Nichols requests grand jury transcripts

Wednesday, February 9th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Convicted bombing conspirator Terry Nichols wants access to secret testimony and evidence collected by an Oklahoma County grand jury that investigate the Oklahoma City bombing. In a motion filed yesterday, Nichols' attorneys requested a court order for sealed transcripts of grand jury hearings that may pertain to the state criminal charges facing Nichols.

The motion also asks that the seal on the transcripts be lifted and that they be turned over to Nichols and his attorneys at state expense. The grand jury met for more than 18 months but found no evidence of a wider conspiracy or a government cover up of the April 19th,1995, bombing of the Alfred P- Murrah Federal Building. The bombing killed 168 people and injured hundreds more.

Nichols now faces 160 state first-degree murder counts in state court and was transferred to Oklahoma City for trial on January 31st. He is serving a life sentence in federal prison for conspiracy and eight counts of involuntary manslaughter for the eight federal agents killed the blast.