Eric Rudolph is an American terrorist who has been convicted for a series of bombings, including the infamous attack at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park in 1996. This devastating incident resulted in the loss of two lives and left over a hundred people injured. Rudolph’s reign of terror extended to bombing an abortion clinic in Atlanta, a women’s clinic in Birmingham, and a lesbian nightclub in Atlanta, causing further casualties. Despite being charged in 1998 and placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list, Rudolph managed to elude capture for five years, showcasing his skills as an outdoorsman. However, his luck ran out when a determined rookie policeman apprehended him. In order to avoid the death penalty, Rudolph agreed to a plea bargain and admitted guilt for all four bombings. Currently, he is serving four life terms at the ADX Florence Supermax prison in Colorado.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: Eric Robert Rudolph
- Age: 57 Years, 57 Year Old Males
- Family:
- Father: Robert Rudolph
- Mother: Patricia Murphy
- Siblings: Daniel Rudolph, Jamie Rudolph, Joel Rudolph, Maura Rudolph
- Born Country: United States
- Education: Western Carolina University, Nantahala School
Childhood & Early Life
Eric Robert Rudolph was born on 19 September 1966, in Merritt Island, Florida, to Robert Rudolph and Patricia Murphy. His siblings included Daniel Rudolph, Jamie Rudolph, Maura Rudolph, and Joel Rudolph. After his father’s death in 1981, Eric and his family moved to Nantahala, Macon County, in western North Carolina. He attended Nantahala School but left after ninth grade to work as a carpenter with his elder brother Daniel. At the age of eighteen, he spent some time with the Church of Israel in Missouri. He later joined the US army and received basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. In 1988, he attended the Air Assault School at Fort Campbell and reached the rank of Specialist/E-4. However, he was discharged the following year for smoking marijuana while serving in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Bombing & Arrest
On July 27, 1996, a bomb exploded in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park, resulting in two deaths and over 100 injuries. Initially, security guard Richard Jewell was the prime suspect, but his name was later cleared. Three more bombings occurred, including one at an abortion clinic in Atlanta suburbs, one at a lesbian nightclub in Atlanta, and one at a women’s health clinic in Birmingham, Alabama. Eric Rudolph became a suspect after the Birmingham bombing in 1998. He was charged with the Birmingham bombing and was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Despite a massive manhunt, Rudolph evaded arrest for five years. He was finally apprehended in May 2003 by a rookie policeman while digging through a trash bin behind a grocery store.
Plea Bargain & Imprisonment
In April 2005, just before his trial was set to begin, Eric Rudolph agreed to a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty. He pleaded guilty to all four bombings and revealed the location where he had hidden 250 pounds of dynamite in the forests of North Carolina. He cited his anti-abortion and anti-gay views as reasons for the bombings. Rudolph received four life sentences without the possibility of parole and was sent to Supermax federal prison in Florence, Colorado in August 2005. In 2020, he filed an appellate motion to vacate two of his life sentences, claiming they violated the constitution.
Legacy
With assistance from his brother, Eric Rudolph released his autobiography, “Between the Lines of Drift: The Memoirs of a Militant,” in 2013. However, the royalties from the book were seized by the US Attorney’s General as part of the restitution Rudolph owes to the state of Alabama. The second season of the drama anthology series “Manhunt: Deadly Games” (2020) revolves around the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Park Bombing and its two suspects, Richard Jewell and Eric Rudolph.