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CNN Sunday Morning
McVeigh Moved to Death House
Aired June 10, 2001 - 07:18 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go back to Terre Haute, Indiana. CNN's Susan Candiotti with word of Tim McVeigh's transfer this morning.
Good morning again, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles. We have just received official word from the prison here in Terre Haute, Indiana that in fact, Timothy McVeigh has been moved from what's called the special confinement facility to the death house. And in just a few moments we are going to be able to show you a videotape that was shot by the prison to indicate to you that the transfer has indeed taken place.
We do know that Timothy McVeigh spent part of Saturday calling his family to say his final goodbyes to them, that he also spent part of the day writing letters. But his family said they were happy to get his call.
The attorney with whom we spoke on Saturday said that Timothy McVeigh is indeed ready to die, that he is prepared to die and that in fact, his military training prepared him for that.
He's also said to be visualizing his family and he will be spending the next several hours certainly making even more preparations for death. He does have the ability to visit with his relatives as well.
We are getting ready to look at that videotape. And I think -- are we indeed looking at that now.
It looks like it was shot in the very early morning hours of Saturday. As you can see that is the special confinement facility and there is a vehicle sitting there. He was moved very, very early Saturday morning, just after 4:00 in the morning Saturday.
And he in fact, is being driven just a few hundred yards from the special confinement facility, as it's called, where death row is. There are 50 cells there. And he is taken over to the death house. It's a very short drive.
The death house is a free-standing red brick building. It is windowless. It is stark. And inside is the death chamber, which has never been used before. It opened in July of 1999, and that is when Timothy McVeigh was transferred to Terre Haute.
The transfer itself that you're looking at took just about 17 minutes. Now, the holding cell where Timothy McVeigh is currently living measures nine by 14 feet. It's just a little bit larger than the cell he had been living in on death row, slightly larger. The holding cell itself where he is now is a slightly larger room that also a shower off to the side and one of the walls is made of glass so that he can be watched for a full 24 hours a day by guards.
And in about five hours from now Timothy McVeigh will be served his final meal. As we indicated, prison officials say they will spend no more than $20 on it. We don't know what he will be served. As a matter of fact, when I asked his lawyer about that, his lawyer said, "I don't even want to discuss that because I don't think anyone should have to be served a final meal."
Now Timothy McVeigh can have visits up to the final two hours before his execution. That -- visitors most likely would be his lawyers, if he wants to see them, in fact. His family will not be coming here. That is his wish. He told them that he did not want to see them again before he died.
The last time they had a visit with him, their final visit, was back on April 10. And at that time, McVeigh had the option of having physical contact with his family, but he elected not to do so. In fact, at the end of that visit with his father and with his sister, Jennifer, they actually wanted to hug him, to hold him, but he declined. Instead they spent their visit through a glass partition. And at the end of that visit, he put his hands up to the glass and they did the same. And they touched through the glass partition and then he walked away.
Now we are seeing that van slowly move into that facility, over to the death house. In fact, we are told now that the move was only made about three hours ago actually. So that is additional and updated information that we are receiving.
Obviously done in the dark of night. Why that is, why they chose this hour, we do not know exactly. But you can see, as we indicated, this is about a 17 minute process.
Timothy McVeigh taken under heavy guard inside this van. And he was indeed secured in his holding cell at 4:30 in the morning -- 4:30 in the morning, that is Central Time.
Again, this videotape that you are taking a look at was indeed shot by the Bureau of Prisons and then provided to the news media.
For security reasons, they did not want to tell us ahead of time when the move took place but indicated that they would tell us afterwards. And so now we now that Timothy McVeigh has been indeed secured in that holding cell where he will spend the final hours of his life.
Again, he may be receiving a visit from his attorneys, not from any family. And as the day goes on we hope to learn more about how he is spending his final day.
Miles, back to you.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Susan Candiotti in Terre Haute, Indiana. We'll back with more in just a moment.
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