A first-degree murder preliminary hearing was held in Geary County District Court on Wednesday morning. Anthony Nichols is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 37-year-old Anthony Nixon in September 2013. Nichols also faces a first-degree murder charge in Riley County for the stabbing death of 68-year-old John Burroughs, which authorities say, happened near the time of the Geary County case.
During the hearing on Wednesday police officers testified that a search warrant was conducted at Nichols’s home in Kansas City. Hidden in a bucket under a lounge chair police report they found a pistol, which KBI confirmed, was used in both homicides. Nichols’s told police in an interview that he didn’t commit the crimes, but wouldn’t reveal who had because of his personal code as a member of the Gangster Disciples.
However, prosecutors allege Nichols’s committed both crimes, and on Wednesday convinced a Geary County District Court Judge to move to the next step in the process and schedule a jury trial. That trial is set to begin on July 28th at 9 a.m. in Geary County District Court.
Nichols faces several counts besides the two counts of first-degree murder including aggravated robbery, and criminal possession of a firearm.
