GAINESVILLE - The woman credited with convincing suspected Atlanta courthouse shooting suspect Brian Nichols to surrender after he held her hostage has a new last name and a new life.
Ashley Smith married in June and now lives in Gainesville with a her daughter, 8-year-old Paige, and a 6-year-old stepdaughter. She says she is studying to become a radiology technician.
Now 29, she tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she uses the compound last name of Smith Robinson. But she declined to give her husband's first name, saying he wants to avoid publicity.
Smith credits her faith with helping her put her past life behind her, including drug addiction and giving up her daughter for a while to a relative.
In 2001, her husband, Daniel Smith, died in her arms after he was stabbed outside an apartment in the Augusta area.
She later left the area, moving to the Atlanta suburb of Duluth, where she later encountered Nichols.
She told authorities that Nichols forced his way into her apartment after the shooting rampage that began March 11th, 2005, at the Fulton County Courthouse. Four people died in the attack -- Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes, court reporter Julie Ann Brandau, Sheriff's Deputy Hoyt Teasley and federal agent David Wilhelm.
Nichols has yet to stand trial. Defense lawyers urged a judge late yesterday to prevent prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against Nichols in part because they say there may not be more state money to pay their bills.
Friday
May 9th, 2025
10:47PM
