Ex-Atlanta hostage gets hero's welcome, $70,000

ATLANTA — Former hostage Ashley Smith got a hero's welcome Thursday at the state Capitol. And she walked away $70,000 richer.

Smith, who was held hostage two weeks ago by courthouse murder suspect Brian Nichols, was given rewards from the state and law enforcement agencies for helping capture him. The city of Atlanta and Georgia Fraternal Order of Police also showed up with money for the single mother.

Smith, with her 5-year-old daughter in tow, thanked "my savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" as she accepted the checks. "My heart goes out to those who are still mourning," she said.

Nichols surrendered March 12 after Smith talked to him about her life, her religious faith and read to him from an inspirational book. She prepared pancakes for him before he let her go. She phoned police after her release.

Gov. Sonny Perdue credited Smith with preventing a horrific tragedy from spiraling further out of control.

"We're here today to recognize the heroism of a young woman who faced a dangerous situation with calmness, courage, decency and faith," Perdue said. He credited Smith with ending "a tragic situation without further loss of life."

Perdue presented Smith with $10,000 from the state. She also received $20,000 from the FBI, $25,000 from the U.S. Marshals Service, $5,000 from the Georgia Sheriff's Association, $5,000 from the city of Atlanta and $5,000 from the Georgia Fraternal Order of Police. Previously, the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police had presented Smith a $2,500 reward.

Smith, a 26-year-old widow, has become a national celebrity since her ordeal. She has appeared on all major television networks, her picture is on the cover of People magazine and she has received numerous proposals of marriage and offers of money from total strangers.

Her picture has even appeared on the front page of a newspaper in Borneo. When she went as a guest to a metro area Rotary Club, she was given a standing ovation.

Nichols, 33, is suspected of overpowering a sheriff's deputy while changing clothes for a rape trial that was being heard by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes. Witnesses say he entered Barnes' courtroom, fatally shot the judge and court stenographer Julie Ann Brandau and moments later fatally shot sheriff's Sgt. Hoyt Teasley while fleeing the courthouse. Nichols is also accused of killing federal agent David Wilhelm. While on the run, he encountered Smith, whose ordeal began around 2 a.m. March 12 when she took a break from unpacking boxes in her newly rented suburban Atlanta apartment and drove to a convenience store for cigarettes.