By Alabama Public Radio
Birmingham, AL – Officials say the first trial of accused serial bomber Eric Rudolph will focus on a trail of clues between Birmingham and North Carolina. But now evidence from three Atlanta-area bombings is at the center of a dispute in the case. Prosecutors say they do not plan to tell Birmingham jurors about those Georgia bombings in which Rudolph is also charged. But defense lawyers do want the Atlanta evidence for possible use in the Birmingham trial. U.S. Attorney Alice Martin says the Atlanta cases are irrelevant to the 1998 Birmingham abortion clinic bombing. Defense attorneys, meanwhile, say that evidence might show that Rudolph has been falsely depicted as the Atlanta bomber, thus creating doubt concerning the Birmingham case. A federal judge has turned down a defense request for more evidence about the Atlanta bombings, including the 1996 Olympics blast that killed one woman. Rudolph's lawyers are asking a district judge to overrule that decision and make prosecutors hand over more information.