In separate plea agreements with the federal government and Georgia prosecutors, Eric Rudolph admitted killing two people and injuring 150 others by carrying out a series bombings at a gay nightclub, abortion clinics, and the 1996 Olympics, and will serve four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors spared Rudolph from execution in exchange for his guilty pleas and his revealing the location of about 250 pounds of dynamite he had hidden in the North Carolina mountains. Prior to his capture in 2003, Rudolph spent over five years hiding from authorities in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina.

“The many victims of Eric Rudolph’s terrorist attacks in Atlanta and Birmingham can rest assured that Rudolph will spend the rest of his life behind bars. The best interests of justice are served by resolution of this case and by the skillful operation that secured the dangerous explosives buried in North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias later added, “There will be no further delays in obtaining justice for the public and the many victims of his terrorist activity.”

(Washington Post, April 6, 2005 and New York Times, April 12, 2005).

See Life Without Parole; also Federal Death Penalty.