Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

One-time Olympic park bombing suspect Richard Jewell dies

 (CNN) -- Richard Jewell, the security guard wrongly suspected of setting off a deadly bomb at Atlanta, Georgia's Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Olympics, died Wednesday morning, his attorney, Lin Wood, told CNN.
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Richard Jewell, who was wrongly suspected of setting off a bomb during the 1996 Olympics, has died.

Jewell, 44, died of natural causes at his home in Woodbury, Georgia, according to Meriwether County Coroner Johnny Worley.

Jewell had been suffering from diabetes and kidney failure since February, Worley said.

After 12 weeks of scrutiny following the bombing, Jewell was cleared by the FBI and U.S. Attorney Kent Alexander in an unprecedented government acknowledgment of wrongful accusation.

"I am not the Olympic park bomber," Jewell told reporters after being cleared. "I am a man who has lived 88 days afraid of being arrested for a crime I did not commit."

The FBI, Jewell said, trampled on his rights "in its rush to show the world it could get its man," while the news media "cared nothing about my feelings as a human being" in its rush to get a story on the bombing.

Jewell was working as a private security guard in Centennial Olympic Park about 1 a.m. on July 27 when he identified a suspicious unidentified package and began moving people away from it. The package turned out to contain the bomb, which went off, killing one person and wounding more than 100.

He was originally hailed as a hero for moving people away, but he was later thrust into a different light when the FBI suspected that he had set off the bomb to give himself an opportunity to be a hero.

For weeks, reporters and camera crews camped outside Jewell's Atlanta apartment, capturing every move that he -- and the FBI -- made.

He later sued the FBI and several media organizations. CNN and NBC were among the organizations that settled with him.

In April, 2005, Eric Robert Rudolph pleaded guilty to the bombing. Rudolph was captured in Murphy, North Carolina, in May 2003 after one of the largest manhunts in U.S. history.

Rudolph also pleaded guilty to a 1998 bombing at a family planning clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed a police officer and two 1997 bombings at an abortion clinic and a gay nightclub in Georgia.

He is serving four consecutive life sentences plus 120 years for the attacks.

I had forgotten about him until Dana did a commentary on it today:

http://www.scaredmonkeysradio.com/2007/08/31/scared-monkeys-radio-daily-commentary-friday-august-31-2007-richard-jewell-dies/

Poor guy spent his whole life trying to live down a false accusation.

I remember that... horrific story, the media rushed to judgment because he had wanted to be a policeman and for some reason, couldn't pass the test... the physical, I think... based on that alone they came up with this "profile" and literally hung him out to dry.


They did pay him a hefty sum though... and he even became a policeman after it was all said and done... but man, what that guy endured.

Part of Jewell's problem was that he had been dismissed as a security guard at a small college ... not sure, but I think he had been accused of stalking. He also sued that college for revealing information.

Eric Rudolph, a hero in the minds of some, never indicated that he would have done anything to prevent Jewell's from being arrested or going to trial ... although he did say that the Olympic Park bombing was the one thing he wished he could "take back" ...

To clarify, Jewell was never arrested. He was extensively investigated, however, for about three months. The big problem is that his name was "leaked" as a suspect. On the other hand, with all the LE activity, only an idiot would have failed to get the address, name, etc., of the person being investigated.

It was very unfortunate that he came under such intense scrutiny. His finding the bag with the bomb was at once heroic, and later suspicious. No doubt that many lives were saved by his action.

I had been at Olympic Park the day and night before the bomb, with my family. There but for the grace of God ...

I followed Jewell's career after that episode. I go through the area where he had worked in LE many times. I am glad that something good came from it for him; I doubt he ever would have become a "real cop" otherwise.

I was there that night too, msmarple. We were at Turner Field. We had tickets for the next morning and debated on whether we should go. It was a mess the next day. A very sad day for Atlanta.  :sad: Oh gosh and I remember his poor mother begging the President to help her son.

I hope Richard had lots of happiness before he passed. I think he did.

vms - are you in the Atlanta area?

Some of us made a point of going back to the park several times after ... seemed to be the only thing we could do  :sad: .

I am south of Atlanta. And you? Are we neighbors?  :lol:

Yes, we are neighbors of sorts. I am north of you.

We have had a few Atlanta area monkey meetings. Let's ask klaas to send one of us the other's email address? (I'll try to do that tonight.)

Oh sure. I'd love it.  :)
So Klaas if you see this, please give msmarple my email. TY!

I should have added to my post that I too lived in Atlanta during the Olympics, me and my girlfriends were getting ready to head over there and heard the story breaking on the radio or maybe even the news...

getting ready to hit the Park and then Buckhead....


I have such a wonderful time at the Olympics... I even have a brick in the park!!!

Final Claims Dismissed in Richard Jewell Libel Lawsuit

Link (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=5194280&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1)