http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001212/ts/crime_bombing_dc_1.html Tuesday December 12 1:57 PM ET
Oklahoma Bomber McVeigh Asks Judge to Halt Appeals

DENVER (Reuters) - Timothy McVeigh, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, has asked a federal judge to halt any appeals in his case and to set an execution date, according to a document made public on Tuesday.

``I believe I am fully competent to make this decision. If the court thinks that a psychological evaluation is necessary to make certain that I am competent, I will submit to such an evaluation,'' McVeigh, 32, said in an affidavit filed with the court late on Monday.

He gave no reason for his decision and his attorney Dennis Hartley also declined to comment on the reason.

McVeigh has been in federal prison since he was convicted in 1997 for the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building that killed 168 people and injured 500 others.

McVeigh also said that he was only waiving his right to appeal in the court system and was not waiving his right to petition for executive clemency.

Prosecutor Sean Connelly said he had no comment.

-- Anonymous, December 12, 2000