Supreme Court Notebook

U.S. Supreme Court declines Nichols appeal
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U. S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of a Clay County man convicted of depraved heart murder for causing a fatal wreck in 2004.

Lonzie Earl Nichols was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2006 for ramming his vehicle into the back of a car on Highway 45 in Clay County.

Prosecutors say Kiki Johnson and her unborn child were killed on July 24, 2004 when the car, in which they were passengers, collided with a vehicle driven by Nichols.

Nichols claimed the evidence did not support a murder conviction. The Appeals Court says there was evidence that Nichols’ deliberately rear-ended the Johnson car, an action which contributed to the wreck.