Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
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Lessons from the
Oklahoma City Bombing
Provided in cooperation with the oklahoma state department of education
OKC Bombing Timeline: Background,
investigation & Prosecution
Background/Overview
This resource provides a guide to events leading up to the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal
Building, the investigation of the crime, the arrest and the prosecution of the perpetrators.
April 1, 1955
Terry Nichols is born to Joyce and Robert Nichols in Lapeer, Michigan.
April 23, 1968
Timothy McVeigh is born to Bill and Mildred “Mickey” McVeigh in Lockport, New York.
December 15, 1968
Michael Fortier is born to Paul and Irene Fortier in Lewiston, Maine.
1973
Terry Nichols graduates from Lapeer West High School in Lapeer, Michigan.
April 20, 1985
Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms (ATF), Arkansas and Missouri State Police execute a
search warrant at the 224 acre compound near Pontiac, Michigan, of a
Christian Identity militia type organization called the Covenant, Sword
and the Arm of the Lord. The search warrant is issued to look for and
seize illegal weapons and explosives. In addition, James Ellison, the
group’s leader, is arrested on a variety of illegal weapons and sedition
violations. After a three day stand off, the group surrenders to law enforcement officers.
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1986
Timothy McVeigh graduates from Starpoint High School in Lockport, New York.
1987
Michael Fortier graduates from Kingman High School in Kingman, Arizona.
1988
McVeigh, Fortier and Nichols enlist in the U.S. Army and
meet during basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia.
1990
Operation Desert Shield is the operational name of the military defense, by a 30-nation force led
by the United States, of Saudi Arabia and its oil installations following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
on August 2, 1990.
McVeigh’s army unit, as part of the First Infantry Division, is ordered to Saudi Arabia in
preparation for Operation Desert Storm.
Operation Desert Shield ends on January 17, 1991, when, at 3:00 a.m. Saudi Arabian time, it is
replaced by Operation Desert Storm, the military offensive against Iraq’s forces in Kuwait and
thousands of targets in Iraq proper.
McVeigh, a gunner on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, earns a Bronze Star for his actions in combat.
April 10, 1991
After Operation Desert Storm, McVeigh is transferred to Special Forces headquarters at Camp
McCall in North Carolina to participate in Selection Assessment. He lasts only two days and
returns to Fort Riley.
May 1991
Michael Fortier is honorably discharged and moves back to Kingman, Arizona.
December 31, 1991
McVeigh leaves the U.S. Army after serving 3 years and
7 months, and moves in with his father, Bill McVeigh, in
Lockport, New York.
Photo © www.Lockport-NY.com
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August 21, 1992
A team of U.S. Marshals attempts to arrest
Randy Weaver, a white separatist and Aryan
Nations sympathizer, on illegal weapons
charges at his remote home site near Ruby
Ridge, Idaho. A brief shootout occurs in which
a Marshal and Weaver’s sixteen year old son
are killed. FBI teams are deployed to assist.
August 30, 1992
The nine day siege ends with the surrender of Weaver after an FBI sniper accidently shoots and
kills Weaver’s wife, Vicki.
February 28, 1993
Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) raid the Branch
Davidian religious sect’s 77 acre compound in
Waco, Texas, which starts a 51 day siege and
standoff.
March 30, 1993
McVeigh travels to Waco to act as an anti-government
demonstrator and to show support for Branch Davidian
leader David Koresh. Michelle Rauch, a student
reporter from Southern Methodist University,
interviews McVeigh about his views of the siege.
A fellow student, Lauren Aldinger, photographs
McVeigh sitting on his car selling anti-government
bumper stickers.
April 19, 1993
Federal law enforcement agencies end the siege at the Branch
Davidian compound with an assault ending in a catastrophic
fire, killing more than 75 people including 20 or more children.
July 25, 1994
McVeigh is the best man at Michael and Lori Fortier’s wedding.
September 13, 1994
Timothy McVeigh begins his plot to blow up the Oklahoma City federal building.
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September 30, 1994
McVeigh and Nichols purchase the first ton of ammonium nitrate for the
bomb from a farm co-op in McPherson, Kansas.
October 1, 1994
McVeigh and Nichols steal explosives from a rock quarry storage in
Marion, Kansas
October 3, 1994
McVeigh and Nichols transport the stolen explosives to Kingman, Arizona
October 8, 1994
McVeigh demonstrates the bomb configuration to Michael and Lori Fortier, using soup cans to
illustrate the shape of the charge.
October 18, 1994
McVeigh and Nichols purchase the second ton of ammonium nitrate in McPherson, Kansas.
October 21, 1994
McVeigh buys $2,775 worth of nitromethane racing fuel for the bomb at a Texas track.
December 16, 1994
McVeigh drives by the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and identifies it as
his target to co-conspirator Michael Fortier.
April 14, 1995
McVeigh buys his getaway car, a 1977 Mercury Marquis, at a Firestone
store in Junction City, Kansas. He checks into the Dreamland Motel,
registers under the name “Tim McVeigh” and gives an address in
Decker, Michigan.
April 16, 1995
McVeigh leaves the Mercury Marquis in Oklahoma City. Co-conspirator Terry Nichols drives him
back to Kansas.
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April 17, 1995
McVeigh goes to Elliott’s Body Shop in Junction City,
Kansas, to pick up the 20-foot Ryder truck that will hold
the bomb. He rents the vehicle using the name Robert D.
Kling and claims his destination is Omaha, Nebraska.
April
19, 1995
April
19, 1995
9:02 a.m. – Truck bomb explodes in front of the Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
10:20 a.m. – Timothy McVeigh is arrested
during a traffic stop on Interstate 35, near
Perry, Oklahoma, about 90 minutes after
the bombing. Oklahoma Highway Patrol
Trooper Charlie Hanger arrests McVeigh
on firearm charges after stopping him for driving a vehicle
without a license plate. McVeigh is booked into the Noble
County jail.
11:30 a.m. – The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of
a rear axle found in front of the Regency Tower Apartments,
a block away from the Murrah Building, is identified by the
FBI as a Ryder rental truck from Elliott’s Body Shop in
Junction City, Kansas.
Employees of Elliott’s assist FBI artist Ray Rozycki in
creating a sketch of the renter, who had used the alias “Robert
Kling,” and another man who happened to be inside the shop
at the same time.
9:16 p.m. – Richard Wayne Snell is executed in Arkansas, 12 hours after the bombing of the Alfred
P. Murrah Federal Building. Snell, one of the leaders of the Arkansas based extremist organization
called the Covenant, Sword and the Arm of the Lord, was convicted of the killings of a black
Arkansas state trooper and a pawnshop owner.
April 20, 1995
Authorities release sketches of the two bombing
suspects, referred to as John Doe No. 1 and John Doe
No. 2. Lea McGown, day manager of the Dreamland
Motel in Junction City, Kansas, identifies John Doe No.
1 as Timothy McVeigh.
FBI agents investigating the Decker, Michigan, address given on the hotel registration card learn
that Terry Nichols has lived there and knows Timothy McVeigh, a friend he had met in the Army.
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April 21, 1995
Terry Nichols surrenders to authorities in Herington, Kansas, after learning
authorities are looking for him, and is held on a material witness warrant.
Federal agents take Terry Nichols into custody after he surrenders in Kansas.
Shortly before he is to be released from the Noble
County Jail, McVeigh is identified as a bombing suspect
and charged in the bombing. After an initial court
appearance, McVeigh is taken to the federal prison in
El Reno, Oklahoma.
FBI agents conduct searches in Kingman, Arizona, after investigative leads
reveal McVeigh and Fortier lived in that area.
April 23, 1995
Mourners gather to honor bombing victims at a church
service at the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City. The service
is attended by the Rev. Billy
Graham, President Bill and First
Lady Hillary Clinton and Attorney
General Janet Reno.
May 1, 1995
FBI agents raid McVeigh’s’ former trailer home in Kingman, and agents carry away boxes and
crates.
May 10, 1995
Terry Nichols is charged in connection with the bombing.
May 23, 1995
The remaining structure of the Murrah Building is imploded, and
the last three bodies are recovered.
June 14, 1995
Authorities admit sketches of John Doe No. 2 are of innocent Army Private Todd Bunting, at Fort
Riley, Kansas.
August 8, 1995
Timothy McVeigh's friend Michael Fortier and his wife Lori testify before
a grand jury.
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August 11, 1995
A federal grand jury indicts Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols on murder and conspiracy charges.
October 20, 1995
Attorney General Janet Reno authorizes prosecutors to seek the death
penalty in the case against Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.
February 20, 1996
Judge Richard Matsch moves the case against Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols to
Denver. The judge sides with defense attorneys who argue that media coverage of the
bombing has tainted potential Oklahoma jurors.
April 24, 1996
President Bill Clinton signs the Antiterrorism and Effective Death
Penalty Act of 1996 which among other provisions, includes habeas
corpus reform modifying the death penalty appeal process.
October 25, 1996
Judge Richard Matsch rules to separate the trials for Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols,
concluding that trying the two together could violate their rights.
March 19, 1997
President Bill Clinton signs the Victim Rights Clarification Act of 1997 to allow victims who are potential
providers of victim impact testimony during the sentencing phase of criminal trials to attend the
trial in Denver. A judge previously ruled that victims who could be called as witnesses would not
be allowed to sit in on the trial.
March 31, 1997
Jury selection begins in Timothy McVeigh's federal murder
and conspiracy trial.
April 22, 1997
The jury is seated in Timothy McVeigh's federal trial in Denver.
April 24, 1997
Opening statements begin in Timothy McVeigh's federal trial in Denver.
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Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
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June 2, 1997
The jury finds Timothy McVeigh guilty on 11 counts, including
conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, use of a weapon
of mass destruction, destruction by explosive, and eight counts of
first-degree murder.
June 13, 1997
Courtroom Drawing/Oklahoma City National
Memorial & Museum/Lopez Collection
Timothy McVeigh is sentenced to death by lethal injection.
September 18, 1997
Jury selection begins in federal trial of Terry Nichols.
October 31, 1997
Jury is seated in federal trial of Terry Nichols.
November 2, 1997
Opening statements begin. Prosecutors introduce their case
and explain they will present evidence that Terry Nichols
conspired with Timothy McVeigh to build the bomb that
destroyed the Murrah Building.
Courtroom Drawing/Oklahoma City National
Memorial & Museum/Lopez Collection
December 23, 1997
Terry Nichols is found guilty of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and eight counts
of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of eight federal employees. He is found not guilty of
destruction by explosive.
January 7, 1998
The jury becomes deadlocked after spending two days deliberating Nichols' sentence. Judge Matsch
dismisses the jury, a decision that moves the determination of sentence to Matsch and removes the
possibility of a death sentence.
May 27, 1998
Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined $200,000 for not warning authorities
about McVeigh's plan to bomb the Murrah Building.
June 4, 1998
Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison without parole for his involvement with the Murrah
Building bombing.
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Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
Teacher Lesson Plans
March 29, 1999
Terry Nichols is charged with murder in Oklahoma District Court.
June 11, 1999
Timothy McVeigh is moved to death row at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.
April 19, 2000
President Bill Clinton dedicates the Oklahoma
City National Memorial on the fifth
anniversary of the Murrah Building
bombing.
December 2000
McVeigh files an affidavit asking for an end to his appeals process and requests his execution date
be set within 120 days.
On December 28, McVeigh appears before U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch, who rules McVeigh
is mentally competent and grants the request.
January 11, 2001
Timothy McVeigh waives his right to appeal a month after asking Judge Richard Matsch to set
an execution date before summer. The Federal Bureau of Prisons sets May 16, 2001, as the
execution date.
February 19, 2001
President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush dedicate
the Memorial Museum.
April 12, 2001
Attorney General John Ashcroft authorizes a closed-circuit television broadcast of McVeigh's
execution, scheduled for May 16 in Terre Haute, Indiana. More than 200 survivors and relatives
of those who were killed view the remote broadcast in Oklahoma City.
April 19, 2001
A federal judge refuses to broadcast Timothy McVeigh's execution live on the Internet.
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Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
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May 11, 2001
Attorney General John Ashcroft delays McVeigh's execution until June 11 after the FBI reveals it
mistakenly withheld thousands of documents from McVeigh's lawyers. Ashcroft says none of the
evidence that was withheld casts doubt on McVeigh's guilt.
May 21, 2001
Timothy McVeigh asks for a stay of execution based on the FBI's announcement that thousands
of documents have been mistakenly withheld from McVeigh's lawyers.
June 6, 2001
Judge Richard Matsch denies McVeigh's Petition for Delay of Execution.
June 7, 2001
McVeigh's lawyers announce he is not going to appeal to the Supreme Court after his Petition for
Delay of Execution is denied by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
June 11, 2001
Oklahoma City bomber Timothy
McVeigh is executed by lethal injection
at the federal prison in Terre Haute,
Indiana. The execution process begins at
7:00 a.m. (CDT) and authorities
pronounce McVeigh dead at 7:14 a.m.
McVeigh spent the final hours before his
execution with simple indulgences: television, sleep and two pints of ice cream, his requested final
meal. McVeigh becomes the first federal prisoner executed in 38 years.
September 8, 2003
After pretrial motions in Oklahoma City, the state trial is moved to McAlester, Oklahoma, over
concerns that pretrial publicity could influence the jury.
March 1, 2004
District Judge Steven W. Taylor begins the state trial of Terry Nichols with
selection of a jury. Nichols will be tried on 161 counts of murder in an Oklahoma
District Court in Pittsburg County.
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Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
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March 22, 2004
Terry Nichols’ trial on state murder charges begins.
May 26, 2004
A jury convicts Terry Nichols on 161 counts of murder.
Courtroom Drawing/Oklahoma City National
Memorial & Museum/Lopez Collection
August 9, 2004
Terry Nichols is sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms. He is not eligible for parole after the
conviction on state murder charges. Nichols is incarcerated at ADX, the United States Penitentiary
Administrative Maximum, commonly referred to as Supermax, in Florence, Colorado.
January 20, 2006
Michael Fortier is released from federal prison after serving 10 years of the
12 year sentence he received as part of a plea bargain that secured his testimony against Timothy
McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Fortier will be on probation for the next three years.
April 6, 2010
Governor Brad Henry signs House bill 2750, which directs the State Board
of Education to adopt a core curriculum with courses of instruction in
Oklahoma History for all students enrolled in the public schools that
incorporates information about the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the role it played in the history of
Oklahoma and the nation from April 19, 1995, to the present.
Unless otherwise noted, photos provided from the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum Collections.
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