WABE: Former Rape Prosecutor Testifies in Nichols Trial (2008-09-23)

Atlanta

Former Rape Prosecutor Testifies in Nichols Trial

Odette Yousef (2008-09-23)

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ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - Today jurors in the Brian Nichols trial heard testimony from the lawyer who prosecuted Nichols in 2005 for raping his ex-girlfriend. Gayle Abramson Csehy testified that Nichols's actions before and during the rape showed him to be calculating and dangerous, not insane.

On cross examination, defense attorney Henderson Hill pressed Csehy about Nichols's state of mind in the days leading up to the rape, but Csehy would have none of it. WABE has deleted the name of the rape victim.

CSEHY: In the context of the defendant not being able to get (deleted) back, and having gotten this other girl pregnant, and becoming a cocaine addict, yeah he was deteriorating, but he certainly was not insane.

Csehy also would have none of the defense's effort to elicit testimony to bolster their claim that Nichols suffered delusions that he was a slave rebelling against the U.S. government.

CSEHY: It's an absolute excuse. He is manipulative, he is calculating, he wanted to escape. I mean, the first two people he beat up were black police officers.

Nichols could face the death penalty if convicted of the crimes in his 54-count indictment. The trial is expected to end in December.

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