Posted on 03/14/2005 4:24:40 AM PST by beyond the sea
Just two days after moving into her Duluth apartment, Ashley Smith is up late unpacking.
At about 2 a.m. Saturday the 26-year-old runs out of cigarettes and heads to a local convenience store to buy a pack.
When she returns, she sees a man in a truck was waiting outside her door. She had seen the man earlier but didn't think much of it.
She gets out of her car and shuts the door.
She hears the door on the truck close at about the same time. Fear rises in her.
Holding her key in her hand, she makes her way to her front door. As she slides her key into the lock, she turns to see the man from the truck. She screams. He pokes a gun into her ribs.
"Stop screaming," he demands. "I won't hurt you if you stop screaming."
She fears the worst — that she will be raped and killed.
"Do you know who I am?" he asks.
He is wearing a dark blazer beneath a red ski parka but no shirt. He has a new UGA cap on his head.
She doesn't know him.
He removes the cap, showing his shaved head.
"Now do you know who I am?" he asks again.
She recognizes him. She begins to tremble with fear.
"I won't hurt you," he tells her reassuringly.
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
Nice..very nice and sweet...probabloy still decompressing, and overwhelmed by all the publicity..she needs a fgood friend to get her away from all the cameras, and let her work out a book/movie deal..let her make some $$
It's a nice story and I think she is real, but I want to trust but verify. -- fine.
She basically said God wanted him to escape the courthouse so he could see the light. -- Wrong. Show me that!
At the end of the press interview last night. She said God's miracle for him was to somehow escape the courthouse and be led to someone who could help him see the need to repent. I'm not making it up. Her story sounded great to me until the end of that interview. At that point she sounded like the only thing that mattered to God was him, not the 4 dead and their mourners. She seemed in love with him frankly. Stockholm Syndrome.
Did you read this ...... completely? I'm just wondering. Any reasonable and perceptive person that I have known in my 58 years on this earth, after reading this would almost KNOW that this girl is for real, and that your ponderous need for "verification" is fine, but will change nothing.
Realx - there is plenty of time to sort out her story. I said I think it is real, but we've all been suckered by the "God told me" stories. And I say that as a Christian. I repeat, what she said at the end of that interview was wierd, almost like setting up his legal defense. Trust but verify.
We're talking about a quadruple murder here - I would like the focus to be on the crime, punishment and the vicitms. Not some nice gal warms a bad boys heart story. He is scum and should fry quickly. God can do what he wants with him then. She did good to turn him in (assuming it is legit). After that I don't need her apologizing for his evil actions, which she clearly did if you really listen.
Give her time to decompress. She's been through an ordeal few of us have ever experienced.
hey thanks that worked great.
Remember: When Ashley was in her car following Nichols as he ditched the stolen truck, she could have just split to safety. However, she was afraid Nichols would get away and kill more. That's somewhat "miraculous" to me.
She seemed in love with him frankly. -- LOL!
Stockholm Syndrome. -- I'd say a little of that but 'Reverse Stockholm Syndrome' is much more appropriate.
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By the way, you never answered whether you had bothered to read post # 77 on: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1362146/posts?q=1&&page=51
As they cannot sense it in themselves, they naturally are incapable of sensing it in others.
She's experienced a wide range of emotions and probably will for some time to come. In less than 24-48 hours, she's had to negotiate her way out of the clutches of a quadruple murderer, spend hours with law enforcement being questioned--and facees being a witness in Nichols' criminal trial(s), and have the braying jackals of the press set upon her. Her life will not be normal for quite some time to come. All in all, she's held up remarkably well.
You've been pretty darn intelligent over the past two days talking about this Atlanta story. Now you're wrong.
Show everyone on this thread what you say is her "apologizing for his evil actions". Where's the apology?
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By the way, o, if your gripe is only with Nichols reaching for God now, I'm with you! Too late for that now, Brian!
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well said.
We agree on the Nichols part, and probably on the woman too. I'm just not ready to proclaim her story totally true yet - not really a big deal. This is a huge case that needs to be fully vetted. If you heard the end of her interview last night she was saying he didn't mean to kill those people, that wasn't him, he just wanted to prove he was as bad as everyone falsely thought he was, stuff like that. I just think it sets up a convenient defense for him. We'll see...
I have to work now, but thanks for the discussion and keep me posted, my FRiend :)
The pathetic Atlanta law enforcement incompetence deserves plenty more criticism and analysis than Ashley Smith.
Me too, work calls.
I must say, it's been great talking with you and all others about this. To me, this encounter between these two human beings has the possibility of being the source of a meaningful human drama, expositional in many ways.
However, as I'm sure you would, I would like to direct the attention and praise in this event ONLY to Ashley Smith. I'll leave that "coming to God" of Nichols to others to believe or not.
But this hostage episode in that apartment in suburban Atlanta was Broadway stage drama at it's best!
I'll stand in line to see how Ashley Smith's excellent mind worked that night and morning!
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