Unlikely Angel

Oprah’s show yesterday featured an interview with Ashley Smith, about whom I wrote the Sense piece, “Purpose Driven Hype?”, raising questions about the veracity of her story about the circumstances of her leading Atlanta police to escaped killer Brian Nichols. Ashley’s book about her hostage ordeal, “Unlikely Angel”(not to be confused with the Dolly Parton movie of the same name) has just been published. Since she collected several reward funds a few weeks after the arrest of Nichols, Ashley has been advised to keep quiet, apparently in part to maintain the curiosity about her story, in order to enhance book sales.

Ashley’s interview with Oprah confirmed many of my suspicions and answered many of my questions. She admitted that she has a history of crystal meth addiction and that she had used the drug the day before the ordeal began. She briefly, but convincingly, explained the strong hold the drug has on her. Only 25, she has done three stints in rehab trying to kick the habit and had once been placed in a mental institution by her family.

It was obvious from the start Ashley has a quick mind and knows how to handle herself, and that seems to be what she did effectively with Nichols, especially when she realized he had a decent side. When he put a towel on her head while she was tied up during his shower, so she would not have to look at him, Ashley began to talk to Nichols about family and especially about her daughter. She eventually convinced him to let her go see her daughter as scheduled the next morning, by convincing him if she did not go, her family would get suspicious and maybe send someone to check on her.

The biggest problem people had with Ashley’s story was why she did not call the police when Nichols let her drive alone with her cell phone, while he ditched a stolen truck. She originally said she was concerned he would get away and kill more people, but on Oprah she gave a more convincing answer, saying she was concerned she might get killed in police gunfire.

It seems to me that Ashley has followed some good advice, to stop talking and collect the reward money she earned and then write an honest book about her ordeal. Hopefully she is also doing everything in her power to kick the habit and get her life more under her control. She should have money to help her, with the reward money and book advance probably amounting to about $500,000. I wish her well.

Oh, what about the book, “The Purpose Driven Life”, that supposedly was the savior of both Ashely and Nichols? On Oprah, Ashley only said that shortly before the ordeal ended, she picked up the book to read and Nichols asked her to read some to him and then they had a brief exchange about their life purpose. By then, the outcome of the ordeal had already essentially been determined, so it sounds like the book was not really a factor. Nevertheless, Oprah surprised Ashely by parading out the book’s author, Rick Warren, at the end of the show, affording him an opportunity to plug his book. I doubt whether Nichols is going to be come a prison preacher for the Lord. Contrary to what she reportedly told Nichold during the ordeal, Ashley told Oprah she does not plan to visit Nichols in prison.