• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Oklahoma City bomber has the longest prison sentence in the world

Home> News

Published 18:01 7 Sep 2022 GMT+1

Oklahoma City bomber has the longest prison sentence in the world

Terry Nichols was found guilty of numerous murders in the 1995 attack

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

One of the men responsible for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing is behind bars with the longest prison sentence in the world after assisting in the killing of more than 160 people.

The tragic attack took place on the morning of 19 April, 1995, when former solider Timothy McVeigh parked a rented truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City and ignited a timed fuse attached to a bomb.

McVeigh fled the scene in a getaway car and the bomb exploded at precisely 9:02am local time, causing damage to more than 300 buildings and killing 168 people, including 19 children.

Advert

More than 160 people were killing in the bombing.
Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo

The FBI was able to link the van to McVeigh, and learned a friend of his named Terry Nichols had helped him construct the bomb.

Just 90 minutes after the bomb went off, McVeigh was pulled over by a State Trooper for having a missing license plate and was found to be carrying a concealed weapon. He was arrested, meaning he was already in jail when he was linked to the bombing the following day. Nichols then surrendered to police one day later.

McVeigh was handed a death sentence after being convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy, and was executed in 2001 for his crimes. Nichols, meanwhile, was initially handed a life sentence in a federal trial found guilty on one count of conspiracy and eight counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Advert

However, his time behind bars increased dramatically following a later Oklahoma state trial in which he faced charges of 160 counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree manslaughter for the death of an unborn child, and one count of aiding in the placement of a bomb near a public building.

Terry Nichols was found to have helped McVeigh build the bomb.
REUTERS/Alamy Stock Photo

A jury returned a verdict of guilty on all charges, and Nichols was handed a sentence of 160 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. It's recorded as the longest sentence in the world, followed by Michael J. Devlin, who received 74 life sentences plus 2,020 years for kidnapping and attempted murder, among other crimes.

Nichols was not in Oklahoma City on the day of the bombing, instead residing at his home in Kansas. However, prosecutors claimed Nichols helped McVeigh make the bomb the day before the attack, constructing it with a cocktail of agricultural fertiliser, diesel fuel and other chemicals, according to the FBI.

Advert

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected] 

Featured Image Credit: FBI/REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: Crime, True crime, US News

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

11 hours ago
12 hours ago
  • 11 hours ago

    'Fridge cigarette' trend explained as Gen Z ditches traditional smoke breaks

    The new trend is taking TikTok by storm

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    Doctor reveals what you should never do in bed as he explains best way to beat insomnia

    Dr. Matthew Walker has offered some tips to curb insomnia and scrub up on your bedtime habits

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    FBI issues urgent warning to 150,000,000 US iPhone users to delete this text as soon as it appears

    Attacks on iPhones and Androids have surged more than 700 percent this month

    News
  • 12 hours ago

    Surprising meaning behind people who keep waking up at the same time every night

    It's surprisingly common

    News
  • Shocking simulation reveals how two inmates in separate prison cells had a baby without ever meeting
  • Artist behind one of the biggest viral hits of all time sentenced to prison for killing his cousin
  • Murderer argued his life sentence in prison was complete after he ‘died’ and was resuscitated
  • Tim Allen avoided life sentence in prison for drug trafficking by naming his partners