Terry Nichols
Terry Nichols is
the second man charged in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on April 19, 1995.
The third of four children, Terry Nichols was born on the family farm in town of Lapeer, Michigan. Nichols' father
farmed and worked on construction jobs.
When Nichols was a senior at Lapeer High School, his parents divorced. After
graduation, he went to Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, but
stayed for less than a year. He returned to work on the farm.
In 1981, Nichols married Lana Walsh. In 1983 their son Joshua was born.
Nichols did a number of part-time jobs; sold land, securities and life
insurance. He managed a grain elevator and did some carpentry. His wife worked
at building a career in real estate. Nichols stayed at home and did housework.
He cared for the children, did laundry, grew organic vegetables and cooked.
Nichols became depressed. He and his wife discussed their situation and decided
the best thing would be for him to join the Army. Although he was 33-years-old
and had children, Nichols enlisted on May 24, 1988. Nichols became a driver for
his commanding officer and became a good friend of McVeigh. The two shared
survivalist beliefs, a love of weaponry, and a distrust in the government.
In late 1988 Nichols' wife Lana filed for divorce and planned to pursue her
real estate career in Las Vegas. With less than a year service in the Army,
Nichols was released on a hardship discharge to take care of their 6-year-old
son. He returned to Michigan, worked as a carpenter for a while, then he moved
back into his mother's and brother's farmhouse.
In 1990, he flew to the Philippines to find a wife and dealt through an illegal
mail order bride enterprise. In early 1991 Nichols married 17-year-old Marife
Torres.
In the spring of 1993, his Army buddy Timothy McVeigh moved in with him at the
farm. McVeigh traveled to gun shows and traded in guns. Soon, McVeigh, Nichols
and his brother were practicing setting off explosives on the farm.
Before the Oklahoma City bombing a person using the alias 'Mike
Havens' bought 40 50-pound bags of ammonium nitrate from a local farm
co-op. The sales slip was found in Nichols' house after the bombing attack in
Oklahoma City. And the day after the purchase of the ammonium nitrate, 299
sticks of dynamite and 544 blasting caps were stolen from a quarry nearby. In
the following two months, Nichols rented two storage sheds under an alias. And
the same person, using the name Mike Havens, bought 40 more bags of ammonium nitrate.
On December 23, a jury, after deliberating 41 hours, refused to convict Nichols
of murder, instead finding him guilty of involuntary manslaughter and of
conspiring with McVeigh. Nichols escaped the death penalty because the jury
failed to reach a unanimous verdict on whether he was planning an attack
'with the intent to kill.' Nearly six months later, Nichols was
sentenced by a federal judge to spend the rest of his life in prison.
