said.

Garraway said the man likely died within two hours of being bitten. He was declared dead after his boat reached the coastal town of Borroloola, police said.

Australia's Foreign Office said it was supporting the man's family and it informed the British High Commission, Sky News reported.
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY DANCES ON STAGE TO ABBA AT CONSERVATIVE CONFERENCE
Professor Bryan Fry, who works at the University of Queensland, called the incident "tragically unlucky" and said sea snakes are "very gentle animals."

"By and large, they are very gentle animals, and people do go scuba diving with them all the time," Fry told the BBC. "But in a fishing trawler situation, where they've been potentially dragged through the water in a net, they will come up injured and perhaps looking to lash out."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Extremely venomous sea snake kills man in Australia

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A British man is dead after a venomous sea snake bit him during a fishing expedition off the northern Australian coast, in what may be the first such recorded death in the region, officials said Friday.

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Chris Evens makes a post on Twitter that has followers and fan frantic, believing that he was saying farewell to his iconic role as Captain America in the MCU.

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chris evans' apparent farewell as captain america upsets fans - cnn

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Fans upset over Chris Evans' apparent farewell as Captain America

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Chris Evans had Twitter all in an uproar when he appeared to be bidding farewell to his iconic role as Captain America.

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A 2 year old kid shredded over 1000 dollars in cash after they were saving it to pay for season tickets for football.

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000 his parents saved to pay a debt - cnn

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Toddler shreds over $1,000 his parents saved to pay a debt

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The mystery of more than $1,000 that disappeared from a Utah family was solved when they discovered the money in pieces in the home's shredder, and found the culprit was their 2-year-old son.

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A man in North Carolina admitted to taking too much cold medicine and stabbing his wife 123 times.

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A North Carolina man who had said taking too much cold medicine may have led him to stab his wife to death pleaded guilty in court Friday.

Matthew Phelps pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of his 29-year-old wife, Lauren Hugelmaier Phelps, after an autopsy determined he had stabbed her 123 times.

Phelps, 29, will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole, ABC Durham station WTVD-TV reported.

His wife died Sept. 1, 2017, in the couple's Raleigh home.

"I have blood all over me and there's a bloody knife on the bed, and I think I did it," Matthew Phelps said in the 911 call at the time. "I can't believe this."

In that 911 call, Matthew Phelps said: "I took Coricidin cough and cold," explaining that "a lot of times I can't sleep at night."

Her body was reportedly found in the fetal position in the couple's bedroom.

Investigators said they'd learned from social media accounts that "suspect Matthew Phelps was possibly fascinated with and mimicked a portrayed serial killer character from the movie 'American Psycho.'"

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Husband who had blamed cold medicine pleads guilty to killing his wife

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A North Carolina man who had said taking too much cold medicine may have led him to stab his wife to death pleaded guilty in court Friday. Matthew Phelps pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of his 29-year-old wife, Lauren Hugelmaier Phelps, after an autopsy determined he had stabbed her 123 times.

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Disbarred lawyer in South Carolina kills one officer and injures several others.

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The man who allegedly opened fire on law enforcement officers in a residential neighborhood in South Carolina on Wednesday, killing one and injuring several others, is a disbarred lawyer, records from the Supreme Court of South Carolina show.

A source with the Florence County Sheriff's Office told ABC News on Thursday that the detained suspect is Fred Hopkins, who was at the home where the shooting happened in Vintage Place, an upscale suburban neighborhood in the city of Florence, about 80 miles east of Columbia.

Hopkins allegedly began shooting at Florence County deputies when they showed up to serve a search warrant for another individual at the residence Wednesday. There were four foster children inside the home at the time of the incident, the source told ABC News.

The sheriff's office had been called to the home several times before, the source said. Deputies were there to serve a warrant for sexual assault allegations against a minor in the house, according to the source.

Sean Rayford/AP

As the situation escalated, officers from the Florence Police Department responded to the scene to assist the sheriff's office.

A high-powered rifle was used in the attack, the source said. It is believed that the shots came from the second floor of the house.

"It's my understanding right now that they didn't know the fire power that was about to go under," Florence Police Chief Allen Heidler told reporters at a press conference Thursday.

Hopkins eventually gave up and came out of the house with his hands up, according to the source.

Fred Hopkins/Facebook

A South Carolina Supreme Court order dated June 22, 1982, ordered that Hopkins be disbarred over his failure to comply with an order to pay $18,000 in attorney fees that were allegedly wrongfully collected. Hopkins' wife, Cheryl Turner Hopkins, is also an attorney, according to the order.

In 2015 and 2017, the 74-year-old was charged with "running at large," which is related to the restraining of animals, The Associated Press reported, citing public court records.

Three deputies from the Florence County Sheriff's Office and four officers from the Florence Police Department were shot, authorities said.

One of the officers was pronounced dead at a local hospital, the Florence County coroner told ABC News. That officer was identified as Florence Police Department veteran Terrence Carraway, 52, of Darlington.

Sean Rayford/AP

The police chief described Carraway, his longtime friend, as the "bravest officer" he's ever known.

"He was the epitome of a community police officer," Heidler told reporters Thursday.

Two of the wounded police officers have been released from the hospital. One officer remained hospitalized Thursday in serious but stable condition, according to Florence Mayor Stephan Wukela.

The suspect was ultimately taken into custody Wednesday.

ABC News' Victor Oquendo, Darren Reynolds and Scott Withers contributed to this report.

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Suspect in shooting of 7 officers in South Carolina identified

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The man who allegedly opened fire on law enforcement officers in a residential neighborhood in South Carolina on Wednesday, killing one and injuring several others, is a disbarred lawyer, records from the Supreme Court of South Carolina show.

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Because of the increase of online shopping Mattress Firm has started to struggle to sell mattresses. They have filed for bankruptcy but they expect to exit bankruptcy in about two months

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mattress firm files for bankruptcy - cnn

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Online reviews have replaced going to a store to lie down on a mattress. That's why Mattress Firm, America's largest bed store, has filed for bankruptcy.

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Trump boasts at a rally about how he supposedly fixed the NFL's superbowl commercial problem in 2 minutes. Backfires and now several football players are upset with him.

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WASHINGTON - President Trump boasted at a rally Thursday about fixing a Super Bowl problem for the NFL in a matter of "two minutes," but lamented the football players will still despise him.

During the event in Minnesota, Trump said his new trade pact got Canada to change its policy on Super Bowl commercials that had been a "big, big problem" for the NFL.

"During the negotiation, I said 'you got to fix the NFL problem,'" Trump said of his trade talks with Canada. "It took me two minutes and now the NFL is so happy it's all worked out.

"And now our country will be taking tens of millions of dollars more money," Trump continued. "A lot of it is going to go to the players and they'll still hate me, can you believe that!?"

"And now our country will be taking tens of millions of dollars more money. A lot of it is going to go to the players and they'll still hate me, can you believe that!?"
- President Trump

Trump has long tussled with football players for kneeling during the national anthem. Despite his grievances, Trump said he wanted to help the NFL because "it's an American company. It's a great American company."

Trump said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called to thank him for the new provision of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which will replace the NAFTA trade deal.

Trump said he also got thanks from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. The president went on to praise Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and hailed Bill Belichick as "the greatest coach in football," which didn't generate applause from the Minnesota fans.

The new trade deal could mean more money for the NFL for its Super Bowl broadcasting rights in Canada. The agreement would lift a policy that forced Canadian television to air American and not Canadian commercials during the Super Bowl.

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Trump: I fixed NFL's Super Bowl problem in 'two minutes'

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WASHINGTON - President Trump boasted at a rally Thursday about fixing a Super Bowl problem for the NFL in a matter of "two minutes," but lamented the football players will still despise him. During the event in Minnesota, Trump said his new trade pact got Canada to change its policy on Super Bowl commercials that had been a "big, big problem" for the NFL.

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A British man is dead after a venomous sea snake bit him during a fishing expedition off the northern Australian coast, in what may be the first such recorded death in the region, officials said Friday.

The 23-year-old man, who has not been identified, was bitten by the creature Thursday as he was pulling in a fishing net in a remote part of the Northern Territory, police said.

Sea snakes are highly venomous but not usually aggressive, so they rarely bite humans. This may be the first recorded death from a sea snake in Australia, the BBC reported.
BRITISH MAN TRAPPED IN SHED AS 'SLAVE' FOR 40 YEARS, OFFICIALS SAY
A rescue helicopter with a medical team was sent from Darwin, a city 435 miles away from the man's location, CareFlight spokesman David Wheeldon said. The crew didn't make it in time to save the man, however.

Emergency responders didn't have many options to help a person who was in such a remote location, St. John Ambulance spokesman Craig Garraway said.

Garraway said the man likely died within two hours of being bitten. He was declared dead after his boat reached the coastal town of Borroloola, police said.

Australia's Foreign Office said it was supporting the man's family and it informed the British High Commission, Sky News reported.
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY DANCES ON STAGE TO ABBA AT CONSERVATIVE CONFERENCE
Professor Bryan Fry, who works at the University of Queensland, called the incident "tragically unlucky" and said sea snakes are "very gentle animals."

"By and large, they are very gentle animals, and people do go scuba diving with them all the time," Fry told the BBC. "But in a fishing trawler situation, where they've been potentially dragged through the water in a net, they will come up injured and perhaps looking to lash out."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Extremely venomous sea snake kills man in Australia

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A British man is dead after a venomous sea snake bit him during a fishing expedition off the northern Australian coast, in what may be the first such recorded death in the region, officials said Friday.

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Birds in Minnesota and flying into thing like windshields and trees because of the berries they are eating are fermented earlier than normal.

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Police: Birds are drunk, crashing into things - CNN Video

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According to police in Gilbert, Minnesota, birds in the area are flying into things including windshields and trees because the berries they're eating have fermented earlier than usual and the birds have not yet migrated south.

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A leading UK supermarket chain';
"?. is giving customers the option of allowing delivery drivers to enter their homes using an access code that works with a smart lock. The code will expire after drivers have loaded groceries into the fridge, freezer or pantry.

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waitrose wants to deliver even if you're not home - cnn

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A supermarket is offering to deliver groceries to your fridge while you're out

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Waitrose wants its delivery drivers to visit the homes of customers and stock their fridges with groceries while they're away.

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Man dies after being bit by extremely venomous snake in Australia

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A British man is dead after a venomous sea snake bit him during a fishing expedition off the northern Australian coast, in what may be the first such recorded death in the region, officials said Friday.

The 23-year-old man, who has not been identified, was bitten by the creature Thursday as he was pulling in a fishing net in a remote part of the Northern Territory, police said.

Sea snakes are highly venomous but not usually aggressive, so they rarely bite humans. This may be the first recorded death from a sea snake in Australia, the BBC reported.
BRITISH MAN TRAPPED IN SHED AS 'SLAVE' FOR 40 YEARS, OFFICIALS SAY
A rescue helicopter with a medical team was sent from Darwin, a city 435 miles away from the man's location, CareFlight spokesman David Wheeldon said. The crew didn't make it in time to save the man, however.

Emergency responders didn't have many options to help a person who was in such a remote location, St. John Ambulance spokesman Craig Garraway said.

Garraway said the man likely died within two hours of being bitten. He was declared dead after his boat reached the coastal town of Borroloola, police said.

Australia's Foreign Office said it was supporting the man's family and it informed the British High Commission, Sky News reported.
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY DANCES ON STAGE TO ABBA AT CONSERVATIVE CONFERENCE
Professor Bryan Fry, who works at the University of Queensland, called the incident "tragically unlucky" and said sea snakes are "very gentle animals."

"By and large, they are very gentle animals, and people do go scuba diving with them all the time," Fry told the BBC. "But in a fishing trawler situation, where they've been potentially dragged through the water in a net, they will come up injured and perhaps looking to lash out."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Extremely venomous sea snake kills man in Australia

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A British man is dead after a venomous sea snake bit him during a fishing expedition off the northern Australian coast, in what may be the first such recorded death in the region, officials said Friday.

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An 8 year old girl is nicknamed "The Queen of Sweden", after finding a viking sword in a lake.

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girl dubbed 'queen of sweden' after drawing ancient sword from lake - cnn

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Girl dubbed 'Queen of Sweden' after drawing ancient sword from lake

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An eight-year-old girl has discovered a pre-Viking-era sword in a Swedish lake, prompting locals to name her the "Queen of Sweden."

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Wedding DJ charged in teachers death

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Emily Noble, a healthcare analyst living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, spoke with "20/20" about her emotional reaction to learning that an ex-boyfriend was arrested for a brutal murder that haunted a small Pennsylvania town for 25 years.

"I was absolutely paralyzed for a couple of days with fear over, 'How did I survive that relationship?' 'How did I roll by unscathed?'" she said.

Watch the full story on "20/20" this FRIDAY, Oct. 5 at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on ABC

In 1996, then 25-year-old Emily Noble was working as a cocktail waitress at the popular Lancaster, Pennslyvania, nightclub and bar, the Chameleon Club.

"We were very much a family at the Chameleon Club," Noble recounted. "Everyone had grown up in Lancaster. We all enjoyed working together."

The lounge was known for great music and had a house DJ, Raymond Rowe, who regularly spun records. Rowe was widely known across the tight-knit community and was a sought-after DJ for wedding s and events in the area.

"He was very friendly, accommodating," Noble said of Rowe. "He loved talking to people about music, because that was his passion."

Rowe's good looks, inviting demeanor and love of music made him quite attractive in Noble's eyes. And it wasn't too long before the popular DJ took notice of the petite green-eyed, blonde cocktail waitress.

Despite being on his second marriage, the two started secretly dating.

"In the beginning he made me feel really good about myself," Noble recalled. "It was nice to have attention from him and he was very generous with his affection, too."

The couple enjoyed bonding over music and trips to the beach. Two months into the affair, the relationship was getting serious and Noble says she gave Rowe an ultimatum: either admit to his wife that he was being unfaithful or their relationship was over.

Noble says Rowe told his wife about the affair and the two soon separated. While Noble was looking forward to growing closer with her new romantic partner, the opposite seemed to happen. Shortly after Rowe and his wife separated, Noble says his relationship with her also drastically changed.

"It became less about getting to know one another and having fun," she said. "It was more about the divorce than our relationship."

Noble says Rowe told his wife about the affair and the two soon separated. While Noble was looking forward to growing closer with her new romantic partner, the opposite seemed to happen. Shortly after Rowe and his wife separated, Noble says his relationship with her also drastically changed.

"It was a red flag when we started dating that he had been married twice," she said. "As every 25-year-old does, I made some poor decisions, it's not something I'm remotely proud of."

Looking back, Noble said that Rowe was emotionally abusive, controlling and possessive. Things were "his way or the highway," she said.

Noble also said that Rowe played on her insecurities by whispering things like, "You're worthless, you're no good."

The longer the two stayed together, she said, the more frequent the insults, put-downs, and controlling behavior became. Noble admits that one of the reasons she was drawn to the DJ was because of his self-confidence and strong personality.

"I never feared for my life when I was with Ray," she said. "But he was very scary and intimidating."

A year into the relationship, Rowe was given an opportunity to DJ at a club in Chile for three months. Always career-driven, Rowe jumped at the offer. Rowe and Noble decided to stay together during this assignment but the long-distance relationship began to fizzle, and the couple only spoke once a week on the phone.

"When he left, I think it was the much-needed break I needed to get some clarity about whether I wanted to continue this," Noble said.

When Rowe returned to the states, he and Noble decided to break up and go their separate ways. Shortly after, Noble decided to pursue a life and career in New Mexico, and lost all contact with her ex-boyfriend. She has not seen or heard from Rowe since 1997.

This past July, Noble was on her way to a job interview when she received a call from an old colleague at the Chameleon Club.

Her friend told her an arrest had been made in the decades-old, unsolved murder of popular and bubbly elementary school teacher, Christy Mirack. The suspect in custody, her friend continued, was Raymond Rowe.

Noble's immediate response was, "I'm shocked," she said. "Really shocked. But not surprised."

Noble says her first instinct was to call the Lancaster District Attorney's office to offer details of what she says was an emotionally abusive relationship with Rowe.

Rowe was charged with criminal homicide and sexual assault. He is expected to go to trial in May 2019. His attorney did not immediately return "20/20's" requests for comment.

Noble is still coming to grips with all that has unfolded in the last few months. She said she was nauseous and disgusted for days after the arrest, and broke down when she saw photos of Mirack.

"I looked like her," Noble said. "My hair was the same color. The similarities between the two of us are there."

Noble realizes that this case is now in the hands of law enforcement, the courts and a jury. But what she is most focused on is hoping the family of Christy Mirack will finally get the closure they have been looking for after all these years.

Watch the full story on "20/20" this FRIDAY, Oct. 5 at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on ABC

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Ex of DJ charged in teacher's '92 death says 'How did I roll by unscathed?'

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Emily Noble, a healthcare analyst living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, spoke with "20/20" about her emotional reaction to learning that an ex-boyfriend was arrested for a brutal murder that haunted a small Pennsylvania town for 25 years. "I was absolutely paralyzed for a couple of days with fear over, 'How did I survive that relationship?'

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he is still going- he was born in 1912 and was in wwii as a P.O.W.  he is 106 and is still alive and he had a twin

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At 106 (and 1/2), this doctor isn't slowing down

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Dr. William Frankland has lived a life many could only dream of: medical school in the 1930s, studying under Alexander Fleming, becoming an allergist and developing a pollen count system to understand allergic reactions. At 106, he is not slowing down.

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Husband who had blamed cold medicine pleads guilty to killing his wife, stabbing her 123 times

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A North Carolina man who had said taking too much cold medicine may have led him to stab his wife to death pleaded guilty in court Friday.

Matthew Phelps pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of his 29-year-old wife, Lauren Hugelmaier Phelps, after an autopsy determined he had stabbed her 123 times.

Phelps, 29, will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole, ABC Durham station WTVD-TV reported.

His wife died Sept. 1, 2017, in the couple's Raleigh home.

"I have blood all over me and there's a bloody knife on the bed, and I think I did it," Matthew Phelps said in the 911 call at the time. "I can't believe this."

In that 911 call, Matthew Phelps said: "I took Coricidin cough and cold," explaining that "a lot of times I can't sleep at night."

Her body was reportedly found in the fetal position in the couple's bedroom.

Investigators said they'd learned from social media accounts that "suspect Matthew Phelps was possibly fascinated with and mimicked a portrayed serial killer character from the movie 'American Psycho.'"

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Husband who had blamed cold medicine pleads guilty to killing his wife

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A North Carolina man who had said taking too much cold medicine may have led him to stab his wife to death pleaded guilty in court Friday. Matthew Phelps pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of his 29-year-old wife, Lauren Hugelmaier Phelps, after an autopsy determined he had stabbed her 123 times.

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Matthew Shepard: The legacy of a gay college student 20 years after his brutal murder

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Twenty years ago, Matthew Shepard was a "smart, funny" 21-year-old, no different than any other young man that age.

He was an "ordinary kid who wanted to make the world a better place," his parents remembered.

But in October 1998, that all changed, when the openly gay college student was abducted, beaten and tied to a fence in Wyoming.

His life ended a few days later, and with it came a widespread awareness of the dangers that members of the LGBTQ community face every day. The homophobic brutal killing also served as a catalyst for progress in America's laws and culture.

In the two decades that have passed, however, it remains debatable how far the country has come since the shock of that crime.

A gruesome attack

Shepard, a student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, spent Oct. 6, 1998, at a meeting of the school's LGBTQ student group planning upcoming events for LGBTQ awareness week, Jason Marsden, executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, told ABC News.

He then grabbed coffee with friends before heading to a bar in Laramie in southeastern Wyoming.

Shepard was sitting alone at the bar, drinking a beer, when he was approached by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. They later confessed they had "developed a rouse in which they'd pretend to be gay to win Matt's confidence," Marsden said.

"They could offer him a ride home and rob him," he added.

McKinney and Henderson kidnapped Shepard and told him he was being robbed, Marsden said.

They "started physically assaulting him, first with fists and then with a .357 magnum pistol that Aaron McKinney was carrying," Marsden said.

McKinney and Henderson took Shepard to a prairie east of town, where they tied him to a fence, Marsden said.

McKinney hit Shepard about 20 times in the head and face with the end of the pistol, Marsden said, before the two stole Shepard's shoes, got in their truck and drove back to town.

Shepard was found the next day, 18 hours later, by a passing cyclist. He was taken to a Laramie hospital but his head injuries were so severe that he needed a neurosurgeon, so he was moved to a Colorado hospital, Marsden said.

Shepard's parents at the time were in Saudi Arabia, where his father worked. They flew back and were with their son at the hospital for his final few days, Marsden said.

When his mother, Judy Shepard, saw the badly beaten college student in the hospital, "he was all bandaged, face swollen, stitches everywhere," she told ABC News' "Nightline." "His fingers curled, toes curled, one eye was a little bit open."

Shepard died on Oct. 12.

The loss "never heals," his father, Dennis Shepard, told "Nightline." "He was just an ordinary kid who wanted to make the world a better place. And they took that away from him. And from us."

A promising young life cut short

Matthew Shepard was a mischievous, stubborn and argumentative child, his father said.

We didn't realize the amount of violence and discrimination ... against the gay community until after he died.

He grew up to become very interested in international human rights, particularly women's rights in the Middle East and Asia, and he studied political science, said Marsden.

"His goal was to work for the State Department to try to bring the same privileges and rights he thought he had in America to other countries," Dennis Shepard said.

A few years before his death, Matthew Shepard came out to his mother on the phone.

"He said, 'Mom I'm gay.' And I said, 'What took you so long to tell me?'" she recalled. "Rejection was not ever an issue in our family."

Their son was then living an openly out life.

"Everybody he met, he said, 'Just to let you know ahead of time, I'm gay,'" Dennis Shepard said.

"It was like, 'This is who I am, and that's the way it's going to be,'" added Judy Shepard.

Dennis Shepard wasn't worried about his son's safety.

"We didn't realize the amount of violence and discrimination ... against the gay community until after he died," he said. "We thought, he was born here ... he has all the rights, responsibilities, duties and privileges of every other American citizen."

The nation mourns

The shocking homophobic crime in the sparsely-populated state garnered national sympathy. The outpouring of love was immediate as flowers and stuffed animals filled the hospital.

"This is before the term viral existed, but it really did go viral," Marsden said.

"It spawned candlelight vigils all over the country. There was a mass protest on Fifth Avenue in New York in which almost 100 people were arrested," Marsden said, as well as a vigil at the U.S. Capitol with celebrities and members of Congress.

"All of these spontaneous vigils were organized by volunteers independently of one another. All of the calls to action for hate crime legislation were the work of individual civic and political leaders," Marsden explained. "It was a spontaneous outrage about the severity of this crime and the overall phenomenon of hate crimes against LGBT people, which were starting to get more social attention around this time than they had received in previous years."

But it wasn't all sympathy.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church protested the funeral, picketing with anti-gay signs.

Rev. Fred Phelps and his parishioners traveled from Kansas to Laramie for the funeral and trial, protesting with brightly colored signs and spewing hatred.

Friends of the slain student dressed in angel costumes and staged a counter-protest encircling the parishioners so their signs wouldn't be visible.

Two killers head to court

After McKinney and Henderson were arrested, Henderson waived his pre-trial investigation and took a plea agreement, agreeing to two life sentences.

McKinney went to trial, and defense attorneys argued his violent actions were "gay panic" -- a reaction to Shepard making a sexual advance.

"When the defense gets out there and starts talking out of, the victim's fault, you know, 'gay panic,' ... you just really want to scream," Judy Shepard said. "One of the portions of his statement was that Matt was coming onto him ... if that's your defense, then every woman in a bar who gets hit on, she has the right to murder the guy sitting on her? That's just absurd."

The "gay panic" defense is still legal in most states but has been outlawed in a few. It's been used since the 1960s in more than half of the states in the country, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.

McKinney was convicted on numerous kidnapping and murder charges. Before sentencing, his attorneys, the Shepards and the prosecutors agreed to two consecutive life sentences in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table.

McKinney has declined to speak to ABC News while Henderson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Change in Washington

Shepard's murder shined a light on the scope of federal hate crime laws, which at the time did not include sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Matt's murder immediately raised the visibility of that effort and, although it took until 2009, it did eventually pass and was signed into law by President Obama," Marsden said.

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act added crimes motivated by the victim's gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to the federal hate crime law.

James Byrd Jr., who was black, was murdered by three white supremacists in Texas in June 1998. Byrd was dragged behind a pickup truck, decapitated and dismembered.

The moment Obama signed the hate crimes law "was amazing," Judy Shepard said. "He understood social injustice. And to be there with James Byrd's sisters when they, when he actually signed, signed into law, it was an incredible experience. And it was a relief and it was also a total understanding that there was just really a lot more left to do."

"There's now been dozens of cases prosecuted against violent offenders who attack people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity or other characteristics that are now easier to prosecute than they were under the previous law," said Marsden. "Also several states either passed hate crime legislation for the first time or made their hate crime laws tougher."

Beyond the federal hate crime law, in the years since Matthew Shepard's death, among the most substantive legislative wins for the LGBTQ community were the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell in 2010, so gay military members can serve openly without fear of being dismissed, and the legalization of same-sex marriage across the country in 2015.

A shift in American culture

The tragic murder also led to the creation of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the mission of which "is replacing hate with compassion, understanding and acceptance," Judy Shepard said.

"The core of what we do is trying to get individual people excited about making a difference," Marsden said of the foundation. "If millions of people wanted to act in tandem, we could make hate obsolete. We could define our social norms in such a way that this kind of behavior would start to go away."

For Judy Shepard, one of the best signs of cultural progress is seeing Gay Straight Alliance groups ramping up in schools. In Wyoming, where there's a population of just 500,000, she said there are 19 Gay Straight Alliances.

Matthew Shepard's story has also lived on through various creative works, including the "The Laramie Project" and "The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later" plays, which tell the story of how Laramie residents reacted to the murder.

They are among the most performed plays in American high schools, Marsden said, and have even been performed across the world in different languages, Judy Shepard said.

"It's a universal story," she said. "If you remove the sexuality from the story and insert race or religion, it's exactly the same story of intolerance in a community or intolerance of individuals and how it affects a community."

"Matt's story, I think, was inspirational to many people, especially people his age who had not previously been active in LGBT rights who started doing so. Some have gone on to be really prominent activists in the community," Marsden said.

Back to 'ground zero'

"I thought we were making such great progress in the Obama administration," Judy Shepard said, but after the 2016 presidential election, she felt the progress of the foundation was at "ground zero again."

The Trump administration has brought changes including an order to ban transgender troops in the military and a new "religious liberty task force" that advocates fear will provide an excuse for discrimination.

Just this week, a new policy went into effect in which the Trump administration will no longer provide visas for same-sex domestic partners of foreign diplomats and U.N. officials serving in the U.S.

"I'm just so mad that we are regressing," Judy Shepard said. "We're back on the road talking about hate and acceptance and loving your neighbor and, you know, all those things again."

During the Obama administration, the Department of Justice "was working with us."

"They would set up conferences to educate law enforcement, NGOs and nonprofits on how to deal with hate crimes. How to address them, how to identify them, how to work with victims. And they would invite us to come," Judy Shepard said. "We visited several countries, 25 countries with [the] State Department. Now we're not."

"Now the [Department of Justice] definitely does not want to work with us," she continued. "Civil rights is not an issue, a primary issue, for the DOJ anymore. ... So we don't get calls from them anymore."

To Marsden, the degrees of progress for LGBTQ rights in the past 20 years vary.

Especially in urban areas, Marsden said he thinks "LGBT people have a good deal more personal freedom, career opportunities, are much less subject to discrimination. I think a lot of our schools are safer, including bullying issues, which of course affect people way beyond the LGBT community -- they affect anyone who is different in some way or another than the perceived norm.

"However, if you look back in history every time there's great progress there's also a great backlash going on," he said, citing how the end of slavery prompted the evolution of KKK and Jim Crow, while the 1960s Civil Rights movement ignited racial violence.

"All of the advances we've made have been great but they haven't reached everyone. It's still a very hard time to be a [transgender] kid in America even in more enlightened parts of the country, certainly in more rural parts of the country."

A Gallup poll from May 2018 found that 31 percent of people don't think marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages.

"The overall lesson about looking back on progress is you have to fight to keep it. It can be very easy politically in this time in America to reverse the accomplishments made in the last 10 or 15 years," Marsden said.

"I want people to be very conscious of their safety," said Judy Shepard, warning that hate is still very much out there and that women, people and members of the LGBT community are especially vulnerable. "Especially now, when we hear so much vitriol being shouted from our leaders."

"The number of hate crimes against LGBT people has gone up in the last two years, just like racial and religious hate crimes have," Marsden said.

Reported hate crimes in the nation's 10 biggest cities rose 12.5 percent last year -- the fourth consecutive annual rise in a row and the highest total in over 10 years, according to an analysis from California State University San Bernardino's Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism.

"Most hate crimes and discrimination are racial or religious -- LGBT is a smaller percentage," Marsden said. "We see, sadly, the kind of person who hates a certain race it's pretty likely you're the kind of person that hates a certain religion or a certain sexual orientation or gender identity, as well."

A legacy -- and life -- memorialized

To the slain student's mother, Matthew Shepard shouldn't just be remembered for his legacy -- he should be remembered for his life.

"I want people to remember that he was a person, that he was more than this icon in the photograph and the stories," Judy Shepard said. "He was just, he was a 21-year-old college student who drank too much, who smoked too much and didn't go to class enough. Just like every other 21-year-old college student. He had flaws. He was smart, funny. People just were drawn to him. And there was a great loss not just to us, but to all his friends. And people who hadn't met him yet."

ABC News' Meghan Keneally and Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.

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Matthew Shepard: The legacy of a gay college student 20 years after his brutal murder

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Twenty years ago, Matthew Shepard was a "smart, funny" 21-year-old, no different than any other young man that age. He was an "ordinary kid who wanted to make the world a better place," his parents remembered. But in October 1998, that all changed, when the openly gay college student was abducted, beaten and tied to a fence in Wyoming.