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CNN Sunday Morning

Relative of Bombing Victims Searches for McVeigh Accomplice

Aired June 10, 2001 - 09:10   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: For many who lost loved ones in the Murrah Federal Building blast, the pain remains. And the memories remain very vividly.

CNN's Gary Tuchman tells us about one grandmother who is searching for answers to questions that linger more than six years later.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHY WILBURN, GRANDMOTHER OF BOMBING VICTIMS: This is Chase on the beach in March. And this is when we took him to Disneyland.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kathy Wilburn lost her two grandsons on April 19, 1995. Chase Smith and his little brother, Colton, were in the Murrah Federal Building day care center when the bomb exploded. They lived with their mother and grandmother.

WILBURN: The coroner's report said that when Chase was brought in that he had on little chipmunk underwear so I keep these as little reminders. Some people I think believe it's odd that I've kept everything and all of the toys but this is all I have left of Chase an Colton.

TUCHMAN: The boys' mother, Edie, and their grandmother were initially told the children were missing. Hours later they got the horrifying news.

WILBURN: Edie or I -- neither one ever got to see the boys again after the bombing because of the condition their bodies were in. It haunts we to this day. I'm sorry I didn't see them even if they would have been in bad condition. I never got a chance to tell them good bye.

TUCHMAN: From nearly the beginning Kathy Wilburn has believed there is more to the bombing story than has been told. She thinks more people were involved in the crime and says that's why she would prefer timothy McVeigh not be executed.

WILBURN: I think for what he did he certainly deserves to die but I'm not in favor of killing him because I believe with McVeigh dies the truth. TUCHMAN: The grandmother's taken the unusual step of investigating the bombing on her own. A production team is shooting a documentary about her and her investigative travels. She has met with Timothy McVeigh's father and sister and established a writing relationship with Terry Nichols, now serving a life sentence in prison for his role in the bombing.

WILBURN: Well, I'm a person that's interested in the truth and I don't believe the truth has been forthcoming and who would know more about the bombing than -- the Oklahoma City bombing -- than Terry Nichols?

TUCHMAN: Kathy Wilburn has a collection of letters from Terry Nichols. In this one he says, "Dear Kathy, I bet you're surprised I'm writing to you." And later on says if he knew God like he does now, "it would have prevented me from making numerous mistakes over the years, but that's the past and no one can change it." No one's more of that than Kathy Wilburn.

WILBURN: And always in Edie's life if she ever had a problem she came to her mother and her mother fixed it. And this was one I couldn't fix. And I had found myself lying to Edie. I said, "Edie, I will be all right, it will be all right." But I knew in my heart it was never going to be all right.

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Oklahoma City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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