Death Penalty Phase Delayed In Brian Nichols Case

ATLANTA (AP) - The death penalty phase has been delayed until Wednesday in the case of a gunman found guilty of killing four people in a shooting spree that began at a downtown Atlanta courthouse.

Attorneys for 36-year-old Brian Nichols convinced the judge today to give them more time to prepare for the capital punishment phase, which could last through Thanksgiving. A jury found Nichols guilty Friday in the fatal shootings of a judge, a court reporter, a deputy and a federal agent in the 2005 rampage.

Superior Court Judge James Bodiford said he’d like to be efficient, but “justice got in the way of efficiency today.“

Nichols had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming he was gripped by a delusional compulsion that he was a slave rebelling against authority. But the jury soundly rejected his claims, finding him guilty of all 54 counts against him, including murder and aggravated assault.

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