Abstract

The thesis purpose was to prove that a bomber’s signature does not exist within a group by researching the Eric Rudolph cases. Eric Rudolph was introduced to extreme religions and ideologies through his mother Patricia Rudolph from a very young age. Eric started to accept and identify with the white supremacist and anti-Semitic thought processes of these groups, particularly Christian Identity. Rudolph had a brief stint in the Army, but became unruly when he failed at becoming an Army Ranger and eventually was discharged due to marijuana use. Rudolph moved back to North Carolina and lived “off the grid” by paying and receiving only cash as well as never applying for a social security number. Rudolph committed a total of four bombings with six devices in a span on eighteen months. The bombings resulted in numerous victims and one murder. Rudolph was eventually identified as a subject by the information given by his family and acquaintances as well as a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham identifying him leaving the scene of the bombing and recording his licenses plate number. The manhunt lasted five years and Rudolph was eventually captured by a rookie Murphy police officer. He was convicted of all four bombings as well as the murder and will serve four consecutive life sentences. Only one similarity was found between Rudolph and another Christian Identity member, but overall there was no significant results to verify a bomber’s signature exist within a group based on these cases.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 5-5-2012

Mentor

James T. Thurman

Mentor Department Affiliation

Safety, Security, and Emergency Management

Access Options

Restricted Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Safety, Security, and Emergency Management

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