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| S P E C I A L | The Terry Nichols Trial |
Tears as Nichols' ex-wife testifies
November 19, 1997
Web posted at: 10:56 p.m. EST (0356 GMT)From Correspondent Tony Clark
DENVER (CNN) -- Oklahoma City bombing defendant Terry Nichols cried in court Wednesday as his ex-wife testified against him, tying him to Timothy McVeigh and the armed robbery of an Arkansas gun dealer.
Though Lana Padilla has said publicly that she believes Nichols is not guilty of the murder and conspiracy charges he's facing, she has been one of the strongest witnesses against him in his federal trial.
Nichols is on trial for the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that killed 168 people and injured hundreds of others. McVeigh has been convicted for his role in the bombing and sentenced to death.
On the witness stand, Padilla cried as she described her divorce from Nichols and talked about their son, Joshua, 15. She frequently looked across the courtroom at Nichols.
When she read a letter from Nichols in which he wrote, "I have the most trust in you," Nichols and some jurors started crying. Defense attorney Michael Tigar attempted to console Nichols with a pat on the shoulder.
She said when Nichols left on a trip to the Philippines in late 1994 to see his second wife, Marife, he gave Padilla a package with instructions not to open it unless he didn't return. She said she opened it anyway and found a letter from Nichols to McVeigh.
Nichols advised McVeigh that if he received the letter, that meant Nichols was dead. He instructed McVeigh to clean out some storage lockers.
"You're on your own," Nichols wrote. "Go for it."
Another letter told Padilla of a secret compartment in her home where $20,000 was hidden, and of a storage locker where she later found gold, silver and jade, as well as a black ski mask, a wig, pantyhose and makeup.
Prosecutors have been trying to tie Nichols to the robbery of Arkansas gun dealer Roger Moore, the proceeds of which the prosecution maintains were used to finance the Oklahoma City bombing.
Moore testified Tuesday that he had been robbed by a man wearing a ski mask. He identified items found in Nichols' house after the bombing as being among the things taken in the robbery.
Under questioning from the defense, Padilla characterized Nichols as a good father -- as a frugal man who was interested in stocks, gold and silver. She also described him as a practical joker and a reasonable person.
T H E B O M B I N G / C N N S T O R I E S / L I N K S
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