If you drove east about ½ hour from Niagara Falls, you would find yourself in the town of Pendleton, New York, a small rural town that was established in the 1820s. On April 23, 1968, Tim was born there.
Tim grew up a typical small-town boy. When he was 20, he enlisted in the U. S. Army. He participated in the Gulf War (1990-1991) and was decorated with the Bronze Star for bravery. He signed up for acceptance into the Special Forces but dropped out after a few days. He got out of the military in late 1991.
Believing the U. S. Government was moving toward more gun control, Tim, along with his friend Terry Nichols, planned an attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
On today’s date, 23 years ago, April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh parked a Ryder Rental truck full of fertilizer and diesel fuel in front of the Murrah Building. The enormous bomb exploded just after 9:00 AM, instantly killing over 100 people and eventually killing 168, sixteen of which were children. It was the worst act of terrorism ever on U. S. soil by an American citizen.
McVeigh was captured two days later. He was tried and, on August 10, he and Nichols were indicted on murder and conspiracy charges.
On June 2, 1997, was convicted and sentenced to die by lethal injection. In 2000, McVeigh requested that all appeals be stopped. On June 11, 2001, McVeigh, 33, died of lethal injection at the U.S. penitentiary in Terre Haute, IN. Nichols was sentenced to life in prison.
References: History.com, Britannica.com
#oldpolicestories
Leave a Reply