August 13, 1995
From CNN Correspondent Robert Vito
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (CNN) -- The FBI has witnesses who put suspect Timothy McVeigh at or near the scene of the Oklahoma City bombing. The problem: Not all of those witnesses say he was alone that day. Tire repairman Mike Moroz said that when McVeigh stopped to ask how to get to the federal building there was a passenger along with him in the Ryder truck that he pulled into the tire store, five blocks from the building. "He was wearing a ball cap similar to the way I'm wearing it," Moroz said. "He had a T-shirt on."
That sounds similar to the sketch of John Doe No. 2 -- the man the FBI vainly sought for so long as a suspect in the case. And that could mean problems for the prosecution when the case goes to trial. The indictment says it was McVeigh alone who set off the bomb.
The FBI has said one key witness -- a passing motorist -- has identified McVeigh as the man he saw, alone, walking quickly away from the truck in front of the building moments before the blast. But if other witnesses put a second man near the scene, it may be hard for a jury to sort out the confusion.
Witnesses in Kansas who say McVeigh rented the truck used in the bombing said a second man was with him. The FBI now discounts that. But, another witness has said he saw a second man in the room of the motel where McVeigh stayed when the truck was rented.
In Oklahoma City, the FBI has said, a witness saw McVeigh's car speeding away from a parking lot just before the bomb went off. That witness said two men were in the car. But McVeigh was alone when he was stopped by a state trooper later that morning.
The tire repairman who saw a second man in the Ryder truck claimed to be able to recall his race. "He was white," Moroz said. Prosecutors decided not to have him to testify in the case. But they promise they will keep looking for answers.
"We will continue the investigation until we determine whether or not anyone else has assisted these charged conspirators with the bombing," federal Prosecutor Joseph Hartzler said in a news conference. Almost no one -- prosecution, jury, or public -- will rest easy if riddles remain when this case goes to trial.
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