Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about two folks, Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder, who lived in Redding, California. Now, these two men, they wasn’t just any couple, they were a couple for fourteen years. They lived out there in Happy Valley, just a little bit outside Redding. They wasn’t lookin’ for trouble, just livin’ their life. But one day, tragedy struck, and it shook the whole place to its core.
See, back in the year 1999, on July 1st, these two men were murdered by two brothers—Benjamin Matthew Williams and James Tyler Williams. Now, these boys, they were trouble. They didn’t take kindly to folks that were different from them. They had some strong hatred in their hearts, and it led them to do something horrible. They killed Gary and Winfield, just because of who they were. Can you believe that? Just because they loved each other, and that was enough to make these men wanna take their lives.
It wasn’t just a random act, no sir. These brothers had a deep hatred for people who didn’t fit into their narrow view of the world. They called themselves white supremacists, and their anger was so strong it blinded them to any sense of right and wrong. Gary and Winfield, they didn’t deserve any of that. They were just two men, tryin’ to get by, just like anybody else.
Now, the way it all went down, it wasn’t somethin’ that just happened on a whim. The brothers planned it out. They were arrested after the police found Gary’s car abandoned by the side of the road near Oroville. I tell ya, when the police started searchin’ them boys’ homes, they found all sorts of things—hate-filled stuff, and even a list of people they were targetin’. It was clear they weren’t just a couple of confused kids; these men had a deep-rooted, dangerous hate inside ’em.
But, after all that mess, the real hurt came when we all had to reckon with the idea that two innocent lives were lost. Gary and Winfield, they were just mindin’ their own business, livin’ their lives in a way that didn’t harm anybody. They was murdered because of the way they loved each other. It was wrong, and there’s no two ways about it.
The brothers, they didn’t feel no remorse, or so it seemed. Tyler Williams, one of the brothers, he said he didn’t even consider it murder. He called it somethin’ else, somethin’ he could justify in his mind, but let me tell ya, there ain’t no justifying takin’ someone’s life just ’cause they love who they love.
After the trial, James Tyler Williams was sentenced to 29 years in prison. They locked him up, but it don’t bring back Gary and Winfield. No matter how long he spends behind bars, it won’t change the fact that two good men lost their lives in a senseless act of hate.
Now, some folks might think that this sort of thing don’t happen much anymore, but it does. It still happens today, just not always in the same ways. People still face hatred, violence, and discrimination just because of who they are. We can’t forget that. We have to keep fightin’ for love, for tolerance, for respect. We don’t need more hate in the world. We need more folks like Gary and Winfield—people who love without fear, who live without hatred in their hearts.
Gary and Winfield’s story, it’s a sad one, but it’s also a reminder. A reminder that we have to be better. We have to treat each other with kindness, no matter who we are or who we love. That’s the lesson we should take from this—a lesson that will hopefully help stop something like this from ever happenin’ again.
So, rest in peace, Gary and Winfield. You didn’t deserve what happened to you, but your story ain’t forgotten. And I hope, one day, the world can learn from your love and your loss.
Tags：[Gary Matson, Winfield Mowder, hate crime, Redding, California, white supremacist, murder, LGBT, justice, love]