Terry Nichols' Trial Collection Brought To OKC National Memorial Museum

On Thursday, loads of paperwork and exhibits from Terry Nichols’ state trial in 2004 were brought to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum.

District Attorney David Prater and his office decided to move these historic archives to OKCNM where it will be safe.

Two of the three prosecutors and the judge of Nichols’ trial witnessed the transferring of the collection.

Lou Keel, former prosecutor, said, “It’s very humbling when I think back on that.”

Keel remembers the countless pieces of evidence. He said when they moved the trial to McAlester, Oklahoma, all the evidence followed.

“We took file cabinet after file cabinet and moved into an attorney’s office there,” he said.

All of those file cabinets were brought back to the site of the bombing on Thursday.

Two large moving trucks unloaded 32 file cabinets, exhibits, binders, and computers to the museum’s archive room.

Suzanne Lavenue, also a prosecutor for the case, said, “We know that it’s safe here.”

She said she’s spoken to many survivors and family members who say OKCNM is a very special place to them, which is why it’s important to bring the collection there. It represents all the hard work that put a mass murderer behind bars for life.

Lavenue said, “This is a place that is home to them.”

Judge Steven Taylor was also at the memorial today. He is the one who sentenced Terry Nichols to 161 consecutive life sentences with no parole.

“I told Mr. Nichols that it is ironic that the government you hate so much is the government that is big enough and good enough and strong enough to give you a fair trial,” said Taylor.

Curators at OKCNM will be going through each piece of material, some that may one day be on public display at the museum.