Terry Nichols, the co-conspirator in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, was formally sentenced today by a state judge to serve 161 concurrent life terms, each one corresponding to one of the victims of that bombing.
Jurors couldn't agree on whether or not to impose death on Nichols during the penalty phase of the trial, prompting the judge to impose sentence.
Nichols claims to have been born again while in prison. Today, a repentant Nichols stood in the courtroom and read a statement, saying he "prayed for everyone to acknowledge God". He also asked for forgiveness and said he would even offer to help in the healing process. But after those words, the judge in the case called Nichols a terrorist and indicated that he is only at the beginning of atoning for his crime.
In addition to today's sentencing, Nichols is already serving a life sentence for a Federal conviction in the OKC bombing, in which a number of federal agents were killed. The other conspirator in the bombing, Timothy McVeigh, was executed for his part in the bombing 3 years ago.
