HINTON 1

Melissa Hinton
CJUS 2050
14.2 Applied Exercise
Dr. Anna Netterville

United States v. Timothy James McVeigh

Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal
Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on April 19th, 1995. He was charged with several crimes
which resulted in a criminal trial. During his initial indictment he was charged with:

Conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction

Use of a weapon of mass destruction
Destruction by explosion of government property
First degree murder for each of the eight federal agents killed in the explosion

The first count, Conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, was sought because
McVeigh, knowingly, intentionally, willfully, and maliciously conspire, combine and agree
together and with others unknown to use a weapon of mass destruction (US. v Timothy James
McVeigh, 1995), which was a truck bomb. The purpose of the truck bomb was solely to kill and
injure innocent people, as well as to damage the property that belonged to the United States. In
doing so McVeigh collected a truck, ammonium nitrate, racing and diesel fuel, detonation cord
and other explosive materials to perform his task. He also used storage units to hide these
items. In addition, McVeigh had recruited Terry Lynn Nichols to help him carry out his tasks.
With the items and other stolen property trades were made in order to obtain monies needed
to fund other necessary items that would be used in the planning of and carrying out of the
terrorist act. Phone cards were purchased under false names so that the men could not be
traced. All of the acts leading up to the actual use of the truck bomb are conspiracies (the acts
needed) to commit the larger crime. All of the civilian deaths that resulted of the bombing were
listed under the first count, as well as the second count.
The second count, Use of a weapon of mass destruction, was for the actual
detonation of the truck bomb that resulted in 168 deaths and 680+ injuries. This violated US
Code Title 18, Part I, Chapter 113B, 2332a and 2(a)&(b) Use of weapons of mass destruction,
which states:
(a) Offense Against a National of the United States or Within the United
States.A person who, without lawful authority, uses, threatens, or attempts or
conspires to use, a weapon of mass destruction
(1) against a national of the United states while such national is outside of the
United States;
(2) against any person or property within the United States, and

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(A) the mail or any facility of interstate or foreign commerce is used in
furtherance of the offense;
(B) such property is used in interstate or foreign commerce or in an activity that
affects interstate or foreign commerce (Cornell Law-Legal Information Institute,
n.d.)
The third count, Destruction by explosion of government property, was the charge for
the demolition of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building itself. The fourth through eleventh
counts were, First degree murder for each of the eight federal agents killed in the explosion,
which were in violation of US Code Title 18, Part I, Chapter 51, 1114 Protection of officers
and employees of the United States which conditions:
Whoever kills or attempts to kill any officer or employee of the United States or
of any agency in any branch of the United States Government (including any
member of the uniformed services) while such officer or employee is engaged in
or on account of the performance of official duties, or any person assisting such
an officer or employee in the performance of such duties or on account of that
assistance, shall be punished (Cornell Law-Legal Information Institute, 2013)
At the beginning of the trial defense attorneys asked for a change of venue to do the
publicity that McVeigh and Nichols had received in Oklahoma City. An order was issued on
February 20, 1996, by Judge Richard P. Matsch to change the venue to Denver, Colorado. Due
to the capital crimes that Matsch was concerned that jurors in Oklahoma would not be able to
set aside their own prejudices and emotions for the already highly publicized case.
In June of 1997 Timothy McVeigh was found guilty and sentenced to death for the
terrorist acts that he had committed. He was executed by lethal injection on June 11th, 2001 at
7:14 am in Terre Haute, Indiana, at the U.S. Federal Penitentiary with no final words.

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Works Cited
Cornell Law-Legal Information Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 25, 2013, from
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2332a
Cornell Law-Legal Information Institute. (2013, 10 25). Retrieved from
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1114
US. v Timothy James McVeigh, M-95-98-H (UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN
DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA 1995).