Judge David L. Russell 1210 Federal Court House 200 N.W. 4th Oklahoma City, OK 73102
Dear Judge Russell:
Pursuant to instructions from lead prosecutor, Joseph Hartzler, I write you this letter to express my concerns about the Oklahoma City bombing investigation. January is coming upon us fast and I am concerned that there will then be no one in authority with sufficient motivation to pursue the case.
The families of the victims deserve to know who all was involved in the bombing, and there appears to be an attempt to protect the identity of certain suspects, namely John Doe II, evidenced by the following:
1) The hoax perpetrated by authorities that John Doe II was a Ft. Riley private who rented a truck on a different day. The Ft. Riley private was not with Tim McVeigh, nor does he remotely resemble the police sketch of John Doe II.
2) The lack of witnesses relating to John Doe II, namely:
a) the manager of the Great Western Inn on I-70 in Junction City, Kansas, where John Doe II registered using a foreign name and reportedly stayed in room #107. This manager apparently reported that John Doe II spoke in broken English and was driving the mystery "second Ryder truck." Strangely, this manager has reportedly "disappeared" and cannot be found;
b) the Elliott's Body Shop employee that reportedly gave the FBI artist the description of Tim McVeigh and John Doe II. The McVeigh sketch was almost perfect and there is no reason to doubt that the John Doe II sketch is less so;
c) the Oklahoma City tire shop employee who saw John Doe II in the Ryder truck with McVeigh shortly before the explosion.
3) The lack of the use of the John Doe II sketch in interviewing witnesses that had apparently seen him in locations other than those previously acknowledged.
Perhaps a new Grand Jury should be empaneled in 1996 dedicated to this investigation. If so, I suggest the following list of witnesses that need to be subpoenaed for testimony:
1) The manager (at the time of the Oklahoma City bombing) of the Great Western Inn on I-70 in Junction City, Kansas, if he is still alive and can be found.
2) The Ft. Riley private identified by authorities as John Doe II.
3) Architects, structural engineers and explosive experts selected by the Grand Jury.
4) Area seismologists and geophysicists, including Ray Brown.
5) All video surveillance tapes from cameras near the Murrah Building, including the one made by a Southwestern Bell camera which reportedly shows John Doe II getting out of the Ryder truck before McVeigh drove it to the Murrah Building.
6) Ralph McPeak, Jr.
7) Vickie Beemer
8) Tom Kissinger
9) Hilda Sostra
10) Mike Moroz
11) James Rosencrans
Time may be of the essence before witnesses disappear or lose their memories or their materials. The truth is as important to you as it is to me, I trust; therefore your response will be eagerly awaited.
Very truly yours,
Hoppy Heidelberg
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The response to Hoppy Heidelberg from Judge David L. Russell
David L. Russell, Chief Judge United States District Court Western District of Oklahoma 200 N.W. 4th Street Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102
October 24, 1995
Mr. Hoppy Heidelberg
Re: U.S.A. v. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols: Case No. CR-95-110-A; and U.S.A. v. Michael Fortier, Case No. CR-95-111-R, United States District Court-Western District of Oklahoma
Dear Mr. Heidelberg:
Effective immediately, you are dismissed from the grand jury. Your obligation of secrecy continues. Any disclosure of matters that occurred before the grand jury constitutes a contempt of court. Each violation of the obligation of secrecy may be punished cumulatively.
Sincerely,
David L. Russell United States District Judge
The toxic combination of intefering prosecutors and biased judges can steer even the most conscientious set of citizen-jurors offf into never-never land. And when all else fails, they can dump them -- as Russell did Hoppy.
"Justice" and "Honor" -- ain't no such animals -- they's extinct 'round these here parts!
Release the Videotapes
Notra Trulock
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2002
Twice in recent months, Patterson has reported that Chairman Dan Burton's House Government Reform Committee investigators have uncovered the possible whereabouts of videotapes and photographs of the Murrah Federal Building from the day of the bombing. The Final Report of the Oklahoma Bombing Investigation Committee (OKBIC) noted the existence of such tapes, but the Justice Department has adamantly refused to release them, even in response to Freedom of Information Act requests.
Burton believes that the tapes and photographs may be held in the archives of Naval Intelligence at the Washington Navy Yard and he has issued a subpoena to the Secretary of the Navy to obtain them. The tapes are said to contain video of a John Doe Number Two getting out on the passenger side of the Ryder truck just prior to the explosion.
Former FBI Deputy Director Weldon Kennedy told the Philadelphia Inquirer that talk of withheld videotapes is "ludicrous and insulting." Kennedy says that agents nailed down "98 to 99 percent" of McVeigh and Nichols' movements in the months before the bombing and he is absolutely convinced they acted alone.