Terry Nichols hearing postponed again

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Terry Nichols' attorney now has more time to ask the state Supreme Court to clear up a dispute over the bombing defendant's legal fees. <br><br>State District Judge Ray Dean

Wednesday, August 21st 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Terry Nichols' attorney now has more time to ask the state Supreme Court to clear up a dispute over the bombing defendant's legal fees.

State District Judge Ray Dean Linder on Tuesday gave Nichols' lead attorney, Brian Hermanson, until Aug. 28 to resolve the issue. The deadline had been Friday.

Linder canceled plans to meet on Friday with Nichols, the defense attorney and prosecutors. That meeting is now set for Aug. 28.

Linder also scheduled a hearing on the case for Sept. 4.

Nichols, 47, faces 160 counts of first-degree murder for the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

His attorneys have spent more than $1.7 million on his defense so far. They won approval in July from the Supreme Court to seek more money.

Hermanson, however, is at odds with Oklahoma County's presiding judge, Dan Owens, who is in charge of overseeing defense expenses.

Hermanson plans to ask the Supreme Court to clarify its order on funding.

Nichols was convicted at a federal trial of conspiring to attack the Oklahoma city federal building and of the involuntary manslaughter of eight federal agents.

He was sentenced in the federal case to life in prison.

His co-defendant, Timothy McVeigh, was convicted on federal charges of murder and conspiracy and executed June 11, 2001, at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind.