Timothy McVeigh was formally sentenced today to die by lethal injection for the April 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing that killed 168 people.
The Associated Press reported that McVeigh was animated as he awaited the arrival of U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch, but turned grim after the death sentence was handed down.
Before Matsch formally imposed the jury-sanctioned verdict, McVeigh gave a brief comment, quoting Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis in a wiretapping case opinion: "Our government is the hope, the omnipotent teacher. For good or for ill it teaches the people by example."
Less than 24 hours before McVeigh's sentencing, President Clinton recommended that the Oklahoma City bombing memorial be included among the rest of America's national monuments.
The memorial will consist of 168 empty stone chairs facing a reflecting pool and an American elm that withstood the bombing.
Clinton called the memorial's design a "symbol of true power and amazing grace."
"The tragedy was a national one, and the memorial should be recognized and embraced and supported by our nation," Clinton said.
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