By Jake Ervin, Senior Reporter
The defense attorney for the notorious Oklahoma City bomber spoke to members of the Northwestern community Friday in the Student Center Ranger Room.
Enid lawyer Stephen Jones talked about the challenges he encountered while representing Timothy McVeigh, who orchestrated the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995.
The event was sponsored by Northwestern’s Mass Communication program as part of Dr. Kaylene Armstrong’s media law and ethics course.
Jones discussed how he became the attorney for the primary culprit in the bombing, and he explained the legal ethics that guided him to take on the case.
“Lawyers are required under their oath to accept assignments from the court,” he said. “I did not think it was appropriate for me to deny the appointment. I knew it would be difficult, but no one forced me to go to law school.”
When Jones took the case, it was not his first time representing controversial clients.
Jones previously represented Keith Green, who was arrested for protesting the Vietnam War at the University of Oklahoma while waiving a Viet Cong flag. Green was denied representation by 12 lawyers before coming to Jones, who agreed to represent him and resigned from his law firm in Enid when his bosses said he could not take the case.
Jones also represented clients such as Abbie Hoffman, who is known for being a member of the Chicago Seven and activist as member of the Youth International Party. He also defended Theodore G.X., who was the leader of the Oklahoma City Black Muslims.
These cases and more helped Jones build a reputation as one of the most high-profile lawyers in Oklahoma.
Jones told the audience about the process for building a defense for McVeigh and the steps to ensure that his defendant was given a fair trial.
In order to do this, Jones had to achieve several legal objectives. He pushed for the trial to be moved to Denver, Colorado, and he traveled to more than 10 foreign nations in order to investigate what happened.
McVeigh’s defense cost more than $15 million, which was paid by the U.S. government, according to The Chicago Tribune.
Jones has written a book titled “Others Unknown: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing Conspiracy,” which details what he uncovered while building McVeigh’s case. The book shows why he believes other people who were never found were involved in the bombing, Jones said.
Jones also spoke about the personal struggles of taking on the case and the steps he had to take to keep his family protected. He slept with a revolver under his pillow.
“[McVeigh] was already being called the most hated man in America,” Jones said. “So, the first thing I had to do was arrange security for my office, my family and my home.”
After presenting a short documentary and speaking for more than 30 minutes, Jones fielded questions from the audience and ended by thanking the audience for their time and attention. Some audience members had Jones sign books for them.