In Part 2 of the Olympic Park bombing series, Sheryl McCollum talks with Kent Alexander, who served as U.S. Attorney during the investigation. Alexander recalls the tense hours after the blast, the FBI and media’s rush to label Richard Jewell a suspect, and the non-target letter that cleared him. He also explains how Eric Rudolph became the focus, what investigators learned from the case, and how his book The Suspect grew into Clint Eastwood’s film Richard Jewell.

Kent Alexander served as U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Georgia during the Olympic Park bombing investigation. He is the co-author of The Suspect, the book that became the basis for Clint Eastwood’s film Richard Jewell.

To learn more about Kent Alexander, visit The Suspect

Highlights:

• (0:00) Sheryl introduces guest Kent Alexander, former U.S. Attorney during the Olympic Park bombing
• (2:45) The 911 call and Alexander’s first moments of the investigation
• (5:30) Securing evidence and rebuilding the bomb
• (8:15) Remembering victims Alice Hawthorne and Melih Uzunyol
• (9:15) Media and FBI rush to judgment against Richard Jewell
• (12:30) The non-target letter that cleared Richard Jewell
• (17:30) Eric Rudolph emerges as the true bomber
• (22:00) Alexander start writing The Suspect, documenting the case
• (25:15) Understanding Eric Rudolph’s motives and methods
• (30:00) Sheryl recall firsthand stories of victims and media exposure
• (33:15) How The Suspect became the film Richard Jewell
• (37:00) “He was a hero. What he did saved a lot of lives.” - Kent Alexander on Richard Jewell

 

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award-winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, forensic and crime scene expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. She is the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a national collaboration that advances techniques for solving cold cases and assists families and law enforcement with unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnappings.

 

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