McVeigh selects two attorneys to witness death
By Karin Grunden
Tribune-Star
Timothy McVeigh's two lawyers will witness his May 16 execution, but prison officials are not saying whom, if anyone else, McVeigh has selected to watch him die.
An adamant opponent of the death penalty, Oklahoma attorney Robert Nigh Jr. said he has mixed emotions about viewing his client's death.
"It's not something I want to see. At the same time, Mr. McVeigh is my client and we have an extremely good relationship. I intend to be there for him," Nigh said. Nigh served as McVeigh's trial and direct appeals attorney.
McVeigh, 32, convicted of murder in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, is scheduled to die by lethal injection in the U.S. Penitentiary, Terre Haute.
Nigh, who has never witnessed an execution, expects watching McVeigh's death to be particularly difficult since "he's my client and because I know there's goodness in him."
Nathan Chambers of Denver, co-attorney in the McVeigh case, confirmed he also will witness the execution.
"It's part of my duties," Chambers said, declining comment about his feelings on watching his client's execution.
McVeigh met a 4 p.m. Monday deadline to turn in a personal witness list for the execution, a prison official confirmed.
But exactly how many of a possible six witnesses McVeigh has chosen is something neither a penitentiary spokesman nor McVeigh's attorneys would disclose.
"He submitted his list, but that's not releasable. It's not considered public information," said Jim Cross, a spokesman for the U.S. Penitentiary, Terre Haute.
Neither McVeigh's father nor other family members plan to attend the execution, according to a story in the April 1 edition of The Buffalo News.
McVeigh is allowed six witnesses, including one spiritual adviser, two defense attorneys and three adult friends or relatives at least 18, according to the Bureau of Prisons execution protocol.
For privacy reasons, the Bureau of Prisons does not release the names of inmate witnesses, said Bureau spokesman Dan Dunne. Only the names of the 10 media witnesses can be released, he said.
Others present at the execution will include 10 victim witnesses, along with the warden, a U.S. Marshal's Service representative, executioners and government officials.
Back to Archived Stories Index