Pope John Paul II has asked US President George W Bush to spare the life of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, who is scheduled to be executed on May 16. And while a presidential pardon is not legally viable, Vice President Dick Cheney has rejected the proposal.
“I think if there was ever a man who deserves to be executed it’s probably Timothy McVeigh,” Cheney said on Sunday during a television news chat show. “Here’s a man who blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City, killed over 160 innocent people, including 19 children, has admitted as much that he did in fact do it and has set aside the appeals process.”
“The president has great respect for the pope and this is a tragic situation,” a White House spokeswoman said. “The president also has deep compassion and sympathy for the 168 victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and their families.”
McVeigh had until February 16 to file a request for clemency: however, he opted not to and an execution date was duly set. The 33-year-old then had one month to ask the president for a pardon, though he once again chose not to appeal. He is scheduled to die by lethal injection in May as the families of the victims gather in Oklahoma to watch via a secure internet link. McVeigh bombed the federal building on April 19, 1995.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
