50 Shades of Evil: Georgia

On March 11, 2005, Brian Gene Nichols was sitting in a Fulton County Courthouse holding cell in Atlanta, Georgia, awaiting trial on SA charges. What happened next became one of the most shocking courthouse attacks in American history. In a matter of minutes, Nichols overpowered his deputy escort, seized her weapon, and stormed the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes. He murdered the judge and court reporter Julie Brandau in cold blood. As he fled the building, he gunned down Sheriff’s Deputy Hoyt Teasley. Hours later, during a desperate manhunt that shut down the city, Nichols killed a fourth victim—off-duty ICE Special Agent David Wilhelm—before carjacking his truck. A massive, 26-hour search gripped Atlanta. Then, in a quiet suburban apartment, Nichols took Ashley Smith hostage. What unfolded during their seven-hour ordeal would ultimately bring the rampage to an end in one of the most talked-about hostage encounters of the decade. “50 Shades of Evil” is a podcast series brought to you by “Bloody Angola Podcast”. Chapters 10:09 The Downward Spiral of a Relationship 10:49 The Night of Terror 16:17 The Trial Begins 19:44 The Escalation of Violence 21:25 The Courthouse Chaos 28:55 The Manhunt Begins 29:14 Hostage Situation 31:32 The Conviction and Sentencing Join Bloody Angola on Patreon for Commercial Free Early Releases and more here:

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50 Shades of Evil: Georgia is an episode from Bloody Angola by Envision Podcast Studios.

This episode is 35:30 long.

This episode was published on Apr 7, 2026.

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