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American Morning

McVeigh Execution: Victims' Families Await Justice

Aired June 07, 2001 - 09:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DORIS JONES, MOTHER OF BOMBING VICTIM: I'm hopeful that it will happen Monday. But, at the same time, I certainly won't be surprised if something comes up.

LYLE COUSINS, HUSBAND OF BOMBING VICTIM: He's just not worth it. I'm not going to get up early Monday morning and let him disrupt my life one more day. I'm just hoping that when I get up and turn the TV on Monday morning, it will be over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: For some survivors and relatives of the Oklahoma City bombing, Timothy McVeigh's execution represents justice and the latest legal battles have been an emotional roller- coaster.

Rudy Guzman lost his brother, Randy, in the bombing and he says that McVeigh deserves to die. Rudy Guzman joins us from San Francisco.

Rudy, thank you for coming in to talk with us.

After the judge's decision to deny the stay of execution, so it's still set for Monday, your reaction to that?

RUDY GUZMAN, BROTHER OF BOMBING VICTIM: Well, I know it's going to happen Monday, but I want to prepare myself just in cast that there is any other setbacks. You never know from the court of appeals or the Supreme Court, but I'm sure it's going to happen Monday morning.

KELLEY: Well, you're pretty sure, like you say, but what if the Supreme Court or the court of appeals steps in? How do you prepare for that? How have you prepared and dealt with these last years since the execution?

GUZMAN: It's been hard. It's a real emotional roller-coaster. And first, I was prepared for the 16th of May. Now, I'm mentally preparing myself for the 11th. So it's hard, but I'm sure I could do it.

KELLEY: You know there are some relatives, even of the bombing victims, not just even folks who are against the death penalty, but relatives who say it won't make any difference if he's killed. What purpose will it be if Tim McVeigh is executed?

GUZMAN: Well, to me he doesn't belong to -- he doesn't belong to be on this great Earth of ours. And what he done to my brother and all the other victims, in my opinion, I feel that he deserves to die and let justice be served and put him away.

KELLEY: Are you worried that we don't know the full story? Are you worried that maybe the 4,000-plus pages that got turned over there might be something in there or maybe that McVeigh didn't act alone?

GUZMAN: I'm not worried. I agree with Judge Matsch with his decision. McVeigh is guilty. What he done he let -- he hurt so many people and all that paperwork has nothing to do with it, so he is guilty, so he deserves to die.

KELLEY: What about the lawyers apparently might like to try and get the death penalty overturned -- the execution out -- but still say that he's guilty. Would that be all right with you?

GUZMAN: No, I believe what he did deserves the death penalty and, hopefully, it's done on Monday. But if not, I'm prepared for any day it happens.

KELLEY: Rudy Guzman, who is the brother of bombing victim Randy Guzman, appreciate you coming to talk with us. Thanks.

GUZMAN: Thank you.

KELLEY: Leon.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, not all of the bombing victim's relatives want to see Timothy McVeigh executed. Bud Welch lost his daughter, Julie, in that bombing, but he opposes the death penalty and he joins us by phone, now, from Boston.

Mr. Welch, did you change your view on the death penalty before or after this particular incident?

BUD WELCH, FATHER OF BOMBING VICTIM: Well, I had always been opposed to the death penalty -- had not really understood why because I never really gave it much thought until Julie's death. The first year after the Oklahoma City bombing, I was very much in favor of the death penalty. That's the normal vengeance and retribution that all victims' family members go through. And, of course, there are many, many more people have since been able to go through the process of recognizing that the day that we kill Tim McVeigh is not part of their healing process.

HARRIS: Now what -- now what brings you to that conclusion for yourself, at least?

WELCH: I'm sorry.

HARRIS: What -- well, how did -- how did you come to that conclusion in at least settling things for yourself that his execution would not bring you any closure or any peace? WELCH: Well, because I -- that first year I was living with vengeance and I was living with rage. And vengeance and rage will destroy you. I know it because I've been there. And Tim McVeigh killed 168 people to satisfy his rage and vengeance against the United States government for what happened at Waco, Texas, two years before. And it didn't satisfy his vengeance. Tim McVeigh still carries it, and apparently he's going to die with it on Monday.

HARRIS: You've been quite active lobbying against the death penalty and even talking quite often, I understand, with the people on both sides of this issue. Have you been able to change the opinions or the minds of any other --...

WELCH: Sure.

HARRIS: ... the victim's families or victims themselves of this bombing?

WELCH: Absolutely.

(CROSSTALK)

WELCH: In fact -- in fact they have told me so. And, you know, I think that if the 4,000 pages of documents, if there's absolutely nothing there, why do those 4,000 pages even exist. My problem is not with his guilt or innocence, I think he's absolutely guilty. I wonder how close one juror might have become to saying life instead of the death penalty based on one sentence on one of those 4,000 pages. That's what bothers me. I think he needs to be re-sentenced.

HARRIS: Well, if all goes according to the sentence he's gotten handed down to him right now and if all goes according to plan, he'll be dead by 8:00 a.m. on Monday.

WELCH: That's correct.

HARRIS: How will you feel at 8:00 a.m.?

WELCH: Well,...

HARRIS: Any different than you feel now?

WELCH: ... I will feel as though that I have failed in this endeavor -- that I have tried all I could and I -- and I feel like that I've done all I can do. And I just think that we -- you know when any American's life is taken by another unnecessarily, whether it's done in the name of the law or in defiance of the law, in an attack of violence or a response to violence, the whole nation is degraded by this.

HARRIS: Were you surprised by the judge's decision yesterday?

WELCH: Actually, I was. I think that Judge Matsch probably is a very fair judge. I would -- I would have hoped that he would have left the defense have enough time to go through every bit of the documents. And, you know, there isn't anything clean about the death penalty. But this one here actually coming up on Monday morning is going to be very dirty, in my view, because what it does, it points out the very things that Tim McVeigh's complaints against the United States government was that you can't trust government, you can't trust the government police agencies and this is just playing right into their hands. And I think it's unfortunate.

HARRIS: Well, we thank you for sharing your views with us this morning. You've enlightened quite a bit of us, no doubt.

Bud Welch, thanks much, and good luck to you down the road. Take care.

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