Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Ashley Smith 'Saves' Brian Nichols
You've already heard of the amazing case of how Ashley Smith coaxed mass murderer, Brian Nichols, to release her and her daughter while he held them captive in their apartment in Duluth, Georgia.
NICE really took notice of the case (it was hard to avoid the news coverage) after reading about the manner in which Smith handled the situation and counseled Nichols into letting them go. She reportedly talked to him, listened to his problems and offered solutions. They stayed up all night (she was taken hostage at 2 AM Saturday morning and released at 9:30 that same morning). He told her how exhausted he was. She talked to him about God and read to him from the book, "The Purpose Driven Life" by Christian author, Rick Warren. She also talked to him about her daughter and how she was already fatherless, so if he took Smith's life, her daughter wouldn't have any parents. And she's telling this to someone who just murdered four people, including a judge, and was also on trial for rape and false imprisonment. I mean, this was a bad actor who could easily have turned the situation upside down.
Now, all accounts of the case are from Smith's point-of-view. I'm sure this could all shake out differently in the end, but the fact of the matter is that Smith and her daughter survived. Equally amazing is the fact that Smith somehow calmed Nichols down to the point where he in fact peaceably surrendered to officials by waving a white flag from the window of Smith's apartment. This while having spent the past several days murdering and assaulting people in an effort to escape the law. Whether she coaxed him down with talk of God or her daughter's wellbeing are delicious details, for sure. The amazing fact, however, remains that a man on a thunderous rampage was subdued and changed by the words and instincts of a mild mannered single mom in her 20s whose only weapon was her passion for life. She didn’t have a million dollars, a Jag in the garage, fancy degrees or lunch dates at the local tennis club. Smith only had herself and her wits, and it proved to be all she needed.
D. Robert -- New York, NY
NICE really took notice of the case (it was hard to avoid the news coverage) after reading about the manner in which Smith handled the situation and counseled Nichols into letting them go. She reportedly talked to him, listened to his problems and offered solutions. They stayed up all night (she was taken hostage at 2 AM Saturday morning and released at 9:30 that same morning). He told her how exhausted he was. She talked to him about God and read to him from the book, "The Purpose Driven Life" by Christian author, Rick Warren. She also talked to him about her daughter and how she was already fatherless, so if he took Smith's life, her daughter wouldn't have any parents. And she's telling this to someone who just murdered four people, including a judge, and was also on trial for rape and false imprisonment. I mean, this was a bad actor who could easily have turned the situation upside down.
Now, all accounts of the case are from Smith's point-of-view. I'm sure this could all shake out differently in the end, but the fact of the matter is that Smith and her daughter survived. Equally amazing is the fact that Smith somehow calmed Nichols down to the point where he in fact peaceably surrendered to officials by waving a white flag from the window of Smith's apartment. This while having spent the past several days murdering and assaulting people in an effort to escape the law. Whether she coaxed him down with talk of God or her daughter's wellbeing are delicious details, for sure. The amazing fact, however, remains that a man on a thunderous rampage was subdued and changed by the words and instincts of a mild mannered single mom in her 20s whose only weapon was her passion for life. She didn’t have a million dollars, a Jag in the garage, fancy degrees or lunch dates at the local tennis club. Smith only had herself and her wits, and it proved to be all she needed.
D. Robert -- New York, NY
