Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were indicted on August 10, 1995, by a federal grand jury on eleven counts of conspiracy and murder. In February 1996 U.S. District Court judge Richard Matsch ordered that their trial would be held in Denver, Colorado, because intensive media coverage in Oklahoma had "demonized" the two men to the extent that they would not be able to receive a fair trial anywhere in Oklahoma. Defense lawyers for McVeigh and Nichols argued that in order to provide a fair trial for the two defendants, they should be tried separately since each defendant's strategy would be to blame the other suspect. Matsch agreed and ruled in October 1996 that McVeigh would be tried first.

Jury selection for McVeigh's trial began on March 31, 1997. The prosecution and defense gave their opening statements on April 24. Nearly a month later, and after 137 witnesses had been called...