Nichols jurors distance themselves from forewoman

According to one juror, six of them wanted the death penalty for Nichols, four wanted a sentence of life without parole, and two wanted to leave the sentencing to the judge

January 9, 1998
Web posted at: 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT)

DENVER (CNN) -- Some of the jurors who found Terry Nichols guilty of conspiracy in the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building say they are stung by criticism of their deadlock, and the jury forewoman who was criticized for her comments about the case has received a threat to blow up her house, authorities said Friday.

Niki Deutchman, a 47-year-old obstetrics nurse, told police she had received three calls Wednesday evening from a man who threatened to "blow up her house." Federal authorities would only confirm her report; Deutchman declined interviews Thursday.

Deutchman said at a news conference after the jury's dismissal that she believed the government botched the case by ignoring evidence and failing to follow up leads.

The jury was sharply divided over a penalty for Nichols.

According to one juror, six of the 12 jurors reportedly wanted the death penalty for Nichols. Four wanted a sentence of life without parole. Two wanted to leave the sentencing to U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch.

"There was definitely a majority ... who felt he was guilty on all charges," juror Keith Brookshier said. He thought Nichols deserved the death penalty.

Juror Chris Seib said that to her, the death penalty would have been warranted "for the loss of life, for the devastation, to what it did to the whole country even."

Unanimity needed for death sentence

The April 19, 1995, truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City killed 168 people and injured 500 others. Survivors and families of victims spent three days in court describing their anguish before deliberations on Nichols' penalty began Monday.

Under federal law, it takes a unanimous jury to recommend a death sentence.

In contrast to convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh's trial, in Nichols' trial, the jury was given the option to convict him of a lesser offense and choose involuntary manslaughter.

Nichols

Following the jury's dismissal, Deutchman said the government "dropped the ball," called the evidence "sloppy" and described FBI agents as "arrogant." She also said she believed others besides Nichols and McVeigh were involved in the bombing plot.

Jury, attorney general counter criticisms

Attorney General Janet Reno dismissed Deutchman's criticism Thursday.

"I think the FBI did an excellent job. They interviewed over 30,000 witnesses. They pursued innumerable leads. And I think they did so based on appropriate standards for how to conduct an investigation," she said.

Deutchman's comments infuriated many, including bombing victims' families. Even some of her fellow jurors were angry.

Brookshier said he pitied Oklahomans who had looked for the jury to return a death sentence.

"I feel very badly about the whole situation," he said, adding that he had hoped the jury could have returned a death sentence.( 128K/11 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

'Who is this person?'

Seib said the forewoman's comments surprised her; she had planned to keep silent about the deliberations until Deutchman spoke up.

"I thought, 'Who is this person?'" Seib said. "I didn't hear those thoughts out of her when she was in the jury room."

Juror Thomas Baker said he was offended by Deutchman's comments, adding, "to me, the shadow she cast was that everyone in the jury was anti-government."

Baker said he thought there would have been a chance that minds could have been changed and the impasse broken if the jury took another look at the evidence. "I would have loved to keep the debate going," he said.

Forewoman had few public supporters

One of the few to publicly applaud Deutchman's comments was Charles Key of Oklahoma City. The state lawmaker spearheaded the drive to impanel an Oklahoma County grand jury to investigate allegations of a government cover-up and a larger conspiracy in the bombing.

"We've been saying that all along," Key said of the forewoman's criticisms. "They worked to control and manage the facts and information early on to make the case fit a certain point of view."

In the meantime, Terry Nichols has been transferred from his basement jail cell in the Federal Courthouse in Denver to the Federal Detention Center in suburban Englewood, Colorado, where he awaits sentencing.

T H E   N I C H O L S   T R I A L  /   T H E   M c V E I G H   T R I A L
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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