1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Flashpoint is released weekly and brought to you absolutely free, 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: but for ad free listening, early access and exclusive bonuses, 3 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: subscribe to tenderfoot Plus at tenderfootplus dot com or on 4 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts. 5 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 2: You're listening to Flashpoint, a production of tenderfoot TV and 6 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 2: association with iHeartMedia. The views and opinions expressed in this 7 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 2: podcast are solely those of the individuals participating in the podcast. 8 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 2: This podcast also contains subject matter which may not be 9 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,519 Speaker 2: suitable for everyone. Listener discretion is advised. 10 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 3: Hello, You'll have reached to VI Israel and the Watchman 11 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 3: Outreach Ministries. If you would like to speak to aafter 12 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 3: game and please press three locome by the pounds. Fine, 13 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 3: good afternoon. 14 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 4: Me I help you. 15 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:16,119 Speaker 1: Hey, mister Gamon, my name is Cole. I was looking 16 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:17,759 Speaker 1: to get more information about your church. 17 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 4: Oh okay, yes, sir, I'd be happy to talk to you. Cole. 18 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:23,479 Speaker 4: How did you find out about us? 19 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: So my story is interesting and how I found out 20 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: about your church. My mother when she was really young, 21 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: when she was seventeen, she got pregnant with me. She 22 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: was actually. 23 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 4: Second married at that time. She was not okay. 24 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: She was scheduled actually to have an abortion with me, 25 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 1: and oh wow, the abortion clinic that she was scheduled 26 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: to have the abortion in was bombed the day before 27 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: by Eric Rudolph. 28 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 4: Oh my goodness. 29 00:01:54,160 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 5: Okay, well, Cole, I am, first of all, I praised 30 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 5: the name of Jesus Christ that you are in this world. 31 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 5: What a what a deliverance, I mean, what a sad 32 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 5: thing that had to happen for you to get here. 33 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 4: But my goodness, Now, is your mother still living? 34 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: She is, she is, We're very close. 35 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 4: Oh that's as marvelous. I bet she is grateful that 36 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 4: you're not. You're not the victim of an abortion. 37 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,239 Speaker 5: Oh my goodness, you know, I really want to I 38 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 5: want you to know cold that I'm I'm honored to 39 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 5: be talking with you. 40 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:38,800 Speaker 4: See. 41 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 5: Eric Rudolph was just a very young kid when he 42 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:44,919 Speaker 5: came through here. His mother was a widowed lady with 43 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 5: another brother. They had absolutely nothing. 44 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 4: Some friend told him, you know, that they could stop 45 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 4: here and probably get some help. 46 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 5: Eric was a very well mannered, he was very bright, 47 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,359 Speaker 5: gunk kid, and you know, we never heard one word 48 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 5: again until we heard of this very very alarming story. 49 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,360 Speaker 4: Out of you know, out of the South late in 50 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 4: the nineteen nineties. That was pretty amazing. We were just, 51 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 4: you know, we were aghast. 52 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 5: See, we've never, at any time in our history advocated 53 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 5: any kind of violence. We would never endorse that. We 54 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 5: would just simply find that to be rebolting. So we 55 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 5: never you know, we never in any way ever advanced 56 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 5: the ideas that Eric picked up. We don't know where 57 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,119 Speaker 5: he got those ideas. 58 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 4: Let me put it this way, Cole, I would not 59 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 4: deny for one. 60 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 5: Moment that I'm very very much opposed to abortion, I'm 61 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 5: opposed to race mixing, and I am opposed to homosexuality. 62 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 5: Now what am I supposed to Knowing that he's alleged 63 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 5: to a bomb, abortion plenty, a homosexual bar, and a 64 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 5: place where they were racially mixed. I don't know where 65 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 5: he picked up all those ideas, but those are all 66 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 5: ideas that I personally, Cole, I can open the Bible 67 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 5: and show you where abortion is wrong. 68 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 4: It's murder. 69 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,799 Speaker 5: Race mixing is wrong, It's against God's law. We believe 70 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 5: that God doesn't want any race to intermingle and change 71 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 5: their nature and their original design that God gave them. 72 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,919 Speaker 1: It's bizarre to me that Dan Gamon doesn't see his 73 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 1: part in Eric Rudolf's development. In my opinion, he's probably 74 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: in denial as far as Gamon's concerned. Sure they shared ideologies, 75 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: but that's where the connection ends. Eric Rudolph was, after 76 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 1: all a lone wolf, right. 77 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 5: And with regard to homosexuality, I need not mention to 78 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 5: you that the Bible is very anti homosexuality. God even 79 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 5: destroyed the whole city named Thodom and Gomorrah of homosexuals. 80 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,040 Speaker 5: So all three of those are terrible, horrible sins, and 81 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 5: you know, they became the point of Eric's frustration to 82 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 5: exercise this kind of violence. And that's where I disagree 83 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 5: wholeheartedly with him, that he made a tragic mistake when 84 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 5: he went off the deep end and used violence. When 85 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 5: we teach God's word, his word is very clear, and 86 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 5: we can do it in a very Christian manner, and 87 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 5: that's where it stops. We don't carry it any further 88 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 5: than that. 89 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 4: Well, Cole, I've got an appointment I have to keep, 90 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,800 Speaker 4: so I'm going to run. But you know, I want 91 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:47,600 Speaker 4: to thank you for calling me, and I want you 92 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:49,479 Speaker 4: to just if you don't mind. 93 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 5: Just remember this one little thought that I'm going to 94 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 5: say when I end this call. 95 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 4: Cole. I'm not sure what caused you to want to 96 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:05,160 Speaker 4: call this number and talk to me, but I'm wondering if. 97 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 5: There was a higher power that was directing you, and 98 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 5: will call that higher power the God who created of 99 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 5: an an earth. You might want to think about coming 100 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 5: to visit us and learn more about us before you. 101 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 5: You know, weigh in heavily on judging. And don't you 102 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 5: find it a little bit interesting that your life was 103 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 5: spared from a bullish and clinic. Isn't that amazing that 104 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 5: you came within one day. 105 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 4: Of not being here. 106 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:43,720 Speaker 1: I have a really hard time believing that Dan Gamon 107 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: had no direct connection to Eric Rudolf or what motivated 108 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: him to become a terrorist. But here's the thing. I 109 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: do know these so called lone wolves, somewhere down the line, 110 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: they're always part of a pack, whether they know it 111 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:03,720 Speaker 1: or not. I can't say precisely when and where Eric 112 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: Rudolf began to think of himself as an operative in 113 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: a movement, a soldier in the army of God. But 114 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: at a certain point he knew damn well what he 115 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: was doing, why he was doing it, and how it 116 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: would be perceived. He said it point blank after his 117 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: capture quote. The hope was that my actions would push 118 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: other pro lifers and patriots to bridge the gap between 119 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 1: their rhetoric and their actions. These attacks were not part 120 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: of some personal vendetta against abortionists, homosexuals, or government agents. 121 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: They were acts of war aimed at damaging, undermining, and 122 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: ultimately overthrowing the liberal establishment in America. When I heard 123 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 1: they were bringing the Summer Olympics to Atlanta, I thought 124 00:07:53,960 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 1: it would make the perfect target. Episode seven, When Ideas 125 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: Become Actions. 126 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 6: This morning, at four point thirty in the morning, an 127 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:29,679 Speaker 6: alert Murphy police officer noticed something unusual going on behind 128 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 6: the Valley Village shopping center here in Murphy. He investigated, 129 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 6: He called for backup, and ultimately arrested Eric Robert Rudolph 130 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 6: at about four point thirty am this morning. 131 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: The trial of Eric Rudolph, set to determine the consequences 132 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: for his acts of terror, was originally scheduled for August fourth, 133 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 1: two thousand and four. Federal Judge Lynnwood Smith delayed the 134 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 1: start by a year, stating the sheer volume of discovery 135 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:00,360 Speaker 1: that still must be organized and assimilated by Defense Council 136 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 1: is staggering. 137 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 6: As you know, he's charged in connection with the bombings 138 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 6: of the Centennial Park, the Sandy Ridge Professional Center office building, 139 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:13,199 Speaker 6: and the double bombings of the other Side Lounge in 140 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 6: midtown Atlanta. The death of a police officer in Alabama resulted, 141 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 6: also the death of a person in Atlanta, and about 142 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 6: one hundred and fifty injuries resulted from these bombings. 143 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 1: Despite the strong evidence connecting him to these horrifying crimes, 144 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:34,120 Speaker 1: he still had a right to a full thread of defense. 145 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 7: Richard to this day is one of my best friends. 146 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: This again is former US Attorney Doug Jones. His term 147 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: as US attorney had ended by the time of Rudolph's capture, 148 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: but he still attended many of the proceedings. 149 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,599 Speaker 7: I just know the way Richard Jeffy handles his clients. 150 00:09:55,160 --> 00:10:00,199 Speaker 7: He doesn't make judgments own people at all, and his job, 151 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 7: he understands, as a defense lawyer, is to get to 152 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:08,080 Speaker 7: know the client, get to know the cases put the 153 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 7: government to their burden. He believes that every client, regardless 154 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 7: of the circumstance, deserves the top notch defense. He can 155 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 7: endure their trust regardless and I can assure you without 156 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 7: having sat through any of their conversations or without Richard 157 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,439 Speaker 7: talking to me about it. They didn't talk about the politics. 158 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 7: Richard let him know that he was his advocate, and 159 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 7: that probably let him know that the political aspect of this, 160 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 7: while the government may do X, it doesn't matter to him. 161 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 7: He has a job and he wants to know everything 162 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 7: about the client. He wants to understand the facts, and 163 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:53,600 Speaker 7: he just has that mannerism as good as any lawyer 164 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 7: that I've ever seen that does criminal defense work. 165 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:01,960 Speaker 1: It took me months to nail down a time to 166 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 1: speak with Richard Jaffey, but I finally made the drive 167 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: to Birmingham to sit down with him. With the ac 168 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:10,719 Speaker 1: blasting on a hot summer day, we settled into what 169 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:12,679 Speaker 1: would have been the dining room in a two story 170 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: Tudor style home that had been converted into his law office. 171 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:20,280 Speaker 8: My faith in the justice system today is certainly not 172 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:24,200 Speaker 8: what it was when I started practicing law, which was 173 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 8: forty five years ago. I think that when the power 174 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 8: of government manifests itself, if there aren't people, mainly lawyers, 175 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 8: willing to stand up and protect the helpless and those 176 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:48,720 Speaker 8: individuals that don't have power, then the democracy as we 177 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 8: know it will completely evaporate. 178 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: Richard's colleagues often refer to him as Atticus Finch, the 179 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 1: protagonist from Taquilla Mockingbird. In the novel Atticust defends a 180 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 1: black man falsely accused of rape in the small town 181 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:09,080 Speaker 1: of may coom, Alabama, during the Great Depression. As is 182 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 1: the case for many lawyers in the South, the character 183 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:14,680 Speaker 1: of Atticus Finch served as an influence in Richard's decision 184 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:17,720 Speaker 1: to become a defense attorney to do the work of 185 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: representing marginalized or seemingly guilty defendants. 186 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 8: In representing both the apparently innocent and the apparently guilty, 187 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 8: our ethical responsibilities to provide the most zealous representation we're 188 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 8: capable of are the same. The scariest thing is to 189 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 8: represent someone that is apparently or obviously innocent and where 190 00:12:44,559 --> 00:12:48,400 Speaker 8: there is a significant lack of proof, in knowing that 191 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 8: if we have to go to trial and we lose, 192 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:54,560 Speaker 8: it's basically hard to forget. 193 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:59,319 Speaker 1: I asked Jaffe how the opportunity to represent Rudolph even 194 00:12:59,360 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: came to him. 195 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 8: Well, I was in the federal courtroom of Judge Lindwood Smith, 196 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 8: an excellent judge, and I was representing, along with my team, 197 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 8: a lawyer charged with witness tampering, and we were arguing 198 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 8: over discovery when suddenly the assistant of Judge Smith came 199 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 8: up to him and whispered in his ear. He recessed 200 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 8: abruptly and came back, and then we learned that Eric 201 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:36,760 Speaker 8: Rudolph had been arrested. 202 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:56,560 Speaker 1: Eric Rudolph was staring down a potential death penalty sentence. 203 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,840 Speaker 1: At this point, of the fifty people he had defended 204 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:04,359 Speaker 1: who were facing the death penalty, none had been executed. 205 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:10,440 Speaker 8: To represent somebody for a federal death penalty crime, the 206 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:15,200 Speaker 8: court is obligated to a point what's called learned counsel, 207 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 8: and that means someone who is skilled in death penalty, 208 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:22,320 Speaker 8: federal death penalty work and trained. 209 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: Jeffy recalls his friend and colleague, Bruce Gardner, nudging the 210 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:30,920 Speaker 1: judge as at that time Alabama had only one such 211 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: qualified lawyer. 212 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 8: So we finished the hearing in the case was continued, 213 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 8: and Bruce walked up to Judge Smith and said, you 214 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:44,400 Speaker 8: don't need to keep looking for another lawyer. The best 215 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:48,200 Speaker 8: person in the country you could appoint is sitting right 216 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 8: over there, pointing to me. I'm unabashedly against the death penalty. 217 00:14:53,800 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 8: The death penalty doesn't work, meaning it's provably not a 218 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 8: deterrent to others. It's also inhumane, super expensive, five times 219 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 8: as expensive to try someone for a death penalty case 220 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 8: then house them for their entire life, even if their teens. 221 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 9: Take me through the first. 222 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,320 Speaker 8: StAst well, the first day is when Judge Smith said 223 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 8: he was appointing me as the lead lawyer, and he 224 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:33,120 Speaker 8: instructed me to go over and meet with Eric at 225 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 8: the Jefferson County Jail. And his concern was whether Eric 226 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 8: would accept me being Jewish, and he also wondered how 227 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 8: I would interface with Eric and how I would feel 228 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 8: about it. 229 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,560 Speaker 1: Eric Rudolph is a loud and proud anti Semite, a 230 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: Holocaust denier who called the television the electric Jew. Richard 231 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: Jeffey is a Jewish man. I asked him how he 232 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:02,680 Speaker 1: was able to navigate that. 233 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 8: I went over and met with Eric at the Jefferson 234 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:11,720 Speaker 8: County Jail. He wasn't in the normal cell with others. 235 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:15,960 Speaker 8: He had his own block practically, and he was watching 236 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 8: himself on TV. When I walked in and introduced myself 237 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:23,440 Speaker 8: and we had a very nice discussion. It wasn't that long, 238 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 8: less than an hour, and he basically said that was 239 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 8: a long time ago. I've evolved since then. That was 240 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 8: what I said many years ago, is not how I 241 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 8: feel and who I am today. And I went back 242 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 8: and reported that Judge Smith the second day he was here, 243 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:46,479 Speaker 8: that was the arraignment, and the arraignment's really a formality 244 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 8: where someone pleads not guilty or guilty. They couldn't plead 245 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 8: guilty if they wanted to. It's a formality in that sense, 246 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 8: but from a legal perspective, the judge gets a formal 247 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:05,919 Speaker 8: not guilty plea and explains the rights of the particular 248 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:10,160 Speaker 8: defendant and the process. There was so much media there 249 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 8: that I couldn't really get in even though I got 250 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:17,480 Speaker 8: there early. Neither I nor my team could get in 251 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 8: the courthouse because it was just that crowded. 252 00:17:21,359 --> 00:17:23,200 Speaker 1: Doug Jones was also at the arraignment. 253 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:25,919 Speaker 7: I called the US Marshall said I really want to 254 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:28,040 Speaker 7: get in that courtroom. So I was able to sit 255 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 7: in the jury box, and you could just from my standpoint, 256 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 7: it was a cold. 257 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:36,639 Speaker 4: Look. 258 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 7: There was just something and I've told people since that 259 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 7: time that you just don't see a soul behind those 260 00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 7: dark eyes of his, that he was proud of what 261 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 7: he did. Do you just know he had a mission. 262 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,120 Speaker 7: He was proud of what he did, and he would 263 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:56,000 Speaker 7: do it over if he had to. 264 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:01,239 Speaker 1: I asked Richard Jaffee what his first impressions were of 265 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: Eric Rudolph. 266 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,359 Speaker 8: Well, Eric had been in hiding for five and a 267 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 8: half years, so he really hadn't had a meaningful conversation 268 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:17,000 Speaker 8: with anyone, and every single day he was in hiding 269 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:23,919 Speaker 8: was a day that he was solely focused on surviving. 270 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:30,000 Speaker 8: So suddenly he's instead of having the ability to watch 271 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:34,800 Speaker 8: the FBI because he had three different camps that he constructed, 272 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 8: he was now confined in a jail cell, facing the 273 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 8: death penalty. Imagine the culture shock he was experiencing. The 274 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,880 Speaker 8: interesting thing is that when he was arrested, he gave 275 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:54,440 Speaker 8: his real name after he initially didn't. And I had 276 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:57,680 Speaker 8: the feeling, and based on some of my discussions with him, 277 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:01,360 Speaker 8: that he was just kind of tired of that life. 278 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:05,680 Speaker 8: I can't imagine what it'd be like trying to survive, 279 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:10,800 Speaker 8: to sleep there and wake up there and find food 280 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 8: and not injure yourself without medical treatment, and always be 281 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:21,240 Speaker 8: wondering am I going to get caught? And will I 282 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,040 Speaker 8: be killed on site? But I never found Eric to 283 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:29,200 Speaker 8: be remorseful when it came to the subject of abortion, 284 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 8: because he felt that strongly about it that in fact, 285 00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 8: to him, it was war, and Eric believed that in 286 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:47,400 Speaker 8: war the rules are different, and that this was an 287 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:53,120 Speaker 8: attack on babies, on people, and that he was called 288 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:59,200 Speaker 8: to take action to do something about it. Obviously, if 289 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:04,560 Speaker 8: everyone un thought that way, we would have no society, 290 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:09,119 Speaker 8: we would have no civilization, we have no existence because 291 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 8: we'd all be killing each other. But Eric felt that 292 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 8: strongly about the situation. 293 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: Both Jaffie and Jones ultimately reached the same conclusion in 294 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 1: their thinking and in their impressions of Rudolph. They believed 295 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:32,080 Speaker 1: he was on a mission, one that he felt strongly about, 296 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:37,200 Speaker 1: and he carried out that mission without remorse. But as 297 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:41,640 Speaker 1: the prosecutor, Doug Jones's singular job would have been to convict, 298 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:45,280 Speaker 1: to paint the portrait of a monster, while as a 299 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: defense attorney, Jaffe's job, in addition to calling the evidence 300 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 1: into question, was to find the beating heart inside this 301 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:56,119 Speaker 1: human being and present it to the jury. That is, 302 00:20:56,200 --> 00:21:00,600 Speaker 1: without question, the most effective way to avoid a sentence. 303 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:06,919 Speaker 8: My focus was to get to know him, not to 304 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:11,199 Speaker 8: challenge him and build up a rapport and a respect 305 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 8: and clearly one hundred percent I did because when there 306 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 8: was a conflict between the two factions of teams, Eric 307 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:24,440 Speaker 8: chose me and my team. 308 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 1: This was an extremely high profile case, but aside from that, 309 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,520 Speaker 1: it was only different from other cases by virtue of 310 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,720 Speaker 1: the fact that it was a death penalty case. And 311 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: death penalty cases are notoriously hard to win in any prosecution, 312 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:43,600 Speaker 1: even if the defendant has essentially been found guilty in 313 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: the court of public opinion. The burden of proof in 314 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 1: this case required clear and convincing evidence, and it also 315 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:55,399 Speaker 1: required a unanimous verdict. The possibility of a hung jury 316 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 1: was a very real scenario. 317 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 8: So there were different scenarios in play, and as a lawyer, 318 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:07,720 Speaker 8: you don't reach any conclusions. And I think that's one 319 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:12,280 Speaker 8: of the problems that sometimes law enforcement gets into, is 320 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:16,960 Speaker 8: what we call rush to judgment. The perfect example is 321 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 8: Richard Jewel. So as lawyers, the last thing we wanted 322 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 8: to do was exclude any hypothesis that was reasonable. 323 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:35,480 Speaker 10: So I went down a federal courthouse along with the 324 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 10: other victims of other bombings. 325 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:41,120 Speaker 1: At a certain point in the process, victims from each 326 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: of the bombings were brought in to provide personal statements 327 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 1: about the crimes. They included Atlanta radio host Rob Stadler, 328 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,159 Speaker 1: who was at the Sandy Springs clinic bombing with his 329 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: twin girls. 330 00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 10: There was a gentleman who was a first responder, and 331 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:58,920 Speaker 10: he showed me the shrapnel that's still in his leg. 332 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:02,760 Speaker 1: The victims were given the chance to read these statements 333 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 1: to the courtroom and Eric Rudolph directly. Victim statements are 334 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 1: a necessary part of the judicial process to allow the 335 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:13,440 Speaker 1: victims to describe the impacts of the crimes, which assists 336 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 1: the judge and sentencing. Rob at first was hesitant to 337 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 1: provide one. He was ready to be done with that 338 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,399 Speaker 1: chapter of his life. But he was told that nobody 339 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:25,960 Speaker 1: else from the Sandy Springs bombing was willing to give 340 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:29,280 Speaker 1: a victim statement, so he took on that responsibility. 341 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 10: So it was my turn to talk, and I spent 342 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 10: most of the time speaking on behalf of the others 343 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,640 Speaker 10: who were there, the first responders and the federal relations, etc. 344 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:47,720 Speaker 10: And spoke how they did such a great job after 345 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:52,240 Speaker 10: it happened. But I looked at Rudolph and I said, 346 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:54,639 Speaker 10: you know what I'm going to do, Eric, after this, 347 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:57,280 Speaker 10: I'm going to go home. I'm going to pick up 348 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 10: my girls and we're going to do homework. I go, 349 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:04,359 Speaker 10: that's a privilege. You're never going to have the privilege 350 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:09,119 Speaker 10: of having your own family, and I don't feel sorry 351 00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 10: for you. It was really interesting at the end when 352 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 10: they shackled him and took him out. That was the 353 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 10: first time that I saw an expression of fear. He 354 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:24,359 Speaker 10: made his own help. Now he's going to have to 355 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:24,879 Speaker 10: live in it. 356 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:34,160 Speaker 11: I still remember being on the back row. 357 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:39,280 Speaker 1: Former US Attorney Kent Alexander, the lead law enforcement officer 358 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: for the Olympic Park bombing who was no longer on 359 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,320 Speaker 1: the case, was also there in the courtroom. 360 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:47,800 Speaker 11: I didn't just sit on the back row, but I 361 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 11: sat on top of the back of the bench because 362 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:53,200 Speaker 11: I wanted to eyeball Eric Rudolf. I really wanted to 363 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:56,879 Speaker 11: see who this guy was, and he was remarkably unimpressive 364 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:59,119 Speaker 11: at that point. He was pale as could be. He 365 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:02,000 Speaker 11: was overwakes kept feeding him in the jail in Birmingham. 366 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:05,200 Speaker 11: He just to me looked like this troll. I kept 367 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 11: expecting to hear something or see something, though I knew 368 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:12,040 Speaker 11: it's rare that defendants say anything other than not guilty 369 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:13,879 Speaker 11: and you go from there. But for me, it was 370 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 11: important to be there just by way of closure. That 371 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:20,239 Speaker 11: also was the last time I saw Richard Jewel, who 372 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:22,880 Speaker 11: was there with his wife Dana. I ran into them 373 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:26,399 Speaker 11: right outside the courtroom. Even then, a lot of the 374 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:29,880 Speaker 11: agents were starting to back away from him as if 375 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:32,840 Speaker 11: he had done something wrong because there was a lot 376 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:35,600 Speaker 11: of bad blood during the process, with his defence team 377 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:38,680 Speaker 11: criticizing the FBI. But I thought it was fitting that. 378 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 1: Richard was there. 379 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:45,200 Speaker 11: He said, I've been waiting a long time for this day, 380 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:48,240 Speaker 11: such a long time. He had to sit in a 381 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:51,359 Speaker 11: remote room with his wife to watch everything on video. 382 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,480 Speaker 11: His wife told me that she was happy because she 383 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:56,760 Speaker 11: really thinks he would have just jumped over the bench 384 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 11: and attacked the guy, because for him'd say it was 385 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:04,640 Speaker 11: a life altering experience. This bombing would be unbelievable understatement. 386 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:07,200 Speaker 11: It ultimately took a lot of years off his life 387 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:10,040 Speaker 11: because he died at age forty four of a heart attack. 388 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: Emily Lyons, the nurse who bore the full force of 389 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,919 Speaker 1: the bombing at the Alabama abortion clinic, also attended some 390 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 1: of the proceedings and had the chance to get a 391 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 1: look at Rudolph beforehand outside the courtroom. 392 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:29,400 Speaker 12: The closest I ever got to him. We were in Huntsville, 393 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:31,880 Speaker 12: and we were standing in a room with a door 394 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,000 Speaker 12: that had two pieces of glass up at the top, 395 00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 12: like a swing door. And they brought him back through 396 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,679 Speaker 12: the hallway. And when he passed in from those windows, 397 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 12: he turned and looked at me. There was no expression, nothing, 398 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 12: It was just blackness avoid in his eyes. He didn't care, 399 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 12: He didn't I don't think he knew who I was, 400 00:26:53,359 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 12: but sure he could just tell. 401 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 1: Emily lost one eye with the other severely damaged. Her 402 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:09,919 Speaker 1: hand was mangled, and a gaping wound in her abdomen 403 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:13,920 Speaker 1: required the removal of ten inches of her intestines. Most 404 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 1: of the flesh was blown off her legs and hands. 405 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:20,520 Speaker 1: She suffered severe burns, a shattered leg, and shrapnel and 406 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:24,920 Speaker 1: nails remain embedded in her body. Confined to a wheelchair. 407 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:29,360 Speaker 1: Ever since the bomb, Emily has endured unimaginable pain and suffering. 408 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:33,879 Speaker 1: Yet when she heard that Eric Rudolf was captured, she 409 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:38,160 Speaker 1: had one immediate response. She wanted to confront him face 410 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:38,639 Speaker 1: to face. 411 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:41,840 Speaker 12: And I got to tell him in court what I thought. 412 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,960 Speaker 12: I let him know that he didn't win that day. 413 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,560 Speaker 12: He wanted people to die. But you didn't silence me. 414 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:52,840 Speaker 12: You thought you were going to do me in that day, 415 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:57,640 Speaker 12: but you were mistaken, and you're never going to see 416 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:01,160 Speaker 12: the light of day like I will. I'll be able 417 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 12: to see. I'll be able to do things that you 418 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:08,280 Speaker 12: will never be able to do again. I can enjoy 419 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:09,880 Speaker 12: a good dinner somewhere. 420 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:11,440 Speaker 4: I will. 421 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:15,199 Speaker 12: You didn't kill me, and you didn't silence me. You 422 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:19,400 Speaker 12: did the complete opposite. You made my voice up hear. 423 00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 12: You made my brain be more active with the issue. 424 00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 12: Judge didn't like it. Lawyer didn't either, But I told 425 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 12: him I had more guts of my little peaky than 426 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:35,359 Speaker 12: he did in his whole body. He didn't look at me, 427 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:38,440 Speaker 12: he didn't respond. 428 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:45,400 Speaker 1: Rudolph was facing death. It's what the victims wanted. There 429 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,280 Speaker 1: was clear evidence linking him to each of these bombings. 430 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 1: There was the phone call recording placed to nine one one, 431 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:55,040 Speaker 1: the bomb threat at the Olympics that multiple witnesses identified 432 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 1: as Eric Rudolph is. 433 00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:00,760 Speaker 3: A Mom, the car harm. 434 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:04,760 Speaker 1: There were the directional plates that were used at both 435 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:08,800 Speaker 1: the Olympics and the Sandy Springs Clinic. Prosecutors had the 436 00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 1: coffee cup with the license plate tag Jeff Tickle wrote 437 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: down that matched Rudolph's truck, the same truck that had 438 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 1: bomb residue left on the steering wheel, the same bomb 439 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 1: residue that was found inside Rudolph's trailer, the same trailer 440 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:25,240 Speaker 1: he quickly fled from, emptying his drawers and leaving the 441 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:29,240 Speaker 1: front door open in the middle of winter. Investigators also 442 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:33,080 Speaker 1: discovered that Rudolph purchased a paperback under the alias Z 443 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 1: Randolph titled Ragner's Homemade Detonators that was shipped to his 444 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 1: po box in Topton, the very book that gave specific 445 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,520 Speaker 1: instructions on how to build the detonator that was used 446 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: to kill Officer Sanderson. And Maame Emily lyons. This seems 447 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: like a lot, but in court it's all considered circumstantial evidence. 448 00:29:54,400 --> 00:30:14,240 Speaker 1: And Richard Jaffey understood this well. Did surprise you when 449 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:16,240 Speaker 1: the prosecution approached you with a plea deal? 450 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:20,080 Speaker 8: The fact that it was floated to me. That was 451 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:22,880 Speaker 8: the first of three different discussions I had with the 452 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 8: government on pleat And the bottom line is I think 453 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:34,160 Speaker 8: they recognized that only at that time, sixteen percent of 454 00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 8: federal death penalty cases ended up in death. And while 455 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:41,600 Speaker 8: they had a pretty strong the strongest of any of 456 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:46,120 Speaker 8: the cases against Eric, they recognized that it was a 457 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 8: circumstantial evidence case and it only took one juror to 458 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:55,239 Speaker 8: hang it up and prevent it a guilty verdict. And 459 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:58,080 Speaker 8: even if they got a guilty verdict, it only took 460 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:01,240 Speaker 8: one juror to stop a death sentence. 461 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:08,240 Speaker 1: In other words, Rudolph had very effectively covered his tracks. 462 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:11,240 Speaker 1: Even with all the evidence that surface after his capture 463 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:13,920 Speaker 1: in a court of law and with a jury of 464 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:19,720 Speaker 1: his peers, it still wasn't an open shutcase. Prosecutors needed 465 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:20,920 Speaker 1: a confession. 466 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,880 Speaker 8: And I made it clear in the first discussion that 467 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:27,440 Speaker 8: I would get back to them after speaking to Eric, 468 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:30,560 Speaker 8: and I did, and I made it clear that if 469 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 8: there was going to be a plea, it would have 470 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:36,760 Speaker 8: to be what we call a global resolution, meaning every 471 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:41,200 Speaker 8: single case, the potential state case is the Atlantic cases, 472 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:44,080 Speaker 8: in the Birmingham cases to a life sentence. 473 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: So Jeffy had to bring this news to Eric Rudolph 474 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:52,200 Speaker 1: and pose the offer, an offer that would spare his life, 475 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:55,160 Speaker 1: an offer from the very government he was hell bent 476 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:57,160 Speaker 1: on overthrown with his actions. 477 00:31:57,480 --> 00:32:01,680 Speaker 8: I had developed a really good relationship with Eric, but 478 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:07,479 Speaker 8: we never ever discussed plea. It never came up. It 479 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 8: was never something that was in play. So my concern 480 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:16,480 Speaker 8: is that if I discussed it with him, which I 481 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:20,920 Speaker 8: was ethically bound to do, then he might lose confidence 482 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 8: and get shocked and think that we thought that we 483 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:29,960 Speaker 8: couldn't successfully defend him here in Birmingham. So I was 484 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:36,080 Speaker 8: braced for a pretty vociferous reaction, but instead it was 485 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:41,680 Speaker 8: a subdued Eric. And when I asked him ultimately, so 486 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:45,080 Speaker 8: it comes down to this, do you want to live? 487 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:48,840 Speaker 8: And his voice softened and he went, yes, I want 488 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 8: to live. That certainly surprised me, but I can tell 489 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:58,480 Speaker 8: you that having represented thousands of people and had this 490 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,440 Speaker 8: discussion with fouls of people, there are plenty of people 491 00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:06,600 Speaker 8: that just aren't completed and are going to think the 492 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 8: lawyer's lost confidence in the case. But Eric was pragmatic 493 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 8: enough and knew the case well enough that he was 494 00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:20,760 Speaker 8: able to make what quite honestly was a wise decision. 495 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:25,800 Speaker 1: As part of the plea agreement to avoid the death sentence, 496 00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:28,920 Speaker 1: Rudolph gave up the location of a massive arsenal of 497 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 1: dynamite he had stored deep in the woods, This dynamite 498 00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:35,840 Speaker 1: was linked to a December nineteen ninety six robbery of 499 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:38,240 Speaker 1: more than three hundred and forty pounds of nitroglycer and 500 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:43,720 Speaker 1: dynamite in Asheville, North Carolina. By ATF's estimates, only about 501 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:46,280 Speaker 1: thirty pounds of the three hundred and forty pounds of 502 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:51,240 Speaker 1: dynamite had been used in Rudolph's bombings, which meant there 503 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:54,200 Speaker 1: was a lot more dynamite that still needed to be secured. 504 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:58,920 Speaker 1: Rudolph stockpile was hidden in the woods of the Nanahalo Forest, 505 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:03,880 Speaker 1: buried at five different sites. When federal authorities found it, 506 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:07,480 Speaker 1: it was unstable, ready to blow with even a hint 507 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:11,960 Speaker 1: of a spark. Agents destroyed the dynamite through a series 508 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:17,200 Speaker 1: of somewhat controlled detonations that rattled the surrounding areas and 509 00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: left a lasting imprint on the National Forest forever marked 510 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:24,000 Speaker 1: Eric Rudolph slept here. 511 00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:28,399 Speaker 13: I mean, obviously, when the Centennial Park bombing happened during 512 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:31,080 Speaker 13: the Olympics, people were stunned. I mean, this was supposed 513 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,120 Speaker 13: to be an event that showcased Atlanta, and it clearly 514 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:36,960 Speaker 13: left a scar behind, and then you had years of 515 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:40,960 Speaker 13: uncertainty about who actually did People thought it was Eric Rudolf, 516 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:44,279 Speaker 13: but was unclear and until he was captured and then 517 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:47,240 Speaker 13: ultimately decide to plead guilty, and that'll happen today. 518 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:53,120 Speaker 1: On April fourteenth, two thousand and five, Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty, 519 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:57,480 Speaker 1: confessing to his crimes, clarifying his motives and articulating his 520 00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:00,719 Speaker 1: ideology of hatred in an eleven page confession. 521 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:04,279 Speaker 14: When it was Rudolph's turn to speak, he ranted like 522 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:08,279 Speaker 14: a madman, claiming he was fighting for life by attacking 523 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:09,359 Speaker 14: an abortion mill. 524 00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:13,400 Speaker 11: Rudolph says he the Olympics went terribly rawing never intended 525 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:15,560 Speaker 11: to hurt anybody. If you've seen a mock up at 526 00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:18,360 Speaker 11: the bomb, that's laughable. Of course, he intended to hurt people, 527 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:21,240 Speaker 11: but I think he didn't get the kind of positive 528 00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:23,840 Speaker 11: reinforcement he expected from the Olympics. 529 00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:28,400 Speaker 14: His sentencing hearing was emotionally riching. Survivors of his clinic 530 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:31,919 Speaker 14: bombing finally got the opportunity to lash out at Rudolph. 531 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:34,560 Speaker 10: I was not happy about it. I wanted a trial. 532 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:37,600 Speaker 10: I wanted all the evidence to come out. He probably 533 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:40,319 Speaker 10: would not have taken the stand, but I wanted to 534 00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:45,960 Speaker 10: hear the preponderance of evidence against him. But I understand 535 00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:49,960 Speaker 10: from where the prosecutors were coming from, although I was 536 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:53,040 Speaker 10: not happy with them, but they were just doing their job. 537 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:58,120 Speaker 10: But I wanted to see a trial and we were 538 00:35:58,120 --> 00:35:58,880 Speaker 10: all denied that. 539 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:04,280 Speaker 14: Andy Sanderson's widow understands why prosecutors agreed to the plea deal. 540 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:07,640 Speaker 14: The deal spared Rudolph's life, even though he took her 541 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:08,760 Speaker 14: husband's look. 542 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:15,400 Speaker 15: I leave Eric Rudolph's final punishment in God's hands. And 543 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:17,160 Speaker 15: I looked him in the face in that court Remus 544 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:19,440 Speaker 15: the one time I did, and I said that to him. 545 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:21,040 Speaker 15: That's the only thing I said to him. That's the 546 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:22,520 Speaker 15: only thing I ever care to say to it. 547 00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:27,440 Speaker 14: Staring him dead in the eye. Emily Lyons blasted Eric Rudolf, 548 00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:30,680 Speaker 14: calling him a failure and a coward who had spent 549 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:33,120 Speaker 14: his life in prison rather than risk death. 550 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:37,040 Speaker 12: In my opinion, he got off easy. He killed people, 551 00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:43,279 Speaker 12: he planned it. How much more premeditated murder do you 552 00:36:43,440 --> 00:36:47,120 Speaker 12: need to get a death penalty? That's what I wanted. 553 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:50,239 Speaker 12: I wanted to be able to sit in the road 554 00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:54,359 Speaker 12: before the window like you always see on TV, and 555 00:36:54,400 --> 00:37:00,640 Speaker 12: be the face that he sees before he does. That's 556 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:03,560 Speaker 12: where I wanted to be be able to sit there 557 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:08,200 Speaker 12: and watch him die as he stood there and watched 558 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:11,920 Speaker 12: Sandyda says he stood there and tried to kill me. 559 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:22,719 Speaker 9: They're very secretive about who's even brought to Colorado for that. Facility. 560 00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:28,239 Speaker 1: ADX Florence is a federal supermax in Florence, Colorado. It 561 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:31,160 Speaker 1: houses inmates that are deemed the most dangerous and capable 562 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:37,600 Speaker 1: of extreme violence, including El Chapo, the Unibomber, the OKC bomber, 563 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:41,080 Speaker 1: one of the Boston Marathon bombers, and the Shoe bomber. 564 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:43,839 Speaker 1: It's where Eric Rudolph was sent. 565 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,040 Speaker 9: It's the most secure prison in the United States, and 566 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:51,400 Speaker 9: it's full of the worst in the United States. 567 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:56,400 Speaker 1: Everything is made of concrete, the walls, the floor, the desk, 568 00:37:56,880 --> 00:38:00,680 Speaker 1: the sink, your bed, and inmates are fine to their 569 00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:04,640 Speaker 1: cells for twenty three hours a day. You're truly shut 570 00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:05,480 Speaker 1: off from the world. 571 00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:08,720 Speaker 9: No one's ever escaped, and I don't think mister Rudolph 572 00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:10,839 Speaker 9: will have any ability to and I don't think he'll 573 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:12,879 Speaker 9: be communicating with anybody from there either. 574 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:19,600 Speaker 10: January sixteenth, and I call it Family Survival Day because 575 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:25,040 Speaker 10: our entire family survived, and I do once in a 576 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:30,719 Speaker 10: while get on the Internet and look up details about supermacs, 577 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:32,879 Speaker 10: just to kind of get an idea of what he's 578 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:40,560 Speaker 10: going through. I mean, he gets one hour of outside. 579 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:44,960 Speaker 10: But it's interesting when they go into their courtyard. Apparently 580 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:50,640 Speaker 10: things are so covered up you don't see the sky. 581 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:56,360 Speaker 10: You basically walk around and whatever, and then you go 582 00:38:56,440 --> 00:38:59,040 Speaker 10: back in and the only window you have in that 583 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:03,160 Speaker 10: cell this is a skinny little thing. And even then 584 00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:05,120 Speaker 10: they say, when you look out of those windows, you 585 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:10,120 Speaker 10: can't see anything. 586 00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:16,319 Speaker 12: My parents were sitting behind me and my sister and 587 00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:21,440 Speaker 12: my daughter, because I wanted them to see the person 588 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:23,719 Speaker 12: who did this to me. 589 00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:27,440 Speaker 1: Emily Lyons is describing the last time she saw Eric 590 00:39:27,480 --> 00:39:28,719 Speaker 1: Rudolf in the courtroom. 591 00:39:29,239 --> 00:39:32,799 Speaker 12: My parents were close to ninety at that point. They 592 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:37,640 Speaker 12: were brought up in a small town. You know, nobody 593 00:39:37,719 --> 00:39:41,640 Speaker 12: went around killing people. I wanted for them to know 594 00:39:41,719 --> 00:39:44,879 Speaker 12: that there are people out there like that, to let 595 00:39:44,880 --> 00:39:48,640 Speaker 12: them know that this isn't just an isolated event. 596 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:58,359 Speaker 1: Emily's right. Eric Rudolf is not nicely an event. He's 597 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:02,960 Speaker 1: a relentless presence, part of a relentless movement, an echo 598 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:07,280 Speaker 1: in our minds and in our daily lives. His actions 599 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:13,840 Speaker 1: are inescapable permanent life altering and understanding him is not 600 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:19,440 Speaker 1: about empathy. It's about confronting and holding uncomfortable and contradictory truths. 601 00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:23,359 Speaker 1: But regardless of the motivation, how does a person arrive 602 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:28,920 Speaker 1: at that conclusion? What activates them? How the fuck does 603 00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:33,040 Speaker 1: someone go from I don't agree with you too, I'm 604 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:35,640 Speaker 1: going to kill you. Why do you think he did 605 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:36,120 Speaker 1: what he did? 606 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:42,239 Speaker 12: I think Herdoff did all this because of what he 607 00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:48,160 Speaker 12: had been brought up in the religion, the skinhead part 608 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:55,200 Speaker 12: of his existence, radical ideas that he obtained early on. 609 00:40:56,600 --> 00:41:00,239 Speaker 12: He just continued on that. It's like talking to about 610 00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:04,719 Speaker 12: a closed mind. He was closed mind. All he had 611 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:11,680 Speaker 12: in his head was hatred, religious oddities, things that most 612 00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:17,360 Speaker 12: normal people don't have. But he just had it drilled 613 00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:19,880 Speaker 12: in for so long that there want anything else to 614 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:24,359 Speaker 12: think about. This is it. There's no other no other thought, 615 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:28,600 Speaker 12: no other opinion, no other action. This is it. This 616 00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:31,279 Speaker 12: is the way the world is. We're going to fix that. 617 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:34,520 Speaker 12: Kill them, kill them all. 618 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:39,680 Speaker 1: Someone who holds these convictions, who could commit such acts 619 00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:43,120 Speaker 1: of extraordinary evil, That's not normally someone I'd ever want 620 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:47,960 Speaker 1: to talk to. But this isn't normal. This is where 621 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:52,800 Speaker 1: we're at and I have to try. The Supermax in 622 00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:56,240 Speaker 1: Florence is the highest security prison in the United States, 623 00:41:57,320 --> 00:42:00,560 Speaker 1: but they do allow for communication via letters to inmates, 624 00:42:02,280 --> 00:42:20,760 Speaker 1: including Eric Rudolph. Dear mister Rudolph. My name is Cola Cassio. 625 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:25,719 Speaker 1: I was born on May twentieth, nineteen ninety seven. There's 626 00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:28,279 Speaker 1: no way you can know this, but my mom was 627 00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:30,800 Speaker 1: scheduled to have an abortion at the Sandy Springs abortion 628 00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:34,200 Speaker 1: clinic on January seventeenth, the day after you bombed it. 629 00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:38,239 Speaker 1: She was just seventeen years old at the time, and 630 00:42:38,320 --> 00:42:42,880 Speaker 1: ultimately she decided not to terminate her pregnancy. I was 631 00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:47,560 Speaker 1: born four months later. Truth be told, I don't support 632 00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:51,080 Speaker 1: what you did, but at the same time, I only 633 00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:54,279 Speaker 1: exist because of your actions, and I think about this 634 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:58,279 Speaker 1: a lot. I'm very curious about you and the things 635 00:42:58,280 --> 00:43:01,719 Speaker 1: that motivate you to plant and detonate those bombs. I'm 636 00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:03,440 Speaker 1: also curious to know what you would say to me 637 00:43:03,719 --> 00:43:07,600 Speaker 1: after hearing my story. If it's at all possible, I 638 00:43:07,600 --> 00:43:16,000 Speaker 1: would like to speak with you, sincerely, col A Cassio. 639 00:43:32,719 --> 00:43:36,960 Speaker 1: Flashpoint is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with iHeartMedia. 640 00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:42,560 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Cola Cassio, Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay 641 00:43:42,719 --> 00:43:48,440 Speaker 1: are executive producers on behalf of Tenderfoot TV. Flashpoint was created, written, 642 00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:52,360 Speaker 1: and executive produced by Doug Mattica and myself on behalf 643 00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:56,680 Speaker 1: of seven nine ninety seven. Lead producer is Alex Vespustad, 644 00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:02,520 Speaker 1: along with producers Jamie Albright and Meredith. Our Associate producer 645 00:44:02,719 --> 00:44:08,040 Speaker 1: is Wit Lucasio. Editing by alex Espostat with additional editing 646 00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:13,240 Speaker 1: by Liam Luxon and Sidney Evans. Supervising producer is Tracy Kaplan. 647 00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:20,239 Speaker 1: Artwork by Station sixteen, original music by Jay Ragsdale mixed 648 00:44:20,280 --> 00:44:23,880 Speaker 1: by Dayton Cole. Thank you to Orrin Rosenbaum and the 649 00:44:23,880 --> 00:44:27,400 Speaker 1: team at Uta Beck Media and Marketing and the Nord Group. 650 00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:33,200 Speaker 1: Special thanks to Angela q, Tylie Revive, Mattica and Tim Livingston. 651 00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:38,560 Speaker 1: For more podcasts like Flashpoint, search Tenderfoot TV on your 652 00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:42,200 Speaker 1: favorite podcast s app or visit us at tenderfoot dot tv. 653 00:44:44,160 --> 00:44:57,880 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening to this episode of Flashpoint. 654 00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:02,319 Speaker 1: This series is released weekly ssolutely free, but for ad 655 00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:06,760 Speaker 1: free listening, early access and exclusive bonuses, you can subscribe 656 00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:12,480 Speaker 1: to Tenderfoot plus on Apple Podcasts or at tenderfootplus dot com,