Built to complement the rocky, sagebrush-covered foothills, the crisscrossed logs instead have become an international symbol of hate, the site where Matthew Shepard was tied up, beaten into a coma and left to die.

``I literally tried to think of something that wouldn't be offensive or ugly or tacky, so I designed that fence,'' Etchepare said. ``It's ironic.''

Police say Shepard may have been targeted because he was gay. His killing inspired a national debate over hate crimes and led to measures across the country adding sexual orientation to anti-discrimination laws.

Opening statements are scheduled Monday in the trial of Aaron McKinney, 22, one of two men accused in the attack of the University of Wyoming student. He could receive the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.

Russell Henderson, 22, pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in April and received two life sentences.

McKinney's trial and the recent one-year anniversary of Shepard's death brought Etchepare's thoughts back to the reasons he erected the rustic obstacle aimed at keeping ``honest people'' from traveling where they shouldn't.

Born and raised in Denver, Etchepare, 53, is a descendant of Basque sheepherders who sought a new life in Wyoming. His family bought the Warren Livestock Co., which was incorporated in 1883 by the state's first governor, and he established Laramie as his summer home four years ago.

``I felt the safest, the most comfortable,'' he said. ``I purposefully made the choice -- and I can live anywhere -- that this was going to be my hometown.''

Etchepare decided to build a barrier to deter trespassers from following a trail from the family ranch onto neighboring property. He opted for a three-section, buck-and-rail fence.

``I wanted it to be attractive,'' he said. ``It was this or put up some ugly 'No Trespassing' sign.''

Around 4 p.m. on Oct. 7, 1998, Etchepare was showing property to a prospective buyer. The two were in the middle of a patch of sagebrush and wheatgrass about 500 yards from a small hill.

On the other side of that hill -- unknown to Etchepare -- a small figure was lying unconscious on the fence, his wrists bound and clothesline fastening his ankles to one of the posts.

Two hours later, Etchepare returned to the property and saw police cars. There had been a ``near homicide,'' he was told. Etchepare learned the details of Shepard's brutal beating, and discovered that one of his relatives and the Shepards were longtime friends.

The Etchepares offered to help Dennis and Judy Shepard in their darkest hour, shooing away throngs of reporters, issuing updates on the young Shepard's condition and managing the family's affairs until the numbing shock ever so slightly began to subside.

Shepard, 21, died five days after he was lashed to the fence and pistol-whipped on the freezing prairie.

Etchepare said the crime made him question his decision to move to Laramie. His anger subsided though, when he realized other residents were also shaken by the killing and portrayals of Laramie as a hate town.

``Everyone was affected and everyone was hurt,'' he said. ``It just made me like Laramie that much more. These are wonderful people. ... Laramie has nothing at all to feel guilty about.''

As Etchepare begins to drive away, he says he isn't sure what to do with the fence. Many people have suggested he destroy it. Others want it preserved. For now, he's doing nothing.

``I can't win either way,'' he said. ``It just works better to turn a blind eye.''

Before leaving his property, he nailed up a ``No Trespassing'' sign.