The tragic events for which Brian Nichols finds himself standing trial with his life hanging in the balance, happened shortly before I joined CBS 46 News. But with as much as I’ve read about it, spoken about it and seen archive video of it, I feel like I was there that day in 2005.
Hopefully we’re nearing the end of this trial. Yes, I know … I’ve heard the mantra about every person deserves ‘due process of law’, a jealous defense and to be tried by a jury of his/her peers. But if there ever were a case for skipping all the rhetoric and getting right down to the meat and potatoes of sentencing … the Nichol’s trial would be it.
Fact: He admits to all the killings. He admits to everything, every gruesome detail. The only catch is he says he was nuts when he did it. What??!!
His attorney’s say we need to remember that he had the opportunity to kill more people, but didn’t. That one really got me. How about this idea … He needed to conserve every bullet he had, otherwise he might never have made it out of the Fulton County Courthouse! He didn’t look disoriented or like he was suffering any break from reality when he made his move on the Sheriff’s Deputy beating her to a pulp. Nichols appeared to me to be a bad man seizing a tactical advantage at a moment in time when he would have a distinct advantage. He knew he could physically overpower the guard. He knew she was the only person with immediate physical custody over him. He knew he was in a confined small place with hard solid walls (both he could use to his advantage and did) and by moving quickly and getting her out of closed circuit camera view he could disable her and prepare himself to execute the next step in his plan to escape.
Killing the Judge was next. From the evidence we’ve been privy to, it appears that wasn’t an accident or a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It appears to be another calculated move.
I’m all about justice, but in this case more than a million (maybe a few million) of taxpayer money has been spent on a person who decided to stray drastically from acceptable social behavior with what appears to be a blatant destine for public morals and public safety. Had this been a crime of passion or truly a case of someone who was mentally incompetent or mentally diminished at the time, then maybe this exorbitant expenditure of time, money and manipulation of the legal system might be more palatable.
We’ve heard from more than ninety witnesses, including Nichols mother which was somewhat eye opening. It might lead some to believe he had ‘Mommy Issues.’ Heck .. A lot of people have Mommy Issues, but they don’t snuff out the lives of decent people in a blood bath. We also heard a recorded jail-house conversation where Nichols says he could have saved the prosecution time and money … that he’s not crazy and wasn’t at the time of the killings.
We’re going through all this for a man who thought he was bad-to-the-bone during his ‘daring escape’, but now that he’s caught and it’s time to face the music, he wants to pick the tune.
I don’t know about you, but I think more than enough of my tax dollars have been spent on this. What do you think?
Drop me a line here. I’m listening.
I belieave your right enough is a enough.I beleave that is he had this mental problem at the time of the shooting, then he should have had his attorney get him help before in was put in jail the first time. I don’t think that the people that paid the price with their life would feel justified with what is going on.
I agree. This was a cold blooded, calculated attack. I believe there are indeed cases where swift justice is called for and this one qualifies.
I have, for a long time, thought that our legal system has needed an overhaul. When a person admitts that they have committed a crime they need to be committed for the maximum amount of time alotted for that crime. I don’t have any racial comments to make. I believe that the law ought to be for all persons no matter what their color or national origin. I hope that someday we can have a trial and it not cost the American public a fortune to have a speedy trial and a speedy inturnment.
Bill,
I totally agree with you. I believe that Brian Nichols knew exactly what he was doing. Based on everything I’ve read or seen about the case, this was not a case of temporary insanity. All of his actions on that day seen extremely calculated. I think he deserves to be punished for his actions.
There is no defense for insanity, not temporary or any type. Brian N. simply went into a militant state of mind and killed and did everything he had to do to escape. It was only Ms. Smith’s mind that was able to talk sense into him that no matter how many he killed, it would never end.
As fas as the death penalty, it suits his actions. But it’s debateable as to if that is more severe punishment then a hard life sentence.
People have been exectured for less …… so give em the needle I suppose.
I think everything he does is calculated, including knowing exactly where the camera is at all times. It actually scares me when he looks directly into the camera.
I agree that in this case we should have had swift justice and stop wasting the taxpayers money.
The victims family has had to suffer long enough.
Brian Nichols is trying to say that he viewed the judge as a slave master, but he killed black and white people. How does he explain that?
He is just a cold blooded killer and it makes my blood run cold looking at him sitting there with a smirk on his face every day.