American citizens are Constitutionally protected from double jeopardy - being tried twice for the same crime. Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols is no exception.
But forcing Nichols, who already has been tried in a federal court, to face state charges for the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building would not waive that right.
The Supreme Court this week was correct to reject Nichols’ appeal against being tried in a state court.
A federal jury convicted Nichols in 1997 for conspiracy and eight counts of involuntary manslaughter for federal workers who died in the blast. He is currently serving a life sentence in prison.
Defense attorneys argued trying Nichols’ case in both federal and state courts would violate his right against double jeopardy.
Without comment or dissent, the Supreme Court upheld the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Repeals ruling that Nichols can be tried in state court, even though he already has faced federal charges.
Should a state court find him guilty for killing the other 160 who died in the blast, Nichols could face the death penalty, which would overrule his current sentence.
But the fact remains 168 people died when the building was destroyed. Although Nichols is paying his dues for eight of those deaths, he still stands to answer for the other 160 lives that ended that day.
The federal government never had the jurisdiction to try Nichols for these victims. A state trial would allow the loved ones of those 160 to find closure in their losses.
Deaths of individual people are individual crimes. The government and the people have the right and the duty to try Nichols for every single one of them.
