The first trial of accused Olympic park bomber Eric Rudolph has been postponed indefinitely.

Rudolph was to go on trial Monday for the 1998 bombing of an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama. But a federal judge says it's unreasonable to expect attorneys to be ready before next year.

The case involves more than 100-thousand court filings about the bombing, which killed an off-duty police officer and critically injured a nurse.

Rudolph is also accused in the 1996 Olympic bombing in Atlanta that killed one and injured more than 100. He's also accused of bombings the next year in Atlanta at an abortion clinic and a gay nightclub.

He was arrested in May after five years as a fugitive.

Accused serial bomber to make court appearance. July 11th

(Birmingham-AP) -- Accused serial bomber Eric Rudolph will be in a Birmingham courtroom this afternoon for an arraignment hearing.

US Marshals transported Rudolph to the Hugo Black Federal Court building early this morning. The US Attorney's office and Rudolph's defense team confirmed the North Carolina man will appear before a federal judge.

Jefferson County Sheriff's spokesman Randy Christian would not say what time Rudolph arrived.

The 36-year-old Rudolph is charged with the January 1998 bombing of a Birmingham abortion clinic that killed an off-duty police officer and wounded a nurse.

Federal prosecutors could ask for the death penalty in the case.

The hearing is scheduled to start at 1:00 PM.

Rudolph plans to skip court hearing today. July 11th

(Birmingham-AP) -- Eric Robert Rudolph is expected to choose to skip a court hearing today and stay in his Jefferson County jail cell.

Federal prosecutors are expected to tell a judge why they can ask for the death penalty.

Rudolph waived his right to appear at this afternoon's hearing.

Prosecutors say Rudolph bombed a Birmingham abortion clinic in 1998, killing an off-duty police officer and critically injuring a nurse.

On advice from his defense team, he hasn't given jailers a list of approved visitors.

A spokesman for the sheriff's department in Birmingham say even his mother hasn't visited Rudolph.

Rudolph was arrested May 31st in Murphy, North Carolina after a five-year manhunt.

He's also accused of the 1996 Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta that killed a woman, and the 1997 bombing of a gay nightclub and an abortion clinic.

The sheriff's department says Rudolph hasn't given jailers any trouble, and is quiet and respectful.

Prosecutors ask for postponement of August trial date. July 8th

(Birmingham-AP) -- Prosecutors have asked a judge to postpone the August trial date of serial bombing suspect Eric Robert Rudolph, saying the case is too complex to prepare by then.

The 36-year-old Rudolph is charged with the fatal 1998 bombing of a Birmingham abortion clinic, as well as the 1996 Olympic bombing in Atlanta and two bombings the next year there.

The government's motion filed Thursday in Birmingham, where Rudolph is to stand trial first, states that the volume of documents, interviews and other evidence makes more preparation necessary.

The motion said prosecutors must send the case to the Justice Department for death penalty review and authorization and requires
feedback from both the prosecution and defense, which will take several months to complete.

Newspaper: Woman claims to aid Rudolph, expects to be charged. July 7th

(Atlanta-AP) -- A woman charged with firing a shotgun into an Asheville, North Carolina abortion clinic says she helped bombing suspect Eric Robert Rudolph avoid capture after she moved from Indiana to Murphy, North Carolina, in 2001.

That's according to a report in yesterday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The newspaper says Brenda Kay Phillips told FBI agents after her arrest in February she helped Rudolph hide.

She WON'T say how she knew the accused serial bomber or what she
did to help him. Rudolph was arrested in Murphy, North Carolina five weeks ago. He's being held in the Jefferson County Jail.

FBI agents looking into Rudolph's actions during the five years he was on the run at first discounted Phillips' claims of helping him.

Her attorney says federal agents now are looking at Phillips' story again. The F-B-I is NOT commenting.

Phillips is being held at the McDowell County Jail in Marion, North Carolina.

Rudolph named in new indictment on clinic bombing.

A grand jury has issued a new indictment against Eric Rudolph. The new captial charge announced today (Thursday) complies with a court ruling issued during the five years he was a fugitive.

Rudolph is charged with a deadly abortion clinic bombing in Alabama, as well as the 1996 Olympic park bombing in Atlanta and two others there.

The two-count indictment replaces one issued in November 2000. It spells out the aggravating circumstances prosecutors could use to seek the death penalty.

The Supreme Court ruled last year that judges could not determine aggravating circumstances on their own. Prosecutors say that's the only difference between this new indictment and the original one.

Rudolph's attorneys had NO immediate comment.

Court documents offer details of search for Eric Rudolph. June 26th

Search warrant applications show alleged serial bomber Eric Rudolph made money off marijuana sales and owned a book on Timothy McVeigh during his five years on the run.

The documents were made available yesterday in US District Court in Asheville. The documents also credit a witness in the 1998 bombing of an Alabama abortion clinic as the crucial link that led to Rudolph's arrest last month near Murphy, North Carolina.

The witness reportedly was washing his clothes in a laundry room one block from the January 29th, 1998, explosion at the New Woman All Women health clinic in Birmingham.

He watched as people rushed to the scene, except for one man who
calmly walked away. The witness got in his car and followed the man. Another witness took down the license plate number. It was a North Carolina plate, and that identification that initiated the search starting at Rudolph's home.

He's being held in the Jefferson County Jail.

Sheriff: Rudolph probe focusing on who helped. June 18th

(Charlotte, North Carolina-AP) -- Federal and local law enforcement authorities in western North Carolina are continuing to try to determine who assisted accused serial bomber Eric Rudolph during his five years on the run.

Cherokee County, North Carolina, Sheriff Keith Lovin said in a telephone interview yesterday that investigators are interviewing people and searching the woods where Rudolph may have hidden.

The 36-year-old Rudolph was arrested May 31st. Investigators believe he spent all that time within a short distance of Murphy, in the rugged mountains of western North Carolina.

Rudolph has pleaded innocent to federal charges in a fatal 1998 abortion clinic bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, where he remains in
jail.

He also is accused in a fatal bombing at the 1996 Olympics and a pair of bombings in Atlanta in 1997. The Birmingham case is being tried first.

Investigators do NOT believe Rudolph was on his own while a fugitive. The sheriff says anyone who assisted Rudolph faces possible federal charges.

Attorneys for Rudolph will not seek bond. June 17th

(Birmingham, Alabama-AP) -- Attorneys for Eric Rudolph say they will NOT seek bond today for the suspected serial bomber.

Defense lawyers Richard Jaffe and Bill Bowen said they will waive a hearing in Birmingham, Alabama, today to determine whether the government can continue holding Rudolph.

The 36-year-old North Carolina man is awaiting trial for the fatal bombing of a Birmingham abortion clinic in January 1998.

Bond was considered unlikely for Rudolph, who was arrested May 31st in Murphy, North Carolina, after five years on the run.

Federal prosecutors had no immediate comment.

Rudolph also is accused in the deadly Olympic park bombing in 1996 and a pair of bombings in Atlanta in 1997.

Rudolph's time in jail spent mostly by himself. June 16th

(Birmingham, Alabama-AP) -- Eric Rudolph has given jailers a list of approved visitors. But officials say so far NO one has come to see him besides his defense lawyers.

The lack of contact with even the few people allowed to see him is characteristic of Rudolph's days in the Jefferson County Jail in Alabama: He spends most of his time alone, housed in solitary confinement after being charged with the 1988 bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama abortion clinic.

Rudolph has pleaded innocent to federal charges he bombed the Birmingham abortion clinic and he is accused of a fatal bombing at the 1996 Olympics and a pair of bombings in Atlanta in 1997.

The Birmingham case is being tried first.

Case against bombing suspect includes eyewitness identification. June 12th

(Birmingham-AP) -- Court papers show that a witness says he saw
serial bombing suspect Eric Rudolph near the scene of a fatal bombing at an abortion clinic minutes after the blast.

The man said he followed Rudolph's pickup truck shortly after the 1988 blast. Statements by two federal agents say the man identified Rudolph after seeing a newspaper photo.

Rudolph has pleaded innocent to federal charges in the case. He also is accused in a fatal bombing at the 1996 Olympics and a pair of bombings in Atlanta in 1997. The Birmingham case is being tried first.

The witness's identification and a second man's sighting of Rudolph's truck were the starting points for a five-year manhunt that ended in Rudolph's capture May 31st in Murphy, North Carolina.

The agents' statements also say that forensic evidence ties Rudolph to the Birmingham bombing.

Rudolph's lawyer -- Richard Jaffe (Jaffee)-- did not immediately return phone messages.

The agents' statements also say traces of explosive used in the Birmingham bomb were found on a towel, hat and chair cushion discovered in Rudolph's trailer in North Carolina.

Traces of explosives were also found on the steering wheel cover
of Rudolph's truck and on a shopping bag in a box in the pickup's bed.

Judge delays Rudolph's hearing. June 11th

(Birmingham-AP) -- A judge postponed a hearing in the case against serial bombing suspect Eric Rudolph yesterday, agreeing with a defense request for additional time to review documents.

US Magistrate Judge Michael Putnam had scheduled a hearing for
yesterday afternoon to consider whether the government can continue
holding Rudolph without bond on charges he bombed an Alabama
abortion clinic in January 1998, killing a police officer and critically injuring a nurse.

But, Putnam's office said he rescheduled the hearing for June 17th at 2:00 PM after Rudolph's attorneys asked for more time to go over documents.

Rudolph has pleaded innocent to the bombing.

North Carolina holding money that Rudolph can claim. June 10th

(Murphy, North Carolina-AP) -- Now that accused serial bomber Eric Robert Rudolph has been found, state officials say they're ready to return more than $2000 of his money.

The money is being held in escrow by the state treasurer's office.

It came from personal possessions Rudolph left in a storage locker that were auctioned off months after federal authorities started looking for him back in 1998.

Officials in Cherokee County (NC) auctioned off his personal property and collected about $2600. More than two hundred dollars went to pay off overdue rent on the Murphy storage locker.

Rudolph won't even have to provide his social security number to claim the cash. He's called social security numbers a government-issued tracking device. He only has to prove that he rented the storage locker.

Rudolph is awaiting trial in Birmingham for a bombing that killed an off-duty police officer outside an abortion clinic. He also faces charges of setting off bombs at an abortion clinic, gay nightclub and the 1996 Olympics, all in Atlanta.

Court delays hearing for Rudolph in bombing case. June 10th

(Brmingham-AP) -- A judge postponed a hearing in the case against serial bombing suspect Eric Rudolph today, agreeing with a defense request for additional time to review documents.

US Magistrate Judge Michael Putnam had scheduled a hearing for this afternoon to consider whether the government can continue holding Rudolph without bond on charges he bombed an Alabama abortion clinic in January 1998, killing a police officer and critically injuring a nurse.

But Putnam's office said he rescheduled the hearing for June 17th at 2 PM after Rudolph's attorneys asked for more time to go over documents.

Rudolph was arrested in Murphy, North Carolina, on May 31st after five years on the run. In addition to the Birmingham bombing, Rudolph is charged with the Olympic park bombing in 1996 and a pair of bombings in Atlanta in 1997.

Rudolph will stand trial first in the Birmingham case. He has pleaded innocent to charges that could carry the death penalty upon conviction.

Accused bomber to appear in Alabama court. June 10th

(Birmingham-AP) -- Bombing suspect Eric Rudolph is scheduled to appear in federal court for a bond hearing in Birmingham today.

The 36-year-old Rudolph was taken into custody ten days ago in the same wilderness region of western North Carolina where he was suspected of living since the 1996 Olympic bombing.

He remains in the Jefferson County Jail. Rudolph has pleaded innocent in the January 29th, 1998, bombing of an abortion clinic that killed an off-duty police officer and critically injured a nurse.

He is also accused in the 1996 Olympic park bombing in Atlanta, where a woman was killed and more than 100 were injured, and a pair of 1997 bombings in Atlanta at a lesbian bar and a building that housed an abortion clinic.

Scholar, former appeals court judge first choice to defend Rudolph. June 9th

(Birmingham, Alabama-AP) -- Former Alabama Criminal Appeals Judge William Bowen Junior is considered an expert on contempt, criminal and civil matters.

He got the first call to defend bombing suspect Eric Rudolph when it was decided Rudolph would be tried first in Alabama. When US Attorney General John Ashcroft made the decision, federal court officials worked to assemble a court-appointed legal team, and Bowen was the first one contacted.

Rudolph is accused of detonating a bomb that exploded outside a
Birmingham abortion clinic January 29th, 1998 -- killing a police officer and critically injuring a clinic nurse. He also is charged with setting off a bomb that killed one person and injured 150 others in downtown Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics. Authorities also accused Rudolph in a pair of 1997 bombings in Atlanta at a lesbian nightclub and a building that housed an abortion clinic.

Bowen -- now in private practice -- is handling Rudolph's case with Richard Jaffe -- a death penalty expert -- and two other attorneys from Jaffe's firm.

Mayor of Murphy wants reward money for officer who found Rudolph. June 6th

(Murphy, North Carolina-AP) -- The mayor of Murphy says the police officer who found suspected bomber Eric Rudolph rummaging through a trash container should get the one million dollar reward offered by the FBI.

Mayor Bill Hughes will present a resolution at the next town meeting asking that Officer Jeff Postell be awarded the money.

Hughes says the money would be a "unique opportunity to honor a young rookie police officer in a way that will send a clear and meaningful message....'

Hughes plans to send a copy of the proclamation to President Bush.

Some people have said that giving Postell the money will set a dangerous precedent. They say it could turn police officers into bounty hunters chasing reward money.

Attorney: Rudolph can get a fair hearing in Birmingham. June 6th

(Birmingham-AP) -- Bombing suspect Eric Rudolph's court-appointed attorney in Alabama says he believes that Rudolph can get a fair trial in Birmingham.

However, Richard Jaffe said yesterday he has NOT decided for sure whether to seek of venue.

Jaffe says he's waiting on the results of a scientific poll to determine whether potential jurors in the case can put aside their feelings about the case and render a fair verdict.

Jaffe says Rudolph has been cooperative so far and has been no
problem to authorities.

Jaffe says he has been in contact with Rudolph's mother and asked on her behalf for people to suspend any judgment about Rudolph's guilt, calling such views premature.

Federal agents wrap up searches of purported campsite of bombing suspect. June 4th

(Murphy, North Carolina-AP) -- Federal agents have finished their searches of two North Carolina campsites.

The sites are where suspected serial bomber Eric Rudolph is believed to have spent much of his five years on the run.

A spokesman says dozens of bags of evidence have been sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia. A scaled-down force of 30 agents remains in the western North Carolina mountains.

Rudolph, a former soldier and survivalist, is jailed in Birmingham, Alabama. He has pleaded innocent in 1998 bombing of an abortion clinic that killed an off-duty police officer and critically injured a nurse.

Rudolph is also accused in the 1996 Olympic park bombing in Atlanta, where a woman was killed and more than 100 were injured, and a pair of 1997 bombings in Atlanta.

Rudolph's purported campsite shows planning, preparation. June 4th

(Fires Creek, North Carolina-AP) -- Investigators believe suspected Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph likely spent much of the five years he was a fugitive at a carefully planned campsite on a mountainside in Nantahala National Forest.

The site is about a half-mile hike from the nearest road, up a slope steeper than any ski run. It includes a "patio" of carefully laid, interlocking slate stones and a fire pit that still held ashes today.

Federal investigators have removed key evidence from the site. They returned yesterday with a chain saw they used to remove pieces of plastic that had been nailed around tree trunks. Rudolph may have used it to keep food suspended and away from animals.

The pieces of tree trunk and the nails pounded into them were taken away for analysis as possible evidence.

Nails were used in several of the bombs that federal prosecutors allege Rudolph detonated in Birmingham and the Atlanta area between 1996 and 1998.

Lawyer: Public perception of Rudolph inaccurate. June 4th

(Birmingham-AP) -- Eric Rudolph's lawyer says the public perception of his client is "far from accurate."

Richard Jaffe says it will take time to "sort out facts from the speculation and from the hearsay."

Jaffe spoke outside the courthouse yesterday where Rudolph pleaded innocent to a bombing at an Alabama women's clinic in 1998. The blast killed an off-duty police officer and critically injured a nurse.

Federal prosecutors haven't announced whether they will seek the
death penalty in the case.

Meanwhile, a North Carolina sheriff says Rudolph told his jailers he struggled to stay alive during the five years he eluded authorities. Cherokee County Sheriff Keith Lovin says Rudolph used a gun to hunt animals but didn't say whether the gun has been found.

US Magistrate Judge Michael Putnam set an August Fourth trial, but said that date would be postponed by pretrial proceedings. He also scheduled a June Tenth hearing on whether Rudolph can be released on bond, a move the government opposes.

Eric Roberts pleads innocent in Birmingham. June 3rd

(Birmingham, Alabama-AP) -- Eric Rudolph has pleaded innocent in
Birmingham, Alabama, to the abortion clinic bombing there five years ago.

The bomb killed an off-duty police officer and critically injured a nurse. One charge is punishable by death and Rudolph told the judge he understands that's possible but prosecutors haven't said if they'll seek the death penalty.

Rudolph appeared in a Birmingham court just a day after being flown there from North Carolina. He's also charged with three other bombings in Atlanta.

A witness says he saw a man believed to be Rudolph leaving the scene of the Birmingham bombing in January 1998. A truck registered
to Rudolph was spotted moments later.

The judge set a trial date of August fourth but said it will likely be postponed because of pre-trail proceedings. A hearing is scheduled next Tuesday on whether Rudolph can be released on bond.

Attorney General John Ashcroft predicts the trial will be "relatively short and straightforward."

Plea hearing set for Rudolph in clinic bombing. June 3rd

(Birmingham-AP) -- Eric Rudolph is bound for court today to enter a plea in the bombing of an abortion clinic, a crime he told jailers was followed by five years eating wild game, acorns and lizards.

A US Magistrate judge scheduled a 3 p.m. hearing for Rudolph in the bombing of New Woman All Women Health Care, where an off-duty Birmingham police officer was killed and a clinic nurse critically injured on Jan. 29, 1998.

A former soldier and survivalist, the 36-year-old Rudolph was captured in Murphy, North Carolina, early Saturday while looking food behind a supermarket.

Rudolph appeared healthy when he was arrested, raising questions about whether he had help during his time as a fugitive.

He's also accused the 1996 Olympic park bombing in Atlanta and a pair of 1997 bombings, also in Atlanta.

Attorney General John Ashcroft decided Rudolph would stand trial first in Birmingham, saying that case offered the greatest chance of success.

Meanwhile, Jefferson County sheriff's spokesman Randy Christian, said that Rudolph became "agitated" earlier today over the lack of a working television in a day room near his cell. Christian said deputies gave him a newspaper and promised to get him a working TV with cable.

Officer Says Rudolph Arrest, Part of Job. -- June 3rd

(Murphy, North Carolina-AP) -- The rookie police officer who arrested fugitive Eric Rudolph behind a grocery store says he was surprised when he learned who he had in custody.

On ABC's "Good Morning America" this morning Officer Jeff Postell said it was -- quote "a shock."

On the same show, Police Chief Mark Thigpen said it was possible somebody had helped Rudolph during his five years on the run, but nothing had been proven. The chief also said it bothers him that some people consider Rudolph, who faces six death sentences for bombings in Alabama and Georgia, a heroic character.

The chief said the people who claim to support Rudolph are, "a few vocal people who have been able to get their voice out through the news media."

Thigpen also said he doubts the $1 million reward for information leading to Rudolph's capture would be offered to Postell or the police department.

Time Eases Widower's Feelings Toward Eric Rudolph. June 3rd

(Lake Placid, Florida-AP) John Hawthorne says time has eased his feelings toward Eric Rudolph, the former fugitive accused of four bombings in Alabama and Georgia.

Hawthorne's wife, Alice, was killed when a bomb exploded at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Rudolph is charged in the bombing. He also is charged with three others, including two more bombings in Georgia and one in Alabama.

Hawthorne said, "As a Christian, I do forgive him, but he still needs to be punished. If you had asked me this six years ago, you wouldn't have gotten that answer. Time has taken away the edge."

Hawthorne was in Sarasota, Florida, interviewing for a job in community development. The former professor at Albany State University in Georgia wants to build a community to honor his wife. He plans to call it Alice's Wonderland.

Before 44-year-old Alice Hawthorne died, the couple owned an ice cream and hot dog parlor and a teen center. The last day of her life was devoted to her own teen daughter -- Fallon. As a birthday present to the 14-year-old, Alice took her to Centennial Olympic Park.

Rudolph Says He Survived in Woods by Hunting. June 3rd

(Murphy, North Carolina-AP) -- Accused bomber Eric Rudolph has told Cherokee County, North Carolina jailers that he survived five years in the rugged mountains of western North Carolina by hunting wild game.

Rudolph has told authorities about two campsites he used, as well. One is just outside Murphy and the other is in Clay County atop a mountain.

The former fugitive told jailers that he killed 22 turkeys, a deer and a bear. He says he hunted with a .223-caliber rifle.

The information came while Rudolph talked to jail personnel over the weekend before he was taken to federal court.

He is now in the Jefferson County Jail, where he faces a federal arraignment hearing on charges of bombing an abortion clinic.

Luker Out, Jaffee in as Defense Attorney for Eric Rudolph. June 3rd

(Birmingham-AP) -- After saying that he will defend alleged abortion clinic bomber Eric Rudolph, Birmingham attorney David Luker appears to be off the case.

Luker said that he would join Birmingham lawyer Bill Bowen in defending Rudolph. He's the man accused of bombing a Birmingham abortion clinic in 1998.

But prominent Birmingham criminal defense lawyer Richard Jaffee will be in court Wednesday defending Rudolph.

A U.S. Magistrate appoints the lawyers that will be provided as public defenders, something Rudolph requested Monday.

Federal Judge C. Lynwood Smith will preside over the case.