John Harris

Dedicated Wife, Mother and Nurse

By all accounts, Jeanette Nichols was as close to a saint as anyone could be is this world. She had no enemies and everyone who knew her liked and respected her. Raised on her family’s farm in Amlin, Ohio, she would learn at a young age the importance of hard work as well as the importance of taking care of the animals. As Mrs. Nichols got older, she decided to go from taking care of animals on the farm to taking care of people in the hospital. Mrs. Nichols dedicated her life to helping others by becoming a nurse. In 1950, she would graduate with her nursing degree, and six years later would marry her husband, Roland. Soon after, they would have two sons, Ronald and Richard. Mrs. Nichols loved her husband, her sons, and her job in the emergency room at St. Anthony’s Hospital. According to Mr. Nichols, “She always had to be in the emergency room. She liked the excitement there. Anyplace else (in the hospital) was too boring for her.”(1) Mrs. Nichols helped many people over the nine years she worked at St. Anthony’s. Sadly, on the night of May 8, 1974, Mrs. Nichols’ desire to help others would end her own life in what many people still call Columbus, Ohio’s most brutal murder.

A Typical Night At Home

It was a typical night in the Nichols household on May 8, 1974, with two exceptions. First, Mr. Nichols, a pilot and flight instructor, was running late because he had spent extra time working with a nervous student pilot. Second, there was a new bedroom suite in the Nichols’ bedroom, a Mother’s Day present from Mr. Nichols and his sons.

When Mr. Nichols arrived home that night, dinner was on the stove. As he did every night, Mr. Nichols prepared to follow his wife to her 11 p.m. shift at the hospital to ensure her safety. Mr. Nichols arrived home late and Mrs. Nichols told him that, since he was tired, he should just sit down and eat. Before she left, Mrs. Nichols took one more look at her bedroom suite. According to Mr. Nichols, “She opened the drawer to one of the nightstands and put her calendar and little paper items in the top drawer. She put the telephone on the stand and started getting ready to go to work. That was the last time she saw it (the furniture).”(2)

Pure Evil

Nurse Jeanette Nichols arrived as usual at Saint Anthony’s Hospital on May 8, 1974. She parked her car as she always did on Clifton Avenue, cattycorner to the hospital, so she could see the emergency room from her car. As Mrs. Nichols was parking her car, three street thugs named John Harris, Jerome Royster and Clarence Smith were looking for a car to steal so they could go confront someone who sold them $50 of “bad dope.” As Mrs. Nichols began to get out of her car, Royster put a sawed-off shotgun in her face. Harris, Smith and Royster forced Mrs. Nichols into the back seat of the car and drove to Harris’ house.

After arriving at Harris’ house, Royster and Smith left to go pick up Eric Maurice. Harris took Mrs. Nichols to his bedroom. According to Harris, his mother and grandmother were in the living room at the time. At some point, Mrs. Nichol’s hands were tied behind her back and she was gagged. Harris then raped Jeanette Nichols. When there was a knock at the bedroom door, Harris threw Mrs. Nichols out the first-floor window.

Harris then went outside and took Mrs. Nichols into the garage. When Royster and Smith returned, with Maurice in tow, Harris called them into the garage. For the next 45 minutes, Mrs. Nichols would be brutally tortured and raped by the four criminals. Her teeth impressions would later be found in a garment bag that was used to cover her head during the ordeal.

Mrs. Nichols was then put back in the car. Harris and Royster dropped Maurice and possibly Smith off at a female friend’s house. Harris and Royster then drove to a field where Royster acted as the lookout. Harris forced Mrs. Nichols to lie on her stomach. Harris then put a shotgun to the back of Mrs. Nichols head and executed her by firing two shots at point blank range into the back of her head. They then covered Mrs. Nichols’ lifeless body with an old, beat-up couch.

Harris and Royster went back and picked up Smith, who followed them while they drove Mrs. Nichols’ car across town. They stripped the car, took Mrs. Nichols’ purse and jewelry, and joined up with Maurice. They fled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

It would take two days for police to find Mrs. Nichols’ body. Her sons would bury their mother on Mother’s Day.

Arrested, Tried, Pleas and Convictions

It didn’t take long for police to find these four men. One day after Mrs. Nichols’ abduction, Baxter Lee Martin was arrested after attempting to use her credit card while trying to buy an engagement and wedding ring for his girlfriend. He would lead police to Harris, Royster, Smith and Maurice in Philadelphia. They were arrested without incident. By the time police arrested them they had already made several calls to their defense attorney, Myron Schwartz.

Mike Miller prosecuted the case. Mrs. Nichols’ murder was long before DNA and the advanced technology of today. Plea deals were given to Baxter, Maurice and Smith because they were not involved directly with Mrs. Nichols’ murder. The plea deals were as follows:

• Baxter Lee Martin: Pled guilty to forgery and receiving stolen property. He was sentenced to one to five years in prison.
• Eric Maurice: Pled guilty to rape, kidnapping, aggravated robbery and grand theft. He was sentenced to 15 to 55 years in prison.
• Clarence E. Smith: Pled guilty to kidnapping, aggravated robbery and grand theft. He was sentenced to 12 to 50 years in prison.

Miller had a confession and enough evidence to go after John Harris and Jerome Royster for the rape and murder of Jeanette Nichols. Harris chose to go before a three-judge panel. Schwartz tried to convince the judges that Harris was insane and should be found not guilty by reason of insanity. Fortunately, Schwartz was no match for Miller and the evidence. Harris was convicted of aggravated murder, kidnapping, rape and aggravated robbery.

Jerome Royster chose a jury trial. It took the seven-man, five-woman jury three hours and fifteen minutes to find Royster guilty of aggravated murder, kidnapping, rape and aggravated robbery.

Although they chose different methods of trial, the end result was the same for Harris and Royster. Both were sentenced to die on February 28, 1975, for the rape, murder and torture of Jeanette Nichols.

The family and friends of Jeanette Nichols and the citizens of Franklin County believed justice was served. They were wrong.

The Injustice Begins

After the convictions of those involved in the murder of Jeanette Nichols, Prosecutor Mike Miller made it very clear what should be done with the four individuals implicated in her rape and murder. In 1975, Miller sent a letter to the Ohio Adult Parole Authority and wrote, “The facts demand that all four men serve their maximum sentences. To grant these individuals anything else is to make maximum prison sentences, set by statute, farcical. If this crime does not require a full term of incarceration then … no crime does.” The parole board did not listen to Miller.

The injustice began in 1977 when Baxter Lee Martin, who was convicted of stealing Ms. Nichols’ credit card, was paroled two years early. Martin would be shot and killed in July 1984. A greater injustice would occur in May 1984 when the parole board released Eric Maurice, who took part in the rape and torture of Mrs. Nichols. Maurice had served only ten years of a 55-year sentence when he was set free. Roland Nichols, Mrs. Nichols’ husband, learned about Maurice’s parole after reading about it in the newspaper. Maurice would be shot and killed later that year in New Orleans.

After learning of Maurice’s parole, Roland Nichols went on a crusade to ensure no more of those involved in the murder of his wife would be released. He fought tirelessly to keep Clarence E. Smith behind bars. In 1987, Roland Nichols passed away from cancer. On his deathbed, his greatest concern was that people would forget about Jeanette Nichols. His new wife promised him she would always fight the paroles. Years go by, crimes are forgotten and parole board members change. On May 19, 2004, Clarence E. Smith was released from prison and given the minimum supervision time of one year. He was completely released from supervision on July 24, 2005. We have no idea where Clarence Smith is today and can’t find anything to confirm he was ever adjudicated a sex offender.

The greatest injustice may be yet to come.

Death Row to Possible Parole

There is no doubt John Harris and Jerome Royster raped and killed Jeanette Nichols. They were sentenced to die for this horrific crime. However, the appeals process would allow Harris and Royster to escape the death penalty. They would not be executed because the U.S. Supreme Court would abolish the death penalty in 1978. To make matters worse, both would become eligible for parole. We would like to think these killers would never be paroled; however, after spending several years dealing with the Ohio Parole Board, we know better than to believe Harris and Royster will never be released back into society.

Our greatest concern comes from the 2004 parole board decision sheets for Jerome Royster. They read:

“Inmate has served continued time as set by the Full Board in ’94, Much improved institutional conduct, Completion of some relevant programming, but no sex offender treatment, Excellent work evaluations, Good interview, expressed strong remorse & good insight into offense behavior, Willing to do SOP [sex offender program] on parole, Has now served well into his guideline range, This Brd Member will submit case to COBR [Central Office Board Review] for release consideration.”

The concerns with this are as follows:

• Royster had been in prison for 30 years and had yet to take a sex offender class. How can he had good insight to a crime of rape when he continues to refuse to take a sex offender class?
• Royster either quit or was removed from his GED classes. In 30 years, he had still not received a high school education.
• Royster has never taken a victim awareness class. How can one be remorseful when he refuses to take a victim awareness class?
• Royster received a death sentence, which was later commuted to life. Royster will have “served well into his guideline range” after he has been dead for twenty years.

Fortunately, this case went before all the parole board members and a majority had the sense to vote against parole. We may not get that lucky in the future.

According to the parole board sheets, Harris has gotten his GED and has done marginally better than Royster in prison. However, as of 2004, he also has refused to take a sex offender class and also has not taken a victim awareness class. Also, there is no indication of any remorse for his crime. Of course, he did make a popcorn festival float in 1998 and was a member of the prison debate team.

No Parole

On his deathbed, Roland Nichols had one last request: that the three individuals still incarcerated for the murder of his wife never get out of prison. That request was not honored when Clarence Smith was paroled 20 years early in May 2004. Now that same injustice could repeat itself if John Harris and Jerome Royster are released back into the community. We are asking all our visitors to honor Roland Nichols’ dying wish and help get justice for Jeanette Nichols by continuing to voice their opposition to the paroles of these two brutal rapists and murderers. Not only would their release endanger the lives of all citizens, it would also completely dishonor the memory of Jeanette Nichols. Mike Miller summed it up best in a Columbus Dispatch article in June 1975: “The coming years will dull the memory of this heinous crime to most citizens of the community. But we will remember it always. Unfortunately, the family of Jeanette Nichols will never forget.”(3)

(1) “Police Considered Nurse Their Friend, The Columbus Dispatch, May 12, 1974
(2) “Those Who Remember Fight Parole For Nurse’s Killer”, The Columbus Dispatch, October 22, 1989
(3)“Ban Is Requested On Parole for 4”, The Columbus Dispatch, June 30. 1975