Manhunt ends as courthouse killer suspect surrenders

A SUSPECT in the deadly courthouse shootings of a judge and two other people surrendered without a struggle as law enforcement officials surrounded him, just hours after he led authorities on a massive manhunt in the Atlanta area.

Brian Nichols, 33, waved a white cloth and turned himself in on Saturday, but not before, police say, he killed an immigration agent and held a woman hostage for hours in her apartment.

Prosecutors said Nichols could appear in federal court as early as today to face a charge of possession of a firearm by a person under indictment - the charge authorities are using to keep him in custody while they investigate the slayings.

The search for Nichols ended Saturday when law enforcement officials surrounded the apartment where the suspect was hiding. He had held a woman hostage there.

His arrest came hours after the discovery of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent David Wilhelm, who had been shot dead about 15 miles away inside a house that the agent was having built. The agent’s pickup truck, pistol and badge were missing.

As Nichols surrendered on Saturday, a crowd cheered across the street from the apartment complex where he was arrested. They watched as a black sport utility vehicle drove away, escorted by police cars.

The Atlanta area killings came less than two weeks after a Chicago federal judge’s husband and mother were slain in their home, setting off fresh worries about the safety of those involved in the criminal justice system.

The day before the shootings, the judge and prosecutors in Nichols’ case requested extra security after investigators found a homemade knife made from a doorknob in each of Nichols’ shoes, prosecutor Gayle Abramson said.

Nichols had faced a life sentence if convicted in his retrial. His earlier trial had been declared a mistrial when jurors voted for acquittal.

“It ended the best way this could end,” said Walters, the police chief. “The public can be relieved that he is off the street.”