JUST IN: Tennessee Executes U.S. Army Vet Harold Wayne Nichols — “I Know Where I’m Going”… PART1 Tennessee carried out the death penalty this morning, executing serial rapist and murderer Harold Nichols. >> Nichols was sentenced to death after confessing to the 1988 rape and murder of 20-year-old Karen Polley in Chattanooga. She was asleep. He was already inside. And he was holding a board. When investigators finally asked him one question, would he have stopped on his own? He didn’t hesitate. He said no. This is not a story pulled from a crime novel. This is not a fictional thriller. What you are about to hear is a real case, a real woman, a real crime, and a legal battle that took 37 years to reach its conclusion. Karen Elise Polley was 20 years old. She was not a headline. She was not a case number. She was a young woman with a plan for her life and every reason to believe it was just getting started. Karen was a student at Chattanooga State Community College working toward a career as a paralegal. Before college, she had walked the halls of Brainerd Baptist High School, the same Brainerd community where she later made her home as a cheerleader. She had recently completed Bible College, and her faith was not background noise in her life. It was central to everything she did and everyone she was. Those who knew her used the same words every time. Bubbly, selfless, happy. Her sister Lizette described her as someone with a genuine mischievous streak, the kind of person who made every room feel lighter. Lizette Monroe was 23 in 1988 and had just returned to the United States after 3 years living on a US Air Force base in the Philippines with her husband Jeff Monroe. The sisters had been inseparable their entire lives. Every Sunday after church, without fail, they would go to dinner together, just the two of them. Lizette had planned a trip to Chattanooga. She wanted Karen to meet her newborn daughter for the first time. That visit never happened. Karen’s parents Ann Inez Chek-Pollis spent the rest of their lives carrying the weight of that September night. Both passed away in the years that followed, never living to see the day justice was finally delivered. At the time of her death, Karen shared a Brainerd apartment with two roommates. She had a future mapped out. She had people who loved her deeply. And on the night of September 30th, 1988, none of that was enough to protect her. If you’re watching this for the first time, take 5 seconds right now and subscribe. Every week this channel covers real cases like this one. Fully investigated, fully detailed, nothing left out. You will not want to miss what comes next in this very episode. Subscribe and turn on the bell. To understand what happened to Karen Polley, you first have to understand the man responsible. Not just what he did, but where he came from and how a person becomes capable of it. Harold Wayne Nichols was born on December 31st, 1960, in Cleveland, Tennessee. From his very first years, the environment around him was unstable. His father, Mack Nichols, was later described in federal court records as a mean, abusive, and outright vile man. His mother, Nannie Lou, struggled with mental instability. The family home was cramped and isolating. Harold, his older sister Deborah, his parents, and his paternal grandmother Oma all sharing the same tight space. Mack was a strict member of the Church of God of Prophecy and allowed no outside visitors except fellow churchgoers. In June 1961, Mack’s sister Betty Sampley and her husband drowned during a family outing. Two of their six children, Royce and Diana, ages 13 and 12, were taken into the Nichols household. For years that followed, Mack subjected Diana to sexual menace and possible assault. It was the kind of household where harm was normalized and silence was enforced. In October 1966, Nanny Lou was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died on January 29th, 1971. Harold was 10 years old. What came after was worse. With his mother gone, Mack’s abuse of Harold and Deborah intensified. Less than 7 months after Nanny Lou’s death, the situation became so severe that church leaders were forced to step in. On August 12th, 1971, they brokered a deal. Harold and Deborah would be removed from Mack’s custody. In exchange, the abuse would be covered up and Mack would never face criminal charges. The two children were placed in the Tomlinson Children’s Home, a church-run orphanage that federal court records later described as stereotypically harsh and inhospitable. Mack never visited them once during their entire time there. On June 28th, 1977, Harold, now 17, was returned to live with Mack. His father was by then collecting disability benefits, drinking heavily, and largely absent in any meaningful sense. Mack was still verbally and physically abusive. There was one incident where he propositioned Harold directly. Harold declined and walked away….Part 2 is in the comments👇👇