Coroner agrees to no autopsy following McVeigh's execution

Coroner agrees to no autopsy following McVeigh's execution

March 9, 2001, Friday, BC cycle

Copyright 2001 Associated Press All Rights Reserved The Associated Press

Section: Domestic News

Length: 365 words

Byline: By P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press Writer

Dateline: DENVER

Body

The body of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh will not be autopsied after his scheduled execution May 16, his attorneys and an Indiana coroner agreed Friday. McVeigh's lawyers filed an agreement in U.S. District Court, signed by Coroner Susan Amos of Indiana's Vigo County, which calls for a physical examination of McVeigh before the execution and a noninvasive examination after his death at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind.

Judge Richard Matsch, who presided over McVeigh's case in Denver, must approve the agreement. There was no indication when he might rule. The agreement calls for a member of the defense team to accompany McVeigh's body after his execution to ensure his request is granted. "Mr. McVeigh has religious, ethical and philosophical objections to an autopsy being performed upon his body after the execution," his lawyers wrote in the agreement.

McVeigh has said he opposes the "planned mutilation of my corpse." McVeigh was convicted of murder, conspiracy and weapons-related charges and sentenced to die for the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosion killed 168 people. McVeigh ended all appeals in December.

A telephone message left after hours Friday for McVeigh's lawyer, Nathan Chambers, was not immediately returned. Federal prison officials in Terre Haute do not allow inmates to receive telephone calls. According to the agreement, the examination before the execution will look for signs of physical abuse. The coroner has said autopsy results could be used to defend lawsuits filed by death-row inmates who allege mistreatment or abuse.

McVeigh has agreed to sign a statement that says he has not been abused while in custody. If he refuses to sign, an autopsy will be conducted, according to the agreement. After the execution, the coroner will examine McVeigh's body and take photographs and X-rays if necessary. The coroner will be able to perform an autopsy if she sees evidence of abuse and if McVeigh's attorney approves. The agreement says pictures, X-rays and other medical information gathered by the coroner's office will remain confidential.