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CNN Saturday Morning News

Oklahoma City Reacts to McVeigh Execution Delay

Aired May 12, 2001 - 09:07   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The FBI foul-up will likely be the focus of a meeting today between President Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft, who offered the stay of execution, and it's already fueling some impassioned talk in Oklahoma City, the emotional epicenter of this deepening drama.

CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman joins us now with the perspective from there. Hi, Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra.

Here in Oklahoma, polls have shown consistent support for the death penalty, but regarding this particular death penalty, as you might expect, overwhelming support. And that's why there was so much shock, surprise, and dismay over the events of the last couple of days.

Behind me, the Oklahoma City National Memorial. There used to be a building here with the address of 200 Northwest Fifth Street that stood here, better known as the Murrah Federal Building. And a man inside that building that day, on April 19, 1995, is with us right now, Dr. Paul Heath, a survivor, on the fifth floor of the building when the bomb went off at 9:02 a.m. that day.

Dr. Heath, first of all, let me ask you how you feel about the events of the last day or two.

PAUL HEATH, BOMBING SURVIVOR: Well, it's been an emotional roller coaster for everybody, but I certainly support the idea that it's necessary for the execution to be delayed until the matter is cleared up about the documents that were found when they were being reviewed to be sent to Oklahoma for Terry Nichols' preliminary hearing that was scheduled for May 21.

TUCHMAN: Let me ask you this, Dr. Heath. From a personal standpoint, you seem to be one of the minority of people who did not want Timothy McVeigh to die in the first place. Is that correct?

HEATH: Well, I'm not sure that the minority is a current characterization. There were over 3,000 qualified viewers, and only 10 percent opted to be on the qualified viewer list to view the execution. That's actually about half the regular rate of 1,000 households that were surveyed last week... TUCHMAN: Well, let me characterize it differently, then. Let's not say minority, but you are -- you do not want Timothy McVeigh to die, is that fair to say?

HEATH: Well, I personally am not in favor of the death penalty for anyone. However, I am going to support the jury's decision about this penalty, and I'm also going to support the people who have a need to go watch the execution. As you know, myself and seven others hired the attorney to make that possible.

TUCHMAN: So let me ask you this, knowing that you feel that way personally, but you support the jury's decision. In your heart, how did you feel when you heard that this execution would be delayed until at least June 11?

HEATH: I think that I am so steeled about my own feelings that I did not allow it to bother me. However, I know and I've talked with others yesterday and last night and this morning that their heart really sunk, because of the fear that the execution might not take place at all.

TUCHMAN: Dr. Heath, thank you very much for joining us.

HEATH: Thank you.

TUCHMAN: It's fair to say that many people here, many of the family members of the victims and survivors, thought the date of May 16 was written in stone. So now, a lot of people are not taking June 11 for granted.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Gary Tuchman, thanks so much.

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