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Doesn't seem right to me.
He still has 3 years of supervision; family to get witness protection
11:15 PM CST on Tuesday, January 17, 2006
From Staff and Wire Reports
OKLAHOMA CITY – Michael Fortier, the prosecution's star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing trials, is to be released from federal prison Friday, family members of victims say.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has notified the family members of Mr. Fortier's release and said he still must serve three years of supervised release.
Mr. Fortier, 37, and his family are expected to go into the federal witness protection program.
Mr. Fortier, who was in the Army with bombing conspirators Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, was sentenced to 12 years after pleading guilty to failing to tell authorities about the plot and selling stolen guns to help finance the bombing. Federal prison officials never revealed where Mr. Fortier was serving his sentence.
Mr. Fortier testified against Mr. McVeigh, who was convicted on federal charges and executed in 2001, and against Mr. Nichols, who is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole on federal and state convictions.
Mr. Fortier was living with his wife, Lori, and his two children in the desert town of Kingman, Ariz., when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed April 19, 1995. The blast killed 168 people.
Mr. Fortier's release was met with mixed reactions.
"I think he's served enough time," said Bud Welch, whose daughter Julie was killed in the bombing.
But Jannie Coverdale, whose two grandsons died, said, "I am very angry. I feel like Fortier should've gotten life in prison without parole."
The Fortiers acknowledged helping Mr. McVeigh and Mr. Nichols with the plot, said Mr. McVeigh's attorney, Stephen Jones of Enid.
"It's intellectually indefensible to say that they weren't conspirators, because they were. Their own testimony indicates that," Mr. Jones said. "They knew the date, time and place of the bombing, and both of them assisted materially."
He said Ms. Fortier testified that she helped make a false identification card that Mr. McVeigh used to rent the truck used in the bombing. She was granted complete immunity for her testimony and never served any prison time.
Oklahoma Bureau chief Arnold Hamilton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
11:15 PM CST on Tuesday, January 17, 2006
From Staff and Wire Reports
OKLAHOMA CITY – Michael Fortier, the prosecution's star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing trials, is to be released from federal prison Friday, family members of victims say.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has notified the family members of Mr. Fortier's release and said he still must serve three years of supervised release.
Mr. Fortier, 37, and his family are expected to go into the federal witness protection program.
Mr. Fortier, who was in the Army with bombing conspirators Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, was sentenced to 12 years after pleading guilty to failing to tell authorities about the plot and selling stolen guns to help finance the bombing. Federal prison officials never revealed where Mr. Fortier was serving his sentence.
Mr. Fortier testified against Mr. McVeigh, who was convicted on federal charges and executed in 2001, and against Mr. Nichols, who is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole on federal and state convictions.
Mr. Fortier was living with his wife, Lori, and his two children in the desert town of Kingman, Ariz., when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed April 19, 1995. The blast killed 168 people.
Mr. Fortier's release was met with mixed reactions.
"I think he's served enough time," said Bud Welch, whose daughter Julie was killed in the bombing.
But Jannie Coverdale, whose two grandsons died, said, "I am very angry. I feel like Fortier should've gotten life in prison without parole."
The Fortiers acknowledged helping Mr. McVeigh and Mr. Nichols with the plot, said Mr. McVeigh's attorney, Stephen Jones of Enid.
"It's intellectually indefensible to say that they weren't conspirators, because they were. Their own testimony indicates that," Mr. Jones said. "They knew the date, time and place of the bombing, and both of them assisted materially."
He said Ms. Fortier testified that she helped make a false identification card that Mr. McVeigh used to rent the truck used in the bombing. She was granted complete immunity for her testimony and never served any prison time.
Oklahoma Bureau chief Arnold Hamilton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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