Convict killed judge in courtroom

[thescreensavers]

http://www.reuters.com/article.../idUSTRE4A676R20081107

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A jury convicted a man on Friday of murdering a judge in a courtroom and killing three other people during his escape from custody in a spree that gained him instant notoriety, the court said.

Police and the FBI launched a huge manhunt for Brian Nichols in March 2005 after he committed a string of crimes while escaping from the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, where he was being tried for rape.

Prosecutors want the death penalty for Nichols, 36, who was convicted of 54 counts including murder, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault and carjacking, a court official said.

He could be sentenced to execution by lethal injection or life in prison. Nichols pleaded not guilty on the basis of insanity.

While being prepared for a court hearing in 2005, Nichols overpowered a security guard, took her gun and entered the courtroom where he shot dead Judge Rowland Barnes and a court reporter in front of several witnesses.

During his escape, he killed a deputy sheriff outside the court. In the manhunt that followed, Nichols killed a federal agent, hijacked several cars and held a woman hostage in her home north of Atlanta before giving himself up..

*bolded to see what people think about it.

 

[Anubis]

i think he looks like Mike Tyson

 

[dbk]

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
http://www.reuters.com/article.../idUSTRE4A676R20081107

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A jury convicted a man on Friday of murdering a judge in a courtroom and killing three other people during his escape from custody in a spree that gained him instant notoriety, the court said.

Police and the FBI launched a huge manhunt for Brian Nichols in March 2005 after he committed a string of crimes while escaping from the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, where he was being tried for rape.

Prosecutors want the death penalty for Nichols, 36, who was convicted of 54 counts including murder, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault and carjacking, a court official said.

He could be sentenced to execution by lethal injection or life in prison. Nichols pleaded not guilty on the basis of insanity.

While being prepared for a court hearing in 2005, Nichols overpowered a security guard, took her gun and entered the courtroom where he shot dead Judge Rowland Barnes and a court reporter in front of several witnesses.

During his escape, he killed a deputy sheriff outside the court. In the manhunt that followed, Nichols killed a federal agent, hijacked several cars and held a woman hostage in her home north of Atlanta before giving himself up..

*bolded to see what people think about it.

? The gun should've been secured better? oh, the guy overpowered the girl...it should've been a rhino with that gun.

 

[waggy]

who cares if the gaurd was a female?

 

[Tim]

Originally posted by: dbk

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
http://www.reuters.com/article.../idUSTRE4A676R20081107

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A jury convicted a man on Friday of murdering a judge in a courtroom and killing three other people during his escape from custody in a spree that gained him instant notoriety, the court said.

Police and the FBI launched a huge manhunt for Brian Nichols in March 2005 after he committed a string of crimes while escaping from the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, where he was being tried for rape.

Prosecutors want the death penalty for Nichols, 36, who was convicted of 54 counts including murder, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault and carjacking, a court official said.

He could be sentenced to execution by lethal injection or life in prison. Nichols pleaded not guilty on the basis of insanity.

While being prepared for a court hearing in 2005, Nichols overpowered a security guard, took her gun and entered the courtroom where he shot dead Judge Rowland Barnes and a court reporter in front of several witnesses.

During his escape, he killed a deputy sheriff outside the court. In the manhunt that followed, Nichols killed a federal agent, hijacked several cars and held a woman hostage in her home north of Atlanta before giving himself up..

*bolded to see what people think about it.

? The gun should've been secured better?.

... by a man holstering it :evil:

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

IMO it wouldn't have mattered much if it were some fatass rent-a-cop guy or a female guard. But yeah, give him the fucking chair.

 

[Queasy]

Yeah, this story is old. Been in the news constantly in Atlanta. The whole episode was crazy including how it ended. The trial for it has been surreal as well as it has bounced from one judge to another.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

His Wikipedia article is pretty interesting.

After dropping out of school, Nichols moved to Georgia in 1995. He worked for Hewlett-Packard for eight years, as a UNIX system engineer in the computer field.[2] Nichols last employment was working as a computer engineer for a logistics subsidiary of Atlanta-based shipping giant UPS. Company spokesman Norm Black says Nichols joined the unit in March 2004 and left in September 2004, which was when he was arrested in the rape case.[3] According to his brother, Nichols earned a six-figure income and regularly attended church.

It's hard to believe they gave this guy a female security guard, considering he is 6'1" and weighs 210lb, and several people had told the prosecutors they had reason to believe he was going to attempt an escape (even giving details about how).

Edit - the female guard was 5'1"

 

[randay]

wow, what a story.

 

[0roo0roo]

he was a nerd?
zomg...

i heard about this case but i just thought he was the usual street thug or something.

 

[Tim]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
His Wikipedia article is pretty interesting.

After dropping out of school, Nichols moved to Georgia in 1995. He worked for Hewlett-Packard for eight years, as a UNIX system engineer in the computer field.[2] Nichols last employment was working as a computer engineer for a logistics subsidiary of Atlanta-based shipping giant UPS. Company spokesman Norm Black says Nichols joined the unit in March 2004 and left in September 2004, which was when he was arrested in the rape case.[3] According to his brother, Nichols earned a six-figure income and regularly attended church.

It's hard to believe they gave this guy a female security guard, considering he is 6'1" and weighs 210lb, and several people had told the prosecutors they had reason to believe he was going to attempt an escape (even giving details about how).

It's not that hard to believe. His first person shooter experiance prepared him for just such an instance.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: waggy
who cares if the gaurd was a female?

That's actually what enabled him to get the gun so easily. Females have much less upper body strength and he simply overpowered her. A man would be much harder to overpower.

 

[Tim]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: waggy
who cares if the gaurd was a female?

That's actually what enabled him to get the gun so easily. Females have much less upper body strength and he simply overpowered her. A man would be much harder to overpower.

That's what she said

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Regarding the female deputy:

According to hospital sources, the deputy sustained significant brain injury, facial fractures and a large laceration to her forehead. After the attack, her condition was reported as critical, but she survived. Deputy Hall's injuries were so severe that Grady Memorial Hospital Doctors initially believed that she had sustained a gunshot wound to the face.

 

[udneekgnim]

Originally posted by: thescreensavers
http://www.reuters.com/article.../idUSTRE4A676R20081107

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A jury convicted a man on Friday of murdering a judge in a courtroom and killing three other people during his escape from custody in a spree that gained him instant notoriety, the court said.

Police and the FBI launched a huge manhunt for Brian Nichols in March 2005 after he committed a string of crimes while escaping from the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, where he was being tried for rape.

Prosecutors want the death penalty for Nichols, 36, who was convicted of 54 counts including murder, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault and carjacking, a court official said.

He could be sentenced to execution by lethal injection or life in prison. Nichols pleaded not guilty on the basis of insanity.

While being prepared for a court hearing in 2005, Nichols overpowered a security guard, took her gun and entered the courtroom where he shot dead Judge Rowland Barnes and a court reporter in front of several witnesses.

During his escape, he killed a deputy sheriff outside the court. In the manhunt that followed, Nichols killed a federal agent, hijacked several cars and held a woman hostage in her home north of Atlanta before giving himself up..

*bolded to see what people think about it.

why wasn't he hand cuffed?

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Regarding the female deputy:

According to hospital sources, the deputy sustained significant brain injury, facial fractures and a large laceration to her forehead. After the attack, her condition was reported as critical, but she survived. Deputy Hall's injuries were so severe that Grady Memorial Hospital Doctors initially believed that she had sustained a gunshot wound to the face.

based on that he prob would have gotten the gun away from a dude as well

 

[SlickSnake]

Originally posted by: waggy
who cares if the gaurd was a female?

Well, for starters the ones he killed with her gun might take issue with that fact.

Also she must not have resisted too much, since he didn't even shoot her after he took the weapon, too. Even though he obviously beat the crap out of her. Since he shot many people with the gun, it sounds like he managed to get her belt off, and grab her keys to the cuffs, and spare ammo, to boot.

There are some instances where women guards or cops should not be allowed to accompany male inmates, and this would obviously be one of them. The convict most likely outweighed her by at least 2 or 3 times as much. There is just no excuse for this happening, especially if she was escorting this over sized asshole to court alone.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Regarding the female deputy:

According to hospital sources, the deputy sustained significant brain injury, facial fractures and a large laceration to her forehead. After the attack, her condition was reported as critical, but she survived. Deputy Hall's injuries were so severe that Grady Memorial Hospital Doctors initially believed that she had sustained a gunshot wound to the face.

based on that he prob would have gotten the gun away from a dude as well

No. She was just small and weak and lacked the physicality to be in a dangerous job. She was only 5'1, very small.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Originally posted by: SlickSnake

Originally posted by: waggy
who cares if the gaurd was a female?

Well, for starters the ones he killed with her gun might take issue with that fact.

Also she must not have resisted too much, since he didn't even shoot her after he took the weapon, too. Even though he obviously beat the crap out of her. Since he shot many people with the gun, it sounds like he managed to get her belt off, and grab her keys to the cuffs, and spare ammo, to boot.

Yep, he got her belt. He had her radio, gun, ammo and keys. He locked her in a jail cell with her keys.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: SlickSnake

Originally posted by: waggy
who cares if the gaurd was a female?

Well, for starters the ones he killed with her gun might take issue with that fact.

Also she must not have resisted too much, since he didn't even shoot her after he took the weapon, too. Even though he obviously beat the crap out of her. Since he shot many people with the gun, it sounds like he managed to get her belt off, and grab her keys to the cuffs, and spare ammo, to boot.

There are some instances where women guards or cops should not be allowed to accompany male inmates, and this would obviously be one of them. The convict most likely outweighed her by at least 2 or 3 times as much. There is just no excuse for this happening, especially if she was escorting this over sized asshole to court on her alone.

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Regarding the female deputy:

According to hospital sources, the deputy sustained significant brain injury, facial fractures and a large laceration to her forehead. After the attack, her condition was reported as critical, but she survived. Deputy Hall's injuries were so severe that Grady Memorial Hospital Doctors initially believed that she had sustained a gunshot wound to the face.

im betting she resisted more then you think and no i don't thinka male in this situation would have been better.


realy question i have is why was he not cuffed and with more then one guard?

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Regarding the female deputy:

According to hospital sources, the deputy sustained significant brain injury, facial fractures and a large laceration to her forehead. After the attack, her condition was reported as critical, but she survived. Deputy Hall's injuries were so severe that Grady Memorial Hospital Doctors initially believed that she had sustained a gunshot wound to the face.

based on that he prob would have gotten the gun away from a dude as well

No. She was just small and weak and lacked the physicality to be in a dangerous job. She was only 5'1, very small.

and your point, the dude seriously could have fucked up a male guard just as easisily, it only takes 1 punch it could just as eaisily happen as not happen

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: SlickSnake
There is just no excuse for this happening, especially if she was escorting this over sized asshole to court on her alone.

He wasn't oversized. He was just a normal sized dude. She was just small.

I think most reasonable people can see that this 5'1 woman lacked the physical size for the job, but "PC" gets in the way and we're all supposed to overlook this obvious fact. But people need to wake up and realize that most men will have absolutely no problem overpowering a woman, let alone one that's only 5'1.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: SlickSnake
There is just no excuse for this happening, especially if she was escorting this over sized asshole to court on her alone.

He wasn't oversized. He was just a normal sized dude. She was just small.

I think most reasonable people can see that this 5'1 woman lacked the physical size for the job, but "PC" gets in the way and we're all supposed to overlook this obvious fact. But people need to wake up and realize that most men will have absolutely no problem overpowering a woman, let alone one that's only 5'1.

actually the real quesiton is why was he allowed to do such stuff? shouldnt he be cuffed? shouldnt they always have more then one guard?

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Regarding the female deputy:

According to hospital sources, the deputy sustained significant brain injury, facial fractures and a large laceration to her forehead. After the attack, her condition was reported as critical, but she survived. Deputy Hall's injuries were so severe that Grady Memorial Hospital Doctors initially believed that she had sustained a gunshot wound to the face.

based on that he prob would have gotten the gun away from a dude as well

No. She was just small and weak and lacked the physicality to be in a dangerous job. She was only 5'1, very small.

and your point, the dude seriously could have fucked up a male guard just as easisily, it only takes 1 punch it could just as eaisily happen as not happen

I can't believe that people are so blinded by the PC craze that they can't admit obvious points. This guy wasn't huge, he was only 6'1, 210. She was just exceptionally small for a police officer at 5'1.

I've seen the video of this. It was obvious from watching the video that her small size is the reason that he was able to overpower her so easily.

You're trying so hard to sound politically correct that you're coming off as an idiot who can't see what is factually correct. A 5'1 woman is not hard to injure. She's got less muscle, less leverage, lighter bones, etc.

 

[thescreensavers]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: SlickSnake

Originally posted by: waggy
who cares if the gaurd was a female?

Well, for starters the ones he killed with her gun might take issue with that fact.

Also she must not have resisted too much, since he didn't even shoot her after he took the weapon, too. Even though he obviously beat the crap out of her. Since he shot many people with the gun, it sounds like he managed to get her belt off, and grab her keys to the cuffs, and spare ammo, to boot.

There are some instances where women guards or cops should not be allowed to accompany male inmates, and this would obviously be one of them. The convict most likely outweighed her by at least 2 or 3 times as much. There is just no excuse for this happening, especially if she was escorting this over sized asshole to court on her alone.

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Regarding the female deputy:

According to hospital sources, the deputy sustained significant brain injury, facial fractures and a large laceration to her forehead. After the attack, her condition was reported as critical, but she survived. Deputy Hall's injuries were so severe that Grady Memorial Hospital Doctors initially believed that she had sustained a gunshot wound to the face.

im betting she resisted more then you think and no i don't thinka male in this situation would have been better.


realy question i have is why was he not cuffed and with more then one guard?

[/QThe State of Georgia alleges the following events took place on March 11, 2005: 51-year old female sheriff's deputy, 5'1? Cynthia Hall was routinely assigned to guard 6'1? Nichols during the time frame of his two trials under Judge Barnes. Nichols arrives at the courthouse on a bus and she escorted him from a basement detention area to a holding cell on the 8th floor of the Fulton County Justice Tower. Deputy Dilcie Thomas said that on the morning of the attack, she urged Hall three times to get another deputy to go with her upstairs to a holding cell with Nichols, where he was going to change from jail garb before appearing in court. Hall told Thomas, ?No, I got him.? She seemed to trust him and did not require he wear customary leg shackles, even though, the day before his attack, he had been caught with hinges hidden in his shoes. The hinges could have been used as weapons. She escorted Nichols to the holding area where she was to remove his handcuffs so that he could change into civilian clothes. Hall released one cuff and turned Nichols around to unhook the remaining cuff, which is dangling from his wrist. Nichols brutally attacked the deputy pushing her into another open cell. The video surveillance camera recorded as he overpowered the deputy hitting her so hard in the face her feet left the ground. He emerges from the cell with her gun belt which included her radio and weapon magazines. Nichols retrieved her keys from the floor and locked Deputy Hall in the cell. Nichols entered another cell and changed into his street clothes and is seen about 4 1/2 minutes later leaving the holding cell area. He used the keys to open a lock box where he armed himself with her Beretta .40 cal. semi-automatic pistol.[5]] According to hospital sources, the deputy sustained significant brain injury, facial fractures and a large laceration to her forehead. After the attack, her condition was reported as critical, but she survived. Deputy Hall's injuries were so severe that Grady Memorial Hospital Doctors initially believed that she had sustained a gunshot wound to the face.[6]

from wiki link