Nichols seeks plea bargain in Oklahoma bomb trial

[Casshew]

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Terry Nichols, already serving a federal life sentence for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, is seeking a plea bargain on state murder charges that carry the death penalty, according to court documents filed Tuesday.

Nichols, convicted on federal charges of manslaughter and conspiracy in the deaths of eight federal officers among the 168 people killed in the bombing, is scheduled to face trial in an Oklahoma court on March 1 for the murder of the other 160 victims.

He is likely to receive the death penalty if convicted in the trial which is expected to last up to six months and be the most expensive in Oklahoma's history. The cash-strapped state has had difficulty in paying for the case.

Attorneys for Nichols, 48, said in the motion that they have been offering the plea deal for months

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/02/18/nichols.hearing.reut/index.html

[mommyd]

I am from a town just north of Oklahoma City and most of us around here would like to see him get the death penalty. I think a no contest plea is crap because this man is not owning up to what he did. A guilty plea is what I want to hear but I don't think that is going to happen. The trial is going to be very expensive and part of me wonders if spending the money is worth it. He could just rot away in prison, having to remember all those Oklahoma people he murdered, for the rest of his life. Another part of me wants this monster to die a very painful death for what he did.

I think a lot of us are just torn about what is best for our state and our people.

d :(

[Babcat]

Tinker was hubby's first permanent base after basic training and school. He is in the air force. We were here originally from February of 1989 to late summer of 1995. All three of my girls were born here and are true Okies. :D

We came back to the base in August of 2001 and have been here since then. We will be here until he retires. We missed it terribly. Hubby has been in the air force since his join date of April 19, 1988. He passed the 15 year mark last April.

[Trino]

It seems odd to spend $3 million in an attempt to get the death penalty for Nichols when the federal penalty already calls for life without parole. Would there be a better way to spend this amount, rather than making attorneys rich?

[mommyd]

I was watching the news last night and there was a report on about the trial. A lot of people have been asking why on Earth would the DA want to go forth with this trial when a federal one had already beeen done. He said that he had promised the people of Oklahoma that he would see justice done in the NAME of their loved ones who were killed in the bombing. He said that the federal trial was for the FBI agents who were killed in the bombing, NOT for the people of Oklahoma that were murdered. He intended to see Terry Nichols pay with his life for what he did to the innocent people of Oklahoma. After hearing his reasons, I agree with the trial being done here.

I only wish they would turn that SOB loose on the streets of downtown Oklahoma City and let the people deliver justice. I think he would be praying for that lethal injection before we were done with him. :mad:

d