Harold Wayne Nichols

Harold Nichols
November 2025 mugshot of Nichols
Born
Harold Wayne Nichols

(1960-12-31)December 31, 1960
DiedDecember 11, 2025(2025-12-11) (aged 64)
Criminal statusExecuted by lethal injection
Spouse
Joanne
(m. 1986)
Children1
Convictions
Criminal penaltyDeath (May 12, 1990)
Details
VictimsKaren Pulley
DateSeptember 30, 1988
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
WeaponPiece of wooden board
Date apprehended
January 5, 1989

Harold Wayne Nichols (December 31, 1960 – December 11, 2025), dubbed the Red-Headed Stranger, was an American serial rapist and convicted murderer who was executed in Tennessee for the 1988 rape and murder of 20-year-old Karen Pulley of Chattanooga. Nichols was also convicted of a series of rapes in the Chattanooga area between 1988 and 1989.