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On July 1, 1999 -- less than two weeks after the firebombing of three Sacramento-area
synagogues -- Gary Matson, and his partner Winfield Scott Mowder were shot to death
in their home near Redding, CA. Four days later, brothers Benjamin Matthew Williams
and James Tyler Willliams, who were under investigation in the arson attacks,
were arrested on suspicion of murder. The brothers had ties to white supremacist
groups, and had espoused anti-Semitic and anti-gay beliefs.
A popular and prominent couple, the slayings shocked and horrified the community
of Redding. But they also prompted people of divergent faiths and backgrounds
to hold a first-ever unity rally. The community joined together to not only
express their sorrow over the loss of two beloved and esteemed friends, but
also to send a clear message that hate has no home in Redding, California.
Gary Matson and Winfield Scott Mowder lived in veritable paradise on their
lush farm in Happy Valley, on the outskirts of Redding. Matson helped start
the Redding Farmers Market, a community garden to feed the hungry, an arboretum
and Carter House, a natural science museum for schoolchildren. Mowder became
a loving parent to Matson's daughter Clea, and he spoke at local high schools
about what it was like to be gay. Their murders were a dramatic loss for the
community, who found inspiration in the two men.
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Gary Matson's college-aged daughter Clea wondered why it mattered to people
that Scott and Gary were gay. "I wish now I had told people about my family
but when I was little," she said. "I knew they wouldn't understand. My friends
in school have always been religious. It's just a very religious community.
Now I wish I'd told them, because they were my friends. If I'd let them get
to know Dad and Scott, they would have learned something."
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Read and participate in a conversation with relatives of hate crime victims.
Two weeks after the slayings, the community held a memorial rally for Matson
and Mowder, the likes of which had never been seen before in Redding. Four
hundred people gathered to protest hate and intolerance. Four dozen religious
leaders from different faiths joined onstage to lead a public mourning for the
loss of two good friends, and to open a dialogue about tolerance for gays and
lesbians in a community that belongs to all of its citizens. Gay activists,
spiritual leaders and local conservative politicians all expressed outrage over
the murders, and publicly took a stand against hate crimes of every kind.
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Find out how you can get involved.
Five days after the killing of Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder, two brothers, Benjamin
Matthew Williams and James Tyler Williams, who had ties to white supremacist groups,
were charged with the double homicide. When the Williams brothers' house was later
searched, police discovered a cache of weapons and extensive hate literature. Evidence
eventually also linked the Williams brothers' to the
Sacramento
synagogue arsons.
In March 2003, James Tyler Williams was sentenced to at least 33 years in state prison
for the 1999 double homicide. He will begin serving the murder sentence after he completes
his 21-year sentence in federal prison for the Sacramento synagogue arsons. Williams will
be eligible for his first parole hearing in 2053, sometime around his 82nd birthday. On
November 17, 2003, Benjamin Matthew Williams was found dead in his cell after committing
suicide. He was awaiting trail for the murders of Matson and Mowder.
On the fifth anniversary of the Redding gay couple's death, loved ones and families
attended an emotional Shabbat service at Congregation B'nai Israel in Sacramento. Rabbi
Brad Bloom dedicated the service to the memory of the gay couple and wanted to unite the
communities of Redding and Sacramento who were both victimized by the Williams' brothers.
"I really appreciate Rabbi Bloom's efforts, and the fact that he is willing to reach out
toward gays and lesbians and toward the issue of intolerance," says Brian Matson, Gary
Matson' brother. "Gary would certainly appreciate that very much." Ten family members of
the Redding gay couple attended the healing ceremony, along with local elected officials,
members of the police and FBI.
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