Film ‘Captive’ Probes Bond Forged After Atlanta Courthouse Rampage

A new film explores the unique connection that formed between two broken people following one of the most terrifying events in Atlanta’s recent history: a deadly courthouse shooting rampage.

After Brian Nichols overpowered a sheriff’s deputy escorting him to court for his rape trial in March 2005, he killed four people and took a woman hostage in her suburban apartment — Ashley Smith.

A lonely, widowed meth addict, Smith managed to gain Nichols’ trust by talking to him over the next seven hours about God and family. Her humanity softens him and the experience prompts her to get her life back on track.