Essay On Oklahoma City Bombing
The Oklahoma City Bombing claimed the lives of 168 people and caused hundreds of injuries (“From Decorated Veteran to Mass Murderer” 1). But who did it, and more importantly why? The attack happened during a time when most Americans thought terrorism was an overseas problem and served as a wake-up call; no one expected that an act of terrorism would be carried out on US soil, let alone done by American citizens. The bombing left the country stunned and has caused various social and political changes in the US; Oklahoma City was not the only place impacted, the whole nation was.
It all started in the spring of 1988 where the two bombers-to-be met at Fort Benning in Georgia after they had enlisted in the US Army. They were Timothy McVeigh – aged …show more content…
The trooper noticed a bulge in his jacket caused by his pistol and arrested him for both weapons and traffic related charges. McVeigh was being held in county jail while a large-scale manhunt was underway - little did they know they already had their suspect in custody. Through a sketch made from the descriptions of witnesses the bomber was identified as Timothy McVeigh. On the 21st Terry Nichols turned himself into authorities in Kansas, and at about the same time McVeigh was being interviewed by federal officials for his possible involvement with the attack. Americans were outraged to see that the suspects were both Americans and it was very disconcerting to some. On June 3, 1997 McVeigh was found guilty of 11 counts of murder, conspiracy and the use of a weapon of mass destruction (Romano, Kenworthy 1). Nichols was also found guilty but the jury was torn on the decision of giving him the death penalty or life in prison, even after many long hours of debating. The judge spared his life and made the decision of giving him life without the possibility of parole. The third man, Michael Fortier, was sentenced to 12 years for not notifying authorities of the plan. He served as a key witness for the prosecution and some of his information led to the convictions of the other two
It all started in the spring of 1988 where the two bombers-to-be met at Fort Benning in Georgia after they had enlisted in the US Army. They were Timothy McVeigh – aged …show more content…
The trooper noticed a bulge in his jacket caused by his pistol and arrested him for both weapons and traffic related charges. McVeigh was being held in county jail while a large-scale manhunt was underway - little did they know they already had their suspect in custody. Through a sketch made from the descriptions of witnesses the bomber was identified as Timothy McVeigh. On the 21st Terry Nichols turned himself into authorities in Kansas, and at about the same time McVeigh was being interviewed by federal officials for his possible involvement with the attack. Americans were outraged to see that the suspects were both Americans and it was very disconcerting to some. On June 3, 1997 McVeigh was found guilty of 11 counts of murder, conspiracy and the use of a weapon of mass destruction (Romano, Kenworthy 1). Nichols was also found guilty but the jury was torn on the decision of giving him the death penalty or life in prison, even after many long hours of debating. The judge spared his life and made the decision of giving him life without the possibility of parole. The third man, Michael Fortier, was sentenced to 12 years for not notifying authorities of the plan. He served as a key witness for the prosecution and some of his information led to the convictions of the other two