ATLANTA, April 13 (UPI) -- When Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty to four bombings in Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta Wednesday, his victims believed he looked smug.
That did not make them happy, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
"It was disbelief hearing him speak so calmly. That's what hurts," said Emily Lyons, a nurse who was wounded in the 1998 Birmingham health clinic bombing that also killed a police officer.
"We've always felt the death penalty is what he deserved. The punishment should fit the crime," Lyons said. "It's just a sickening feeling."
John Hawthorne, who lost his wife, Alice, in the 1996 Olympic bombing in Atlanta, said he thought he saw Rudolph wink at prosecutors as he entered the courtroom in Birmingham.
"It showed a tremendous lack of sensitivity and arrogance," said Hawthorne. "At that point in time I was angry all over again. I was very much disappointed in his demeanor and his attitude and the way he answered the questions."
U.S. Attorney David Nahmias told reporters after Rudolph's court appearance in Atlanta the eight-year-old case has finally ended.
"There can be not doubt any more about who committed these crimes. There will be no delay in justice," Nahmias said.
