Survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, families of the 168 victims of the blast and federal employees around the country cheered and cried yesterday after a jury found Timothy McVeigh guilty on 11 counts of conspiracy and murder. They will now wait to see whether the jury sentences McVeigh to death.
Outside the Denver courthouse where McVeigh was tried, Diane Leonard, whose husband, Donald, was killed in the bombing, raised her arms in the air in triumph. Peggy Broxterman, whose son, Paul, who worked in the inspector general's office at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, died in the blast, ran outside the courtroom to shout her joy at the 11 guilty verdicts.
But Reva Williams, a staff assistant at HUD's Washington office, had a different reaction. "I heard the verdict, and everyone was cheering," she told The Washington Post. "I thought, so what? I thought of Paul Broxterman. I had tears in my eyes. I wasn't cheering. It wasn't enough. This does nothing for me."
In Oklahoma City, survivors and family members gathered around the "Survivor Tree" across the street from where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building had stood. They poured water on the tree's roots to symbolize their grief.
Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating said his reaction to the verdict was "a combination of ecstasy and heartbreak," and joined others who called for McVeigh to receive the death penalty.
An ABC News Poll found that 67 percent of Americans think McVeigh should get the death penalty, while 23 percent are opposed.
"I hope he'll get the death penalty," Aren Almon, whose daughter Baylee was killed and then immortalized in a photograph in which a firefighter carried her from the federal building, told the Associated Press.
President Clinton issued a statement praising the work of the government prosecutors and consoling the survivors and victims' families.
"I say to the families of the victims, no single verdict can bring an end to your anguish. But your courage has been an inspiration to all Americans. Our prayers are with you," Clinton said.
The family of Timothy McVeigh issued a statement from their Pendleton, N.Y. home, saying that "even though the jury has found Tim guilty, we still love him very much and intend to stand by him no matter what happens."
In Washington, American Federation of Government Employees President John Sturdivant issued a statement on the importance of security at federal facilities.
"Violent anti-government rhetoric--which may have helped fuel this terrorist act--must be stopped," Sturdivant said. "Although the bombing is behind us, our efforts continue to better establish security committees at all federal buildings, increase the number of skilled federal security guards, and involve all workers in helping to improve their safety at work."
Security at federal facilities was stepped up after the verdict was announced yesterday.
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