Tuesday, October 15,
2002

Last modified at 10:54 p.m. on Monday,
October 14, 2002

Defense attorney dies at 55


By Rich Tucker
Times-Union staff writer

Longtime Jacksonville
attorney Richard D. Nichols died yesterday.

Publicly, he was known for defending people charged with the most brutal of
crimes, including Joshua Phillips, the teen convicted in the 1998 slaying of
8-year-old Maddie Clifton.

But friends and colleagues yesterday remembered Mr. Nichols, 55, as an
educated, well-read music aficionado who enjoyed playing classical guitar,
wood-working and studying Zen Buddhism.

"I know that at times, particularly later in his career, people felt he was
not as aggressive [in the courtroom] as he had once been," said Chief
Assistant
Public Defender Bill White, a longtime friend and colleague. "But he was an
extremely bright attorney, bordering on brilliant, and especially early in his

career, he was really something to watch."

According to friends, Mr. Nichols died after an extended illness because of
complications stemming from infection. During his 29-year career, he
represented
defendants in several high-profile cases including Phillips.

In 1997, he defended Jason Stephens, whose conviction for the kidnapping and
murder of a 3-year-old boy drew widespread attention. In 1994, Mr. Nichols
represented Greg Thomas, who was convicted of killing his ex-wife and pleaded
guilty to killing his adoptive mother in two separate cases.

"His closing argument was a thing of beauty," said Jacksonville lawyer
Abraham Bateh, a longtime friend of Mr. Nichols. "He was extremely well-read,
and he could quote scripture from the Bible, from Shakespeare, and he could
relate those to the case and to people on the jury."

Circuit Judge Lance Day said Mr. Nichols was a worthy adversary.

"With Mr. Nichols, you didn't need an agreement in writing. His handshake and
his word were his bond," said Day, who prosecuted the cases against Thomas.

Mr. Nichols is survived by his daughter, Katie Rhett Nichols, his mother,
Norma Nichols, and two sisters, Nancy Nichols and Jane Waddington.

Funeral arrangements are pending.