Sentencing phase continues for Huntsville man convicted of 2013 murder

UPDATE 1 p.m.: Defense attorneys representing a Huntsville man convicted of murder called several witnesses to testify in court on Saturday for the sentencing phase in the murder trial.

Defense attorneys first called an old neighbor of Jeffrey Nichols, the convicted murderer, to the stand.

The neighbor said Nichols was about 7 years old when they lived a block down the road in Joplin, Missouri. She said Nichols was a sweet kid, but he was always dirty and hungry whenever she saw him. Nichols would go to her house and play with her sons.

The neighbor said she met Nichols’ mother twice, but never got her last name. She never saw a father-like figure with Nichols. Besides the mother, the neighbor saw Nichols with another older woman, who she said she saw slap Nichols and called him profane names.

The second time the neighbor saw Nichols’ mother was the last time she saw Nichols, according to the neighbor. She said his mother dropped him off on a Friday, said she would be pick him up that Sunday, but never came.

The second witness the defense called to testify was the neighbor’s son.

The defense focused on Nichols’ upbringing by his mother. The third and fourth witness were relatives of Nichols’, on his biological’s mother side.

Nichols’ half-sister said their mother was a drug addict who “chose her drugs over her children.”

The prosecution cross-examined Nichols’ half-sister and asked if she ever committed murder because of how her mother treated and raised her. She said no.

The defense then called her cousin to testify. She told the room a memory she had of Nichols’ mother, that she left her and his half-sister out in the cold so she could do drugs inside the house.

The defense called two more witnesses who knew Nichols shortly before he was adopted. One was a teacher at his school and the other was the principal of the same school.

Both said Nichols was a sweet and funny child. They said he didn’t have behavioral issues in the classroom, but he would sometimes get into trouble during recess.

Both said Nichols defended the underdogs and would tell other children to stop bullying classmates.

The prosecution asked the two educators if they thought Nichols was in a loving home after he was adopted. They both similarly said yes, but that the damage had already been done.

After a 15-minute recess, Nichols’ adopted brother and sister were sequentially called to the stand by the defense. The defense asked how Nichols became a part of the family and how life was like after the adoption.

Andy Nichols, the brother, said adding Nichols was like getting a new best friend. He said Nichols would defend him from bullies. He said at first he could tell his new brother was brought up differently, but they all treated him like a loving family.

Jenny Penta, Nichols’ sister, said they would do a lot of activities together as a family, and even more so after Nichols was adopted. Both Penta and Andy Nichols said the first several years after the adoption are filled with mainly happy memories.

Penta and Andy Nichols said life started changing for the worse when Nichols was 16 years old. They said Nichols started getting into trouble at school with a specific group of friends.

The siblings said their parents transferred Nichols to a private school so he would be around people who could better influence him. They said Nichols’ behavior got worse after the transfer.

Despite being at a Christian school, they said Nichols started hanging out with even worse influencers, whom he met at the new school. They said Nichols started doing drugs and running away from home.

Both said Nichols always apologized and was sincerely remorseful for his actions.

The last person to testify was a clinical neuropsychologist.

The expert witness said he had more than 30 years of training and education in the area of cognitive impairment. The expert evaluated Nichols after the murder.

The expert said that Nichols had brain abnormalities and brain damage. He said the abnormalities and damage didn’t cause Nichols to commit crime, but did affect the way he thinks and solves problems.

He said it’s more common for a person with Nichols’ brain abnormalities to commit a crime than for a person who doesn’t.

The judge adjourned the jury and court just before 1 p.m. The sentencing trial is set to reconvene Monday at 9 a.m., starting with the defense showing evidence.

ORIGINAL: The sentencing phase in a murder trial is set to continue Saturday morning in Randolph County.

A jury convicted Jeffrey Nichols, 27, on Thursday in the murder of Carmelita Kaser, 92, in 2013.

The sentencing phase began Friday. Jurors will be deciding if Nichols should be given the death penalty or life in prison. The jury heard testimony from seven people, including Kaser’s daughter and law enforcement.

Prosecutors said the trial would continue on Saturday at 9 a.m. Prosecutors plan to have experts testify about Nichols’ social influence, how it shaped his decision-making and any physical impairments that might affect the execution process, if jurors choose the death penalty.