 Like Us On Facebook  Richard J. Heakin 1954-1976 Gay Hate Crime Death Memorium Tucson, Arizona Gay Hate Crime Murder Victim Richard Heakin  The Richard Heakin Murder Collection Tucson Richard Heakin Collection The summer day of June 6th, 1976, Mr. Richard Heakin a 21 year old Gay tourist from Lincoln, Nebraska was on a vacation enjoying visiting his friends in Tucson, Arizona. But, within just hours Richard Heakin would be dead. Late that night Richard Heakin and others left the Stonewall Tavern on 1st Avenue when they were suddenly harassed and savagely attacked with metal pipes and specialized deadly fighting techniqes by a group of 13+ thirteen or more local high school boys high on drugs and alcohol who ranged in ages from 14 to 17. The teenagers brutally attacked the young Richard Heakin, some with metal pipes. During the attack Richard Heakin sustained according to the local Pima County Medical Examiner “extensive hemorrhaging.” Richard Heakin was later taken to a local hospital, but was dead from the numerous brain injuries. The four attackers, Charles Shemwell, Herman Overpeck, Scott McDonald, and Russell Van Cleve, were all arrested later that night as the main suspects in the death of Richard Heakin. However, Presiding Judge Birdsall released all the boys right back to their parents homes with them attending school the next morning. Reportedly according to their fellow classmates, their activities still continued.On June 29th that month, court hearings for first degree murder charges in the death of Richard Heakin began but were quickly dropped by the Presiding Judge Ben Birdsall who ignored the testimony of all eye witnesses and reduced the charges in Richard heakins death down to involuntary manslaughter much as if only an auto accident had occured. Judge Birdsall then ruled that the youths would only stand trial in the death of Richard Heakin as juveniles, and that their records in the trial would be then sealed from the public, private attorneys & investigators forever. Next followed months of legal wrangling by the murderer's family attorney's, public statements were made by Judge Birdsall in the Richard Heakin Murder case that the 'The Boy's & Their Parents Have Already Suffered Enough', and postponed court dates and hearings continued. In the end Judge Birdsall after ignoring all evidence against the youths in the beating death of a Gay man Richard Heakin, ordered simple probation in the case in a way insuring that the murder case could never be opened up again. A Gay political action group was formed with locals and the many new politically active arrivals who had moved to Tucson from the big cities around the United States. While the group tried couragously, it was unsuccessful in changing the outcome of the trial and having the laws applied equally in the young murderer's being held accountable in the crime of murdering Richard Heakin because he was Gay. That effort along with a few news publications whose artilces and stories kept growing nationwide were however able to get the story of Richard Heakin's Gay Hate Murder because he was a Gay man published out across the United States, And in time out to the world at that time. Some progress in rights were made locally as the coalition was able to get the city to pass a non-discrimination ordinance primarily in the local housing laws. Sadly, Richard Heakin was by far not the first Gay man to be beaten, and or murdered by children in Tucson, Arizona because he was Gay. Or to then have those same murderer's quickly released without any repercussions. Nor, was the murder of Richard Heakin by far the last murder of a Gay man in Tucson, Arizona just because he was a Gay man. The time that the murder of Richard Heakin occured was however a time in Tucson's history when the stage was set for a large Gay Community Political Activisim group forming and then coming together in challenging both courts and government officials concerning what was then termed 'Gay Rights." Richard J. Heakin Gay Hate Crime Death Memorium -Photographic Exhibit- -Text Exhibit- -Audio-Video Exhibit-  Arizona LGBTQ+ Museum Testamentary Gifting Bequests And Donations | ||||||
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