Oh Happy Day! — Eric Rudolph’s Arrest!
Thursday, June 05, 2003

Home at last! New York was exhausting. Rudolph’s capture makes it all worthwhile.

We missed his not guilty plea, but that and the bail hearing are just part of the process. We will be at the trial.

There is a rumor that they will try for a change of venue. Fortunately, the O. J. Simpson case set a strong legal president. The judge said that the national press was about the same as the local, so he could get as fair of a trial locally as anywhere else. Based on the nationwide, if not worldwide, attention that Eric has received, the same should hold true here.

While Emily and I will travel to wherever the trial is held, we are firmly opposed to the effort to have it moved. The only place in the country where he would not receive a fair trial is the area of his capture due to the support he has received.

We do not know the basis of his defense or the basis for his request to have the trial relocated. If it is religion, then Birmingham is well known for proudly being part of the Bible belt.

The population of our area, like most cities, are split about 50-50 pro-life and pro-choice. Were Emily worked and what field of nursing she practiced should in no way be used to justify the attack, but the courts will be able to find an appropriate mix of pro-life/pro-choice if that is considered to be an issue.

Birmingham has a large diversity of people, races, and opinions. It is our hope that Mr. Rudolph receives a fair trial, and we are convinced that impartial jurors can be located here.

Nothing will be gained by moving the trial, but much will be lost. This is where the crime scene is, and jurors will have the easiest access to it if they need to visit the location. The witness who followed the suspect from the clinic and obtained a tag number is here. The evidence is here. Even the defense attorneys know their way around town here.

Moving the trial would be a huge mistake, which would not offer any benefit to the accused. It would only impose hardship on the jurors, witnesses, and others involved in the case.

Tuesday, June 03, 2003

The phone rang around 6:30 am Saturday, May 31st, 2003. Emily had worked as a labor and delivery nurse in Georgia. She had remained close friends with another nurse by the name of Carol from that time. Carol was on the phone telling me that the news said that Eric Rudolph might be in custody.

My first thought was that it was another false alarm. There had been several sightings that turned out to not be him. One said that he was seen driving his pickup truck in Colorado, even though we knew that his truck had been impounded. Emily and I have jokingly said that Eric and Elvis had been spotted pumping gas at a local store.

When I hung up the phone, Emily asked me who dared call before the crack of noon on a Saturday. I asked, what news would be worth being woke up for this early? She instantly knew that it had to be about Rudolph.

When we turned on the TV, we found news that there was a chance that he had been captured, but no confirmation. Our moods could be described as cautious optimism. A few hours later, the news confirmed that it was indeed he. Emily hasn’t stopped smiling since. As one of the reporters said, she seemed to glow.

The phone calls from the media and our friends began. It seemed that call waiting was beeping every 5 seconds while I was on the phone. Friends scatter over a period of five years, so we received calls from Seattle, Colorado, Montgomery, Georgia, and the Mobile area in addition to those still living in Birmingham. The day we had waited five and a half years for had finally arrived.

People have asked us if we gave up hope of his being captured. The Unibomber was arrested shortly after the Birmingham bombing. He had eluded capture for 17 years. While that had no known connection with Rudolph, it did set the expectation level that we might be in this for the long haul. We made up our minds early on that we would be patient and not give up the belief that he would be found.

It was clear on the first day that there would be no justice for Emily, and we still don’t expect any. If found guilty, we expect that he will spend the rest of his life in prison. When someone knows that they will die in jail for murder, an additional sentence for assault doesn’t mean anything to them.

As to punishment, he has been in jail since the bombing. Due to the pressure kept on him by the legal system and the media, he has been unable to go shopping, go out on a date, seek medical care, or (most importantly) hurt anyone else. His hiding has placed him in a self-imposed prison without a trial. Considering he was caught dumpster diving, the three hots and a cot provided by prison sounds like a step up for him. With the diet he had to contend with and the lack of available medical care, being captured may increase his life expectancy even if he is sentenced to death.

If nothing else, the food will be better in prison. A diet of lizards does not sound like fine dining.

My first job was to work at a camp when I was 14. After spending eight weeks in a tent, I was ready for civilization.

Our only hope was that he be captured before he hurt another, and our wish has been granted. Thank you to the members of the legal system who put in countless hours, and thank you to the media who have kept his picture out there.

Apparently, there are those who think that we have enjoyed being in the spotlight or we are making money from the press. Not that it is anybody’s business what our motivation has been, but let me set the record straight. Emily and I have never asked for any money for a single interview. Neither one of us care anything about being in front of a camera. In fact, we were enjoying getting back into being an anonymous married couple again. Our only motivation has been to keep Eric’s picture out there in the hope that he would be recognized. Now that he has been captured, we are cooperating with the media because they have made such an effort to publicize Rudolph. We have yet to ask to be interviewed, but we will continue to try to accommodate those who ask us.

We are very pleased that the first trial will be held in Birmingham. While I understand that John Ashcroft had the final decision, it was Doug Jones who worked so hard several years ago to get it setup to have him in Alabama first. While I understand that more people where hurt in Georgia, I do think it fair that Alabama have the first trial. After all, it was in Birmingham where someone followed him and obtained his tag number. If it were not for the Birmingham incident, Georgia still wouldn’t know who was behind it and there would have been more bombings. He was first charged based on the incidents in Alabama, so his first trial should be here.

Speaking of the Birmingham eyewitness, Emily and I do not know who the person is. We hope to be able to thank him once his appearance has been made in court. While we are grateful beyond words to the officer who arrested Rudolph and the officer who recognized him, we feel that the eyewitness is the most deserving of any reward money that is paid out. This person went far above and beyond anything that would be expected of an average citizen by following Eric and getting his tag number.

Emily and I spoke with Officer Jeff Postell to thank him. I am glad that it was a Jeff who apprehended him. He has modestly said that he was just doing his job. Even so, his excellent work has brought relief to over a hundred families and safety to no telling how many more. What a wonderful job to have.

Today is Tuesday, June 03, 2003. Eric has pled not guilty. We were unable to attend because of being in New York. This is just a formality, so we really don’t feel that we missed anything. However, we will be there for as much of the trial as we can.

I thought it interesting that the only thing that has agitated Rudolph is the lack of a working television near his cell. He is accused of murdering two people, another dying of a heart attack, and harming over a hundred, yet his only concern is cable TV. I am sure that this says something about his grasp on reality, but I haven’t figured out quite what yet.

Though we never met Eric, we have been told that he enjoyed the woods, marijuana, women, and movies. I forecast that the first three are not in his future. At least he now has the opportunity to catch up on the flicks.

I don’t expect him to comment on the why until the verdict is in. However, I hope that if he is responsible for the acts that he will one day say what his point was. There are a lot of people who deserve an answer.

Eric has been appointed a fine attorney. Some crime victims harbor resentment against the defense attorney. We do not. It is our hope that Eric receives a fair trail. If convicted, we don’t want it said that he didn’t receive his day in court. A defense attorney doing his best job is part of the process, and we expect no less.

In addition, I hope that people will not hold any of the events against Eric’s family. We have never met his mother, but understand that she may have brought him up in an environment that encouraged hate. If that is true, then she will have to live with the outcome. If you hit your thumb with a hammer, it still hurts. Even if she may have been involved in forming Eric’s ideals, she has still lost a son and must be going through tremendous emotional pain. It is against everything that is right to attack a person’s family for what they have done or have been accused of doing. We have never harassed Eric’s family and we will not. We ask the same of everyone else.

It appears that there are those who still support Rudolph or feel that attacks against Emily were justified because of where she worked. We receive emails like www.emilylyons.com/isabortionmurder.htm every now and then.

We understand that many in the Murphy area are fully behind him. In one way, I think that I have more respect for them than the Murphy mayor who said that nobody in his town felt that way. Honesty, even misguided, gets a few points.

There is a lot in this world that I don’t understand, but the attitude of the Murphy citizens is near the top of the list. While I know there have to be good people in Murphy, the ones who support Eric are beyond my comprehension.

Some there say that they stick to themselves and they take care of their own. How is someone traveling 500 miles away and killing people sticking to themselves?

They seem to resent the intrusion by the legal system, the media, and the other outsiders. While I understand that, I don’t understand why they refuse to place the blame where it is due. Regardless of if he is guilty, the person who brought all those people to their town is Eric Rudolph. If they are upset at the intrusion, then their anger should be directed to the person who caused them to be there.

They say that they are religious people. Part of most religions is the golden rule. If someone from Birmingham went to Murphy and killed one of their family members, and I knew where the person was hiding, would they want me to turn him in?

Some religions strongly disapprove of pregnancy termination, while others tolerate it. I have seen people who have taken Eric as a champion against abortion. Bombing didn’t close the clinic. It didn’t work and it never will.

While I firmly respect their right to have an opinion on abortion, I fail to understand how they can filter the bomber’s actions to only involve the issue of reproductive choice. What about the nightclub? What about the Olympics? What about the secondary bombs in Georgia that were apparently designed to kill paramedics, police, and firemen?

The fact that Eric was found digging through trash in hope of finding food leads me to believe that he was not being helped at the time. If he had received help, they obviously weren’t feeding him well. However, I find it very had to believe that nobody helped him along the way. Those who did help are just as guilty as he is and I hope that they will one day find themselves behind bars.

If he was that close to town and has been going to the backs of stores, someone had to have seen him and not reported him. While not reporting is less of an offense than directly helping, it is still wrong.

We have been asked if we hope for the death sentence. First, I want to say again that this is America. It is premature to sentence him before he is found guilty. As long as he receives a fair trial, we will accept the verdict and the sentence.

If he is found guilty, then we expect him to die in prison. He may pass away from natural causes or he may be executed, but the result will be a prison death either way. The only question is what will make his heart stop.

While I hate to see another fatality from the bombings, I have to say that these crimes deserve the harshest punishment available. The death sentence is considered to be the most severe, and I feel that these crimes warrant it. This was not an act of thoughtless anger. The bomber considered the results for a long time and planned this. He stood across the street from the clinic and pressed the button while looking at my wife. The Atlanta bombs were rigged to go off using a timer. I don’t know which is worse  watching your victim or leaving who is killed up to chance. In the Georgia explosions, he didn’t care who he hurt as long as he got a lot of people.

The bomber knew what the outcome could be. Planting the bombs was an act of suicide. When the first bomb was placed, he signed up for the death sentence. It was his choice. He knew the path he was on would lead to death and he decided to take that direction. He may have a pulse for years to come, but the life he could have enjoyed ended when the first bomb went off.

Others have asked if the trial or his eventual sentence will bring closure. Nobody knows the outcome of the trial yet. It may be months or years before the legal proceedings including any appeals are over. Emily lives with the physical damage each and every day. His capture, trial, and (if convicted) sentencing will not change that. This has to be faced each and every day, each time Emily looks in the mirror, each time she wishes she could play the piano again or even write her name without pain, each time she wishes she could still read for more than a few minutes, each time she has to lay down because of the swelling in her legs and feet. This will never close.

We have no control over what physical damage the attack generated. We have total control over how we mentally handle it. Our mind was made up very early on that he would not take any more from our lives than the physical damage. Emily and I agreed to get on with our lives regardless of if/when he was captured and we have.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank the people in the legal system for their countless hours, the media for keeping his picture in the public eye, and our friends, supporters, and family. It is a shame that both my parents have passed away during these five years. They were by my side each step of the way and I know they would have been overjoyed. Emily’s parents are still living and are thrilled.

Birmingham has been the location for bombings, death, and destruction. It is also a place for great healing. Emily is alive to see this day because of Dr. Rue, Dr. Melton, and others on the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) trauma team. Dr. Alonso and others from The Kirklin Clinic was a source of uplifting and humor in addition to incredible surgical skills.

We think every day about how fortunate we are to have lived in the same city as Dr. Morris. In 1970, the odds of Emily having any useful vision were around 20%. Due to the work of Dr. Morris and others in his field, the chances for Emily had increased to 70%. Both the United States Eye Injury Registry and the World Eye Injury Registry websites are run from Birmingham and can be found at www.useironline.org and www.weironline.org. For those of you who are interested in their amazing work, please see the article on Emily’s miracle at http://www.eyeinjury.com/patients.html.

Dr. Grotting is one of the country’s leading cosmetic surgeons. We think of doctors saving lives in the Emergency Room. There is more to living than having a pulse. Many people have commented on the outstanding visual recovery of Emily’s face. Dr. Grotting saved this part of Emily’s life, and Birmingham should be proud to have such an amazing man.

One question that continues to come up is if we hate the bomber. There is a Native American Indian saying that goes you become what you hate. We refuse to allow ourselves to be filled with the same kind of hate that the bomber has.

We will do our best to play the game of life with the cards that we are dealt. Emily and I are survivors. Emily fought hard to keep January 29th 1998 from being the final date on her tombstone. We are in extended play, and we intend to enjoy every minute of it. If there is a message to this, it is that the bomber failed.