October 19, 1995
Web posted at: 11:00 a.m. EDT
From CNN Correspondent Tony Clark
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Thursday marks the six-month anniversary of the Oklahoma City tragedy. The site of last April's bombing now looks more like a park than the location of the nation's worst terrorist attack, yet for families of the victims, the memories remain vivid (544K QuickTime movie).
Bud Welch's daughter Julie would have been 24 last month. A church fountain near the demolished federal building was built in her memory.
"It just reminds me of Julie and how devout she was in her religion," reflected her father. Talking about his lost daughter and the things she cared for -- children, volunteer work -- Bud Welch broke down (136K AIFF sound or 136K WAV sound).
The two men charged with the bombing remain behind bars at a prison outside Oklahoma City. Their attorneys have filed nearly a dozen motions trying to get the bombing indictments thrown out, but legal experts doubt the motions will have much effect.
"About the worst thing that would happen is that the government would simply bring its case again, and would seek another indictment," said Arthur LeFrancois, a law professor at Oklahoma City University.
Defense attorneys also are trying to get a new trial judge, and they want the trial moved out of Oklahoma. Stephen Jones has been surveying Oklahomans to bolster his argument.
"It will take a long time to seat a jury in southwestern Oklahoma," said Jones, who noted that many people flat-out say they don't want to be involved. They are too emotional about the case, he said (136K AIFF sound or 136K WAV sound).
At this point, the trial is slated to be held 90 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, at the 80-year-old federal courthouse in Lawton, Oklahoma. A town of 87,000 people, Lawton is home to Fort Sill. It was there, in 1894, the Apache warrior Geronimo was brought to live the remainder of his life.
If the trial does end up in Lawton, local officials say they'll be ready. "I think we can handle it," said Mayor Ted Marley. "We can do it."
Decisions on where the bombing trial will be held and who will preside won't be made until at least next month. The trial itself is at least seven months away.
Despite the anger and horror over the bombing, law enforcement experts say nothing has substantially changed to prevent similar attacks. And they warn that what happened in Oklahoma City six months ago could happen again in other cities.
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