The story of the 28-year old man who massacred 168 innocent people.
American domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh on April 19, 1995 was found guilty of bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma, and was ultimately given the death penalty for his crime. Before the attack on September 11, 2001, it was the bloodiest terrorist strike in American history.
When McVeigh was 10 years old, his parents split up. According to him, he was bullied in school and he then started living in a fantastical realm where he extorted revenge on his bullies. He made it clear during his final days that he considered the United States government to be the worst bully.
McVeigh enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1988 after a briefly attending college following high school diploma. McVeigh served in the United States Army during the Gulf War and was released with distinction in 1991. After serving in the military, McVeigh was active in the militia movement, a disorganised political group that mostly consisted of white, rural, conservative Americans. He became an outspoken critic of what he saw as the repressive practices of the government after being involved in the militia movement. On April 19, 1995 McVeigh and his accomplice Terry Nichols carried out the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City. There were 168 fatalities, including 19 children, and approximately 800 injuries.
Timothy McVeigh's trial started in Denver, Colorado in April 3, 1997 lasted for five weeks. The defence rested its case on April 7, 1997 as the prosecution made its opening statement. Prosecutors said that McVeigh, a distinguished Army veteran, on April 19, 1995, bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City because of his hatred of the government and he was a sole perpetrator.
The defence's opening statement was given to the jury on April 8. The defence claimed that McVeigh had been motivated by patriotism rather than hate and that he had been working with accomplices. The defence maintained that the prosecution had not shown a reasonable doubt that McVeigh acted alone in the bombing.
From April 9 to April 24, the prosecution submitted its evidence against McVeigh in court and presented a large number of witnesses, including bombing survivors, victims' relatives, and explosives experts. Bloodstained clothing, a bomb-making manual, and other materials discovered in McVeigh's car were all offered as tangible evidence linking him to the explosion.
Arguments from the Opponent's Side From April 28 to May 5, the prosecution and defence presented their respective cases against McVeigh. McVeigh's Army comrades who knew him in were among the witnesses called by the defence. The prosecution maintained that the defense's proof of the possible involvement of additional accomplices in the attack was inadmissible.
Final arguments were made by both sides on May 6. Prosecutors maintained that McVeigh carried out the attack on his own own out of pure hate for the government while defense said that McVeigh acted out of patriotism and that several people were involved in the plot. All eleven charges against McVeigh were upheld by the jury on June 2, 1997. These included eight counts of murder and a charge of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. The death penalty was imposed on McVeigh on August 14. He was put to death via lethal injection on June 11, 2001.