Today the state public defender's office voted to defy a judge's order. Judge Hilton Fuller ordered the lawyers to continue funding the defense of accused courthouse killer Brian Nichols. The public defender standards council agreed today to tell Judge Fuller Monday that it can’t afford to pay Nichols’ defense costs and carry out its duty in roughly 80 other death penalty cases. Nichols’ lawyers say his defense has already cost $2-million dollars. Brian Nichols is accused of killing four people in March 2005 during a shooting spree that started at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta.
