Terry Nichols defense team seeks higher office

BY JULIE BISBEE
THE OKLAHOMAN
Published June 27

The attorneys who once defended convicted Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols have both filed to run for public office this year.
Brian Hermanson and Creekmore Wallace II want to help enforce the law.

Hermanson is running as a Republican for district attorney in a district that includes Kay and Noble counties. Wallace is among three people seeking a judicial seat in Creek County. Judicial elections are nonpartisan.

The men worked together for nearly a decade defending Nichols as the state brought 161 counts of murder against him. They successfully avoided a death sentence for Nichols, who is serving a life sentence in prison without the possibility of release for his role in the bombing. Hermanson and Wallace said they didn't confer before deciding to run for office.

"We didn't talk to each other; it just happened," Hermanson said.

Hermanson, 57, said he decided to run for district attorney because he wanted to see a change in his local district attorney's office.

Wallace, 66, said he made a last minute decision to run for office when the sitting associate district judge announced her retirement. For Wallace, who has made a name for himself defending high-profile death penalty cases, working as a judge will be an opportunity to focus on other endeavors.

The legal careers of both men have lasted nearly 30 years. But to many they will always be known as the attorneys who defended the rights of a man who conspired with Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The explosion resulted in the deaths of 168 people. McVeigh was put to death after being convicted in a federal court.

"People still talk about it," Hermanson said. "The courts asked me to take that case. I didn't get rich. I didn't write a book about it. I provided the constitutional defense for somebody charged with a crime. Would it have been easy to walk way from it? Absolutely. Would it have been the right thing to do? No. You can't leave your client hanging like that."

Hermanson said his experience as a defense attorney would only enhance his ability to enforce the law as a prosecutor.

"Just because you're a defense attorney doesn't mean you don't want criminals to be punished," he said. "A defense attorney knows the ins and outs of criminal law and would be very successful as a prosecutor."

Wallace was a well-known defense attorney in eastern Oklahoma before he represented Nichols; the case only heightened his name recognition.

"I've represented ONG, oil companies. I've represented every head shop in the state," Wallace said. "And I've represented over 200 people who have chosen homicide as a problem solving technique."

Both men will face opponents in the July 27 primary election.