The Case of Eric Rudolph The Olympic Park Bomber

Eric Rudolph, 36, is charged with the 1998 bombing of a Birmingham abortion clinic that killed an off-duty police officer and critically injured a nurse. Rudolph was arrested May 31, 2003 while pilfering through a dumpster behind a grocery store in Murphy, North Carolina by a sheriffs deputy on routine patrol, ending a FBI manhunt that lasted more than five years. Latest Developments Defiant Rudolph Gets Two Life SentencesJuly 18, 2005A defiant and unrepentant Eric Rudolph said that abortion is murder that needs to be fought with deadly force before a federal judge sentenced him to life in prison for the bombing of a Birmingham abortion clinic that killed a security guard and injured a nurse. Previous Updates Eric Rudolph Pleads Guilty to BombingsApril 13, 2005Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty to the bombing of the 1996 Summer Olympics and other bombings, citing a hatred of abortion, gay rights and the government as his motive. Eric Rudolph to Plead Guilty, Escape Death PenaltyApril 7, 2005Eric Rudolph will enter guilty pleas in a plea agreement that will give him four life sentences and avoid the death penalty. Feds Try to Link Rudolph to Pro-Life ActivistMarch 28, 2005Federal prosecutors want to introduce evidence that he attended church services at a church were the pastor is noted anti-abortion activist, although the pastor says he doesnt remember ever seeing Rudolph. Judge Lets Capital Case Stand Against RudolphMarch 3, 2005Eric Rudolph will be tried on capital charges in the bombing of an Alabama abortion clinic after Judge Lynwood Smith rejected a motion that he should be tried under a federal law that does not allow the death penalty. Judge Rejects Bid to Drop Death PenaltyJan. 18, 2005U.S. Magistrate Judge T. Michael Putnam rejected a claim by Eric Rudolph that prosecutors waited too long to announce they would seek the death penalty. Judge Okays Seized Rudolph EvidenceDec. 18, 2004Magistrate Judge T. Michael Putnam ruled that evidence seized from the North Carolina trailer and shed of Eric Rudolph can be admitted at his trial. Judge Grants Eric Rudolph Defense RequestDec. 15, 2004Judge T. Michael Putnam has ordered prosecutors to turn over all information about a bomb found outside Birmingham police headquarters to Eric Rudolphs defense attorneys. Eric Rudolph Defense Questions FBI SketchDec. 6, 2004Eric Rudolphs defense attorneys have requested that prosecutors to turn over any evidence regarding alterations made to FBI composite drawings of the suspected abortion clinic bomber. Rudolphs Attorneys Seek Atlanta EvidenceNov. 15, 2004Attorneys for Eric Rudolph are trying to gain access to evidence the government has against him in another bombing, because they believe it will help in their case in Birmingham. Eric Rudolphs Lawyers Challenge EvidenceAttorneys for Eric Rudolph suggested that traces of explosives from an abortion clinic in Alabama were transported to Rudolphs home by the ATF agents doing the search. Judge to Review Inconsistencies in Rudolph CaseOct. 5, 2004U.S. District Judge Lynwood Smith has agreed to a defense request to review the handwritten notes used to compile witness statements in a Birmingham abortion clinic bombing investigation for inconsistencies. Attorneys Try to Suppress Rudolph EvidenceSept. 22, 2004Claiming that his capture was the result of an illegal detention and arrest, attorneys for accused abortion clinic bomber Eric Rudolph have filed a motion to suppress all evidence seized at his remote mountain campsite. Defense Attorneys Given More TimeAug. 23, 2004Attorneys for Eric Rudolph now have until Sept. 15, 2004 to reveal their defense against charges that he bombed a Birmingham abortion clinic in 1998. Unabomber Lawyer Heads Rudolph Defense - Aug. 10, 2004The lead attorney for alleged serial bomber Eric Rudolph unexpectedly withdrew from the case, and a judge appointed a lawyer who represented the Unabomber to take his place.Judge Refuses Bid to Review Secret Filings by Rudolph Attorneys - July 15, 2004Federal prosecutors lost a bid to reduce the amount of secrecy in the death penalty case against Eric Rudolph when a judge ruled against their request to see documents filed under seal by his lawyers. Judge Denies Defense Access to Notes - July 9, 2004A federal judge refused Eric Rudolphs request to see the original notes taken by agents who investigated an Alabama abortion clinic bombing, a potential blow to defense lawyers looking for holes in the prosecutions case. Defense Attacks Claims From Government - July 2, 2004Lawyers for Eric Rudolph attacked a key prosecution witness in their first detailed response to charges that the serial bombing suspect set off a deadly explosion outside an abortion clinic.