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Nichols Trial Moved to Judge's Home Town
By KELLY KURT
McALESTER, Okla. (AP) - When the judge in the case against Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols decided to move the trial for Nichols' own good, he brought it to a place he knows well: his hometown.
Judge Steven W. Taylor grew up here, lives here and normally presides here. He used to be mayor, in fact. Folks here have known him since first grade. Their mothers played bridge together. They know when he jogs, where he worships, and how he is all business on the bench.
They say that if anyone can assure Nichols a fair trial on 161 murder charges that could bring the death penalty, it is Taylor.
``Steve's always been a straight-shooter and never afraid to take a stand on what he thought was right,'' said Allen Mann, who attended junior high school with him.
Opening statements are set to begin Monday in the trial. Nichols, 48, is already serving a life sentence on federal charges in the April 19, 1995, bombing that killed 168 people at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
Taylor, 54, was summoned from McAlester to preside over the case in Oklahoma City. But he moved the trial back to his home court because passions are still running high in Oklahoma City.
The judge quickly made it clear who is in charge.
``I'm not a potted plant during jury selection,'' he told attorneys before seating a jury in a remarkably short nine days - something that took a month in Nichols' federal trial.
Taylor knew many of the potential jurors. He looked them each in the eye and asked if they could be fair and impartial. The judge told both sides he would accept ``nothing less'' when he moved the trial.
``He's probably the fairest judge I've been before,'' said Warren Gotcher, a McAlester defense attorney. ``He will let lawyers try their case but will not lose control of his courtroom.''
If convicted, Nichols could be put to death by injection at the hulking penitentiary on the edge of town. When the judge was growing up here, the condemned met their fate here in Old Sparky, Oklahoma's electric chair.
The men who shaped him, Taylor's friends say, were local political successes such as former U.S. House Speaker Carl Albert and Democratic former Gov. George Nigh, the man who appointed Taylor to the bench in 1984. Their names grace signs on city streets, just as Taylor's name appears on the town's industrial park.
``With his foresight, now we've got 3,000 jobs there,'' said City Manager Randy Green.
Taylor attended public schools in his hometown and received a bachelor's degree in political science from Oklahoma State University in 1971. He earned a law degree in 1974 from the University of Oklahoma.
As a 26-year-old Marine, he became the youngest judge then in the U.S. military. In 1982, he became McAlester's youngest mayor. He had a reputation for standing up for what he believed in, Green said.
``He has told people `no' when I myself was sweating,'' Green recalled. ``I've heard him tell the governor `no.' I've heard him tell one of the richest people in Oklahoma `no.'''
Taylor says ``no'' to interview requests, too. He refuses to talk about the trial and says an article about him would draw inappropriate attention to the case.
The biggest criminal case Taylor presided over before this one was the 1995 child abuse death of a boy named Ryan Luke. The boy's mother and grandfather were convicted of or pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The woman's boyfriend was acquitted of murder.
The death caused a public outcry and prompted the Legislature to pass the Ryan Luke Bill to strengthen the state's response to child abuse and neglect cases. The case also led to the resignation of the sheriff.
Taylor also presided over a major corruption case in 1998 in which the mayor of Eufaula was found guilty of charges connected to the failure of a $5 million amphitheater project.
The judge is kindly, folksy even, with jurors. But he is also a perfectionist. His tie hangs straight, his shoes gleam with Marine-style polish.
When he announced himself chief examiner of the jury pool, he was unapologetic in adding: ``Sometimes I think I can do things better than anybody else. It's just kind of a strange quirk in my personality.''
Taylor was unyielding earlier this month during jury selection when lawyers asked him to change questions about the ability of jurors to impose the death penalty.
``I know I'm right,'' the judge told them simply, ``because I know I'm following the law.''
03/19/04 13:43
© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Nichols Trial Moved to Judge's Home Town
By KELLY KURT
McALESTER, Okla. (AP) - When the judge in the case against Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols decided to move the trial for Nichols' own good, he brought it to a place he knows well: his hometown.
Judge Steven W. Taylor grew up here, lives here and normally presides here. He used to be mayor, in fact. Folks here have known him since first grade. Their mothers played bridge together. They know when he jogs, where he worships, and how he is all business on the bench.
They say that if anyone can assure Nichols a fair trial on 161 murder charges that could bring the death penalty, it is Taylor.
``Steve's always been a straight-shooter and never afraid to take a stand on what he thought was right,'' said Allen Mann, who attended junior high school with him.
Opening statements are set to begin Monday in the trial. Nichols, 48, is already serving a life sentence on federal charges in the April 19, 1995, bombing that killed 168 people at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
Taylor, 54, was summoned from McAlester to preside over the case in Oklahoma City. But he moved the trial back to his home court because passions are still running high in Oklahoma City.
The judge quickly made it clear who is in charge.
``I'm not a potted plant during jury selection,'' he told attorneys before seating a jury in a remarkably short nine days - something that took a month in Nichols' federal trial.
Taylor knew many of the potential jurors. He looked them each in the eye and asked if they could be fair and impartial. The judge told both sides he would accept ``nothing less'' when he moved the trial.
``He's probably the fairest judge I've been before,'' said Warren Gotcher, a McAlester defense attorney. ``He will let lawyers try their case but will not lose control of his courtroom.''
If convicted, Nichols could be put to death by injection at the hulking penitentiary on the edge of town. When the judge was growing up here, the condemned met their fate here in Old Sparky, Oklahoma's electric chair.
The men who shaped him, Taylor's friends say, were local political successes such as former U.S. House Speaker Carl Albert and Democratic former Gov. George Nigh, the man who appointed Taylor to the bench in 1984. Their names grace signs on city streets, just as Taylor's name appears on the town's industrial park.
``With his foresight, now we've got 3,000 jobs there,'' said City Manager Randy Green.
Taylor attended public schools in his hometown and received a bachelor's degree in political science from Oklahoma State University in 1971. He earned a law degree in 1974 from the University of Oklahoma.
As a 26-year-old Marine, he became the youngest judge then in the U.S. military. In 1982, he became McAlester's youngest mayor. He had a reputation for standing up for what he believed in, Green said.
``He has told people `no' when I myself was sweating,'' Green recalled. ``I've heard him tell the governor `no.' I've heard him tell one of the richest people in Oklahoma `no.'''
Taylor says ``no'' to interview requests, too. He refuses to talk about the trial and says an article about him would draw inappropriate attention to the case.
The biggest criminal case Taylor presided over before this one was the 1995 child abuse death of a boy named Ryan Luke. The boy's mother and grandfather were convicted of or pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The woman's boyfriend was acquitted of murder.
The death caused a public outcry and prompted the Legislature to pass the Ryan Luke Bill to strengthen the state's response to child abuse and neglect cases. The case also led to the resignation of the sheriff.
Taylor also presided over a major corruption case in 1998 in which the mayor of Eufaula was found guilty of charges connected to the failure of a $5 million amphitheater project.
The judge is kindly, folksy even, with jurors. But he is also a perfectionist. His tie hangs straight, his shoes gleam with Marine-style polish.
When he announced himself chief examiner of the jury pool, he was unapologetic in adding: ``Sometimes I think I can do things better than anybody else. It's just kind of a strange quirk in my personality.''
Taylor was unyielding earlier this month during jury selection when lawyers asked him to change questions about the ability of jurors to impose the death penalty.
``I know I'm right,'' the judge told them simply, ``because I know I'm following the law.''
03/19/04 13:43
© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.