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| -Obits- |
| Richard Jewell Dead at Age 44 |
| 2007-08-30 |
| Richard Jewell, the former security guard who was erroneously linked to the 1996 Olympic bombing, died Wednesday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. Jewell, 44, was found dead in his west Georgia home. "There's no suspicion whatsoever of any type of foul play. He had been at home sick since the end of February with kidney problems," said Meriwether County Coroner Johnny Worley. The GBI planned to do an autopsy Thursday. Jewell was initially hailed as a hero for spotting a suspicious backpack in a park and moving people out of harm's way just before a bomb exploded during a concert at the Atlanta Summer Olympics. The blast killed one and injured 111 others. Three days after the bombing, an unattributed report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution described him as "the focus" of the investigation. Other media, to varying degrees, also linked Jewell to the investigation. He was never arrested or charged, although he was questioned and was a subject of search warrants. The media circus that followed the FBI investigation obscured the fact that Jewell saved the lives of many members of the technical staff working on live TV coverage of the Olympics. “Richard ran all the way up and down the four stories of the tower and evacuated everybody, it must have been between 40 and 50 people. Seconds later the thing exploded,” said Bruce Rodgers, president of Tribe Inc and designer of the AT&T Global Village, where the explosion happened. "Had he not gotten those people out, I know that at least 20 people on the first two floors of the tower would be dead.” Eighty-eight days after the initial news report, U.S. Attorney Kent Alexander issued a statement saying Jewell "is not a target" of the bombing investigation and that the "unusual and intense publicity" surrounding him was "neither designed nor desired by the FBI, and in fact interfered with the investigation." In 1997, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno expressed regret over the leak regarding Jewell. "I'm very sorry it happened," she told reporters. "I think we owe him an apology." The Atlanta newspaper never settled a lawsuit Jewell filed against it. The case was still pending as of last year. A lawyer for the newspaper did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Eventually, the bomber turned out to be anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph, who also planted three other bombs in the Atlanta area and in Birmingham, Ala. Those explosives killed a police officer, maimed a nurse and injured several other people. Rudolph was captured after spending five years hiding out in the mountains of western North Carolina. He pleaded guilty to all four bombings last year and is serving life in prison. As recently as last year, Jewell was working as a sheriff's deputy. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #12 Mr. Jewell wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was a genuinely nice guy whose actions saved lives. Just another unfortunate victim of the Clinton/Reno brand of justice and fairness. Rest in Peace, Richard. God bless. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2007-08-30 22:21 |
| #11 I don't think so, this guy got the shitty end of the stick so the media could sensationalize the story. They took a risk that it would turn out to be him, and they lost. |
| Posted by: Dopey Angusotch8101 2007-08-30 17:20 |
| #10 'scuse me if i don't care. this story needs to be filed with all the Britnay, Paris and Princess Di stories, IMHO. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-08-30 16:39 |
| #9 I take back what I wrote above about the Feds and Jewell. In fact, rather than admit wrongdoing the FBI insists that laws be interpreted to make ersatz right of everything they do. In Idaho in 1992, FBI snipers killed Vicki Weaver while she held a baby in her arms. At Senate hearings into the "Ruby Ridge" incident, Larry Potts (Asst FBI Director), testified that the FBI had the "right" to shoot and kill anyone if they believed that person was holding a gun. When Sen. Arlen Spector refuted same by citing both case law and FBI policy on use of deadly force, the FBI held their ground as Janet Reno (Attorney General) made a bare defense of the FBI fiction. Earlier, Reno repudiated a Justice Department report finding that the sniping - from 200 yards and without a demand for target compliance - was unconstitutional. Again, Reno did the George III act and didn't give reasons for her abuse of power. I guess tyrants aren't bound by law. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2007-08-30 12:56 |
| #8 Richard Jewell v. Piedmont College According to CNN "Also named in the suit is Piedmont College, Jewell's former employer, located in Demorest, Georgia, Piedmont College President Raymond Cleere, and college spokesman Scott Rawles. Jewell's attorneys contend Cleere called the FBI and spoke to the Atlanta newspapers, providing them with false information on Jewell and his employment there as a security guard." Richard Jewell v. NBC Jewell sued NBC News for this statement, made by Tom Brokaw, "The speculation is that the FBI is close to making the case. They probably have enough to arrest him right now, probably enough to prosecute him, but you always want to have enough to convict him as well. There are still some holes in this case". Even though NBC stood by its story, the network agreed to pay Jewell $500,000. Richard Jewell v. New York Post Jewell sued the New York Post for libel for $15 million over a series of stories and a photograph caption. The newspaper reportedly called Jewell "a Village Rambo" and "a fat, failed former sheriffÂ’s deputy." Richard Jewell v. Cox Enterprises d.b.a. Atlanta Journal-Constitution Jewell also sued the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, which stated Jewell was "an individual with a bizarre employment history and aberrant personality". It also said Jewell "fit the profile of a lone bomber." According to Jewell, the paper's headline, which read FBI suspects 'hero' guard may have planted bomb, "pretty much started the whirlwind". The Atlanta Journal went as far as to compare Richard Jewell's case to that of serial killer Wayne Williams. The newspaper was the only defendant that did not settle with Jewell. As of April 2005, the lawsuit remained pending, after having been considered at one time by the Supreme Court of Georgia, and had become an important part of case law regarding whether journalists could be forced to reveal their sources. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-08-30 11:11 |
| #7 The biggest lawsuit was against print media - the Atlanta Constitution Journal and is still pending 10 years later believe it or not. The ACJ managed to delay things to this day and prevent him from getting any money. Even CNN manged to settle with the guy! The ACJ ought to be ashamed but liberal mental midgets like that have not the intelligence to be capable of moral judgment, much less shame. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-08-30 10:38 |
| #6 An early and buried warning that MSM was not about truth, but about the narrative. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-08-30 09:31 |
| #5 no comment from Dr. Hatfill? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-08-30 09:19 |
| #4 I believe he received some compensation from the Feds. After he was smeared, he was hounded and tagged as the "Bubba Bomber." Fortunately, state police services didn't impede his law enforcement career. |
| Posted by: McZoid 2007-08-30 06:06 |
| #3 dittos... |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2007-08-30 04:19 |
| #2 In 1997, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno expressed regret over the leak regarding Jewell. "I'm very sorry it happened," she told reporters. "I think we owe him an apology." .......interesting that unlike Alberto Gonzales, no Dems in Congress asked for Reno's resignation, or for the resignation of anyone in the Federal Bureau of Idiots. Reno and Slick slid through the Wako fiasco without a negative comment from Congress as well. Rest in Peace Mr. Jewell. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-08-30 01:22 |
| #1 The case was still pending as of last year. Poor bastard. Ten years later and still no settlement for having his character smeared. Justice delayed is justice denied. I hope someone spends a few |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-30 01:22 |