The Oklahoma City Bombing
Renaysha Denegall
Florida State University
CCJ3032: Crime in Media
Dr. Thomas B. Kelley
April 19, 2020
Abstract
The Oklahoma City bombing became a part of American History on April 19. 1995 when two
men Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols committed a heinous crime. In response to the Waco
Siege and the 70 people that died, they decided to load a truck with explosive material and leave
it under the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. They were eventually caught and arrested one
sentenced to death and the other sentenced to several life terms in prison. This case was highly
publicized and talked about because two years earlier a similar bombing happened at the World
Trade Center in New York City. Theories that link to this case and why it occurred is Realism
and Reception Analysis, and Postmodernism. The media has had a lot of involvement
surrounding this case and its details, though this seems to have had little effect on the outcome of
this case. This case was an experience that will always be a part of history and looked on as a
way to move forward.
Introducing the Case
On April 19, 1995, two men, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols left a massive truck
bomb in the parking garage under the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building’s daycare center
(History.com Editors, 2010). According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this powerful
homemade bomb was constructed of agricultural fertilizer, diesel fuel, and other chemicals which
detonated sometime after 9 a.m. that morning (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2016). This
building is in Oklahoma City, and as a result of their actions a third of it and 300 other buildings
were damaged or destroyed (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2016). According to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, “168 people died, including 19 children, with several hundred more
injured calling it the worst homegrown act of terrorism in the nation’s history” (Federal Bureau
of Investigation, 2016).
Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were, “…former U.S. Army soldiers who were
associated with extreme the right-wing and militant Patriot movement (Jenkins, 2020). In line
with Tim McVeigh’s ideology it was also stated that he claimed this act was to avenge the 70
people who died in the Waco Siege (Jenkins, 2020). The Waco Siege occurred in Waco, Texas
where federal agents raided an armed religious group called the Branch Davidian (Jenkins,
2020). McVeigh was sentenced to death and Terry Nichols was sentenced to 161 counts of first-
degree murder and sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms (Pearson, 2016). McVeigh and
