Prospective jurors talk about Nichols case
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Terry Nichols
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Convicted bombing conspirator Terry Nichols' murder trial in state court is being criticized as too costly and unnecessary.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the state trial of Terry Nichols.
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McALESTER, Oklahoma (AP) -- Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols calmly scribbled on a note pad as prospective juror Gregory Beshear told a judge he'd already made his mind up about Nichols.
"It's in my mind that he's already guilty," said Beshear, an explosives workers at the Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester.
Beshear was excused from jury service Tuesday, one of 32 prospective jurors who have been disqualified since jury selection for Nichols' trial on 161 state counts of first-degree murder began Monday.
Amy Nichole Blankenship was excused after she recalled how her father -- an agent with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics when the bombing occurred on April 19, 1995 -- rushed to the bombing site.
"He was one of the first ones there," Blankenship said. "I saw what he went through... We all had to go through it as a family. I don't feel like I could be fair."
A total of 63 prospective jurors have been questioned about serving on Nichols' jury. Jury selection resumes Wednesday, when almost 200 prospective jurors are expected in Judge Steven Taylor's courtroom.
Nichols, 48, is serving a life prison sentence on federal charges for the deaths of eight federal law enforcement officers in the bombing, which killed 168 people. The state charges are for the remaining 160 victims and one of the victims' unborn fetus.
State prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Taylor, prosecutors and defense attorneys are questioning prospective jurors about what they know about the case and whether they have an opinion about Nichols' guilt as they look for 12 jurors and six alternates to decide Nichols' guilt or innocence.
Prospective jurors are questioned in private to encourage candid responses and to prevent the answers from influencing others. They are asked whether they could render impartial consideration and whether jury service would be a personal burden.
Responding to requests, Taylor gave media outlets an opportunity to sit in on the juror screening sessions Tuesday. The Associated Press was the first news organization permitted to observe the questioning.
Some of the prospective jurors told the judge they could consider the case objectively. Court rules prohibit public release of the names of prospective jurors not yet eliminated.
"The speech you gave us last week, innocent until proven guilty, that's when it really sank in," one prospective juror said. "If I was in his shoes, I would want someone to wait until they heard everything before making a decision."
Prosecutors say Nichols, 48, helped coconspirator Timothy McVeigh acquire components for the fertilizer-and-fuel-oil bomb, helped McVeigh build the explosive device and robbed an Arkansas firearms dealer to finance the attack.
McVeigh was convicted on federal murder charges and executed in 2001.
Copyright 2004 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
