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American Morning

Oklahoma Bombing Memorial Adds Plague to Mark McVeigh Execution

Aired June 11, 2001 - 09:52   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back here live in Terre Haute. Timothy McVeigh, the convicted bomber of the Oklahoma City bombing, declared dead at 8:14 a.m. Eastern time. Another chapter in this very sad and tragic story, the Oklahoma City bombing, has come to a conclusion today. However, in Oklahoma City, that pain certainly endures.

Back there now live with CNN's Gary Tuchman with us again -- Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, during Timothy McVeigh's trial in Denver, Colorado, of course, he was found guilty of this murder. He suffered the ultimate punishment today. During that trial in Denver, he was represented by an attorney named Stephen Jones.

Stephen Jones is with us right now. First thing I want to ask you, how did you expect that you would feel today after his execution?

STEPHEN JONES, FRM. MCVEIGH ATTORNEY: Sort of aloof, like stepping out of the box, stepping out of myself to watch it, trying to be as detached as I could.

TUCHMAN: and do you feel any differently now than you expected?

JONES: I do, slightly. Mr. McVeigh is the first client that I've represented through a trial that has actually been put to death. I have practiced law for 36 years, so certainly that has some impact me.

But I have to tell you that when I heard the president, I disagree with him. This case has not been brought to a conclusion. There's too much self-congratulation today. There are still others. The investigation needs to be reopened on Lori Fortier, Michael Fortier and James Nichols. Not all of the perpetrators have been brought to justice. It's a mistake to stop too soon.

TUCHMAN: Mr. Jones, do you feel that if Timothy McVeigh followed your advice, he'd still be alive today?

JONES: Well, I think my advice and the advice of the other lawyers. I don't single myself out, but yes, he would still be alive today. TUCHMAN: Something very interesting I heard from people inside the museum behind us, the Oklahoma City National Memorial Center. They said you came the other day to visit the museum for the first time.

JONES: I did.

TUCHMAN: Why did you do that?

JONES: Well, I wanted to see it, and I wanted to come down at a time when I didn't think my presence there would draw any attention. It is a part of our history. It is an event that I participated in, and I wanted to see how it was presented. And I thought it was appropriate, dignified, memorable, and it leaves a lasting impression.

TUCHMAN: Speaking of appropriate, I want to ask if you this is appropriate. A short time ago, we heard his current attorneys talking about the aftermath, and Mr. Nigh started off his statement by saying we have executed Sergeant McVeigh. Is that the way to approach this, by making it sound like this was an honorable man who was being executed, because that's was what he was trying to do, wasn't it?

JONES: Well, Mr. McVeigh was our own. he fought his country's enemies. He won the Bronze Star and he received great military decoration. That has to be weighed into it. But you know, the truth is that the English novelist Graham Greene said, "None of us knows what goes on in a single human heart," and I think we have to leave the mystery there.

TUCHMAN: One other thing that was mentioned by his other attorneys, I want to see if you share this thought, is yesterday they were talking about Timothy McVeigh says this is like when the military kills civilians. Now, no one in the military is allowed to kill civilians. If say you purposely killed a civilian, you go to jail. How is that the same thing as that?

JONES: It isn't the same thing. Mr. McVeigh was mistaken. An intelligent man, but lacking in critical faculties of reasoning, overcome by emotions while trying to maintain a sense of detachment. Mr. McVeigh wore a mask this morning.

It's a mask that I saw occasionally, but I also saw it when the mask slipped. And I -- I'm glad that he left with dignity and did not inflict intentionally any additional hurt on the victims this morning. I think that we have to respect that. But this was a tragedy that should never have occurred.

TUCHMAN: And finally, in a word: how do you feel right now? Do you feel bad? Do you feel sad? How do you feel?

JONES: I feel that the matter is still open, and it's not ready to close.

TUCHMAN: Stephen Jones, thank you for your time.

JONES: Thank you. TUCHMAN: We appreciate it. We were talking about the museum that Stephen Jones went inside the other day to visit. What's very notable about this museum, and it's a very emotional, poignant museum, is that it's solely dedicated to the victims and the rescue workers, the 168 people who died and those who helped, but there one or two mentions of Timothy McVeigh.

There's a plaque that's been inside this museum since it opened this past February, and the plaque talks about how he is scheduled to be executed. Originally, it said he is scheduled to be executed on May 16th. That was the original date. Then it was changed to June and they have just put up the new plague now. It says McVeigh is executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001.

You can see them holding it there just a short time ago. They put it on the wall, and they added that to the museum collection that Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, the man who drove the rental Ryder truck right next to this museum six years, one month and three weeks ago is now dead. He's been executed.

That's the story here right now. As we speak, people continue to visit the outdoor memorial with the 168 chairs. Each chair, with the name of a victim, sits, and people are there and you are watching very emotional tributes all day as people have made the decision to come here on the day Timothy McVeigh was executed.

Back to you.

HEMMER: All right, Gary, thank you. You heard Stephen Jones say that he thought Timothy McVeigh went out with dignity, not making a public statement. However, there was a very direct written statement. Again, the poem that we have talked about for several days now, which concludes: "It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll; I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul."

That in a handwritten letter distributed to the witnesses who were inside the execution chamber early this morning. It is signed and dated by Timothy J. McVeigh in the bottom right-hand corner of that letter.

At this time, the coroner her in Terre Haute is taking possession of Timothy McVeigh's body. It will be removed from the prison. Again, we do anticipate his body will be cremated. We are not told, it is a secret as to where his ashes will be distributed from here.

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