Killing McVeigh : the death penalty and the myth of closure / Jody Lyneé Madeira.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Madeira, Jody Lyneé.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

McVeigh, Timothy--Trials, litigation, etc.

McVeigh, Timothy.

McVeigh, Timothy--Imprisonment.

Domestic terrorism--United States--Psychological aspects.

Domestic terrorism.

Domestic terrorism--Social aspects--United States.

Capital punishment--United States--Psychological aspects.

Capital punishment.

Victims of terrorism--Psychology--United States.

Victims of terrorism.

Victims of terrorism--Rehabilitation--United States.

Oklahoma City Federal Building Bombing, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1995--Psychological aspects.

Oklahoma City Federal Building Bombing, Oklahoma City, Okla., 1995.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (350 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, c2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a two-ton truck bomb that felled the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. On June 11, 2001, an unprecedented 242 witnesses watched him die by lethal injection.In the aftermath of the bombings, American public commentary almost immediately turned to “closure” rhetoric. Reporters and audiences alike speculated about whether victim’s family members and survivors could get closure from memorial services, funerals, legislation, monuments, trials, and executions. But what does “closure” really mean for those who survive—or lose loved ones in—traumatic acts? In the wake of such terrifying events, is closure a realistic or appropriate expectation? In Killing McVeigh, Jody Lyneé Madeira uses the Oklahoma City bombing as a case study to explore how family members and other survivors come to terms with mass murder. As the fullest case study to date of the Oklahoma City Bombing survivors’ struggle for justice and the first-ever case study of closure, this book describes the profound human and institutional impacts of these labors to demonstrate the importance of understanding what closure really is before naively asserting it can or has been reached.

Contents:

"A rude awakening": the origins of the victim-offender relationship

"He broke into my life": experiencing the victim-offender relationship

Opening up "closure": redefining a controversial term

"We come here to remember": joining advocacy groups

"God bless the media": negotiating news coverage

"Making sure justice was served": pursuing accountability

Emotion on trial: prosecuting Timothy McVeigh

Reaching law's limits: trying Terry Nichols and welcoming the McVeigh jury to Oklahoma city

The storm before the calm: awaiting McVeigh's execution

The weight of an impossible world: McVeigh confronts his public image

Done to death: the execution and the end of the victim-offender relationship.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780814724552

0814724558

9780814724545

081472454X

OCLC:

793995959