Federal prosecutors say a severed leg will not change their case against McVeigh and Nichols

August 18, 1995

From Correspondent Tony Clark

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Federal prosecutors say the severed leg found in the rubble of the Murrah Federal Building will not change either case against Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. The leg was found more than a week after building was imploded.

Stephen Jones, the attorney for McVeigh, has suggested the leg could belong to the "real bomber." He's expected to present that theory in court while arguing that McVeigh was not involved.

Jones says his theory is based on experience. "When I was in college, I worked at the funeral home. I was an ambulance driver. When there was an explosion at the Edgar Allen Poe Elementary School in Houston by a bomb set off by the man from Seminole, Oklahoma, we recovered the body of the bomber. We recovered a leg and a foot because he was standing next to the bomb he set off. I think that 's entirely consistent with forensics explosives experience."

The state medical examiner's office has been unable to match the leg with any of the 168 bombing victims and says the officials death toll will probably be increased to 169. They suggest it could have been an individual outside the federal building when the explosion occurred and his identity may never be known.

The Oklahoma City Police have given the FBI files on about 20 missing persons in hopes of identifying the leg. Initial tests indicate the severed leg came from a man about 30 years old, with dark hair and fair skin. He was wearing a military-style boot, two pairs of socks and a blousing strap.

Meanwhile, Stephen Jones is preparing to ask for a new judge to hear the case. "Next week we will file a motion asking Judge Wayne Alley to remove himself." Jones has already submitted a list of questions he wants the federal judges in the district to answer.

Jones says judges in Oklahoma City are too closely tied to the bombing to give his client a fair trial.

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Federal prosecutors say a severed leg will not change their case against McVeigh and Nichols

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