GUILTY GA - Four dead in Atlanta courthouse shooting, Brian Nichols on trial

[William N]

Opening statements are tomorrow. This is after many delays.

 

[joe jones]

http://www.ajc.com/uga/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/09/17/nichols_jury_selection.html

majority female jury

 

[joe jones]

http://www.cbs46.com/fultonnews/17510605/detail.html

the trial should be streamed live from this link

 

[concernedperson]

Calm, armed and scary carjack victims describe Nichols.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/10/01/nichols_trial_atlanta.html

Not a lot of interest here but for Atlanta there is as this was a terrible day. Nichols is so sociopathic yet he is another thinking that insanity will float. No way.

Federal agent talks about Nichols 90 minutes before he was killed.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/me...ial_atlanta.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

 

[concernedperson]

Nichols guilty on all counts. Jury to start deliberating on Monday to determine if he gets the death penalty.


http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/me...chols_trial.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

 

[concernedperson]

Jury is deadlocked 9 to 3 for death. Judge Bodiford released the jury tonight and he will sentence Nichols tomorrow. So, it will be life without parole for sure. He murdered 4 people and his guilt was without question. I chose the article about the costs of death penalty trials vs. the article of which I just summarized.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/12/11/nichols_impact.html


We may see more murderers avoid the death penalty as prosecutors/communities run short of cash to pursue death penalty cases. This economy may have more dire ramifications that its direct effect on our pocketbooks. It could be giving a license to kill to other depraved individuals.

 

[southcitymom]

Brian Nichols has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The DA, of course, is disappointed: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/me...update_1214.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

9 jurors were in favor of sentencing him to death and 3 were in favor of life without parole.

 

[concernedperson]

Brian Nichols has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The DA, of course, is disappointed: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/me...update_1214.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

9 jurors were in favor of sentencing him to death and 3 were in favor of life without parole.

If there ever was a case for the death penalty this was it. I am very disappointed in the verdict but I wasn't on the jury. There was another article last night about the cost of death penalty cases and the appeal process that is strapping Georgia and other states. I tried to post it along with comments but it wouldn't go through (server too busy).

Anyway, it boils down to our new economy having to accept more lifetime felons in the system due to the lack of money and guts to prosecute to the limit. What this does is take away that threat and pave the way for more to commit murder because they know it is unlikely that they will pay the ultimate price.

I know many will disagree that the death penalty deters murder but I think it does in certain circumstances. Most potential murderers aren't going to jump up and say this was why they didn't kill someone but it is something to consider.

 

[southcitymom]

If there ever was a case for the death penalty this was it. I am very disappointed in the verdict but I wasn't on the jury. There was another article last night about the cost of death penalty cases and the appeal process that is strapping Georgia and other states. I tried to post it along with comments but it wouldn't go through (server too busy).

Anyway, it boils down to our new economy having to accept more lifetime felons in the system due to the lack of money and guts to prosecute to the limit. What this does is take away that threat and pave the way for more to commit murder because they know it is unlikely that they will pay the ultimate price.

I know many will disagree that the death penalty deters murder but I think it does in certain circumstances. Most potential murderers aren't going to jump up and say this was why they didn't kill someone but it is something to consider.

I am not a fan of the death penalty, so I was pleased with the verdict.

Having sat on two federal court juries over the years here in Atlanta, I hate to second-guess a jury's decision. That said, I did read one article that stated that 3 of the jurors admitted they didn't believe in the DP during voir dire. I wonder if these jurors were the hold-outs. It seems to me that a potential juror holding such an opinion could be struck for cause in a DP case.

Perhaps those jurors told the Court and the attorneys that they could make a fair decision despite those feelings. I was just a bit surprised that any affirmed anti-DPers wound up on this jury. I could not hear such a case because I would not be able to apply the DP to a person, regardless of what they did.

Even though I had prejudices (as all jurors do) in the cases I heard (ie - I don't agree with most of our drug laws and they were both big drug trafficking cases), I did not have a problem applying the laws I disagree with to the facts that I heard in those cases. But I would have a problem overcoming my prejudices in a DP case, I believe.

 

[popsicle]

[h=1]Courthouse killer Brian Nichols: ‘I did some very bad things'[/h]
“I did some very bad things,” Nichols told Channel 2’s Mark Winne from inside prison.

Nichols, who was on trial for rape, escaped from custody and murdered a judge, a court reporter, a sheriff’s deputy and later a federal agent.

Now, for the first time ever, one of the most dangerous killers in Georgia is talking with Channel 2 Action News.