LAWRENCEVILLE - Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter has secured an indictment against accused Atlanta courthouse shooter Brian Nichols before the statute of limitations runs out.
The indictment accuses Nichols of kidnapping, false imprisonment and aggravated assault in the case of Ashley Smith. She told authorities he held her in her Gwinnett County apartment before she convinced him to surrender to authorities in connection with the March 11th, 2005, shooting rampage that began at the Fulton County Courthouse and left four people dead.
Those killed were: Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes, court reporter Julie Ann Brandau, Sheriff's Deputy Hoyt Teasley and federal agent David Wilhelm.
Porter says the indictment is a ``legal strategy'' in order to make sure the statute of limitations doesn't run out. He says if Nichols is convicted on all four counts of murder it could be redundant to proceed with another trial.
Nichols, who could face the death penalty if convicted in Fulton County, has pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, a hearing is scheduled Thursday in Atlanta before the new judge named in the Nichols case.
Wednesday
July 9th, 2025
8:44PM
