With less than a month until his scheduled execution, legal representatives for a Tennessee death row inmate are making a desperate appeal to the state's governor to spare his life.
A Plea for Mercy
Attorneys for Harold Wayne Nichols are urgently requesting that Governor Bill Lee convert his death sentence to life imprisonment. His execution is set for 11 December 2025. The formal clemency application, dated 7 November, was released to the media late on Tuesday.
In their petition, his lawyers emphasise that Nichols confessed to the 1988 rape and murder of Karen Pulley, a 21-year-old student at Chattanooga State University, as well as a series of other rapes. They argue this early admission of guilt distinguishes him, stating he would be the first person executed for a crime he pleaded guilty to since Tennessee re-enacted the death penalty in 1978.
Transformation and a Mother's Forgiveness
The defence portrays Nichols as a man who has profoundly reformed during his decades in prison. They credit the mother of his victim, Ann Pulley, with inspiring this change. Moments after he received his death sentence, she asked to speak with him.
According to the petition, one of his defence attorneys, Rosemarie Bryan, described the emotional encounter where Mrs Pulley spoke to Nichols about Christian faith and salvation, and they prayed together. Nichols expressed his deep remorse and sorrow, and both were in tears. Bryan believed Mrs Pulley was attempting to 'save this kid’s soul'.
She met with him twice more at the county jail, and during one visit, gave him a Bible that he is said to still treasure 35 years later. These interactions are cited as the catalyst for his desire to better himself.
A Model Inmate and Legal Standoff
The petition includes testimonials from former prison staff vouching for his rehabilitation. Former Correction Lieutenant Tony Eden, with 30 years of service, described Nichols as one of the 'warmest and kindest' inmates he ever encountered, a calming presence who served as a role model.
Similarly, former corrections officer Hugh Rushton called him a 'true leader' who inspired others to improve.
In a recent legal development, Nichols declined to choose between the electric chair and lethal injection for his execution, meaning the state will default to lethal injection. His attorney, Stephen Ferrell, stated the Tennessee Department of Correction has not provided sufficient information about its protocol, which was updated last December to use the single drug pentobarbital.
This new protocol is itself the subject of a lawsuit from several death row inmates, though a trial is not scheduled until April. The governor’s office had not immediately responded to a request for comment about the clemency appeal.
