Atlanta mom to get $20,000 reward

ATLANTA (AP) — The woman hailed for leading authorities to the arrest of courthouse shooting suspect Brian Nichols is expected to receive $20,000 in reward money pledged by the FBI, a spokesman said Thursday.

The announcement of the planned reward to Ashley Smith came a day after the FBI said it had not finished determining the "rightful recipients" of its portion of the reward money. Other agencies and organizations that had offered rewards for Nichols had quickly announced that Smith would be the recipient.

Smith, a 26-year-old widow with a 5-year-old daughter, made the phone call that led to the arrest of Nichols on Saturday morning.

"We do expect that Ashley Smith will be recipient of the FBI's portion of the reward money in Brian Nichols' case," spokesman Steve Lazarus read from a statement. "We further expect this will happen sooner rather than later."

The rewards have totaled $62,500. Besides the $20,000 from the FBI, Smith is to receive $25,000 expected from the U.S. Marshals Office, $10,000 from Gov. Sonny Perdue's office, $5,000 from the Georgia Sheriffs' Association and $2,500 from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.

Authorities said Nichols accosted Smith outside her suburban apartment and held her for seven hours. But she bonded with him, telling him about her child and discussing religion and other topics, she said. He let her leave and she dialed 911.

Nichols is accused of fatally shooting Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes and his court reporter Julie Brandau. Nichols also is accused of killing Sheriff's Sgt. Hoyt Teasley outside the courthouse and federal agent David Wilhelm during his attempt to elude authorities.