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American Morning

McVeigh Execution: Family Discusses Observance at Memorial

Aired June 11, 2001 - 11:00   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh died this morning, by lethal injection. We have watched this amazing story unfold before our very eyes, right here on CNN.

CNN's Bill Hemmer is outside the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.

And in Oklahoma City, CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman is standing by.

Let's start with Gary.

Gary, good morning.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Leon.

This is where the Murrah Federal Building used to stand. Now it's the Oklahoma City Bombing Museum. It's closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.

It is not closed today, the day of Timothy McVeigh's execution. It opened about an hour ago. They're expecting lots of people to come. All week long, tourists have been coming from all over the country, saying they felt it appropriate because of the execution.

Next to this museum in an outdoor memorial, and that's where people have been paying pilgrimages all day. Many people who are relatives of the victims and survivors decided not to attend the closed-circuit viewing of the execution. Instead, they wanted to go to this very peaceful, serene memorial, to go to the chairs, the 168 chairs, each chair with a different name of a victim.

You are looking at the Denny family right there. The parents are Jim and Claudia Denny. The children are Rebecca and Brandon Denny. Rebecca and Brandon were both inside the day care center in the Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, when the explosion rang out. Little Brandon was three; Rebecca was two, at the time. They were both seriously hurt, particularly Brandon. Shrapnel from the building went inside that little boy's head. He was in the hospital for a long time. The Denny family are very grateful that their two children survived this terrible explosion. Most of the children in the day care center passed away.

With us right now is the Denny family, joining us here.

Jim and Claudia, you guys must be so grateful.

CLAUDIA DENNY, MOTHER OF BOMBING VICTIMS: We are.

JIM DENNY, FATHER OF BOMBING VICTIMS: We give thanks every minute of every day. You know, Gary, before this happened, we took so much for granted in life. Now, for us both, we live every day like it's our last. We enjoy it.

TUCHMAN: Claudia, the execution occurred today. You chose not to go to the execution, instead coming to the chairs. Tell me why you decided not to watch the closed-circuit viewing of the execution.

C. DENNY: I didn't want to watch another person die. There was so much death before. We feel at peace here. This is where we wanted to be.

TUCHMAN: But Jim, it's fair to say that you do favor the death penalty.

J. DENNY: Absolutely. Claudia and I both are pro-death penalty. We favor it. But today was a good day because our justice system worked, from when Tim McVeigh started this process until today. But it's not a happy day, because a human life was taken at the class. In the class of Oklahomans and the class of people down here, there was no cheering. It was kind of a solemn moment knowing things maybe are almost over and people can get on with their lives.

TUCHMAN: Now we want to talk a little happy talk here. Rebecca and Brandon, first of all, high-five for me, please.

High five from you.

Tell me what you guys were doing. We saw you at the chairs. Whose chair were you at, Rebecca?

REBECCA DENNY, BOMBING VICTIM: I was at Colton's chair.

TUCHMAN: You were at Colton Smith's chair. Colton Smith was a two-year-old boy who was in your day care center.

R. DENNY: And Brenda's chair.

TUCHMAN: She also passed away.

Whose chair where you at?

BRANDON DENNY, BOMBING VICTIM: Chase's.

TUCHMAN: You were at Chase's chair. He was Colton's three-year- old brother, right? Did you know that they were in your day care center with you?

B. DENNY: Yes. TUCHMAN: They were there. You guys were friends. You didn't even realize it back then. But that's so nice of you to be there, and you honored your little friends by being there. How are you feeling right now, Brandon?

B. DENNY: Good.

TUCHMAN: Good. The only thing you're not feeling good about is when you were walking up to talk to us, because we're on a platform, you bumped your leg on the stairs, right? Is your leg feeling OK?

B. DENNY: Yes.

TUCHMAN: I'm sorry about that. Will you accept my apology?

C. DENNY: Yes.

B. DENNY: Yes.

TUCHMAN: You had to think about it for a second.

How are you feeling, Rebecca?

R. DENNY: I'm feeling good.

TUCHMAN: You look great.

I want to thank you guys for talking with us.

J. DENNY: You're welcome.

C. DENNY: Thank you.

TUCHMAN: Dennys, nice talking to you.

J. DENNY: Nice talking to you.

TUCHMAN: We wish you the very best.

Everyone's shaking my hand here. Thanks you guys.

Lots of people will be coming here, as we said. This was the site of the Murrah Building. It was a violent, terrible scene when we were here six years ago. It is now one of the most peaceful, serene places you could ever imagine going.

Leon, back to you.

HARRIS: Thanks, Gary. The Further evidence of the amazing resiliency of those people of Oklahoma City, as we've seen throughout the years.

Thanks, Gary Tuchman, reporting live -- Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: As we continue our coverage now where the execution actually took place, in Terra Haute, Indiana, let's go to our Bill Hemmer, who's standing by with that -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning once again. I am struck, as always, by the different reactions that we gather from people, survivors and families of the victims, throughout the day, including the interview that Gary Tuchman did just there with the Denny family.

Peggy Broxterman's oldest son was killed in the bombing, back in April of 1995. We were just speaking with her live, in Terre Haute. She says from the very outset, she wanted Timothy McVeigh to die, and she came here to witness his execution. She leaves now back for Las Vegas, she says, with a satisfied and content heart.

Again, we have heard a number of people talk about the tears and the pain they carry with them, and certainly, the reactions are different, depending on the individuals that we talk with throughout the day today.

Here in Terra Haute, we do know, through a high-ranking Justice Department official, that Timothy McVeigh was given last rites. It is somewhat significant, in the sense that McVeigh has said all along that he's agnostic. We know he's struck up somewhat of a relationship with a Roman-Catholic priest in Terra Haute. It's possible that priest did deliver those last rites early this morning.

Tim McVeigh, you may know by now, had no oral statement before he was strapped to the execution chair, but he did have a written statement, and part of that statement reads in part from a poem that was released in the mid-1800s, titled "Invictus". The closing line in that poem goes the following way:

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

That poem was selected by Timothy McVeigh. In the bottom right-hand corner, you can see that he signed it and dated it, and it was released and passed out to the various witnesses here in Terre Haute.

Also here are 10 people who flew in from Oklahoma City, who were chosen from a lottery to witness the execution.

Paul Howell was one of them. He lost his daughter in the bombing, back in April of 1995. A short time ago, he also spoke with reporters here, in western Indiana.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL HOWELL, EXECUTION WITNESS: What I was looking for, and I'm sure most of us was, is that we could see some kind of, maybe, I'm sorry, you know, something like that, but you know, we didn't get anything from his face. His facial expressions were just about as calm as they could be. The only thing I noticed is that he clenched his mouth one time, like he was trying to fight the sleep. But eventually, he had to do it, and he took two quick gulps of air and then went to sleep at that time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: That was 8:14 Eastern Standard Time, 7:14 local time in Terra Haute, Indiana.

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