Opinion ID: 157623
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Did the District Court Fail to Consider Mr. Nichols' Personal Characteristics During Sentencing?

Text: 111 Mr. Nichols maintains the district court failed to give him individual consideration during sentencing. The argument stems from the fact the trial court stated: 112 I do not impose judgment on Terry Nichols so much as respecting the man he is but what he's done.... And accordingly, the sentence that I am going to impose will be for the duration of his life and is based upon my view that anyone, no matter who that person might be, or what his background might be, who participates in a crime of this magnitude, has forfeited the freedoms that this government is designed to protect and defend. 113 The court also referred in passing to evidence pertaining to Mr. McVeigh's political beliefs. By stating as much as it did, Mr. Nichols argues, the court utilized an incorrect legal analysis to arrive at a life sentence. 114 This claim is without merit. First, Mr. Nichols has not presented a single case, nor could we find any, which would require vacatur of the sentence under the circumstances of this case. The court's comments simply represent a view that the crime of conviction was so horrible that even the most innocent personal background would not mitigate in favor of a sentence less than life imprisonment. Furthermore, nothing indicates the court refused to consider Mr. Nichols' personal characteristics. In fact, the record suggests the contrary. The court stated: I have, in thinking about what the appropriate sentence is for Terry Nichols, considered the separate evidence. I do not think it is appropriate to determine a sentence of Terry Nichols and match it with Timothy McVeigh['s]. 115