Ashley Smith was hailed as a hero after being held hostage by the alleged Atlanta courthouse killer, Brian Nichols. However, in a book she wrote that was released on Tuesday, she admits that, in addition to sharing her faith with Nichols, she also shared her crystal meth.
Jennifer Brett "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution," who interviewed Ashley Smith earlier on Tuesday, appeared on MSNBC's 'Scarborough Country' on Tuesday night to discuss the story and her interview with Smith.
To read an excerpt of their conversation, continue to the text below. To watch the video, click on the "Launch" button to the right.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Jennifer, tell me about the interview, how she is taking these revelations coming out now.
JENNIFER BRETT, "THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION": Well, I asked Ashley whether it was difficult for her to be as candid and honest as she was in this book.
She talks at great length of her past drug use, leading up to the night that she was held captive by Brian Nichols. She said it was not difficult for her to be honest. She said that she felt it was healing for her to write this book, to share these revelations about herself. And her goal now is to reach out to others struggling to fight addiction, as she did.
SCARBOROUGH: Yes. You know, in her new book, Ashley writes about her long night with Brian Nichols. She said-quote-"I was not going to die tonight and stand before God having done a bunch of ice up my nose"
Jennifer, you say she talks about her past life. I understand this book is being sold in Christian bookstores. It's a story of redemption, isn't it?
BRETT: It is. And one question I asked her was, when she talks about providing the drugs to Brian Nichols and refusing to partake herself, I asked her, was this the first time she had ever really refused drugs? And she said, 'Yes, it was.' And that moment was sort of an epiphany for her. She knew then that she would never touch drugs again and says that she has been drug-free and clean since that day. She has not ever gone back.
SCARBOROUGH: Now did you talk about her possible past involvement with this man? Did she know him before? Had she either bought drugs or sold drugs to Brian Nichols before this night?
BRETT: No, she says that she had never met Brian Nichols before this night, and, in fact, talks about how absolutely incredible it was that he ended up at her doorstep.
Her apartment that she lived in was sort of out of the way in a suburb of Atlanta. And the actual apartment that she lived in was towards the back of the complex. And so, it was really a remarkable thing that he ended up right at her door at the moment that she was coming back from a cigarette run at 2:00 in the morning.