Richard Jewell was not convicted for any charges as he was not guilty and was also announced innocent after his trial.
Richard Jewell is a well-known name in America. Local law enforcement and FBI treated him as the suspect of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
Clint Eastwood even produced a movie based on the article, “American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell” by Vanity Fair and the book from Kevin Salwen and Kent Alexander, The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle.
The movie is once again premiering in AFN on January 14, 2022.
Was Richard Jewell Innocent Or Convicted As Guilty?
The court did not convict Richard Jewell and was guilty after proving him innocent. He was a security guard and law enforcement officer. He played a critical part in saving lives in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing incident during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia,
He was the one who spotted a backpack containing three pipe bombs on the park grounds and alerted the police. He also assisted in the evacuation of the area before the explosion went off, saving many people from injury or death.
Richard Jewell — PREMIERE
AFN|movie 10:00pm (CET/JKT) Friday, January 14th pic.twitter.com/4Zpw1rAZdf— AFN (@AFNlistens) January 10, 2022
Although he could not save everyone, he tried to save as many people as possible. However, the savior was accused of placing the bomb for months later, resulting in negative publicity. Many people believed that he was guilty of the crime.
The person who was called Hero by the media in the initial days of the incident was suddenly labeled as a suspect who planted the bomb. The words of him being a suspect came by after a Journal published an article.
In the movie, a journalist responsible for writing the article offers to sleep with an FBI agent to get the detail of the investigation. Nevertheless, after years of interrogation and trial, he was announced innocent.
The investigators found the attacker named Eric Robert Rudolph, an anti-abortion militant. He was also related to many other bombing attacks but had evaded police for years, writes The New York Post.
Is Richard Jewell Story Real?
Richard Jewell”s story is real. He was the man who was first called a hero but became a suspect in the public eye.
Although he was not found guilty and cleared himself as a suspect, he could not clear his name. Even after the court announced him not guilty, he received excessive publicity in the media.
Watching Richard Jewell. Tom couldn’t be bothered to even spell the HERO’S name correctly. Hope this arrogant jerk (& all who falsely accused Jewell) was sued for defamation https://t.co/V6GBgNhpe4
— 🦂🔥🐉 (@pjamdragon) January 11, 2022
He shared in an interview that he would get strange looks from people while in public. Children would ask for his autographs and a woman he went on a date published an article about it.
Did Richard Jewell Sue Anyone?
Richard Jewell sued several media companies after the court cleared his name. Despite being proven innocent, the incident had taken a tragic toll on his personal and professional life.
So sad… Watching #RichardJewell and the way the media & government treated him like a suspect even thou he didn’t do anything is fucking sad. They ruined his life for nothing. He was INNOCENT because they were negligent on their duties in Atlanta 1996 Olympics Centennial Bar 😿
— Gh𧆠RïÐêr RåÐïð™ (@GhostRiderRadio) January 11, 2022
Jewell took legal action against several media companies. He also won a settlement from CNN and NBC. His libel suit against the firm that owned The Journal lasted years in the courts before it was rejected.