Suspect in Atlanta courthouse killings allegedly plots new escape

Jet, Jan 28, 2008

The man awaiting trial for a bloody escape at the Atlanta courthouse in 2005 is suspected of enlisting his pen-pal girlfriend, a paralegal and at least two sheriffs deputies in a scheme to break out again, according to law enforcement documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Brian Nichols allegedly plotted to cut his way through the cinderblock walls of the Fulton County Jail, jump into a van and go to his girlfriend up north.

Nichols evidently used his considerable charm to draw his girlfriend into the plot, while some of the other players were bribed with cash and the prospect of romance with the woman, according to the documents, which include statements from the girlfriend, Lisa Meneguzzo, 38, of Beacon Falls, CT, and letters she exchanged with Nichols.

The alleged breakout attempt apparently did not get past the planning stages, and Nichols was abruptly moved to another jail in October 2006 for reasons that are not entirely clear.

Special prosecutor Ken Wynne, who has reviewed the allegations since April, had not discussed the investigation recently, and no charges had been filed.

Nichols, 36, already faces murder and other charges in the March 11, 2005, escape and shooting rampage that began at a downtown courthouse and left four people dead. He is charged with killing the judge presiding over his rape trial, a court reporter, a sheriff's deputy who chased him outside and a federal agent.

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Authorities said he forced his way into a woman's home and eventually surrendered.

Exactly how the latest alleged plot came to authorities' attention is not explained, but they had been monitoring his conversations over a jailhouse phone, and later granted the girlfriend, Meneguzzo, immunity from prosecution. The documents obtained by the AP consist largely of what she told investigators.

Nichols' murder trial has been postponed indefinitely because of a lack of money to pay for his state-supported defense. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

--Associated Press