USA: RELATIVES OF OKLAHOMA BOMB VICTIMS REACTION TO McVEIGH SENTENCE

(14 Jun 1997) English/Nat
Relatives of victims who died in the Oklahoma City bombing have expressed relief at the death sentence given to Timothy McVeigh on Friday.
But relatives outside the Denver court and in Oklahoma City have expressed sorrow for the condemned man's family.
Outside the Denver courthouse, after Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death on Friday, relatives of some of the 168 people who died in the Oklahoma City bombing looked relieved.
Their wait to find out the fate of bomber Timothy McVeigh had come to an end - a jury decided unanimously that the 29-year-old should die by lethal injection.
One woman clearly agreed with the decision of the jury.
UPSOUND: (English)
"(Question: "Is it what you wanted?")
"Yes, most definitely."
But there were other feelings apart from relief.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Sadness."
(Question: How come?)
"We've got to take somebody's life. Two more people are going to be hurting - parents."
(Question: What would you rather see happen then?)
"The death penalty, out of necessity, to keep him from hurting anybody else. But I wish it hadn't gone that far, you know. I wish we could just turn back the clock and the bombing never happened and everybody would be happy. But I felt that he should have to die in order to save other innocent people, but it doesn't make me happy."
SUPER CAPTION: Janie Coverdale, Relative of victim
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Deep down inside I'm sad and upset, outside I'm like, you know, somewhat relieved like a tonne of bricks just got pushed off me, but I still feel the bricks still on top of me, so it hurts inside I feel sorry for the McVeighs. They're going to lose their son, but it's necessary to do that because of what he did to our folks."
SUPER CAPTION: Relative of victim
But not everyone in Denver agreed with the jury's decision.
One group of people staged an anti-death penalty march through the city after the sentence was announced.
In Oklahoma City, people gathered outside the ruins of the Alfred P Murrah federal building.
Here, again, the sense of relief was tinged with sadness.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"What a lot of people are forgetting is about McVeigh's family. They're victims in this also because their son has committed the worst crime on U-S soil. My heart goes out to them, but yet they still get to see their son - I won't get to see my mum."
SUPER CAPTION: Son of victim
Some cheered when they heard that McVeigh had been given the death sentence, while families hugged each other with relief.
But there were mixed views as to whether the death sentence was an appropriate punishment.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I think it's a sad day the fact that we have to sentence anyone to death, or even to life imprisonment without parole. It's certainly not a joyous occasion."
SUPER CAPTION: Father of victim
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I'm just very satisfied with what was done here. It was not easy, but it was the morally correct thing to do. It was a courageous thing for this jury because it was not easy, but it certainly was the right thing to do."
SUPER CAPTION: Frank Keating, Governor of Oklahoma
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Twenty six per cent of all the death penalties in the last 20 years have been overturned. There's the possibility that might happen."
SUPER CAPTION: Bob Macy, Oklahoma City District Attorney
But Oklahoma City is taking no chances.
The district attorney is also pressing murder charges against McVeigh in the local courts, and he too will be seeking the death penalty.

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