| On This Day in American History |
|
|
|
On August 29, 2007, hero, turned suspect, turned hero again, Richard Jewell dies of natural causes at the age of 44. Jewell became a household name after a pipe bomb exploded at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, killing one and injuring over 100. Jewell was first hailed as a hero for noticing the bomb and moving people away from it. Later, however, it was reported that Jewell was a suspect in the bombing. He was never arrested or charged. After months of the media combing through his background and even monitoring his movements, the Justice Department cleared Jewell of any involvement. He later sued and reached settlements with several news outlets, including NBC and CNN. On 2006, then governor of Georgia, Sonny Perdue, publicly praised Jewell for saving lives. In May, 2003 the real bomber, Eric Rudolph, was arrested and charged with the bombing as well as other bombing incidents. He confessed and was sentenced to life in prison. |
|
|
