Tennessee death row inmate Harold Wayne Nichols asks governor for life in prison instead
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Lawyers for Tennessee death row inmate Harold Wayne Nichols are asking the governor to commute his sentence to life in prison, just one month before his scheduled execution date.
They note that Nichols confessed to the 1988 rape and murder while requesting a pardon from Governor Bill Lee. Karen PulleyA 21-year-old student at Chattanooga State University and a series of other rapes.
“Wayne’s early acceptance of responsibility distinguishes him from many others on death row. In fact, he will be the first person to be executed for a crime to which he pleaded guilty since Tennessee reinstated the death penalty in 1978,” the petition says.
They also claim that Nichols turned his life around in prison, becoming a model prisoner who helped make Riverbend Maximum Security Institution a safer place and even mentored at-risk youth.
They credit Pulley’s mother, Ann Pulley, with inspiring Nichols’ reformation. He asked to speak to her moments after she was sentenced to death.
Rosemarie Bryan, one of the defense attorneys, later described the encounter and said Pulley talked to Nichols about the Christian faith and salvation and prayed with him. Nichols expressed remorse and sadness for his actions. They were both crying. Bryan “felt that Ms. Pulley was trying to ‘sort of save this child’s soul,'” according to the petition.
He met with her two more times before she was transferred from the county jail. The petition states that during a visit, he gave her a Bible, which he still treasures 35 years later.
According to the petition, which states that former prison officers and prison volunteers vouched for his rehabilitation, these visits planted the seeds of his desire to better himself.
Former Department of Corrections Lt. Tony Eden told attorneys that Nichols was one of the “warmest and kindest” inmates he encountered during his 30 years at the Tennessee Department of Corrections. “He was a calming presence on the unit, serving as a role model and mentor to his fellow inmates,” Eden said.
Former corrections officer Hugh Rushton called Nichols “a true leader who inspired other inmates to better themselves.”
The amnesty application was dated November 7 but was only released to the media late on Tuesday. The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment on the pardon request Wednesday.
Nichols declined Monday to choose between the electric chair and lethal injection for his Dec. 11 execution. putative lethal injection. He has two weeks to change his mind.
“The Tennessee Department of Corrections did not provide sufficient information about Tennessee’s lethal execution protocol for our client to make an informed decision about how the state would end his life,” his attorney, Stephen Ferrell, said in an email.
The Criminal Chamber published a statement new execution protocol who used a single drug last December pentobarbital. Lawyers of several death penalty cases prisoners filed a lawsuit Under the new rules, however, a hearing in this case is not scheduled to take place until April.
