The Oklahoma City Bombing 1995

The Oklahoma City Bombing

On April 19, 1995, at 9:03 a.m., an explosion rocked the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Bomb completely destroyed the federal building. The blast injured more than 600 people and killed 168 people, including 19 children. A Ryder truck containing a homemade 6,500-pound bomb was used in the attack.

About 78 minutes after the attack, Timothy McVeigh was stopped by an Oklahoma State Trooper and arrested on a firearms charge. Hours after the attack, investigators found the rear axel of the Ryder Truck. The axle contained the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The VIN was traced to a body shop in Junction City; Kansas were the owner gave a description of the man who rented the truck. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sent an artist sketch of the man to the media. The owner of the Dreamland Motel recognized the man as Timothy McVeigh, a man who rented a room on April 14 thru April 18. Mr. McVeigh was driving a Ryder truck when he stayed at the motel. August 10, 1995, a grand jury returned an indictment against Timothy McVeigh. U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch ordered the trail moved to Denver, Colorado because he felt that Mr. McVeigh would not get a fair trial in Oklahoma City. The trail began on March 31, 1997. Included in the evidence presented at the trial was a receipt for 4,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate with McVeigh's fingerprints on it. Ammonium nitrate was used to make the bomb. Forensic Scientist found traces of explosives on McVeigh's clothing. He was also obsessed with a racist novel titled "The Turner Diaries", a book that tells you how to blow up a federal building. Timothy McVeigh was found guilty on June 14, 1997 and sentence to death by lethal injection.

Work Cited

"Oklahoma City Bombing." (2002). In World of Criminal Justice, Gale.

http://www.credoreeference.com/entry/worldcrims/oklahoma_city_bombing