Jury finds Atlanta courthouse gunman guilty

ATLANTA (AP) - A jury has convicted a man of murder in a 2005 shooting spree that began at an Atlanta courthouse and left a judge and three others dead.    The jury deliberated for 12 hours before finding 36-year-old Brian Nichols guilty Friday.

Brian Nichols confessed to the killings but claimed he was legally insane and was gripped by a delusional compulsion that he was a slave rebelling against authority. A judge, a court reporter, a deputy and a federal agent were killed in the gunfire.  Nichols sat silently as the verdicts were read.
   
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