Defence rests in Nichols trial

DENVER - Defence attorneys rested their case yesterday after calling 92 witnesses in the effort to distance the accused Oklahoma…

DENVER - Defence attorneys rested their case yesterday after calling 92 witnesses in the effort to distance the accused Oklahoma City bomber, Mr Terry Nichols, from Timothy McVeigh, who was earlier convicted of the crime.Lawyers tried to shift all the blame to McVeigh, who faces the death penalty for the bombing in April 1995 that killed 168 people. Mr Nichols is charged with 11 counts of murder and conspiracy, the same as McVeigh.Prosecutors the pair planned the bombing to avenge what they believed were abuses of government power during the 1993 siege at the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas, where some 80 people died.Closing arguments are scheduled for Monday.