The new category is irrelevant it is just a way to do an end run around the issue The new category is essentially just a thinly veiled redirection to the hate crime article which brings us back to the legal issue The fact remains that Shepard s attackers were neither charged with nor convicted of a hate crime As such it is blatantly deceptive to mention hate crimes in connection with his case The fact that some people believe that Shepard s attackers SHOULD HAVE been charged with a hate crime is irrelevent It is their personal opinions and speculation and is not relevant to an encyclopedia article There isn t even agreement that Shepard was targetted because of his sexuality First his attackers said he was evidently as a legal ploy and then they said he wasn t when they had no motive to lie