Nichols Jury Deadlocked

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – The jury is split 9-to-3 on each of the murder charges, but it's not clear which of the sentence outcomes those numbers refer to.

The possibilities are life imprisonment, life without parole, and the death penalty.

After lunch, Judge James Bodiford called the jury into the courtroom:

BODIFORD 3: The court and lawyers appreciate your hard work in this case. At this time I advise you that I want you to continue your deliberations in this stage.

Nichols can only be executed if the jury unanimously affirms the death penalty.

Otherwise, if a majority opt for either the death penalty or life without parole, the judge decides whether Nichols will have the possibility of parole.

From the Atlanta Municipal Courthouse, I'm Odette Yousef, WABE News.
For GPB News, I'm Odette Yousef from the Municipal Courthouse in Downtown Atlanta.