Nichols Wants Bomb Trial Held in San Francisco
Terry L. Nichols wants his Oklahoma City bombing trial moved to San Francisco because he contends that he can’t get a fair jury in the city where co-defendant Timothy J. McVeigh was convicted and sentenced to die.
Denver-area residents have adopted Oklahoma City as a “sister city,” even housing and feeding bombing victims during McVeigh’s trial, Nichols’ lawyers said in a motion filed Monday and released Tuesday.
“Media coverage has now made it impossible for a jury in this district to make--if called upon--the reasoned moral response required by the cases,” wrote attorney Michael E. Tigar.
Prosecutors quickly objected.
“There is no reason to believe that Colorado jurors now lack the same ability fairly to decide Nichols’ guilt and punishment that was exhibited in the trial of his co-defendant McVeigh,” wrote prosecutor Sean Connelly.
“Nichols’ blatant attempt to pick the forum least likely to return a death sentence should not be countenanced,” he said, arguing that San Francisco is known as “a liberal, anti-death penalty jurisdiction.”
Nichols is scheduled to stand trial Sept. 29 on murder, conspiracy and weapons-related counts in the April 19, 1995, bombing that killed 168 people.
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