OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Prosecutors have rested their case in the federal trial of a man accused of trying to detonate what he believed was an explosives-laden van outside an Oklahoma City bank.
The trial of Jerry Drake Varnell of Sayre resumed Monday with defense attorneys scheduled to call a psychologist.
Varnell has pleaded not guilty and his parents have said he is a paranoid schizophrenic who has been in several mental hospitals. Defense attorneys say he was entrapped.
Varnell has been found mentally competent to stand trial.
Authorities allege that Varnell planned to detonate what he thought was a half-ton (450-kilogram) vehicle bomb on Aug. 12, 2017. The FBI learned of the plan and an undercover agent posing as someone who could help construct the device provided inert materials.
(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
