Today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution has, "Long wait, high cost plague Nichols trial." The case spotlights a number of issues relating to indigent defense funding and high-visibility cases. That's why many eyes in the states are on this Georgia case.
When the case comes to trial next week after 2 1/2 years and millions of dollars in legal expenses, District Attorney Paul Howard will indeed seek the death penalty against Brian Nichols, who is suspected of the rampage in downtown Atlanta and the killing of a federal customs agent later that night in Buckhead.
Many metro Atlanta residents question why it has taken so long and cost so much. Some also wonder why Howard has refused a plea deal to avoid a trial, since Nichols' attorneys have said he would agree to a life sentence without parole.
But Dixon is not at all surprised by the decisions made by his former boss.
"Paul Howard was determined from the beginning and he's going to see it through," Dixon said.
Others wonder if it is worth the price.
Atlanta native David Adams Jr. remembers being outraged by details of the shooting spree.
Adams said he's upset about the more than $1.8 million already spent by Nichols' attorneys, who say they need more money. Experts estimate prosecutors and defense attorneys will spend at least $5 million.
"He deserves the death penalty, but at what cost?" asked Adams, who said the district attorney should offer the life-without-parole plea.
And:
And, for the first time Mears can recall, the Georgia General Assembly has gotten involved, recently passing a law that allows the state to pay for only two lawyers in a capital case at a rate determined by the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council, the agency that pays for the representation of all poor and death penalty defendants.
Nichols' attorneys have publicly called this an attack on their attempts to give Nichols adequate representation.
The council recently cut off funding for Nichols, which has caused the trial to be postponed twice. The judge said Thursday he still intends to bring in potential jurors on Oct. 15.
Earlier coverage of Georgia indigent defense issues is here.
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