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CNN Live Today
Rudolph to Be Arraigned in Birmingham Shortly
Aired June 03, 2003 - 10:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, let's turn our attention to the Eric Rudolph case. The former fugitive is going to be arraigned in Alabama this afternoon in connection with the 1998 bombing that killed an off duty police officer there. This the latest chapter in legal odyssey that covers a span of five years and two states.
Here's Brian Cabell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eric Rudolph now resides in a jail just a few miles from the women's clinic he's charged with bombing five years ago. He arrived in Birmingham shackled and surrounded by heavy security. He was placed in an isolation cell with round the clock surveillance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He seemed cooperative and soft-spoken and he seemed a little bit relieved when he was introduced to myself and the marshal and the chief deputy here that he would be safe here.
CABELL: A trial date has not been set yet. The Birmingham bombing at a women's clinic that provided abortions killed an off duty policeman who was providing security for the clinic and severely injured a nurse. An eyewitness spotted a man leaving the scene and getting into a pickup, a pickup that turned out belonged to Rudolph.
Investigators have also linked Rudolph, who, according to friends and family, had anti-gay, anti-abortion and anti-government views, to the Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta in 1996 and to bombings at another woman's clinic and a gay nightclub, both also in Atlanta, in 1997. His attorney denies the charges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as I know, he wasn't anywhere near anything that happened. But I can tell you that nothing that he did was that sort of defiant, arrogant, it's their fault, not my fault, you know, I'm in the Army of God and they had it coming. I mean that -- I mean, you know, he doesn't talk, he didn't talk like that.
CABELL: Rudolph managed to elude capture in spite of a massive manhunt in the rugged mountains of western North Carolina and the offer of a $1 million reward for information leading to his apprehension. Officials now believe that Rudolph, who was a handyman and carpenter by trade, used his survivalist skills to hide in the mountains during the five year manhunt. It's uncertain whether he was given any help by sympathetic local residents.
Emily Lyons, who was disfigured and blinded in one eye by the Birmingham explosion, has no sympathy at all.
EMILY LYONS, BOMBING VICTIM: Forgiveness doesn't come easy for me and this wouldn't be one of them at all. There's nothing that could forgive this. There could be no reason for forgiveness for this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABELL: Within a couple of hours, Eric Rudolph is due to be transferred from his cell here at the Jefferson County Courthouse to the federal courthouse, which is about five blocks away. It's there that he'll make his initial appearance. He'll hear the charges against him and he will be able to make a plea there.
We talked to the sheriff a little while ago, who said he woke Rudolph up this morning at 6:00 a.m. He said Rudolph appeared a little bit stronger today than he was yesterday, but he said Rudolph appeared to be slightly frustrated, a little bit agitated because, he said, he didn't know what was going on. He appeared to be just a little bit confused. The sheriff gave him a newspaper, "The Birmingham News," to read. He also met with his two attorneys yesterday and he will now begin planning his defense -- Leon.
HARRIS: Thanks, Brian.
Cabell reporting live for us from Birmingham.
Well, Eric Rudolph also faces charges in the 1997 bombing of a gay nightclub here in Atlanta. Coming up later in this hour, we'll talk with the club's owner about his arrest and what may come next and find out what she thinks about all of this.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 3, 2003 - 10:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, let's turn our attention to the Eric Rudolph case. The former fugitive is going to be arraigned in Alabama this afternoon in connection with the 1998 bombing that killed an off duty police officer there. This the latest chapter in legal odyssey that covers a span of five years and two states.
Here's Brian Cabell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eric Rudolph now resides in a jail just a few miles from the women's clinic he's charged with bombing five years ago. He arrived in Birmingham shackled and surrounded by heavy security. He was placed in an isolation cell with round the clock surveillance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He seemed cooperative and soft-spoken and he seemed a little bit relieved when he was introduced to myself and the marshal and the chief deputy here that he would be safe here.
CABELL: A trial date has not been set yet. The Birmingham bombing at a women's clinic that provided abortions killed an off duty policeman who was providing security for the clinic and severely injured a nurse. An eyewitness spotted a man leaving the scene and getting into a pickup, a pickup that turned out belonged to Rudolph.
Investigators have also linked Rudolph, who, according to friends and family, had anti-gay, anti-abortion and anti-government views, to the Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta in 1996 and to bombings at another woman's clinic and a gay nightclub, both also in Atlanta, in 1997. His attorney denies the charges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as I know, he wasn't anywhere near anything that happened. But I can tell you that nothing that he did was that sort of defiant, arrogant, it's their fault, not my fault, you know, I'm in the Army of God and they had it coming. I mean that -- I mean, you know, he doesn't talk, he didn't talk like that.
CABELL: Rudolph managed to elude capture in spite of a massive manhunt in the rugged mountains of western North Carolina and the offer of a $1 million reward for information leading to his apprehension. Officials now believe that Rudolph, who was a handyman and carpenter by trade, used his survivalist skills to hide in the mountains during the five year manhunt. It's uncertain whether he was given any help by sympathetic local residents.
Emily Lyons, who was disfigured and blinded in one eye by the Birmingham explosion, has no sympathy at all.
EMILY LYONS, BOMBING VICTIM: Forgiveness doesn't come easy for me and this wouldn't be one of them at all. There's nothing that could forgive this. There could be no reason for forgiveness for this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABELL: Within a couple of hours, Eric Rudolph is due to be transferred from his cell here at the Jefferson County Courthouse to the federal courthouse, which is about five blocks away. It's there that he'll make his initial appearance. He'll hear the charges against him and he will be able to make a plea there.
We talked to the sheriff a little while ago, who said he woke Rudolph up this morning at 6:00 a.m. He said Rudolph appeared a little bit stronger today than he was yesterday, but he said Rudolph appeared to be slightly frustrated, a little bit agitated because, he said, he didn't know what was going on. He appeared to be just a little bit confused. The sheriff gave him a newspaper, "The Birmingham News," to read. He also met with his two attorneys yesterday and he will now begin planning his defense -- Leon.
HARRIS: Thanks, Brian.
Cabell reporting live for us from Birmingham.
Well, Eric Rudolph also faces charges in the 1997 bombing of a gay nightclub here in Atlanta. Coming up later in this hour, we'll talk with the club's owner about his arrest and what may come next and find out what she thinks about all of this.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
