Editing Terry Nichols

{{Short description|American domestic terrorist (born 1955)}}
{{Distinguish|Tyre Nichols|Terry Nicholl}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox criminal
| birth_name        = Terry Lynn Nichols
| image_name        = Nichols2.jpg
| image_size        = 
| image_caption     = [[Mug shot]] of Nichols
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1955|4|1}}
| birth_place       = [[Lapeer, Michigan]], U.S.
| death_date        = 
| death_place       = 
| cause             = 
| alias             = Ted Parker, Joe Rivers, Shawn Rivers, Joe Havens, Terry Havens, Mike Havens, Joe Kyle, Daryl Bridges<ref name=findlaw/>
| conviction        = '''Federal'''<br>[[Manslaughter (United States law)#Involuntary manslaughter|Involuntary manslaughter of a federal employee (18 U.S.C. §§ 1112 and 1114)]] (8 counts)<br>[[Title 18 of the United States Code|Conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death (18 U.S.C. § 2332a)]]<ref name=time_1997/><br />'''Oklahoma'''<br>[[Murder in United States law|First degree murder]] (161 counts)<br>[[Arson|First degree arson]]<br>[[Conspiracy (criminal)|Conspiracy]]<ref name=msnbc2/>
| motive            = * [[Patriot movement|Anti-government sentiment]]
* Retaliation for [[Ruby Ridge]], [[Waco siege]] and other government raids
| conviction_penalty = '''Federal'''<br>[[Life imprisonment in the United States|Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole]]<br />'''Oklahoma'''<br> 161 consecutive [[life sentences]] without the possibility of [[parole]]
| conviction_status = Incarcerated at [[ADX Florence]]
| partners          = [[Timothy McVeigh]]<br />[[Oklahoma City bombing#Michael and Lori Fortier|Michael Fortier]]
| spouse            = Lana Walsh (divorced) <br />Marife Torres (divorced)
| parents           = 
| children          = 3<ref name=fox2/>
}}

'''Terry Lynn Nichols''' (born April 1, 1955) is an American [[domestic terrorism in the United States|domestic terrorist]] who was convicted for conspiring with [[Timothy McVeigh]] in the [[Oklahoma City bombing]] plot.<ref name=msnbc2/> 

Nichols was born in [[Lapeer, Michigan]]. He held a variety of short-term jobs, working as a farmer, [[grain elevator]] manager, real estate salesman, and ranch hand.<ref name=nytimes_second/> He met Timothy McVeigh during a brief stint in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], which ended in 1989 when he requested a [[Military discharge#Types of discharge|hardship discharge]] after less than one year of service.<ref name=nytimes_second/> In 1994 and 1995, he conspired with McVeigh in the planning and preparation of the [[Car bomb|truck bombing]] of the [[Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building]] in [[Oklahoma City]], [[Oklahoma]], on April 19, 1995. The bombing killed 168 people.<ref name=bio/>

In a federal trial in 1997, Nichols was convicted of [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to use a [[Weapon of mass destruction#Legal definitions|weapon of mass destruction]] and eight counts of [[Manslaughter#Involuntary manslaughter|involuntary manslaughter]] for killing federal law enforcement personnel.<ref name=wp1/><ref name=npr1/> He was sentenced to [[life imprisonment]] without the possibility of [[parole]] after the [[hung jury|jury deadlocked]] on the [[death penalty]].<ref name=bio/> He was also tried in Oklahoma on state charges of murder in connection with the bombing. In 2004, he was convicted of 161 counts of [[Murder#Degrees of murder in the United States|first degree murder]], including one count of [[Feticide|fetal homicide]], first-degree [[arson]], and conspiracy.<ref name=bio/><ref name=msnbc1/>

As in the federal trial, the state jury deadlocked on imposing the death penalty.<ref name=bio/><ref name=cnn1/> In the [[List of longest prison sentences|longest prison sentence ever given to an individual]], Nichols was sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole,<ref name=msnbc2/><ref name=bio/> and is incarcerated at [[ADX Florence]], a [[supermax|super maximum]] security prison near [[Florence, Colorado]]. He shared a cell block that is commonly referred to as "Bomber's Row" with [[Ramzi Yousef]] and [[Eric Rudolph]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Vollers|first=Maryanne|date=2006-11-05|title=Inside Bomber Row|language=en-US|magazine=Time|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1555145,00.html|access-date=2021-06-26|issn=0040-781X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Terror on Trial: Life in Supermax's 'Bombers Row' - CNN.com|url=https://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/17/court.archive.mcveigh4/index.html|access-date=2021-06-26|website=www.cnn.com}}</ref> as well as [[Ted Kaczynski]] until his transfer in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=James |last2=Brown |first2=Matthew |title='Unabomber' Ted Kaczynski transferred to prison medical facility in North Carolina | publisher=Associated Press |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/12/23/unabomber-ted-kaczynski-transferred-north-carolina/9009716002/ |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=USA TODAY |date=December 23, 2021}}</ref>

== Early life==
Nichols was born in [[Lapeer, Michigan]]. He was raised on a farm,<ref name=wp2/> the third of four children of Joyce and Robert Nichols.<ref name=fox2/><ref name=dp1/> Growing up, he helped his parents on the farm,<ref name=nytimes_second/> learning to operate and maintain the equipment.<ref name=dbio1/> According to the ''[[Denver Post]]'', he also cared for injured birds and animals.<ref name=dbio1/>

== Adulthood ==
Nichols attended [[Lapeer High School]] where he took elective classes in crafts and business law.<ref name=fox2/> Throughout school, friends characterized him as shy.<ref name=nytimes_second/><ref name=dbio1/> While in high school he played [[Junior varsity team|junior varsity]] [[American football|football]], wrestled, and was a member of the ski club.<ref name=dbio1/><ref name=llcur29/> His brother James, who self-published a 400-page book about the bombing,<ref>Nichols, J. D., ''Freedom's End: Conspiracy in Oklahoma'' ([[Decker, MI]]: Freedom's End, 1997).</ref> has stated that Terry was book smart and good at artwork.<ref name=wp2/>{{Clarify|date=April 2017}} He graduated from high school in 1973 with a 3.6 [[grade point average]],<ref name=fox2/><ref name=wp2/> with ambitions of becoming a [[physician]].<ref name=nytimes_second/>

Nichols enrolled at [[Central Michigan University]]. He completed one term of 13 credit hours with B grade average. He had Cs in biology, chemistry and trigonometry, a B in literature and an A in archery.<ref name=nytimes_second/><ref name=wp2/> In 1974, after another brother, Leslie, was badly burned in a fuel tank explosion on the farm, he offered to give him skin for [[Skin grafting|grafts]].<ref name=sdt1/> He tried farming with his brother James for a while, but they did not get along; he felt his brother was too bossy.<ref name=nytimes_second/> Later he  moved to [[Colorado]] and obtained a license to sell real estate in 1976.<ref name=dp_2images/> Soon after he closed on his first big sale, his mother told him she needed his help on the farm, so he returned to Michigan.<ref name=dbio1/><ref name=dp_2images/>

In 1980, Nichols met real estate agent Lana Walsh, a twice-divorced mother of two who was five years his senior.<ref name=nytimes_second/><ref name=rj_18page/> They married and had a son in 1982. During the marriage, Nichols engaged in a succession of part-time and short-term jobs: carpentry work, managing a grain elevator, and selling life insurance and real estate.<ref name=fox2/><ref name=wp2/><ref name=rj_18page/> According to Lana, she was the one with a career; Nichols was a house husband,<ref name=nytimes_second/> who spent most of his time at home with the children cooking and gardening.<ref name=nytimes_second/><ref name=bio/>

Nichols had never liked farm life, and in 1988, at the age of 33, he tried to escape it by enlisting in the [[United States Army]].<ref name=stickney/> He was sent to [[Fort Benning]] next to [[Columbus, Georgia]] for basic training. As the oldest man in his [[platoon]], he had difficulty with the physical aspect of the training,<ref>Stickney, p. 95.</ref> and was sometimes called "grandpa" by the other men. However, he was soon made the platoon guide because of his age.<ref name=nytimes_second/> [[Timothy McVeigh]] was in his platoon, and they quickly became close friends. They had a common background: both men grew up in white rural areas. Both had tried college for a while and had parents who were divorced.<ref>Stickney, pp. 93-94.</ref> They shared political views<ref name=fox2/> and interests in gun collecting and the survivalist movement.<ref name=nytimes_second/> The two were later stationed together at [[Fort Riley]] in [[Junction City, Kansas]],<ref name=nytimes_second/> where they met and became friends with their future accomplice, [[Oklahoma_City_bombing#Michael_and_Lori_Fortier|Michael Fortier]].<ref name=Stickney101>Stickney, p. 101.</ref>

Nichols's wife filed for divorce soon after he joined the Army. Due to a conflict over childcare,<ref name=bio/> he requested and was given a hardship discharge in May 1989 to return home to take care of his son, who was seven years old at the time.<ref name=nytimes_second/> As he departed, he told a fellow soldier that he would be starting his own military organization soon, and would have an unlimited supply of weapons.<ref name=Stickney101/>

In 1990, Nichols, 35, married 17-year-old Marife Torres from the [[Philippines]], whom he met through a [[mail-order bride]] agency.<ref name=fox2/><ref name=bio/> When she arrived in Michigan several months later, she was pregnant with another man's child.<ref name=fox2/><ref name=nytimes_second/> The child died at age two when he suffocated after getting tangled up with a plastic bag from a banana box that was left overnight in his bedroom.<ref name=dbio1/> Marife initially suspected foul play from either Nichols or McVeigh, but there were no bruises or signs of trauma to the child. The death was ruled accidental.<ref name=nytimes_second/> Nichols and Marife had two more children during their marriage.<ref name=fox2/><ref name=dbio1/> Nichols and Torres frequently visited the Philippines, where she was attending a local college working on a degree in [[physical therapy]]. He sometimes traveled to the Philippines alone, while she remained in [[Kansas]].

Nichols left a cryptic note and a package of documents with his ex-wife, Lana (Walsh) Padilla, prior to one of his many visits to the Philippines. Upon returning from the visit to learn that she had prematurely opened a letter instructing her what to do in the event of his death, he made a series of telephone calls to a [[Cebu City]] boarding house.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/nichols1120.htm|title=WashingtonPost.com: Oklahoma City Bombing Trial Report|website=washingtonpost.com|access-date=May 27, 2018}}</ref> 
Nichols and Torres divorced after his arrest. Marife returned to the [[Philippines]] with the children.<ref name=dp_wife/>

==Anti-government views==
Nichols' anti-[[federal government of the United States|government]] views developed and grew over the years.<ref name=bio/> Nichols spent most of his adult life in the [[Lapeer County, Michigan|Lapeer]] and [[Sanilac County, Michigan|Sanilac County]] areas of Michigan where mistrust and resentment of the federal government was common, especially after bank foreclosures of many farms during the [[1980s farm crisis]].<ref>Stickney, p. 91.</ref> Neighbors said he attended meetings of anti-government groups, experimented with explosives and got more radical as time went on.<ref name=dbio1/> 

Nichols began to adhere to [[Sovereign citizen movement|sovereign citizen]] ideology.<ref name="FBI2011">{{Cite web |date=September 1, 2011 |title=Sovereign Citizens A Growing Domestic Threat to Law Enforcement |url=http://leb.fbi.gov/2011/september/sovereign-citizens-a-growing-domestic-threat-to-law-enforcement |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210013240/http://leb.fbi.gov/2011/september/sovereign-citizens-a-growing-domestic-threat-to-law-enforcement |archive-date=December 10, 2011 |access-date=May 3, 2015 |website=Domestic Terrorism |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation}}</ref> In February 1992, he attempted to [[Renunciation of United States citizenship|renounce his US citizenship]] by writing to the local county clerk in Michigan, stating that the political system was corrupt, and declaring himself a "non resident alien".<ref name="fox2" /><ref name="nytimes_second" /> Several months later, he appeared in court and tried to avoid responsibility for some of his credit card bills (he owed approximately $40,000 altogether), refusing to come before the bench, and shouting at the judge that the government had no [[jurisdiction]] over him.<ref name="nytimes_second" /><ref name="llcur29" /> On October 19, 1992, he signed another document renouncing his US citizenship.<ref name="dbio1" /> In May 1993, Nichols appeared before a county judge regarding an $8,421 unpaid credit card debt.<ref name="dbio1" /> He also renounced his [[driver’s license]].<ref name="llcur29" />

McVeigh and Nichols grew closer after McVeigh's discharge from the Army.<ref name=fox2/> In December 1991, Nichols invited McVeigh to join him in Michigan and help him out selling military surplus at [[gun show]]s.<ref>Stickney, p. 129.</ref> For the next three years, McVeigh stayed with Nichols off and on.<ref>Stickney, p. 144.</ref> On April 19, 1993, Nichols was watching TV with McVeigh at the Nichols' farmhouse in Michigan during the [[Waco siege|siege of the Branch Davidian compound]] in [[Waco, Texas]]. When the compound went up in flames, McVeigh and Nichols were enraged and began to plot revenge on the federal government.<ref name=account/> In the fall of 1993, Nichols and McVeigh, who were living at the farm,<ref name=nytimes_second/> became business partners, selling weapons and military surplus at gun shows.<ref name=fox2/> For a while, they lived an itinerant life, following the gun shows from town to town.<ref name=llcur29/>

Nichols then went to [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]] to try working in construction but failed. Next, he went to central Kansas and was hired in March 1994 as a ranch hand in [[Marion, Kansas]].<ref name=dbio1/> In March 1994, he sent a letter to the clerk of [[Marion County, Kansas]], saying he was not subject to the laws of the U.S. government and asked his employer not to [[Withholding tax|withhold]] any federal taxes from his check.<ref name=llcur29/> His employer said Nichols was hard-working but had unusual political views.<ref name=nytimes_second/> In the fall of 1994, Nichols quit his job, telling his employer he was going into business with McVeigh.<ref name=nytimes_second/>

==The bombing==
{{Main|Oklahoma City bombing}}
[[File:Oklahomacitybombing-DF-ST-96-00587.jpg|thumb|230px|The bombing site on April 21, 1995]]
On September 22, 1994, Nichols and McVeigh rented a storage shed and began gathering supplies for the truck bomb.<ref name=llcur29/><ref name=account/> In late September or early October, Nichols and McVeigh stole [[dynamite]] and [[blasting caps]] from a nearby [[quarry]].<ref name=llcur29/><ref name=account/> Nichols began purchasing large quantities of [[ammonium nitrate]] fertilizer and storing it in three rental storage units.<ref name=account/> Nichols also robbed an [[Arkansas]] gun dealer who had befriended him and McVeigh at various gun shows.<ref name=account/>

In February 1995 Nichols bought a small house in [[Herington, Kansas]], with a cash down payment. In March 1995, he bought diesel fuel. On April 14, Nichols gave McVeigh some cash, according to McVeigh.<ref name=account/> On April 16, [[Easter|Easter Sunday]], Nichols and McVeigh drove to Oklahoma City to drop off the getaway car.<ref name=account/> On April 18, the day before the bombing, Nichols helped McVeigh prepare the truck bomb at a lake near Herington.<ref name=nytimes_second/> McVeigh remarked about Nichols's and Fortier's partial withdrawal from the plot, saying they "were men who liked to talk tough, but in the end their bitches and kids ruled."<ref name=account/> Nichols was at home in Kansas with his family when the bomb went off.<ref name=fox2/>

On April 21, 1995, Nichols learned he was wanted for questioning, turned himself in,<ref name=fox2/> and consented to a search of his home.<ref name=nytimes_second/> The search turned up blasting caps, detonating cords, ground ammonium nitrate, barrels made of plastic similar to fragments found at the bombing site, 33 firearms, anti-government warfare literature,<ref name=nytimes_second/> a receipt for ammonium nitrate fertilizer with McVeigh's fingerprints on it,<ref name=llcur29/> a telephone credit card that McVeigh had used when he was shopping for bomb-making equipment, and a hand-drawn map of downtown Oklahoma City.<ref name=account/> Nichols was held as a [[material witness]] to the bombing until he was charged on May 10.<ref name=nytimes_second/>

Investigators also combed the [[Decker, Michigan]], farm of James Nichols where Terry Nichols and McVeigh had stayed intermittently in the months preceding the bombing. James was held in custody on charges that he made small bombs on the farm but was released without charges on May 24, with the judge saying there was no evidence he was a danger to others.<ref>Stickney, p. 234.</ref>

==Prosecutions==

=== Federal case ===
[[File:Florence ADMAX.jpg|thumb|[[ADX Florence|Florence ADMAX USP]], the supermax security prison where Nichols resides]]
McVeigh was tried before Nichols and sentenced to death.<ref name=bio/> Former army soldier and friend of Nichols, Michael Fortier, testified against both McVeigh and Nichols. Fortier had entered into a federal plea agreement for reduced charges in return for his agreement to testify. He was charged with failing to notify authorities in advance of the crime and sentenced to 12 years in prison.<ref name=fortier/> Fortier testified that Nichols and McVeigh had expressed anti-government feelings and conspired to blow up the Murrah federal building. He said he helped McVeigh survey the building before the attack. He also testified that Nichols had robbed an Arkansas gun dealer to finance the cost of the bombing. Fortier provided "solid bricks of evidence" for the cases against McVeigh and Nichols, according to the prosecutor.<ref name=fortier/>

Nichols' wife Marife testified as a defense witness, but her story may have helped the prosecution's case.<ref name=wapo_wife/> She said her husband had been living a double life prior to the bombing, using aliases, renting storage lockers and lying that he had broken off his relationship with McVeigh. She also testified that Nichols traveled to Oklahoma City three days before the bombing, supporting the prosecution's contention that Nichols helped McVeigh station a getaway car near the Murrah building. Marife also failed to give Nichols an alibi for April 18, 1995, the day the prosecution said Nichols helped McVeigh assemble the truck bomb.<ref name=wapo_wife/>

Nichols was represented by criminal defense attorney [[Michael Tigar]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Toobin|first1=Jeffery|title=THE MAN WITH TIMOTHY MCVEIGH|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/09/30/the-man-with-timothy-mcveigh|access-date=September 4, 2015|magazine=The New Yorker|date=September 30, 1996}}</ref> The trial lasted nine weeks with the prosecution calling 100 witnesses tying Nichols to McVeigh and the bombing plot. The prosecution argued that Nichols helped McVeigh purchase and steal bomb ingredients, park the getaway car near the Murrah building and assemble the bomb. The defense attempted to cast doubt on the case against Nichols by calling witnesses who said they saw other men with McVeigh before the bombing and by claiming the government had manipulated the evidence against Nichols.<ref name=wapo_01-08-98/>

The jury deliberated for 41 hours over a period of six days, acquitting Nichols on December 24, 1997, of actually detonating the bomb, but convicting him of conspiring with McVeigh to use a weapon of mass destruction, a [[capital punishment|capital offense]].<ref name="Romano">{{cite news|last1=Romano|first1=Lois|last2=Kenworthy|first2=Tom|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/nichols1224.htm|title=Nichols Guilty of Conspiracy, Manslaughter|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 24, 1997|access-date=September 21, 2017|page=A01}}</ref> They acquitted Nichols on the charges of first degree (premeditated) murder, but convicted him on the lesser charge of involuntary (unintentional) manslaughter in the deaths of the federal law enforcement officers.<ref name="Romano"/>

In assessing why Nichols was not convicted of first degree murder, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' noted: {{quote|text=There was no evidence that Nichols had rented the [[Ryder]] truck used to carry the bomb to Oklahoma City, and there was no one who could positively identify him as the purchaser of the two tons of ammonium nitrate, the major component in the bomb. Most problematic for the government was the compelling fact that Nichols was at home in Kansas when McVeigh detonated the truck.<ref name="Romano"/>}} Another theory is that some members of the jury believed Nichols' attorneys' arguments that he had withdrawn from the conspiracy before the bombing.<ref name=account/> His apparent remorse as shown by his crying several times during the testimony could also have swayed the jury.<ref name=account/>

After the penalty hearing concluded, the jury deliberated for 13 hours over two days on whether to give Nichols a death sentence, but deadlocked.<ref name=cnn1/> U.S. District Court Judge [[Richard Paul Matsch|Richard P. Matsch]] then had the option of giving Nichols a sentence of life imprisonment or a lesser term. On June 4, 1998, he sentenced Nichols to life in prison without parole on the conspiracy conviction, calling Nichols "an enemy of the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]]" who had conspired to destroy everything the Constitution protects.<ref>{{cite news |title=Timeline: Oklahoma bombing |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1319772.stm |access-date=June 3, 2018 |work=BBC News |date=May 11, 2001}}</ref> Nichols also received a concurrent 48-year sentence for his eight involuntary manslaughter convictions, six for each victim.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WashingtonPost.com: Oklahoma City Bombing Trial Report|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/nichols.htm|access-date=2022-02-14|website=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref> Nichols [[blunted affect|showed no emotion]].<ref name=wp1/> He was sent to the [[ADX Florence|Federal Supermax Prison in Florence, Colorado]].<ref name=bop/> On February 26, 1999, a federal appeals court affirmed Nichols' conviction and sentence.<ref name=fox2/>

=== Oklahoma state case ===
After the federal jury deadlocked on the death penalty, which resulted in a life sentence, citizens of Oklahoma petitioned to empanel a state court [[grand jury]] to investigate the bombing. State representative Charles Key led a citizens group that circulated the petitions. It was hoped that evidence implicating other conspirators would be uncovered. A grand jury heard testimony for 18 months about allegations of other accomplices<ref name=author_arrested/> but returned only the indictments against Nichols in March 1999. Oklahoma County District Attorney Wes Lane denied the state prosecution was conducted solely for the purpose of having Nichols executed, saying it was important Nichols be convicted of killing all the victims. "This case has always been about 161 men, women and children and an unborn baby having the same rights to their day in court as eight federal law enforcement officers", Lane said.<ref name=deadlocked/>

Nichols was brought from the prison in Colorado to Oklahoma in January 2000 to face the state trial on 160 capital counts of first-degree murder and one count each of fetal homicide, first-degree arson, and conspiracy.<ref name=msnbc1/> The prosecutor's goal was to get the death penalty.<ref name=msnbc1/><ref name=cnn1/>

During the two-month trial, the prosecution presented a "mountain of [[circumstantial evidence]]," calling 151 witnesses. Their star witness was Fortier, who said Nichols was intimately involved in the conspiracy and had helped obtain bomb ingredients, including fertilizer that was mixed with high-octane fuel. Fortier also testified that McVeigh and Nichols stole cord and blasting caps from a rock quarry, and that Nichols robbed Roger E. Moore, a gun collector, to obtain money for the plot. Nichols' lawyers said he was the "fall guy" and that others, Moore included,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Serrano|first1=Richard A.|title=Ex-Friend of McVeigh Denies Fabricating Firearms Robbery| newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-nov-19-mn-55387-story.html|access-date=1 March 2025|date=November 19, 1997}}</ref> had conspired with McVeigh. They wanted to introduce evidence that a group of [[white supremacists]] had been McVeigh's accomplices. However, the judge did not allow them to do so, saying that the defense had not shown that any of these people committed acts in furtherance of the conspiracy. In their concluding argument, the defense said, "People who are still unknown assisted Timothy McVeigh." On May 26, 2004, the six-man, six-woman jury took five hours to reach guilty verdicts on all charges. When the verdict was read, Nichols showed no emotion, staring straight ahead.<ref name=msnbc1/>

The penalty phase of the trial started on June 1, 2004. The same jury that determined Nichols's guilt would also determine whether he would be put to death.<ref name=msnbc1/> During the five-day hearing, 87 witnesses were called, including victims and family members of Nichols.<ref name=cnn1/> Nichols's relatives testified that he was a loving family man.<ref name=sdt1/> During the closing arguments, the prosecutor argued for the death penalty, stating that 168 people had died so that Nichols and McVeigh "could make a political statement". The defense argued that Nichols had been controlled by a "dominant, manipulative" McVeigh and urged jurors not to be persuaded by the "flood of tears" of the victims who testified.<ref name=cnn1/> The defense also said that Nichols had "sincerely" converted to Christianity.<ref name=trutv2/> After 19½ hours of deliberation over three days, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty.<ref name=cnn1/> With the death penalty no longer an option, Nichols spoke publicly for the first time in the proceedings, making a lengthy statement laced with religious references to Judge [[Steven W. Taylor]]. Nichols also apologized for the murders and offered to write to survivors to "assist in their healing process". Darlene Welch, whose niece was killed in the explosion, said she "didn't appreciate being preached to" by Nichols and that she regretted that "he won't stand before God sooner."<ref name=trutv2/> Judge Taylor called Nichols a terrorist and said "No American citizen has ever brought this kind of devastation; you are in U.S. history the No. 1 mass murderer -- in all of U.S. history" and sentenced Nichols to 161 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.<ref name=msnbc2/> Nichols was returned to the federal prison in Colorado.

==Post-conviction==
===Additional explosives===
Acting on a tip from reputed mobster [[Greg Scarpa Jr.]] (son of mobster [[Greg Scarpa Sr.]]), a fellow inmate of Nichols,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.intelwire.com/2011/02/new-okbomb-documents-show-threats-to.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405102730/http://news.intelwire.com/2011/02/new-okbomb-documents-show-threats-to.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 5, 2011|title=New OKBOMB Documents Show Threats To Nichols' Family After FBI Reopened Investigation in 2005}}</ref><ref name=tip/> the FBI searched the [[Basement#Crawl space|crawl space]] of Nichols's former home in Kansas ten years after the bombing. They found explosives in boxes, wrapped in plastic, buried under a foot of rock. The tipster had indicated that the explosives were buried before the attack.<ref name=found/>

===Allegations by Nichols===
McVeigh, Nichols, and Fortier were the only defendants indicted in the bombing. Nichols denied his involvement in the plot until 2004. Nichols's mother claimed that her son had [[Asperger syndrome]], was manipulated by McVeigh and didn't know what the bomb was for.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna8456268|title=Mom: Nichols reveals role in bombing - US news - Security - NBC News|work=msnbc.com|date=July 3, 2005 }}</ref> In a May 2005 letter that he wrote to a relative of two of the victims, Nichols claimed that an Arkansas gun dealer also conspired in the 1995 bombing plot by donating some of the explosives that were used.<ref name=gundealer/> In a 2006 letter requesting that a judge give his son a light sentence for assault with a deadly weapon, battery of a police officer, and possession of a stolen vehicle, Nichols admitted his participation in the Oklahoma City bombing but said that McVeigh had forced and intimidated him into cooperating.<ref name=bombers_letter/>

In a 2007 [[affidavit]],<ref>The 2007 statement by Nichols was filed in a wrongful death suit by the brother of a man who died in 1995 while in federal custody. The suit alleged that [[Kenneth Trentadue]] was killed while being interrogated by FBI agents in connection with the Oklahoma City bombing, although his death had officially been ruled a suicide. Jesse Trentadue, the plaintiff, wanted to conduct a videotaped deposition of Nichols and one other prisoner to support his contentions that the FBI had killed his brother and was withholding documents related to his brother's death. He was ultimately unable to obtain a court order allowing this.</ref> Nichols claimed that in 1992 McVeigh claimed to have been recruited for undercover missions while serving in the military. Nichols also said that in 1995 McVeigh told him that FBI official [[Larry A. Potts|Larry Potts]], who had supervised the [[Ruby Ridge]] and [[Waco Siege|Waco]] operations, had directed McVeigh to blow up a government building. Nichols claimed that he and McVeigh had learned how to make the bomb from individuals they met while attending gun shows. In the same affidavit, Nichols admitted that he and McVeigh stole eight cases of the gel type explosive [[Tovex]] from a [[Marion, Kansas]] quarry, some of which was later used in the Oklahoma City truck bomb.<ref name=clay/> Nichols, who had been employed in Marion County as a ranch hand, was familiar with numerous quarries there.  He admitted that he had helped McVeigh mix the bomb ingredients in the truck the day before the attack, but he denied that he knew the exact target of the bomb.<ref name=clay/> Nichols wanted to testify in more detail in a videotaped deposition,<ref name=ksl/><ref name=intelwire/> but a federal appeals court ruled against it in 2009.<ref name=manson/>

==See also==
{{portal|Crime|United States|Oklahoma|Biography}}
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name=nytimes_second>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/28/us/second-suspect-special-report-with-extremism-explosives-drifting-life-found.html?pagewanted=all|title=The Second Suspect -- A special report.; With Extremism and Explosives, A Drifting Life Found a Purpose|last=Rimer|first=Sara|date=May 28, 1995|work=[[New York Times]]|access-date=April 11, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=236030|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207034544/http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=236030|url-status = dead|archive-date=December 7, 2008|title=Terry Nichols Biography (1955-)|publisher=Biography.com|access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=wp1>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/nichols.htm|title=Nichols Gets Life Term for Oklahoma Bombing Role|date=June 5, 1998|newspaper=Washington Post|last=Kenworthy|first=Tom|access-date=February 26, 2009}}</ref>

<ref name=npr1>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/news/national/1997/dec/971223.nichols.html|title=Nichols Guilty of Conspiracy and Involuntary Manslaughter|publisher=NPR|date=December 23, 1997|access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=msnbc1>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5052526|title=Terry Nichols guilty on 161 murder counts in state trial|agency=Associated Press|work=Crime & Courts|date=May 26, 2004|publisher=NBC News|access-date=April 12, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=cnn1>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/06/11/nichols.trial/index.html|title=Jury deadlocks, sparing Nichols from death penalty|publisher=CNN|date=June 11, 2004|access-date=February 26, 2009}}</ref>

<ref name=msnbc2>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5650369|title=Terry Nichols gets life without parole: State murder counts tacked on to earlier life sentence|agency=Associated Press| publisher=NBC News|date=August 9, 2004|access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=dbio1>{{cite news|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/bomb/bombnp4.htm | title=What brought Nichols to the dock? |newspaper=[[The Denver Post]]|date=September 21, 1997|access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=dp1>{{cite news|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/bomb/bomb354.htm|title=Nichols' family speaks out|last=Pankratz| first=Howard|date=August 30, 1997|newspaper=The Denver Post|access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=fox2>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,26782,00.html |title=Key Players: The Accused: Terry Nichols |work=Fox News |date=June 11, 2001 |access-date=April 10, 2010 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080414002057/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,26782,00.html |archive-date=April 14, 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name=wp2>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/tn-drifter.htm|title=Nichols Called Drifter, Devoted Dad|last=Shore|first=Sandy|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Washington Post|date=September 21, 1997|access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=llcur29>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/20587583.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+11%2C+1995&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune+%28pre-1997&edition=&startpage=1&desc=PORTRAIT+OF+A+FEDERAL+FOE+AUTHORITIES+STITCH+TOGETHER+EVIDENCE+OF+BOMBING+SUSPECT+TERRY+NICHOLS%27+LIFE+THAT+SHOWS+A+FAILED+FARMER+AND+SOLDIER+WHO+WAS+LEFT+WITH+LITTLE+EXCEPT+HIS+HATRED+FOR+THE+GOVERNMENT|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131141224/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/20587583.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+11,+1995&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(pre-1997&edition=&startpage=1&desc=PORTRAIT+OF+A+FEDERAL+FOE+AUTHORITIES+STITCH+TOGETHER+EVIDENCE+OF+BOMBING+SUSPECT+TERRY+NICHOLS'+LIFE+THAT+SHOWS+A+FAILED+FARMER+AND+SOLDIER+WHO+WAS+LEFT+WITH+LITTLE+EXCEPT+HIS+HATRED+FOR+THE+GOVERNMENT|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|title=Portrait of a Federal Foe: Authorities Stitch Together Evidence Of Bombing Suspect Terry Nichols' Life That Shows A Failed Farmer And Soldier Who Was Left With Little Except His Hatred For The Government|newspaper=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|format=fee required|date=May 11, 1995|last=Jackson|first=David|author2=Linnet Myers|author3=Flynn McRoberts|access-date=February 28, 2009}}</ref>

<ref name=sdt1>{{cite news|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040608/news_1n8nichols.html|title=Nichols' siblings testify in penalty phase|agency=Associated Press|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|date=June 8, 2004|last=Talley|first=Tim|access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=dp_2images>{{cite news|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/bomb/bombnv8.htm|title=Two Images of Nichols Emerged|author=Denver Post Staff and Wire Reports|newspaper=The Denver Post|access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=rj_18page>{{cite web|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nichols/|title=Letter to Judge Joseph Bonaventure from Terry Nichols|date=April 2, 2009|publisher=Las Vegas Review-Journal|access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=account>{{cite web|url=http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/mcveigh/mcveighaccount.html|title=The Oklahoma City Bombing & The Trial of Timothy McVeigh|work=Famous Trials Oklahoma City Bombing Trial|first=Douglas O.|last=Linder|year=2006|publisher=[[University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law]] website|access-date=April 10, 2010|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223000407/http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/mcveigh/mcveighaccount.html|archive-date=February 23, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name=trutv2>{{cite web|url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/nichols_18.html|title=Saved by religion|work=Timothy McVeigh & Terry Nichols: Oklahoma Bombing|last=Bell|first=Rachel|publisher=TruTv|access-date=April 10, 2010|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724114354/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/mcveigh/nichols_18.html|archive-date=July 24, 2009}}</ref>

<ref name=clay>{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,660197443,00.html?pg=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816191003/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,660197443,00.html?pg=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 16, 2009|title=Nichols says bombing was FBI op|last=Fattah|first=Geoffrey|date=February 22, 2007|newspaper=[[Deseret News]]|access-date=April 13, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=ksl>{{cite news|url=http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=481&sid=1849765|title=Salt Lake Attorney Can Question Terry Nichols on Videotape|agency=Associated Press|date=September 22, 2007|publisher=[[KSL.com]] |access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=intelwire>{{cite web|url=http://intelwire.egoplex.com/2007_09_21_blogarchive.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130122031729/http://intelwire.egoplex.com/2007_09_21_blogarchive.html|url-status = dead|archive-date=January 22, 2013|title=Terry Nichols Will Testify On OKC Bombing|publisher=INTELWIRE Terrorism Blog|first=J.M.|last=Berger|date=September 21, 2007|access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=bop>{{cite web|url=http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=Terry&Middle=Lynn&LastName=Nichols&Race=W&Sex=M&Age=&x=41&y=14|title=Inmate finder|publisher=[[Federal Bureau of Prisons]]|access-date=April 10, 2010|archive-date=June 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629164604/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=Terry&Middle=Lynn&LastName=Nichols&Race=W&Sex=M&Age=&x=41&y=14|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name=findlaw>{{cite web|title=Amended Information, The State of Oklahoma vs. Terry Lynn Nichols|url=http://files.findlaw.com/docviewer/viewer_news.html#http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/mcveigh/usnichols-pt1.pdf|date=March 1, 2001|publisher=[[Find Law]]|access-date=April 12, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=author_arrested>A writer who mailed copies of his book advancing [[conspiracy theories]] to members of a grand jury investigating the possibility of a larger conspiracy or government coverup was charged with jury tampering in 1999. {{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jan/20/news/mn-65469\|title=Accused of Interference in Bombing, Writer Surrenders|agency=Associated Press|date=January 20, 1999|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=April 13, 2010|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023164310/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jan/20/news/mn-65469|archive-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref>

<ref name=time_1997>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,10108,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101027105029/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,10108,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 27, 2010|title=Charges Against Terry Nichols|author=Time Daily|date=December 23, 1997|publisher=Time|access-date=April 13, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=bombers_letter>{{cite news|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-18-Thu-2006/news/7473075.html|title=Bomber's Letter: 'Clearly Josh is a victim', Oklahoma City bomber sought leniency for son|last=Puit|first=Glenn|date=May 18, 2006|work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126035014/http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/May-18-Thu-2006/news/7473075.html|access-date=April 12, 2010|archive-date=January 26, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=deadlocked>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=20040608&id=I_UrAAAAIBAJ&pg=1250,6717965|title=Deadlock: Terry Nichols saved from death by indecisive jury|agency=[[Associated Press]]|work=[[Kentucky New Era]]|date=June 8, 2004|access-date=April 13, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=dp_wife>{{cite news|url=http://extras.denverpost.com/bomb/news56.htm|title=Nichols' wife tells of FBI interrogation|date=June 29, 1997|last=Conner|first=Chance|author2=George Lane |publisher=[[Denver Post]]|access-date=April 13, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=tip>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7505601|title=FBI at first dismissed tip on Nichols explosives|agency=Associated Press|work=Crime & courts|date=April 14, 2005|publisher=[[NBC News]]|access-date=April 14, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=found>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,152211,00.html |title=FBI: Explosives Found in Nichols' Old Home |agency=Associated Press |date=April 2, 2005 |work=News archive |publisher=[[Fox News]] |access-date=April 14, 2010 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718184426/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,152211,00.html |archive-date=July 18, 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name=gundealer>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-may-04-na-okcbomb4-story.html|title=Oklahoma City Bomber Nichols Says 3rd Man Took Part In Bombing Plot|last=Serrano|first=Richard|date=May 4, 2005|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 14, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=fortier>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/fortier052898.htm|title=Fortier Gets 12 Years in Bombing Case|last=Romano|first=Lois|date=May 28, 1998|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|access-date=April 15, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=wapo_01-08-98>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/nichols0107.htm|title=Nichols Spared Death Penalty|last=Romano|first=Lois|author2=Tom Kenworthy |date=January 8, 1998|page=A01|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=April 15, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=manson>{{cite news|last=Manson|first=Pamela|title=Appeals court overturns order allowing deposition of Terry Nichols|publisher=[[Salt Lake Tribune]]|date=July 2, 2009|url=http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12741839|access-date=July 5, 2009|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704154604/http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12741839|archive-date=July 4, 2009}}</ref>

<ref name=wapo_wife>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/nichols1212.htm|title=Nichols Defense Rests Its Case After Jury Hears More From Wife|last=Romano|first=Lois|date=December 12, 1997|newspaper=Washington Post|page=A02|access-date=April 15, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=stickney>{{cite book|title=All-American Monster: The Unauthorized Biography of Timothy McVeigh|last=Stickney|first=Brandon M.|publisher=Prometheus Books|location=Amherst, New York|year=1996|isbn=978-1-57392-088-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/allamericanmonst00stic/page/92 92]|url=https://archive.org/details/allamericanmonst00stic/page/92}}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
*[[Stephen Jones (attorney)|Jones, Stephen]]. Peter Israel. ''Others Unknown: The Oklahoma City Bombing Conspiracy''. New York: PublicAffairs, 2001. {{ISBN|978-1-58648-098-1}}.
*{{cite book|last=Michel|first=Lou|author2=Dan Herbeck |year=2001|title=American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh & The Oklahoma City Bombing|url=https://archive.org/details/americanterroris00loum|url-access=registration|location=New York|publisher=[[ReganBooks]]|isbn=0-06-039407-2|author2-link=Dan Herbeck}}
* {{cite book |author=Toobin, Jeffrey |title=[[Homegrown (book)|Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism]]|location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2023|isbn=9781668013571}}

==External links==
*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/oklahoma/stories/chron.htm Oklahoma Bombing Chronology], Washington Post, 1998
*[http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/oklahoma_city_bombing/framesource_timeline.html: Bombing & Legal Timeline], CBS News, April 2005
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20171214184133/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nichols-accuses-3rd-in-okc-plot/ Nichols Accuses 3rd In OKC Plot], May 4, 2005
*[https://archive.today/20130204124520/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1555145,00.html Inside Bomber Row], November 5, 2006

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Terry}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American criminals]]
[[Category:American male criminals]]
[[Category:American mass murderers]]
[[Category:American murderers of children]]
[[Category:American people convicted of manslaughter]]
[[Category:American people convicted of murder]]
[[Category:American people imprisoned on terrorism charges]]
[[Category:American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment]]
[[Category:Bombers (people)]]
[[Category:Criminals from Michigan]] 
[[Category:Inmates of ADX Florence]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male murderers]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Michigan]]
[[Category:Oklahoma City bombing]]
[[Category:Patriot movement]]
[[Category:People convicted of murder by Oklahoma]]
[[Category:People from Herington, Kansas]]
[[Category:People from Lapeer, Michigan]]
[[Category:People from Sanilac County, Michigan]]
[[Category:People with Asperger syndrome]]
[[Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the United States federal government]]
[[Category:Sovereign citizen movement individuals]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:Terrorism in the United States]]