Nearly two years after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Timothy McVeigh, the first defendant in the case, is going to trial.

McVeigh is charged with murder, conspiracy and weapons-related charges in connection with the bombing. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death. McVeigh's former Army buddy Terry Nichols is also charged with the bombing but will be tried separately. His trial date has not been set.

The prosecution will try to prove that McVeigh rented a truck, packed it with ammonium nitrate and fuel oil and detonated it in front of the Oklahoma City federal building on April 19, 1995. By way of motive, they will attempt to link McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran, to anti-government groups angered by the 1993 FBI siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas.

The case against McVeigh is not without flaws. At least three witnesses whom the prosecution had hoped would be able to place McVeigh at the bombing site on the morning of April 19 have proved unreliable.

The government's star witness, Michael Fortier, an associate of McVeigh's who signed a confession saying he was aware of the plot to blow up the Murrah building, originally denied knowing anything about such a plot. He confessed only after being charged in connection with the bombing.

And the FBI lab that was used to examine some of the evidence has been accused of sloppy forensic work.

The defense will try to use these holes and others in the case to prove that prosecutors have the wrong man and that McVeigh had nothing to do with the bombing.

Due to the impact of the bombing on the citizens of Oklahoma and press coverage, the trial has been moved to Denver, Colorado.

The trial, which is expected to last about two months, will not be televised since public cameras are not allowed in federal cases. Survivors of the blast and the families of those killed will be allowed to watch the case in Oklahoma City via closed-circuit television. An audio feed and transcripts of the trial will also be accessible to the media.

OKC Bombing Timeline

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