Tim McVeigh

Reports, Background, and Postings From Pendleton

From Pendleton, New York, hometown of Convicted Oklahoma City Bomber, Tim McVeigh:
Background, Late News, and Reaction. Updated as developments warrant.

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Prayers for Tim McVeigh continue.  Eight months after his execution, prayers for the repose of the soul of Tim McVeigh continue in his former home of Pendleton.  On Friday, February 15th, at 9AM a Mass for Timothy McVeigh will be offered at the Good Shepherd Roman Catholic Church.  It's the church that Tim McVeigh attended as a child and where his father is still a member.   (2/11/02) 

Give us our money back!  The United States government claims it cost $13.8-million to defend Tim McVeigh against charges (he admitted to) of bombing the Federal Building in Oklahoma City.  Considering the outcome, this probably could be used as a "consumer report" on what lawyers not to hire in the event you face serious felony or murder charges. (6/30/01)

CBS working on McVeigh TV mini-series.  The national TV network says the mini-series will be based on the book by the Buffalo News reporters, Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck.  The production, under direction of Gerald W. Abrams is reported at least two years away from airing. Abrams said he would not be making Tim McVeigh's character the "star" of the mini-series but declined to say how it would avoid that.  (6/23/01) 

Brokaw reported offered Tim McVeigh's dad "deal" for exclusive interview.   NBC-TV news anchor Tom Brokaw reportedly sent Bill McVeigh a box of golf balls and offered to personally play a round of golf with him if he would give an exclusive interview after Tim McVeigh's execution.  Sources say reports of the offer, rejected by Bill McVeigh, are now published in national media and show a new, all-time low in TV journalism.  (6/22/01)

Tim McVeigh's mother back in Lockport on PR mission.  Mickey Hill, a/k/a Mickey McVeigh, a/k/a Mildred Frazer walked in the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal Friday, 6/15 and sat down with the paper's city editor, Anne Calos, in what appeared to be an attempt to improve her public image.  The 56-year woman, now believed living in Florida, told the newspaper that she has gone through numerous name changes but has now taken back her maiden name of "Hill" and has officially adopted the first name of "Mickey." According to the newspaper report the former Mrs. McVeigh appears to have changed her name four times since leaving Lockport and divorcing Bill McVeigh.   She told Calos that she wants to dispel reports that she is "crazy."  She told the newspaper, according to a story in the Saturday, 6/16 edition, she doesn't do drugs and doesn't drink.  She confirmed the McVeigh family's oldest child, Patty, now age 35, is living in Florida and that Jennifer, now 27, is a teacher in North Carolina.  Ms. Hill said she has lived in both North Carolina and Florida since leaving Lockport in 1989.  (6/16/01) 

Tim McVeigh Executed By Lethal Injection
---Pendleton Native Calm, Cooperative To The Minute Of His Death
---Priest at Terre Haute Quoted Saying McVeigh "Absolutely In Heaven"

The darkness of death closed in on 33-year old Tim McVeigh Monday morning, 6/11, beginning at 8:10 AM EDT at the Terre Haute federal death house. He was pronounced dead at 8:14AM from lethal injection. Before the execution, McVeigh slept on and off during the night and met for 30 minutes with the warden to discuss details of the execution before being taken to the death chamber. He had no last words in the death chamber but gave prison authorities beforehand a handwritten statement which was a word-for-word quotation of the words of the 1875 poem Invictus. There were no significant public displays in the Niagara County area.

McVeigh was described as unemotional as he was brought to the death chamber, strapped down on a gurney, and then, after receiving the Last Rites of the Catholic Church, exposed to invited witnesses as curtains on glass observation windows were opened.  Prison officials said that he was fully cooperative.  On Sunday, 6/10, his attorneys said that he was sorry for those who suffered but that he still didn't regret detonating the 7,000-pound truck bomb that killed 168 and injured many more at the Oklahoma City federal building on April 19, 1995.

McVeigh, who was raised a Catholic but deserted his faith, had been given Last Rites by a prison chaplain, the Lockport Home Page learned shortly after the execution.  The sacrament usually requires an admission of sorrow for past sins.  He reportedly answered in the affirmative when told a priest was available to give him last rites after he was strapped onto a gurney in the death chamber. "He asked for it when he was on the table," said Bureau of Prisons spokesman Jeff Grondolsky. Prison chaplain Frank Roof administered the Roman Catholic sacrament of Last Rites, in which blessed oil is daubed onto the body, just before curtains opened to reveal McVeigh to the execution witnesses.  Following his execution, his body was cremated and the ashes given to one of McVeigh's attorneys.

Updated Info Added 6/13

The Terre Haute Catholic pastor who had visited McVeigh several times during his prison stay there confirmed that the prisoner had received the Last Rites in the last hours. The Rev. Ron Ashmore of St. Margaret Mary Church, whose parish is located five minutes from the federal death house told the wire service, UPI:   "Tim was intelligent and he knows his faith and he knew what he was asking for...While he probably didn't practice his faith publicly since high school he knows his faith - he's absolutely in heaven."  UPI was quoting Ashmore in its 6/13 stories, as describing McVeigh as "a good man who did an evil thing." The pastor told UPI he was trying to make amends with everyone and that his attorney, Robert Nigh, helped him think through what he did-"it's a process that takes time." "Tim made himself right with God, and he did so even before the final anointing," Ashmore said. "But that's an ongoing process and we Catholics believe it's takes a lifetime, and Nigh said he could not successfully help Tim express words of reconciliation in an honest way."

Around the Pendleton area reaction to the execution varied.  The Superintendent of Starpoint Central Schools, where McVeigh had graduated from high school, took the opportunity to go on the radio telling of "security precautions" being taken at the school Monday as if he expected some kind of retaliation attack.   He followed that up with an appearance on a local radio talk show. But most folks around Pendleton wanted to avoid the hordes of media descended on the community.  At McVeigh's former church, Good Shepherd on Tonawanda Creek Road, a scattering of parishioners gathered at the hour of his execution.  The media wouldn't let them pray in peace.  Finally one man responded to cries for comments:    "Everybody makes a mistake in his life - nobody's perfect," said Joseph Surdj, who once worked with McVeigh's father at an auto plant. In most areas of Niagara County folks just went about their Monday morning business as usual. 

Bill McVeigh, Tim's father, was away from home, on a previously planned trip, and unavailable to the media on execution day.  But Tuesday Mr. McVeigh told the media, he was glad to hear that his son had met with a priest to receive Last Rites before the execution. He was quoted as saying, "I was happy to hear that. It's good...Timmy seemed to put religion on the back burner, but in the last few hours, maybe it hit him."

At The Lockport Home Page, web traffic was brisk.  Traffic totals at the close of execution day showed hits about five times recent averages (which had been up a good 20% over the year's running average).  The Tim McVeigh Page recorded its all-time high visitor hit total for a day.  There was a small amount of telephone and e-mail traffic from media.  The national newspaper, USA Today, interviewed and quoted the Lockport Page editor in June 12th editions for a story on "hometown" reaction. (6/11/01, updated 6/12)

Final Statement By Tim McVeigh
Monday, June 11, 2001

Timothy McVeigh quoted Invictus by William Ernest Henley, a poem published in 1875, for his last words.  The poem was duplicated exactly in his own handwriting and given to the warden at the federal death house in Terre Haute, IN on Monday morning, 6/11.  He was taken to the death chamber a short time later.    Like earlier Henley works, such as A Love by the Sea and A Thanksgiving, the poem is an ode to strength in the face of suffering. 

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeoning of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Statement Of Robert Nigh, Attorney For Tim McVeigh
Following McVeigh's June 11th Execution

At 7 a.m. this morning, we killed Tim McVeigh, the person responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing. But we did much more than that. We also killed Sergeant McVeigh, the young man who joined the Army because he wanted to serve his country; the young soldier that was so dedicated to his duty that he became the top gunner in this battalion of 100.

He was the young man who took up arms on his country's behalf and traveled half-way across the world to meet and engage our enemy. He placed his own life in jeopardy because we asked him to and because he thought it was his duty to do so.

His actions were of such character that he was awarded the Bronze Star with designation of valor.

But much more importantly than any of that, what we did this morning was to kill Tim McVeigh, friend to Bob Popovic, Allen Smith and Elizabeth McDermott. We killed Bill and Mickey's son this morning. And we killed Jennifer McVeigh's big brother.

Of course, we can say that it was Tim himself that caused their pain.

And we would be half-right. But it would be a lie to say that we did not double their pain and that we are not responsible, because there is a reasonable way to deal with crime that doesn't involve killing another human being.

Although we might not express it in these terms because we know better, we might say that these people are simply collateral damage, but we know too well that there is no such thing as collateral damage. There are only real people with faces and names and loved ones who may never heal because of our actions, and that is true whether their grief was inflicted by Tim McVeigh or by federal law enforcement or by us collectively.

To the survivors in Oklahoma City who have had the courage to come out against capital punish in spite of the tremendous pain that they have suffered, I say thank you. To the victims in Oklahoma City, I say that I am sorry that I could not successfully help Tim to express words of reconciliation that he did not perceive to be dishonest. I do not fault them at all for looking forward to this day or for taking some sense of relief from it. But if killing Tim McVeigh does not bring peace or closure to them, I suggest to you that it is our fault. We have told them that we would help them heal their wounds in this way.

We have taken it upon ourselves to promise to extract vengeance for them. We have made killing a part of the healing process. In order to do that we use such terms as reasoned moral response, but I submit there's nothing reasonable or moral about what we have done today. That is true when killing a human being even means killing Tim McVeigh.

There was a time when we recognized this in our country. In 1972, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the death penalty as it existed at the time. In its concurring opinion in Furman v. Georgia, Justice Marshall wrote, "The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain compassion in time of crisis.

"This is a country that stands tallest in troubled times; a country that clings to fundamental principles, cherishes its constitutional heritage and rejects simple solutions that compromise the values that lie at the roots of our democratic system. In striking down capital punishment, this court does not malign our system of government; on the contrary, it pays homage to it. In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute. We achieve a major milestone in the long road from barbarism and join the approximately 70 other jurisdictions in the world which celebrate their regard for civilization and humanity by shunning capital punishment."

There has been a movement in the states to celebrate the dignity of human life and to start a moratorium on executions. It did not come soon enough for Tim McVeigh, but it can come soon enough for others.

Where we go from here is a question of critical importance. I have told you, honestly, that Tim cared for people. And some of the people he cared deepest about were his brothers on the federal death row. Even Tim recognized that our claims that we are not racially biased are false. If we believe that, then we ignore the reality that 18 of the 20 men behind me on the federal death row in Terre Haute are persons of color. Fully 90 percent belong to a minority. If we do not acknowledge that, we are lying to ourselves about what we are doing. We are killing the poor and the minority and people that we believe to be different and lesser than ourselves.

Even in Tim McVeigh's case, to which the racial disparity doesn't apply, we were incapable of inflicting the death penalty in a fair manner.

The FBI could not participate in the prosecution without breaching its obligation to turn over the witness statements. This must make us realize that we are too fallible, we are simply too human to extract so final and irreversible a punishment.

If there is anything good that can come from the execution of Tim McVeigh, it may be to help us realize sooner that we simply cannot do this anymore. I am firmly convinced that it is not a question of if we will stop, it is simply a question of when.

Thank you all very much.

Starpoint teacher says Tim McVeigh was a good boy.  Science teacher Anthony Miller who taught Oklahoma City bomber Tim McVeigh during his 12th grade at Starpoint Central School says McVeigh used to stick out in his mind simply because of his "goodness."  Mr. Miller, who has taught at Starpoint in Pendleton for 31 years told the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal that nobody should "blame" the Starpoint Schools for what McVeigh turned out to be.  Miller recalled that McVeigh "wasn't a problem with discipline, or academically a problem.  He was a decent kid."  Miller further told the newspaper, "All of his scores were good.  His papers were well-written.  He did a nice job of the work I required.    His grades were up there in the 90's."  (6/9/01) 

Vigils planned for McVeigh in Buffalo, but nothing in Pendleton.    Two churches in Buffalo have scheduled prayer vigils for Sunday evening, 6/10, as the Oklahoma City bomber's date with death nears.  33-year old Tim McVeigh will be executed by chemical injection in the federal death house at Terre Haute, IN at 8AM Monday, 6/11.  A number of anti-death penalty groups have scheduled a rally for 7AM Monday in Buffalo's Niagara Square.   Although Good Shepherd Church at Pendleton had a prayer service in May before McVeigh's previous execution date, nothing is scheduled this weekend according to Pastor Monsignor Paul J. Belzer.  Msgr. Belzer said that a memorial service for McVeigh, who attended the church as a child and teenager, may be held in the future "after things calm down."  (6/9/01) 

Tim McVeigh Tells His Lawyers To Stop Further Appeals.   He's Prepared To Die. 

Little surprise in Pendleton over McVeigh's termination of appeals.  When Tim McVeigh told his lawyers he did not wish to appeal for a stay of execution to the United States Supreme Court there was little surprise around his hometown of Pendleton.   The announcement by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that his request for a stay of execution was denied means McVeigh will die on Monday, 6/11.  McVeigh wanted to spend the weekend before his execution preparing himself to die without the distraction of an appeal to the US Supreme Court unlikely to go his way.  The 33-year old Pendleton native has reportedly given away all his belongings at the Terre Haute federal penitentiary and has ordered his last meal.  He is expected to be moved on Saturday to a final holding cell, near the execution room.  Although there was no unusual interest in Pendleton Thursday night there also was no words of hate or gladness voiced over the final word in the Tim McVeigh case.  (6/8/01)

Bishop of Buffalo opposes execution of Tim McVeigh.  Roman Catholic Bishop Henry J. Mansell has issued a statement in opposition to the death penalty for Tim McVeigh.  McVeigh was a one-time Catholic before joining the United States Army.  During his military period McVeigh apparently lost his belief in God, at least as explained by the Catholic Church.  It was the beginning of things going wrong in Tim McVeigh's life. (6/8/01)

The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995 was truly a barbarous act of violence, a heinous crime which has deeply impacted the life of our country. Our hearts are filled with compassion and sorrow for the families of those who lost their lives and those who were seriously injured. We continue to pray for all of the victims and their loved ones.

As members of the Catholic Church, we abhor all acts of violence and the taking of innocent human lives. We believe in the sacredness of human life as a gift from God, Who is the Author of all life from conception to natural death.

The upcoming execution of Timothy McVeigh challenges our Catholic understanding on the inappropriateness of the death penalty. The bishops of the United States have pointed out that respect for all human life and opposition to violence in our society are at the root of our position against the death penalty. We continue to support opportunities for remorse, for contrition, for forgiveness, and for redemption. We see the death penalty as perpetuating a cycle of violence and death.

We oppose capital punishment not just for what it does to those guilty of horrible crimes but for what it does to all of us as a society. Increasing reliance on the death penalty diminishes all of us and is a sign of raw disrespect for human life. We cannot overcome crime by simply executing criminals, nor can we restore the lives of the innocent by ending the lives of those convicted of their murders.

Once again, our prayers and our hearts go out to all the families of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. We also pray for the members of the McVeigh family and for Timothy McVeigh.

May we continue to pray and to work together to promote a stronger culture of life rather than a corrosive culture of death.

Bill McVeigh to be out of town on pleasure trip on execution day.   The father of the Oklahoma City bomber said Wednesday, 6/6, that he would be traveling out of town on a long-planned pleasure trip when his son is scheduled to be executed Monday.   Bill McVeigh said he won't be available for telephone contact and concluded that he'll probably not be talking with his son again.  Reacting to the denial of U.S. District Court Judge Richard Matsch on Wednesday, Mr. McVeigh told the Buffalo News, "I'm not really surprised...I believe Judge Matsch knows what he's doing.    I've always felt the judge was a fair man...I think the judge realizes that Tim did it."  McVeigh said he still hopes for another delay but is not optimistic. (6/7/01) 

Pendleton prays for McVeigh after judge denies appeal.  U.S. District Richard Matsch Tuesday, 6/6 denied a stay of execution for Oklahoma City bomber 33-year old Tim McVeigh saying newly released documents do not change the fact that he is guilty. Authorities at the Terre Haute, IN federal death house immediately moved to go ahead with McVeigh's execution on Monday, 6/11.  Family and neighbors in McVeigh's hometown of Pendleton were saddened by the news and a prayer watch was expected to be organized.   McVeigh's father, Bill, was making no plans to go to Terre Haute for a final visit with his son.  U.S. District Richard Matsch issued the ruling even though he had commented to lawyers that he found it "shocking" that documents had been withheld in the case until last month. He said the findings of the jury still stood. Attorneys for McVeigh said they would appeal Matsch's ruling to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.  (6/6/01) 

FBI disclosures in McVeigh case cause stay of execution,  local plans on hold.   With the FBI admission Thursday, 5/10 that they had withheld thousands of documents from the defense, an execution stay for the Pendleton native granted Friday afternoon, 5/11 by Attorney General John Ashcroft.  It will be for 30 days.    McVeigh's attorney said he was "exploring all options" Thursday night.  On the Niagara Frontier advance media types, circling Pendleton like vultures, appear split between delight and impatience.  Some are happy that there is a new angle on the story and a new reason to retrace the Pendleton area asking for more "local reaction" as they seek out more national bylines or camera time.   Others are tired of the small-town Pendleton beat and anxious to return to their metropolitan news capitals.  The most interesting reaction story coming out of yesterday's national announcement from Washington, is the local legal view that there is strong reason for at least the "penalty phase" of the trial to be revisited.   Out in the neighborhood, Liz and Jack McDermont, former McVeigh neighbors who had been asked by Tim to travel to Terre Haute for his execution have changed their mind and declared they are not going.  Mrs. McDermont told the Niagara Gazette, "we just decided it would serve no purpose."  But others from this area had made plans to go to Indiana and those plans are now on hold.  Most of those planning the trip are affiliated with civil rights and peace groups in this area.  The McVeigh family's church, Good Shepherd at Pendleton, had scheduled a candlelight vigil for 8PM Tuesday, 5/15 which will now presumably be re-scheduled.  (5/11/01) 

McVeigh family pastor sees no good for victim families to be in Terre Haute.  Monsignor Paul Belzer, the pastor of the Good Shepherd Church in Pendleton said Wednesday he doesn't see why anyone would want to be in Terre Haute, IN for the execution of Tim McVeigh.   Msgr. Belzer told the Niagara Gazette, "They just want to see blood and they're not going to see any...there's anger and hatred and vengeance...For people who go there, they're not going to forget that.  They think they're going to relax after, but it's not a nice thing."  While Belzer was talking of peace and reconciliation, the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal sent reporters out to collect "local reaction" to the pending McVeigh execution.   And to show that hate against McVeigh is not limited to the Midwest, the paper published quotations such as these from locals:  "I firmly believe he should be partially blown up, have concrete chunks dropped all over him and be left to die like he left other people to die..."....I firmly believe that lethal injection is inhumane to the people that died in the bombing..."A stick of dynamite should (be) placed in one of his orifices and lit...."  (5/11/01)

News media begin Pendleton stake-out awaiting McVeigh execution.   Media reporters from all over the United States have begun their arrival in Niagara County in preparation for "coverage" of local reaction to the scheduled May 16th execution of the Oklahoma City bomber.  Former schoolmates, neighbors, members of his former church, lawmen, and local press are all being interviewed for "reaction."   The daily hit count on the Lockport Home Page Tim McVeigh Page is receiving its highest totals in its four year history.  Traffic at the McVeigh page is up about 900% so far in May compared with usual traffic.  McVeigh is scheduled to die in Terre Haute, IN at about 7AM on May 16th.  The Media exodus from Niagara County will probably be complete by Noon the next day.  (5/9/01

News Hounds Not Welcome On Campbell Blvd.

The former home of Oklahoma bomber Tim McVeigh is a popular drive-by, stop-by sight, for media invaders this week.  Tim's father, Bill, who still lives there has had to put up "No Trespassing" signs at the entry to his property.    The McVeigh's family pastor, Msgr. Paul Belzer of the Good Shepherd Church in Pendleton says, "The media has been so abrasive that everyone in the community is on Bill's side.  He is well known and liked."

Pastor says McVeigh has to tell The Lord he is sorry to receive forgiveness.  Msgr. Paul Belzer of the Good Shepherd Church in Pendleton says that Tim McVeigh needs to "tell The Lord he is sorry...He doesn't have to tell us, but God."  Msgr. Belzer, who has been pastor of the church that the McVeigh family has attended since 1974, told the Western New York Catholic newspaper that McVeigh's public posturing doesn't prevent his personal relationship with the Lord.   Msgr. Belzer relates of having dinner with Tim McVeigh after he had come back home from serving in Operation Desert Storm and sensed an underlying unrest in the young man.   Despite being, according to Msgr. Belzer, "a regular church-goer" before entry into the Army, reports indicate Tim McVeigh discarded his religious beliefs at some point after the war and before the planning of the Oklahoma City bombing.  Msgr. Belzer details his views of McVeigh, the family, and the impact the national attention has had on his church in the May issue of the monthly newsmagazine, Western New York Catholic. The paper quotes the pastor as saying, "Timothy was also upset by what happened in Waco...I think Timothy decided to be a thorn in the side of Uncle Sam.   He caused some destruction and then he made sure he got caught so he would have his piece to say." (5/8/01)

Stained Glass & Lilacs

The Lilacs are out in upstate New York!  And one need not travel to The Lilac Festival in Rochester to see the beauties.  They're all over the Niagara County area.

Especially attractive is the display of lilacs with a backdrop of stained glass along the south side of Good Shepherd Roman Catholic Church in Pendleton.

The church, along Tonawanda Creek Road, is getting a bit more visitation than usual these days.   It was here that Oklahoma City bomber, Tim McVeigh attended church before he went away to serve in the United States Army.  After the Army experience, McVeigh reportedly abandoned   his Catholic faith and...the rest is history.

Analysis:  Tim McVeigh has mental illness.     The former executive director of Lockport's Wyndham Lawn Home for Children (a treatment center for mentally ill and emotionally disturbed children and adolescents), says Tim McVeigh likely has Delusional Disorder-Persecutory Type mental illness.  Michael Moran tells the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal that the diagnosis is relatively uncommon with "about 0.03% of the population so afflicted."  Moran goes on to detail evidence that he says indicates McVeigh is, and has been, mentally ill since well before the Oklahoma City bombing.  He tells the Lockport newspaper, "It is reported some people are laughing and joyous at the prospect of his death.  Those seeking revenge may find it ultimately unsatisfying because this man could be anyone's brother or son or grandson or themselves---with a few drops of the wrong chemical in the blood."  (5/4/01) 

Bill McVeigh to be home alone when Tim gets the needle. The father of the convicted Oklahoma City bomber has told a reporter for a Terre Haute, IN newspaper that he will be home alone (Campbell Blvd.) on the day his son is executed. He has declined many offers to be numerous other places from trailer retreats to private homes of neighbors and friends. Mr. McVeigh told the Saturday, 4/28, Tribune Star, he is not sure how he will cope after his son's execution. "I don't want to take the time to think about it. It might make it worse," he said. For now, he prefers to remember happier times. "I love him," the father said. "He's still my son. He's still Tim." (4/28/01)

Who advises them on public relations?  With the execution of Oklahoma City bomber Tim McVeigh scheduled for May 16th, his old high school is planning a week of special security.  Starpoint School Superintendent C. Douglas Whelan will kick off the pre-execution publicity with letters home to all parents reminding them that McVeigh is a graduate of Starpoint but that the school will operate "business as usual" on execution day.  Well, not exactly.  Niagara County Sheriff's patrols reportedly will be called in "patrolling" the school and the grounds.  The school will go into a "lock-down" during execution week with all doors to the huge building complex off Mapleton Road locked and/or guarded. "Intrusion alarms" reportedly will be set up.  Whelan reportedly has contacted his favorite local media telling them of a special written security plan, the details of which are being kept secret.  And, he's telling media not to come out to the school for student interviews.  But Whelan has reportedly prepared a media information package for those who want to know more about McVeigh and Starpoint.    Staff at the school have been reportedly put through training drills on how to deal with "intruders" at the campus.  Details of the school's reactive plans will be given to staff in the next few days.  And all this publicity going on during student exam week and on the day (May 15th) that district residents are being urged to come out and vote for a record school budget.  Observers speculate that all the publicity may work to keep away from the voting place on the school campus those who oppose the school budget more than those who have children at the facility. (4/28/01)  

McVeigh's dad home from Indiana, says son wouldn't apologize.   Pendleton's Bill McVeigh and his daughter have had their last meeting with Oklahoma City bomber Tim McVeigh. The senior McVeigh said his son, when asked "straight out" wouldn't apologize.  Mr. McVeigh said his son's remains will be given, after cremation, to a Tulsa attorney who won't tell, even the family, of their final disposition.   According to an Associated Press dispatch, Tim answered his sister Jennifer, when asked if he believed in God, by saying, "A God but a different God."  Bill McVeigh said his son was ready for execution but that, "I'll never be ready."   Despite a plea from sister Jennifer, Tim McVeigh declined to hug his family and reportedly just laughed at the request. There will be no public funeral or memorial service but there will be a private memorial service at the Good Shepherd Church in Pendleton.  (4/23/01) 

Tim McVeigh's dad, family, won't attend execution.  Bill McVeigh, father of convicted Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy, told media Friday, 3/30 that he would not be attending the May 16th execution of his son.    Nor would any other members of the McVeigh family.  They would stay away at Tim's request, Mr. McVeigh said.  He told the Buffalo News, "He's my son and I love him, but what he did was absolutely wrong, and I have no idea how anyone could do it."  (3/31/01)

McVeigh admits to Buffalo News reporters he blew up federal building alone.  Pendleton native Timothy J. McVeigh says he had no help the day he parked a truck filled with explosives, lit two fuses, and jogged away from the explosion that minutes later blew up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.    Of the 168 people killed and about 500 more injured as a result of that blast, McVeigh declared no remorse.  News reporters Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck say they have interviewed McVeigh for more than 75 hours while he's been in prison to gather material for their new book due out in April titled, "American Terrorist:    Timothy McVeigh & The Oklahoma City Bombing."  McVeigh is quoted as saying that his co-conspirator, Terry Nichols, who helped him assemble the explosives, was not with him in Oklahoma City and had tried to back out of the plot.   (3/29/01)

McVeigh wants a "public execution."  As a date with death closes in on Tim McVeigh, the convicted Oklahoma City bomber is telling readers of the Sunday (2/11) Oklahoman that he wants his execution to be broadcast publicly. McVeigh, now 32, is set to be executed May 16 by injection at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, IN.  Neither McVeigh or his lawyers indicated they were trying to make any deals with major networks or pay-per-view cable systems however he is advocating a national broadcast.  In the handwritten letter he sent the newspaper, McVeigh said, "Because the closed-circuit telecast of my execution raises these fundamental equal access concerns, and because I am otherwise not opposed to such a telecast, a reasonable solution seems obvious: hold a true public execution – allow a public broadcast." About 250 people who survived or lost family members in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building have asked to see McVeigh's execution, but only eight seats are available for witnesses on behalf of victims. There has been talk of a closed-circuit telecast to show those who can't get seats in the viewing area for the the actual execution.  McVeigh wants the closed-circuit broadcast to go national with a nationwide audience able to see him breathe his last.   But a prison spokesman says a national broadcast is "not an option."   Spokesman Dan Dunne says, "It hasn't been considered.  It won't happen."  (2/11/01)

McVeigh execution date meets indifference in Lockport. A day after the announcement by the Federal Bureau of Prisons that convicted Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh, would die by lethal injection on May 16th, there was general indifference around Lockport and Pendleton. The McVeigh story has been running now for about eight years and appears to be in the "old news" category with most Lockportians. The father of now 32-year old McVeigh, retired Delphi-Harrison worker, William McVeigh has said that his son explained his decision to the family. He told The Buffalo News: "I guess his feeling is, he knows he's going to die - it might as well be sooner than later." (1/17/01)

Buffalo News reporters writing new book on McVeigh.  Don Herbeck and Lou Michel, both reporters for the Buffalo News are reported writing a new book on convicted Oklahoma bomber, Tim McVeigh.   Both can call on extensive reporting and interviews the newspaper has done on the McVeigh case. (8/6/00)

Mickey Hill, Tim's mother, surfaces on TV.  The woman moved out of the Lockport area when Tim was still a child, leaving his upbringing to his father, now her ex-husband, Bill McVeigh.  Now at age 55 and living in Florida she has been reported as not too forthcoming when approached by the media.  However a woman reporter for WTSP-TV in St. Petersburg was able to get a short interview with her in November. During the taped interview she reportedly declared it was time for survivors and the families of the victims to "get on with our lives."  (12/5/99)

Tim McVeigh ranked in "Top 25 Most Evil People Of The Millennium."  The poll was conducted by the New York Post and reportedly covered about 20,000 respondents.  Tim McVeigh was ranked #21 on the list.   That's, however, behind two other living Americans, President Bill Clinton (ranked 2nd-Most Evil) and Hilary Clinton (ranked 6th-Most Evil).  Adolph Hitler was ranked #1 Most Evil Person of the Millennium. (11/18/99)

Possible plagiarism probed in latest book on Tim McVeigh.  The publisher of Lockport author, Brandon Stickney, is seeking answers of how a new book out by a "member of the Los Angles Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning team," reads very much like Stickney's All-American Monster: The Unauthorized Biography of Timothy McVeigh."  According to a report in the Buffalo News, it even carries over some of the errors in Stickney's book which came out about three years ago.   The author of the new book, Richard Serrano, reportedly ordered and received via Fed-Ex, in 1996, a copy of Stickney's book.  Stickney says when he read Serrano's book he was "furious."  Stickney's publisher, Prometheus Books of Amherst, is quoted as claiming, "A considerable amount of Mr. Serrano's text was copied either verbatim or in slightly edited form from Mr. Stickeny's book."  The Columbia Journalism Review nominates Serrano for their "Curious Coincidences Club" in commenting on Mr. Serrano's book in their April issue.   The reports surface on the 4th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.   In Lockport and Pendleton the controversy over the new book is about the only news being generated concerning the event.  Many don't welcome a new spotlight on Tim's hometown area.  At Starpoint Central School, some observe a moment of silence in respect for the victims.  (4/19/99)

Bill McVeigh's hopes are on one last appeal.  The father of convicted Oklahoma federal building bomber, Tim McVeigh, said Monday, 3/8/99,  he hopes one last appeal will save his son from execution.  The comments of Bill McVeigh came after the United States Supreme Court had announced it is refusing to hear arguments in his boy's conviction.  Mr. McVeigh is quoted as saying, "I still have the feeling that as soon as the victims of the bombing were put on the witness stand at Tim's trial, the jury stopped listening.  My son got killed by that. The trial was over."  Bill McVeigh told The Buffalo News, "I had thought there was a little hope after one of the justices on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals said he didn't understand why Matsch (Tim's lawyer) never raised any questions about a statement made by a juror."  The juror's comment, prior to the conclusion of the trial, ("I think we all know what the verdict should be") would normally be grounds for a new trial.  The elder McVeigh noted, however, that strong public opinion could likely override legal considerations in the case. (3/9/99)

Father of victim comes to WNY for encounter with father of Tim McVeigh. Bud Welch, the father of a 23-year old victim of the Oklahoma City bombing was in Western New York recently making the rounds of media. He announced he was seeking "closure" and as part of the process appeared at the door of McVeigh's father, Bill, in Pendleton. Welch is still grieving the loss of his daughter, Julie, but wanted Bill McVeigh to know he cared about him and his family. Said Welch to local media, "I was looking for a little bit of peace." Mr. McVeigh was home at the time of Welch's visit and invited him in. The two reportedly talked for about two hours. Welch says he opposes the death penalty for Tim McVeigh. According to Welch, Tim McVeigh's sister has been in recent contact with him through a letter but his father had not be in touch in about a year. (10/3/98)

Grounds for appeal: McVeigh has case against Lawyer Jones. The Buffalo News is reporting details of disagreements between Tim McVeigh and his lead lawyer Stephen Jones from almost day one. McVeigh was especially upset over reports that Jones was primarily interested in writing a book about this confidential access to McVeigh. Tim's father, Bill McVeigh is quoted as saying, "Jones himself told me that Tim 'gets along with everyone on my staff except me.' " (2/11/98)

Tim's father, Bill McVeigh, says Nichols verdict sounds "fair." The split verdict turned in Tuesday, 12/23 against Terry Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing case appears fair to Bill McVeigh in Pendleton. Mr. McVeigh is quoted by the Buffalo News as reacting to the jury verdict by saying, "It sounds like the jury was fair to him." Mr. McVeigh also told the News that he felt Nichols' lawyers "had a bit more to work with" than his son's legal team. Referring to dismissed McVeigh attorney, Stephen Jones, Tim's father is quoted as saying, "Jones started out OK, but I was dissatisfied with him in the end." Mr. Nichols reportedly visited the Lockport area in the early 1990's with his son, Josh. He is said to have stayed with Tim McVeigh in a town of Lockport apartment. (12/24/97)

McVeigh says his chances of winning freedom on appeal, "slim to none." The convicted Oklahoma City bomber granted a one-hour private interview with reporters from the Buffalo News who traveled to the country's maximum security prison at Florence, CO to meet with him. According to the News report published Sunday, 8/16/97:

• Said he did not belong to any organized militia or patriot movement.
• Refused to say if he committed the bombings, citing his appeal.
• Declined to disassociate himself with statements by his lawyer that there were "others besides the government who might want him dead."

McVeigh tells Buffalo News: I want a new lawyer. In a 40 minute telephone interview from his jail cell in Englewood, CO, the convicted bomber told reporter Lou Michel he wants his lawyer replaced---has wanted it right along---but Stephen Jones won't give up the assignment. McVeigh is quoted as saying, "The truth is this guy (Jones) only succeeded in getting the death sentence and now he doesn't want to let go." Michel, in a radio interview, said McVeigh came across as a fully rational and in control of what he said in the interview. Michel said McVeigh expressed his problems with Mr. Jones in an organized manner. He said Jones had promised he would leave the case after the trial and before the appeal but now is going back on that promise. (8/13/97)

Death sentence no surprise in this area. The Friday 13th announcement that Tim McVeigh would be sentenced to death has come as no surprise in Niagara County where most folks appeared to favor execution as a penalty. There was no significant reaction to the verdict in the area other than that experienced elsewhere in the country. Tim's father, Bill McVeigh, told local media his family expected the worst but still were "very disappointed." The senior McVeigh told the Buffalo News, "It's something you're never ready for, but you always have to prepare yourself. I don't know how you prepare yourself for something like this." McVeigh's mother, "Mickey" Frazer, in contrast to the humble and low-key comments of his father, took the occasion to blast media. She told a national TV show, "...I feel it was done, that he was convicted and sentenced to death by the media and the government." The local Union-Sun & Journal carried a story the day following, written by the Associated Press, that people in the area were "tired" of the media intrusion into Niagara County concerning the McVeigh trial. (6/14/97)

Most in area believe McVeigh guilty, should be executed. The Greater Niagara Newspapers report of a survey of 614 people in Niagara and Erie counties conducted by "Cornerstone Research and Marketing" that found 71% believe Tim McVeigh deserves the death penalty and 92% believe him guilty. Only 10% of those surveyed were from Niagara County. The survey claims a error margin of plus or minus three percentage points. (6/9/97)

Jennifer McVeigh could face charges in Oklahoma. The Buffalo News is reporting that Jennifer McVeigh, who made a deal with the Feds to get immunity from prosecution, still could face charges in Oklahoma state court. The Oklahoma County District Attorney is conducting a separate investigation into the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building and two federal witnesses who received immunity in federal court, may be subject to prosecution in state court. After Jennifer McVeigh testified that she knew brother Tim was going to do "something" but "didn't want to know" what, outrage over her behavior has begun to surface in her home town. In a damming commentary on her failure to report her brother's plans and the help she gave him, Buffalo News columnist Donn Esmonde Thursday, 5/8, explained how she could have saved 168 people from death. Ms. McVeigh is being represented by top Buffalo criminal lawyer, Joel Daniels.(5/8/97)

This is an archive file.  Late News of McVeigh and Pendleton appears first at:
Niagara Frontier Today

Tim McVeigh...Yesterday

Born: April 23, 1968 at Lockport Memorial Hospital. The second of three children of William and Mildred "Mickey" McVeigh, residents of the nearby town of Pendleton. First lived on Junction Road, then the family moved to a new home on Hinman Road (Town of Lockport) then to another, larger new home on Meyer Road, Pendleton. Moved to still another home, with his father and sister, on Campbell Blvd., upon the break-up of his parents' marriage in 1985.

School Years: Attended Starpoint Central School, a rural school district southwest of Lockport, graduating from High School, June 1986. Senior yearbook reports his class voted "most talkative." For sports, participated in high school track. Not remembered as a discipline problem, considered an average student. Limited social life. Dabbled with a Commodore 64 computer while in school and went by the handle "The Wanderer" on a computer bulletin board. Developed a strong interest in guns, receiving his first weapon at age 13. Was an avid reader of Guns and Ammo magazine. In September 1986 enrolled in Buffalo's Bryant & Statton business school. Dropped out three and a half months later.

Employments: Burger King Restaurant (Amherst) while in high school. Went to work as a security guard (Burke Armour Security) in 1987. Worked part-time at Johnson's Country Store (which has a large gun and ammo department) in 1988. About mid-year, enlisted in the United States Army. After discharge from the Army, and upon return to his Pendleton family home, Tim worked for a short time for Burns International Security at the Niagara Falls Convention Center.

Johnson's Country Store, where Tim McVeigh worked, is one of the biggest sport and outdoor stores in upstate New York.  Inside, the place is packed with top quality merchandise!  Everything from guns to ice cream cones!   This is where Tim reportedly had his sister Jennifer buy him additional ammo and send it to him in the Midwest.

This & That: In 1988, with a friend, bought 10-acres of unimproved land in the southwestern section of New York State near Olean (hunting country) where they would travel to target practice with guns. He sold the property in 1992.

McVeigh Family

Father: William "Bill" McVeigh. Now retired from Delphi-Harrison division of General Motors at Lockport, Bill McVeigh, age 57, (in 1996) is a very well-liked life-long resident of the area. Active in his church. Has participated in Democratic Party volunteer work. Mr. McVeigh, a soft spoken man, made a simple and sincere statement of sympathy for the victims of the Oklahoma City explosion shortly after Tim's arrest. Then, he asked to be left alone. He still lives on Campbell Blvd. in Pendleton and was in Denver for the opening days of jury selection and to meet three times with his son.  Bill McVeigh is universally well liked in his community.

Mother: Mildred "Mickey" McVeigh. After her divorce in 1986 from Bill, she eventually moved (1989) to Florida where, when reached shortly after Tim's arrest, said she's "had only brief contact with my son the past ten years." Her name was changed to Mildred Frazer upon her remarriage when she was reported living in Ft. Pierce, FL. She told the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal she and Frazer split up about a month after the Oklahoma City bombing.  She is profiled in a less than favorable light in the locally written, unauthorized biography of Tim McVeigh by former Lockport newspaper reporter, Brandon Stickney. She went to Denver for opening days of jury selection and met with her son to attempt to reconcile.  In 1999 she reportedly told a Buffalo News reporter that she believes people were "watching her" in the restaurant where she was employed washing dishes.  Later, according to The News reporter, she said she was under the care of the CIA.  She appears to have changed her name four times since leaving Lockport in 1989 and has most recently assumed her maiden last name and officially adopted her nickname:  her legal name as of this update (6/01)  is "Mickey Hill."

Older Sister: Patricia McVeigh. Two years ahead of Tim in school, there is little public information available about her today. She is reported living in Florida with her husband and keeps a low profile.   Her age, as of June 2001 is given as 35.

Younger Sister: Jennifer "Jenny" McVeigh. Reported very close to brother Tim. Corresponded with him extensively when he was away. Some published reports say she may have laundered money and purchased ammo for him. At the time of the Oklahoma City explosion, was reported traveling with a male friend in her truck, somewhere in Florida. Attended Niagara County Community College. Then went on to Buffalo State College, doing practice teaching in the Buffalo area as part of the requirement for a teaching degree. About the time of the explosion, was working as one of the many girls dressed as "cowgirls" at The Crazy Horse Saloon in Niagara Falls. She is recalled as participating in "Jell-O wrestling" with male patrons on Sundays. In a March 1997 radio interview over WBEN Radio, McVeigh biographer, Brandon Stickney, indicated Jenny "probably" knew Tim was involved with a bomb or something of that sort before the Oklahoma blast. Stickney believes Jenny was more knowing about brother Tim's activities than she has so far let on. She has received immunity from prosecution in return for testimony at the trial.

As of June 2001 her age is reported as 27.  The Associated Press reported that she was a 7th grade language arts teacher at Weddington Middle School in Monroe, NC.   She has changed her name to "Jennifer Hill." 

Pendleton, New York

The Town of Pendleton, in Niagara County, borders Lockport, New York on the southwest. To the north and east of Pendleton is the town of Lockport, northwest is the town of Cambria, west toward Niagara Falls, is the town of Wheatfield, and to the south is Erie County. Pendleton is primarily a rural area that looks to Lockport as its main business connection. Telephone service, mostly with the 625 exchange, is toll-free from Lockport and much of northern Erie County. The population of the town has been around 5,500. In the past few years the population has been increasing rapidly due to movement from Erie County. There is significant new residential construction.

Pendleton was founded by an early 19th-century anti-government group that refused to pay taxes.  The Erie Barge Canal run through it.

Most of the town is served by the Starpoint Central School System. In the summer of 1997, the president of the Starpoint School Board was arrested for "menacing" when she waved a gun during a dispute with her husband in a town park area. She later resigned from the board as part of a plea bargain deal.

Besides Tim McVeigh, Pendleton is best known as the home of world-famous author, Joyce Carol Oates (now a Princeton University professor) and 4-H Club Founder Gertrude Warren.  The town was selected in 1996 for the new headquarters of "Lockport" Savings Bank, a huge complex on Pendleton's southern border. (The Bank has since changed its name to First Niagara Bank.)

Recommended Reading:
Best Books About Tim McVeigh By Local Authors

Selling Out!

Two reporters for the Buffalo News have published (April 3, 2001) a new book on Pendleton’s Tim McVeigh and it is well worth the read. Reporters Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck tap over 70 hours of exclusive interviews with McVeigh plus much more time with McVeigh’s father, Bill, to generate insight on McVeigh and the case one won’t find elsewhere.

The book has been criticized as being "soft" on McVeigh. Many with ties to the victims of the Oklahoma bombing have attacked the authors for not properly demonizing McVeigh. Those who seem unable to give up hate admonish the authors who provide probably the best written understanding of the mind, motives, and mechanisms of this American Terrorist.

The critics have their valid points. The book does not paint McVeigh as an evil monster but rather a not-too-out-of-the-ordinary Niagara County youth who went wrong in his maturing process during his late teens and early 20’s. The authors make it possible for readers to analyze McVeigh themselves as they watch his life slowly change upon entry into US Army. The book narrative of McVeigh’s life during these years and immediately following provides plenty of fodder for group reader discussion that can move into interesting areas far beyond the Oklahoma City tragedy.

With the extraordinary access the authors had to McVeigh, his father, and his family---plus extensive interviews with victims---it is understandable that some significant sympathy for all shows up in the writing. The authors succeed in bringing a much better understanding of the entire tragedy and its participants but still leave many segments of the book ending with, "Why?"

On the shallow side the book appears incomplete in its coverage of McVeigh’s sisters and mother. The treatment of sister Jennifer is particularly inadequate considering what she knew about McVeigh’s plans. Based on a review of the evidence presented in the book itself, the reader is left wondering why the federal authorities gave Jennifer immunity from prosecution. Her contribution to the prosecution’s case appeared unneeded and questions of her contribution to Tim’s vendetta not fully answered. It may be that the authors’ close contact with the McVeigh family explains the perceived reluctance to provide detailed reporting here.

No one book is adequate for a reader to gain the best available understanding of the McVeigh case. Although the Michel-Herbeck effort is the best one-document summary so far, it needs to be supplemented. One such additional reading (recommended) is the much less polished, 1996 writing of Brandon M. Stickney (All-American Monster---The Unauthorized Biography of Timothy McVeigh). Yet to be published (and needs to be) is an objective account of the widely criticized legal team that was assigned to McVeigh.

The book in hardcover at $26 list is selling like hotcakes on the Niagara Frontier. Because the local authors know this area so well, numerous local names and places are used throughout the book adding to the reading interest of Lockportians.

4-10-01

"All-American Monster"
Local Author Writes of Tim McVeigh

Brandon M. Stickney is the former Lockport Union-Sun & Journal reporter who has taken on the task of being the unauthorized biographer of Timothy McVeigh. His first book was rushed out on the subject in early 1996. The hardbound, All-American Monster sells for $23.95, and is published by the area's Prometheus Books (59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197). Although the book has a few minor inaccuracies it is the most comprehensive resource available on the life of Tim McVeigh prior to Oklahoma City. Stickney, who is now making numerous visits to media talk shows is one of the most knowledgeable sources of information on McVeigh's past and present---and, he has an informed opinion on McVeigh's guilt (guilty). He intends to be at the trial in Denver when jury selection is completed. The Gannet News Service, in reviewing Stickeny's book says...

"...this book sometimes reflects naivete, at one point puts McVeigh in the
wrong state at the wrong time and is a bit amateurish. Nonetheless, it is
the best one yet for detailing the early life of the shy ex-soldier..."

The book often gets a bit off the track, reflecting Mr. Stickney's own social-political views, but the reader can breeze through the irrelevant and find most of the "meat" all here in a 336-page book that includes a good index and references. The book is especially revealing in its background on Jennifer McVeigh, the sister. If you get a chance to hear or see an interview with Stickney, catch it---he comes across as quite knowledgeable and, with the advantage of more than a year's time since writing the book, his comments are much more refined and relevant. (1996)

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