Power of the Human Spirit: Questions and Answers

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Power of the Human Spirit: Bud Welch

Bud retells the story of what happened on April 19th 1995 from his perspective. He also talks about how his hatred and lust for revenge turned to forgiveness, leading him to become a very outspoken advocate against the death penalty.

Power of the Human Spirit: Bud Welch, Part Two

Bud discusses his role in the State Trial of Terry Nichols, and the unique relationship that developed between himself and Timothy McVeigh\'s father.

Bud Welch

On April 19, 1995, Bud Welch’s 23-year-old daughter, Julie, and 167 others were killed in the bomb blast that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City. Bud had always opposed the death penalty but Julie’s death prompted bouts of anger, pain, hatred and revenge. He longed to see Timothy McVeigh (who was eventually tried and convicted of the bombing and executed) dead. After months of agony Bud began to question his desire for revenge. He realized that nothing positive would arise from McVeigh’s execution. “It was hatred and revenge that made me want to see him dead and those two things were the very reason that Julie and 167 others were dead,” he says. He also remembered Julie’s comments that executions were only “teaching children to hate.” Bud spent the next several years speaking out against the death penalty in general and McVeigh’s execution in particular.

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