The Need for Closure Aschroft will announce his decision during a press conference on Thursday. More than 250 people in Oklahoma City have requested a chance to see McVeigh's scheduled execution on May 16. The 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building killed 168, including several children in a day-care center inside the building. Last December, a judge granted McVeigh's request to halt his appeals process and set an execution date. There are only eight seats available in the death chamber at Terre Haute, Ind. and several families of the victims want a chance to either see the execution via closed-circuit television in Oklahoma City or Terre Haute.
Federal laws prohibit the recording of an execution.
With Ashcroft's decision to grant the families' request for a closed-circuit feed, McVeigh's execution will be the first televised in the United States. The Need for Closure Few families seem opposed to having a chance to see McVeigh die, even if they are not sure they would actually take the opportunity. Some see it as a chance to bring some closure to the loss of their loved ones. Every time I feel like I'm moving forward, Tim says something that throws me back to where I was. So, once Tim is dead, at least I will have that peace.