ATLANTA — Brian Nichols, on the run after a bloody shooting rampage that left a state judge and three others dead, gave up peacefully Saturday morning, waving a T-shirt to surrender to a squad of heavily armed police swarming a suburban Atlanta apartment complex.
In the span of 26 hours, it is suspected, Nichols shot and killed a judge, a court reporter and a deputy and wounded another deputy, carjacked four people, then slipped through a police dragnet downtown by taking the MARTA train north to Buckhead.
It is believed he then attacked two people Friday night, killed an off-duty federal agent and held a woman hostage for more than seven hours early Saturday morning in her apartment, authorities said. Police said the woman talked to Nichols about family and religion and persuaded him to release her.
He faces a slew of charges from two metro Atlanta counties and the federal government. Both federal and state prosecutors can seek the death penalty in murder cases that involve the death of law enforcement agents.
"We are determined that we will bring the murderer of these people to justice," said David Nahmias, who heads the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta.
Nichols, 33, had been on trial for rape and other violent felonies before he allegedly grabbed a deputy's gun Friday morning.
The mayhem began Friday about 9 a.m. on the eighth floor of the Fulton County Courthouse. Authorities say Nichols, changing into civilian clothes for his retrial on rape charges, overpowered and shot Cynthia Hall, a 51-year-old deputy guarding him.
He ran down the hall to the chambers of Judge Rowland Barnes, where he held several people hostage and overpowered another deputy, taking his gun as well, according to police. They say he then walked into Barnes' adjacent courtroom and, without saying a word, shot the 64-year-old jurist to death. Police say he then shot and killed Julie Ann Brandau, 46, the court reporter.
He ran from the courthouse and killed Fulton County sheriff's Sgt. Hoyt Teasley, 43, who tried to stop him outside the building, authorities say. After seizing several cars, including two from employees of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Nichols disappeared.
Police launched a massive search for a green Honda Accord, which police said Nichols stole from a Journal-Constitution reporter after pistol-whipping him. More than 12 hours later, the car was found — parked in the same garage from which it had been stolen.
In the intervening hours, investigators now believe, Nichols took a MARTA train to Buckhead, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington said Saturday. MARTA police are reviewing surveillance videotapes looking for Nichols.
Police said that about 10:40 p.m. Friday, Nichols accosted a woman who was heading to her boyfriend's apartment, held a gun to her back and forced his way into the apartment unit. There, Nichols got into a scuffle with the boyfriend, pistol-whipping him before running off.
Sometime after that, Pennington said, Nichols entered a house under construction. He allegedly shot to death David Wilhelm, 40, assistant special agent in charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Atlanta. Wilhelm, who was off duty, was in the house, which he was constructing with his wife. Friends said he was planning to spend the weekend putting in bathroom tile.
After killing Wilhelm, police said, Nichols took the agent's blue 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck, his gun and his badge and fled. Authorities said they were not sure whether Nichols knew Wilhelm was a federal agent when he killed him.
Two carpenters discovered Wilhelm's body about 6:30 a.m., and authorities began searching for Wilhelm's stolen truck.
Earlier, about 2 a.m., Nichols allegedly had driven the truck to the Bridgewater Apartments. When a woman parked her car and began to enter her apartment, Nichols put a gun to her head and forced his way into her apartment, said Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter.
The woman, whom police would not identify, was initially tied up. Nichols eventually let her go after she spoke to him about religion and her husband's death four years ago, Pennington said.
"She tried to get him to change his life and change his ways and he untied her, that's what she is telling us," Pennington said.
About 9:50 a.m., emergency dispatchers received a frantic call from the woman, and police SWAT teams closed in. About 11:30 a.m., police approached the apartment. They found Nichols watching television broadcasts, which showed police, FBI and other law enforcement officers surrounding the apartment, said Gwinnett Police Chief Charlie Waters. Nichols waved a T-shirt out the window to signify he wanted to surrender. Within minutes he was in handcuffs.
Soon afterward, he was placed in an unmarked SUV and driven south, first to FBI Atlanta headquarters for booking and then to Atlanta City Hall East, to be booked by Atlanta police. At the apartment complex, FBI headquarters and City Hall East, crowds gathered beyond police cordons to cheer Nichols' capture.
Billy Camp, 36, watched as Nichols was led into Atlanta homicide headquarters for booking.
"You can never bring back the lives that were lost," Camp said. "For that, he's got to pay the price."
Ernie Cash, standing at the Bridgewater Apartments, made his feelings clear. Standing by the road in overalls, he raised his arms and shouted praise for the arrest.
"I wanted to kill him myself," Cash said.
Nichols — expressionless, handcuffed and wearing a T-shirt and tan pants — was shuttled via caravans of unmarked government vehicles to various booking centers. Everywhere he was guarded by dozens of agents and police, many carrying automatic rifles. Pennington said Nichols has been read his rights and offered an attorney.
"He is cooperating," Pennington said.
Chris Adams, head of the Office of the Georgia Capital Defender, tried unsuccessfully to visit Nichols at Atlanta police headquarters and advise him of his rights.
"We were denied access to see our client," said Adams, whose office represents indigent defendants facing state death penalty charges. "We have a statutory mandate to represent people facing the death penalty in Georgia. Mr. Nichols is facing the death penalty in Georgia."
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said Adams was not entitled to see Nichols.
"At this point, he has not requested a lawyer," he said. "Until that request is made, we'll continue as is our normal procedure."
Nahmias said a federal criminal complaint was filed against Nichols on Saturday charging him with possessing a firearm while being under indictment. Nahmias described the charge as a "holding charge" to secure Nichols' detention while federal and state authorities decide what charges to bring next.
Nichols is expected to make his first court appearance early in the week. Howard also said he planned to "resolve" Nichols' rape trial. He did not elaborate.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said that he expected to file formal charges against Nichols within the next 30 days, after allowing Atlanta police and other law enforcement agencies to complete their investigations.
Nahmias said his office would prosecute Nichols for the killing of Wilhelm, the nationally known assistant special agent in charge of the ICE office in Atlanta. But he said Howard would take the lead in charging decisions.
"We're examining all potential charges," Nahmias said. "We're less than 36 hours into this event. We're going to do this in a very careful and cautious way."
Nichols ended Saturday being processed and held at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building downtown, only blocks from the Fulton County Courthouse, where a day earlier a one-man crime wave that terrorized a city and shocked a nation began.