AP Exclusive: Suspect's baby born days before courthouse rampage

<p>Three days before he's accused of going on a shooting rampage at an Atlanta courthouse, one of rape defendant Brian Nichols' girlfriends gave birth to their baby, and he was concerned about how jail and time away from the expectant mother was wearing on him.</p><p>"I wanted to have a healthy baby," Nichols testified during his first rape trial, according to court transcripts obtained by The Associated Press.</p><p>Nichols was on trial for a second time for allegedly raping and holding hostage an ex-girlfriend when he is accused of escaping and killing four people in the rampage Friday.</p><p>It was in the middle of that retrial, on March 8, when Sonya Meredith, another girlfriend of Nichols, gave birth to their son.</p><p>Meredith told The AP on Wednesday that Nichols told her regularly in the days and weeks before the shootings that he wanted to be with the child.</p><p>"You can see how certain people were trying to keep him from being around," Meredith said, without elaborating on who she meant. "I do know that he wanted to be with the baby. He did speak about it all the time."</p><p>Prosecutors have suggested Nichols was worried about being convicted at the retrial, but have not revealed a detailed motive for the spree.</p><p>"This crime in its manifestation is a crime of hopelessness," said Dr. Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist at New York University Medical Center. Noting that it is important to look at Nichols' entire life history to determine his motivation, Welner said, "Timing is always relevant. We always ask ourselves why did something happen on that particular day."</p><p>Nichols' first rape trial ended in a hung jury on Feb. 28, and the second one started early last week. That one was declared a mistrial Monday because of the shootings.</p><p>The day after Meredith gave birth, jail officials found a shank in each of Nichols' shoes. The next day, Nichols escaped after the fatal shootings of a judge, court reporter and a deputy. He's also accused of killing a federal agent while on the run.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/3/149650