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American Morning

Reactions Varied to McVeigh Execution

Aired June 11, 2001 - 10:02   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: You know, more than six years ago an explosion in Oklahoma City thundered across the nation. A faint, final shudder rippled around the country this morning. In Oklahoma City this morning, some 300 people gathered for a closed-circuit viewing of Timothy McVeigh's execution. He died by lethal injection about two hours ago at a federal penitentiary in Terra Haute, Indiana. And with survivors and relatives watching, McVeigh issued a final statement with no hint of remorse.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have several correspondents posted along many points of this developing story. We begin on the prison grounds in Terra Haute, Indiana. That's where we find our Bill Hemmer, who is there with more -- Bill, good morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning to you.

We continue to pick up little bits of information as to what happened inside the execution chamber shortly before Timothy McVeigh was put to death. Again, we are told now by a high ranking official to the Justice Department that McVeigh did receive last rites. It was not clear whether McVeigh would go through with this. It was also not clear whether or not McVeigh would take advantage of a sixth witness, which is a spiritual adviser that is afforded him.

It had been said and reported for many days that he would not take advantage of that opportunity. But we do know, indeed, he was given last rites before the chemicals were put into his body. Time of death, 8:14 A.M. Eastern Time here in western Indiana.

We should let you know, in about 15 minutes time, 9:15 local, 10:15 Eastern, there were 10 people flown by the government from Oklahoma City to Terre Haute last night to witness this execution. These are families of the victims, also two survivors who were injured and one survivor from the bombing who was not injured. Those people expected to come before reporters and microphones shortly here in Terre Haute.

If you've been with us throughout the morning, you know a number of reporters, 10 of them have been inside to witness the execution. At a briefing earlier today, CNN's Susan Candiotti there to get their thoughts and reactions to what they saw inside the execution chamber -- Susan, good morning to you.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. The Oklahoma City bomber is dead and he died with his eyes open. As you indicated, there were 10 victim witnesses who were flown here from Oklahoma City. One of them is joining us at this moment. Her name is Sue Ashford and she is, indeed, one of the survivors. In fact, she describes herself as the only survivor, Ms. Ashford, who was not injured.

SUE ASHFORD, EXECUTION WITNESS: There was one category for one uninjured survivor and that was me.

CANDIOTTI: And you are the witness who was able to attend who was not injured?

ASHFORD: Right. My name was drawn lottery style.

CANDIOTTI: Tell me what the experience was like for you.

ASHFORD: I'm elated. It was wonderful for me. I've waited for it for a long time and I couldn't wait to see it over with.

CANDIOTTI: We have heard so many descriptions, at least by journalists thus far, and as well from some of those who watched the closed circuit telecast. You were here in person.

ASHFORD: Right.

CANDIOTTI: Please give us your description, your most memorable thoughts about what happened as soon as those curtains opened, because as we must remind our viewers, you could see Timothy McVeigh's face. He could not see yours.

ASHFORD: Right. Right.

CANDIOTTI: Tell me about it.

ASHFORD: He raised his head up a little bit off the gurney and looked at the other windows of people that he could see and kind of nodded his head toward his people that he had asked to be there. Then he turned his head to the right, which was toward us, and he kind of went like that when he was moving his head to the side, trying to see us, but of course he couldn't so he just laid his head back down.

CANDIOTTI: Did you form an impression from what he did at that time, try to draw a conclusion from him looking at the various rooms of witnesses and what he was trying to do, perhaps?

ASHFORD: No, not really. I think instead of saying anything, which he did not, that that was his last stand, so to speak, before he left this world.

CANDIOTTI: Indeed, because he decided not to make a final statement, as you might recall, over the weekend.

ASHFORD: Right.

CANDIOTTI: He said through his attorneys he did not want to inflict further pain.

ASHFORD: Which is a crock.

CANDIOTTI: Why do you say that?

ASHFORD: Because if he felt that way he couldn't have killed 168 people to begin with and 19 of them children and three unborn children and all the families and lives that are ruined forever.

CANDIOTTI: You said that you felt elated when it was over. Tell me why.

ASHFORD: Because I didn't want him to draw another breath. I didn't want my tax dollars to go to feed him one more mouthful of food. That ice cream he got was the last he'll ever get from me.

CANDIOTTI: It was not a surprise that Timothy McVeigh, as a final statement of sorts, issued a written copy that he had had printed of the poem "Invictus." I was wondering what you made of that? You've certainly read it by now because it was, it's been published a few times. It included the line "I am the master of my fate, captain of my soul. My head is unbowed."

ASHFORD: Well, honestly, he is, he was the captain of his soul because he's the one that made the decision to do what he did. So to me he was the captain of his own soul and did handle his own fate because he was smart enough, he had to know the consequences before he did what he did.

CANDIOTTI: How will you go on with your life after this moment, after this particular event?

ASHFORD: Just great. Just excellently great. I'll breathe cleaner air because what we had until he died was very polluted, as far as I'm concerned.

CANDIOTTI: Ms. Ashford, thank you very much for joining us this day.

ASHFORD: Thank you. Thank you.

CANDIOTTI: We wish you all the best.

ASHFORD: Thank you.

CANDIOTTI: I wanted to ask you, too, any final thoughts for Mr. McVeigh's family?

ASHFORD: I feel sorry for his father. The daughter I've always thought was a little flaky. The mom I hear has been in a mental institution and, you know -- but I do feel sorry for his dad and my heart goes out to him and I am with him on that.

CANDIOTTI: Thank you for joining us.

I'm going through. ASHFORD: Oh.

CANDIOTTI: Stand by there. Thank you very much.

We can say from all accounts that the execution appears to have been carried out in a very professional manner and that death occurred within four minutes after the first of three chemicals was introduced through an intravenous line into Timothy McVeigh's right leg. We hear now from the prison warden, who described McVeigh's demeanor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARLEY LAPPIN, WARDEN, U.S. PENITENTIARY: Inmate McVeigh was calm throughout the entire process. He cooperated entirely during the time he was restrained in the execution holding cell to the time he walked into the execution room. He stepped up onto a small step and sat down on the table. We then positioned himself -- he then positioned himself for us to apply the restraints. He cooperated throughout this entire process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: And then you may have heard earlier in this day the other witnesses have described that once the curtain opened, that Timothy McVeigh looked deliberately at all the people in all the four rooms. The chemicals were introduced. His eyes looked up. He took a few heavy breaths and he died.

Not long after this took place one of Timothy McVeigh's two lawyers who was present addressed reporters. He is very strongly against capital punishment, needless to say, and most of his comments had to do with that. Here is the reaction of Robert Nigh after the execution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT NIGH, MCVEIGH ATTORNEY: We killed Bill and Mickey's son this morning and we killed Jennifer McVeigh's big brother. Of course, we can say that it was Tim himself that caused their pain and we would be half right. But it would be a lie to say that we did not double their pain and that we are not responsible because there is a reasonable way to deal with crime that doesn't involve killing another human being.

Although we might not express it in these terms, because we know better, we might say that these people are simply collateral damage. But we know too well that there is no such thing as collateral damage. There are only real people with faces and names and loved ones who may never heal because of our actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Mr. Nigh went on to say that he is convinced that one day the death penalty will be outlawed. He said in his view it's not a matter of if, but when. Although after hearing from many of the victim witnesses this day, they were, indeed, very satisfied with what happened here, that is to say the death of Timothy McVeigh, who had caused so much pain, so much death and destruction -- back to you, Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Susan, thank you very much.

Again, it's the first federal execution carried out in 38 years, but it is not the last. A week from tomorrow here in Terre Haute, Juan Raul Garza is expected to be executed by the same method, lethal injection. Garza is convicted of murder. He's appealed his case to the U.S. Supreme Court and unless there is a last minute appeal that goes through legally or a reprieve given to Garza, he will be executed, again, a week from tomorrow here in Terre Haute by the same manner that McVeigh was executed earlier today.

Again, here in Terre Haute, we do expect more reaction from witnesses who flew from Oklahoma City to see the execution here this morning. As soon as we get that certainly we'll have it for you live. But for now back to Atlanta and more with Daryn -- Daryn?

KAGAN: All right, Bill, we'll check back in with you in just a bit.

Meanwhile, as we do report on the death of Timothy McVeigh, life does go on in Oklahoma City. It hasn't, though, been easy. Six years after the blast, many are working to move beyond the pain and keep the memories of their loved ones alive. Our national correspondent Gary Tuchman has one woman's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DORIS JONES, MOTHER OF VICTIM: OK, these are your tickets and these are your brochures.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Doris Jones works in the Oklahoma City bombing museum. Every day she's there, she talks to visitors touched by what they see inside but unaware of who they are talking to. Doris Jones lost her daughter in the bombing.

JONES: When I'm down here I feel her memory, her spirit, her drive. She just, she's just behind me all the way.

TUCHMAN: Her name was Carrie Lenz. She was only 26, an employee of the Drug Enforcement Administration. She was married and was six months pregnant with her first child. On the day before the bombing, she talked with her mother after getting an ultrasound.

JONES: She said well, mom, do you want to know? And I said well, yeah. She said, well, it's a boy and we're going to name him Michael James Lenz III.

TUCHMAN: In the museum, a picture of Carrie Lenz with keepsakes, one of them a pacifier for baby Michael. Doris Jones was in an Oklahoma City department store on April 19th, 1995 when she felt the explosion miles away. She started watching television and saw the area where her daughter's office was blown away. She went home after finding out her daughter was missing. JONES: And I saw headlights coming down the road and then I saw them turn into our driveway and I knew, I knew what it was.

TUCHMAN: Doris Jones had lost her only daughter. Six years later, she feels she honors Carrie by working in this museum. She does say she almost lost her composure dealing with a rude visitor.

JONES: And he goes I don't care what you, you know -- I mean he was just right in my face. And I was like but you don't know -- but I didn't say a word. But I just wanted to go you don't know my relationship with this and how you are making me feel by you talking to me this way.

TUCHMAN: But she stayed calm with a visitor who probably would have been more polite if he knew who he was dealing with.

JONES: I just want her to not be forgotten.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: With us now is Doris Jones. Doris, that's the first time you've seen that story.

JONES: Yeah.

TUCHMAN: You're a brave woman and you had a wonderful daughter.

JONES: It kind of just shook me up there.

TUCHMAN: How are you feeling right now? You just came back from the closed circuit viewing of the execution. How did it make you feel watching that?

JONES: It was a little emotional. I didn't know what to expect, of course. They told us kind of the steps that we'd go through, but we were all anticipating words and when they asked him to make his last statements he just laid there and just silence. And he made no statements. The hardest part was when, the way the cameras were positioned over him for us in the -- here in Oklahoma City viewing, he could look right up to the camera just right above him. And he looked at us eye to eye. It was...

TUCHMAN: How did that make you feel?

JONES: It made my heart race. It was very eerie, very shaky. I don't know. It was a...

TUCHMAN: Were you scared? Were you angry?

JONES: Probably all, you know? Yeah, I feel the anger again and I just, you know, it was kind of like the first time I saw him in the courtroom before they had the change of venue and he looked around the room and he looked at me eye to eye and I had to look away because it was like I was looking in the face of evil.

TUCHMAN: The experience watching this execution, was it harder than you thought or perhaps not as hard as you thought?

JONES: I don't think it was as hard as I thought it would be. It certainly was easy. As he was beginning to close his eyes, you know, my thoughts were like Carrie. I'm sure her eyes didn't close so easily.

TUCHMAN: And that's an important point. Your 26-year-old daughter, your unborn grandson died violent deaths.

JONES: Very violent.

TUCHMAN: Did that bother you, that the execution wasn't another type of execution other than a lethal injection, which is relatively peaceful looking?

JONES: A part of me says yes, but a part of me is -- I don't think I could have witnessed seeing someone die the way that these people died or even any, I don't know, I don't think I could have watched it.

TUCHMAN: Doris, right now you are wearing your daughter Carrie's earrings.

JONES: I am.

TUCHMAN: You're wearing your daughter Carrie's blouse.

JONES: I am.

TUCHMAN: Her bracelet.

JONES: Yes, I wear her bracelet all the time.

TUCHMAN: What would you say to her right now if you could?

JONES: I love you. I miss her. I hope that she...

KAGAN: We're showing you live pictures right now. This is from Terre Haute. This is a spokeswoman, but we expect any minute to hear from family members, 10 of the family members who were taken from Oklahoma City to Terre Haute to witness the execution of Timothy McVeigh in person and we're going to hear their comments about what they saw and the feelings that they have after witnessing the first federal execution in 38 years.

Standing by for those family members to come up and talk and share their comments and share their feelings. Timothy McVeigh was executed earlier today at 8:14 Eastern Time, 7:14 Central Time by lethal injection. These are family members who have been living a nightmare, basically, for the last six years, since their loved ones were killed in the Oklahoma City bombing, some choosing to witness the execution and some choosing not to.

There were so many people that wanted to witness the execution that most of them watched via closed-circuit television screen back in Oklahoma City. But 10 of those people, 10 of those family members were selected randomly to come up to Terre Haute to witness is in person. They were there joined by members of the media and also some government officials and Timothy McVeigh's attorneys as well.

It looked, by the indication of the photographers, that these people might be coming around the corner now and coming up to the microphone. We're going to stand by and wait for those people to have their comments and when they do we'll bring it to you live. Right now we'll get in a quick break.

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