OKLAHOMA CITY – Ten victim witnesses have been selected by lottery to view the May 16 execution of convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in person at a federal prison in Indiana, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
A federal prison facility in Oklahoma City was also selected as the viewing site for about 250 other relatives and survivors who want to view a closed-circuit telecast of the execution from the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., the department said.
Attorney General John Ashcroft announced a week ago that he would permit the secured telecast for qualified witnesses and that the usual eight seats for victim witnesses at a federal execution would be expanded to 10 to accommodate the unprecedented number of victims.
Letters were sent out this week to 10 people who will be permitted to witness the execution in person but their names were not made public. Seven seats were allotted to families of the deceased, two to survivors who were injured and one to other survivors.
Ashcroft has also directed that a reserved area be established at the Terre Haute prison for those victims who want to be at the prison even if they cannot be witnesses.
About 250 people informed the U.S. attorney in Oklahoma City in January that they wanted to view the execution either at the prison or a remote site.
Other relatives and survivors will be permitted to view the execution in Oklahoma City at the training facility for the Federal Transfer Center, a prisoner holding facility for the U.S. Marshal’s Service. The witnesses will be transported by bus to and from the facility for the execution.
At the Oklahoma City site as well as the Terre Haute prison, there will be a briefing for the witnesses by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in advance to explain the procedures.
Witnesses were notified that video cameras, recording devices, cell phones, or electronic devices of any kind will be prohibited to ensure that the closed-circuit telecast is not recorded or otherwise made public, the Justice Department said.
