# Rudolph to enter guilty pleas. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 8, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493 "2005-04-08T23:26:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SpectBrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@SpectBrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpectBrain)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/1 "2005-04-08T23:26:19Z")
```php http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/08/rudolph.plea/index.html ``` According to the article he’s pleading gulty to avoid being sentenced to death. I’d really like to see him tried for at least one of the bombings. We’ll never know his true motives or if he had anybody helping him. ---
**Author:** ![SpectBrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@SpectBrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpectBrain)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/2 "2005-04-08T23:30:00Z")
[Cnn link for the previous post.](http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/08/rudolph.plea/index.html) I will remember to preview. I will remember to preview. I will remember to preveiw…d’oh! ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/3 "2005-04-08T23:37:45Z")
> [@](#): > > He said he never had any doubt Rudolph would be convicted, but said “cultural factors,” such as opposition to abortion among jurors, could have made a death sentence difficult to obtain. I love how abortion always comes up when discussing the death penalty. The guy is a used douch nozzle. Why should his life be spared? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/4 "2005-04-09T02:08:07Z")
According to _The Times_ he was spared death because he plead guilty and disclosed where he buried his arsenal. If true this is the best argument for the Death Penalty I have seen yet. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/5 "2005-04-09T03:17:38Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > I love how abortion always comes up when discussing the death penalty. The guy is a used douch nozzle. Why should his life be spared? Abortion comes up because he bombed abortion clinics, nimrod. RTFA. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/6 "2005-04-09T03:24:54Z")
> [@](#): > > he was spared death because he plead guilty and disclosed where he buried his arsenal. So is he actually guilty of _all_ these crimes[ul] [li]January 1998 bombing of a women’s clinic[/li][li]attack at a concert in Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Olympics[/li][li]two bombings an hour apart at a suburban women’s clinic in January 1997[/li][li]a bombing at a lesbian nightclub in February that same year[/li][/ul] or is he also copping a plea to take the heat off his fellow terrorists? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/7 "2005-04-09T04:27:16Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > So is he actually guilty of _all_ these crimes[ul] > [li]January 1998 bombing of a women’s clinic[/li][li]attack at a concert in Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Olympics[/li][li]two bombings an hour apart at a suburban women’s clinic in January 1997[/li][li]a bombing at a lesbian nightclub in February that same year[/li][/ul] or is he also copping a plea to take the heat off his fellow terrorists? He pled guilty to all of it and the physical evidence is pretty strong that he did all of it. Is there any reason to think that he wasn’t acting alone? As to the OP, death is too good for this guy. Why should he be able to get a nice shot in the arm and go to sleep? Let him rot in a shit hole for 50 or 60 years. That’s what he deserves. This guy’s a cop killer too, by the way. Complete human garbage. It amazes me that some people have turned him into a folk hero. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/8 "2005-04-09T05:35:46Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > the physical evidence is pretty strong that he did all of it. Is there any reason to think that he wasn’t acting alone? But is it a **slam dunk**? Is there any reason to think he’s not associated with a larger terrorist organization? ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/9 "2005-04-09T05:46:03Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > But is it a **slam dunk**? Is there any reason to think he’s not associated with a larger terrorist organization? He was arrested while foraging through a dumpster and was visibly emaciated. It’s circumstancial, but it doesn’t seem like a guy that’s part of a larger support network. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/10 "2005-04-09T05:51:21Z")
All it takes is one anti-abortion nutbar on the jury, and he could potentially walk. The odds of that are not bad at all, especially once you death-qualify the jury (since big-time abortion opponents tend to support the death penalty, and vice versa). I think this is a good outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/11 "2005-04-09T06:07:17Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > He was arrested while foraging through a dumpster and was visibly emaciated. I remember thinking this was hysterical as several times the Talking Heads of the Media mentioned “Rudolph is a man who knows how to live off the land and will never have any need to approach civilization… he’ll hide out in the caves and forests of the southeastern seaboard for years and never miss a meal”. When they found him the only thing he seemed particularly concerned with was how many breakfasts he could have at the jail (he ate two and asked for a third but was denied). While it’s not believed Rudolph is a member of a well organized terrorist group, it is generally believed that his brother Daniel was his… ahem… [right hand man](http://www-cgi.cnn.com/US/9803/09/briefs.pm/rudolph.amputation/). ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/12 "2005-04-09T06:12:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Daniel Rudolph, the brother of Birmingham clinic bombing suspect Eric Robert Rudolph, purposely cut off one of his hands with an electric saw Sunday, the FBI says. > > Sources at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms told CNN that Daniel Rudolph videotaped the amputation, stating that on the tape that the amputation was being done to “send a message to the FBI and the media.” And the message was sent, loud and clear: “Daniel Rudolph is an idiot.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/13 "2005-04-09T09:30:48Z")
What can you say about a family where one person can chop off his own hand with a power saw and still not be the craziest one in the family? ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/14 "2005-04-09T10:06:30Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > And the message was sent, loud and clear: “Daniel Rudolph is an idiot.” I agree that his actions are terribly confusing. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/15 "2005-04-09T12:01:53Z")
Any word on what his beef was with the Olympics? I get that he hated abortions and homosexuals, but what exactly was his purpose, if any, for the seemingly random bombing of people in the concert at the Olympics? Besides his confession, is there any hard evidence that ties him to that bombing? With the history of that investigation, it’s not outside of the realm of my imagination that the feds could get him to cop to that as a condition of his plea bargain. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/16 "2005-04-09T12:19:00Z")
So you can be a serial terrorist/bomber/anti-abortion nutjob and still live? His victims were executed for far less–really, for nothing at all. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/17 "2005-04-09T12:27:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Daniel Rudolph is Eric Rudolph’s oldest brother stupidest. game of one-upmanship. ever. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/18 "2005-04-09T15:19:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Daniel Rudolph, the brother of Birmingham clinic bombing suspect Eric Robert Rudolph, purposely cut off one of his hands with an electric saw Sunday, the FBI says. Meh. A _real_ man would have cut it off with a hand saw. ---
**Author:** ![SpectBrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@SpectBrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpectBrain)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/19 "2005-04-09T16:02:52Z")
Perhaps he just wanted to give his brother a hand. As mentioned above, I don’t understand what his motive was for the Olympic Park bombing? What did he hope to gain, other than notoriety? ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493/20 "2005-04-09T16:06:56Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Any word on what his beef was with the Olympics? I get that he hated abortions and homosexuals, but what exactly was his purpose, if any, for the seemingly random bombing of people in the concert at the Olympics? Just a WAG, but maybe he thought he had to broaden his aim in order to attract attention to his cause. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rudolph-to-enter-guilty-pleas/298493.md?page=2)