Bombing survivors, victims' families surprised, saddened by McVeigh's decision

Wednesday, December 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

DENVER (AP) _ Some relatives of Oklahoma City bombing victims were surprised. Others figured Timothy McVeigh's decision to seek an execution date was consistent with his anti-government beliefs.

And still others weren't sure what to feel.

``I want him executed, but still there's nothing to celebrate,'' said Jannie Coverdale, whose two grandsons died in the April 19, 1995, bombing, the worst such attack on U.S. soil.

Her second thought was of McVeigh's father, Bill, of Pendleton, N.Y. ``That's his son. He still loves him, just like we love our two loved ones. I feel real sorry for Mr. McVeigh,'' she said.

In a U.S. District Court filing made public Tuesday, McVeigh asked a federal judge to stop all appeals of his conviction in the Oklahoma City bombing and to set a date for his execution.

He said he wanted to waive further review of his case by the courts, but reserved the right to seek executive clemency, his lawyer said.

McVeigh also asked that the execution date be set within 120 days of his Dec. 7 statement, which was filed at the court Monday. And he acknowledged that he submitted the statement against the advice of his attorneys.

U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch will have to rule on McVeigh's request. He could approve it, declare the notice ineffective or order a competency hearing.

McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy and sentenced to death in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that killed 168 people and injured more than 500. It was the worst such attack on U.S. soil.

In a statement released from his Enid, Okla., office, Jones said McVeigh's request is consistent with views he has expressed since the two met. ``Tim McVeigh's desire...should be respected,'' he said. ``It appears that now he seeks to be judged not by our justice, but by God's mercy.''

Marsha Kight, whose daughter was killed in the blast, said she would prefer that McVeigh ``rot in jail'' the rest of his life.

``I will not be one of them who goes to see him executed. Putting him to death will not bring my daughter back,'' she said.

``It's not that I don't think that he doesn't deserve to die. I just think it is too easy. I have to live with this the rest of my life. He should have to live with it the rest of his life.''

She said she would be interested in speaking with McVeigh if it were possible. ``I want to know what was going through his mind,'' she said.

Duane Miller, 59, of Oklahoma City, who survived the bombing, was surprised. ``This has drug on for five-plus years. He's fought tooth and nail every step of the way,'' Miller said. ``I'm curious to see what made him change his mind.''

Bud Welch, whose 23-year-old daughter Julie Marie Welch was killed in the blast, has been an outspoken opponent of the death penalty since McVeigh was sentenced.

He said he was saddened by McVeigh's decision, and said he thought it was borne of the same insanity that led McVeigh to bomb the Murrah Building.

Welch called McVeigh's execution another chapter in a string of tragedies since the bombing.

``The day Tim McVeigh is taken from that cage in Indiana and put to death is not going to bring Julie Marie Welch back and is not going bring me any peace or anybody in this nation any peace,'' Welch said.

``God did not make us so that we feel good about killing a caged human being. It's not part of the healing process.''

Officials at the Oklahoma City National Memorial said McVeigh's decision may force them to change portions of a soon-to-be-opened museum dealing with the bombing.

Kari Watkins, executive director of the memorial, said panels in the museum explaining the investigation of the case and McVeigh's and Nichols' punishment may have to be changed before the museum's scheduled Feb. 19 opening.

``Because it's a contemporary history museum, we knew we'd have to change that (information) at some point, but we didn't realize it would come this soon,'' Watkins said.

``Frankly we thought we'd get the museum open and have time to get something under our belt before making those changes, but we can flexible.''

Watkins, who worked with survivors and family members of bombing victims throughout the memorial's planning and construction, said she expected a range of emotions from people she knew.