In Part 3 of the Olympic Park bombing series, Sheryl McCollum talks with Dana Jewell about her husband’s life before, during, and after the bombing. Dana shares what Richard endured during “88 days of hell,” the paranoia and betrayal that followed, and how lawsuits, illness, and media attacks shaped his final years. She remembers his love of law enforcement, the toll of nightmares, and the injustice that haunted him. Dana also reflects on Clint Eastwood’s film Richard Jewell and the lasting impact of her husband’s story.

Dana Jewell is the widow of Richard Jewell, the security guard who found the bomb at Centennial Olympic Park in 1996. Over 88 days, Richard lived under FBI suspicion and intense media scrutiny before being cleared. Dana continues to share Richard’s legacy, reminding the world of the cost of rushing to judgment.

 

Missed the first two episodes?

• Listen to Part 1 with Irv Brandt
• Listen to Part 2 with Kent Alexander

Highlights:

• (0:00) Sheryl welcomes Dana Jewell and describes Richard spotting the suspicious backpack at Centennial Park
• (1:45) Dana shares Richard’s “88 days of hell” under FBI suspicion and media pressure, and how it damaged his health
• (5:15) “We met on a drug bust.” Dana remembers meeting Richard in Meriweather County
• (14:30) The lawsuit against the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the lasting damage of headlines
• (19:00) Kent Alexander approaches Dana about writing The Suspect
• (24:00) Richard Jewell's illness and final days
• (31:15) Dana reflects on Clint Eastwood’s film Richard Jewell
• (34:45) Sheryl closes by quoting Richard Jewell: “The media can destroy lives faster than the criminal justice system can save them.”

 

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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.

 

Social Links:

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