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Details :
Category: Mass Murder
Location: United States
Date: 1996 - 1998
Crime: Known as the 'Olympic Park Bomber', Rudolph committed a series of bombings across the southern United States. He is credited in the deaths of 3 people with another 150 injured in the attacks that he called, 'A guerilla campaign against abortion and the homosexual agenda'.
Biography: Rudolph was born on September 19, 1966 in Merritt Island, Florida. He dropped out of school before the tenth grade and went to work with his brother as a carpenter. His mother espoused radical, racist Christian beliefs and instilled those views in young Eric. In 1985, Rudolph finally earned his GED and went to college for two semesters, later enlisting in the U.S. Army. He served in the 101st Airborne Division and attended Air Assault School prior to his discharge in 1989. His first bombing was on the biggest stage imaginable in 1996, as he planted a bomb during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. The blast killed one spectator and wounded 111 others. A Turkish cameraman also died during the incident as he suffered a heart attack while trying to rush to the scene to film the incident. Six months after the Olympics bombing, he targeted an abortion clinic in Atlanta and a known lesbian bar a month later. Then, in January 1998, he bombed an Alabama abortion clinic, this time killing a security guard and critically wounding a nurse. Within two weeks, he was identified as a suspect in the Alabama bombing. By May, he was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list and was considered to be armed and dangerous, with a $1 million reward for information posted leading to his capture. He spent the next five years on the run, spending much of his time evading the authorities by hiding in the Appalachian wilderness. He was captured on May 31, 2003 behind a supermarket as he was scavenging through a dumpster. In order to avoid the death penalty, Rudolph agreed to a plea bargain admitting his guilt in each of the bombings and is currently serving four consecutive life sentences with no ability for parole.
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