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Attorney: Rudolph a reflective person
(CNN) -- Sean Devereux, attorney for Olympic Park bombing suspect Eric Robert Rudolph, answered questions for reporters Monday in Asheville, North Carolina. Below are excerpts from that news conference. QUESTION: What's going to happen next? What about you and Mr. Rudolph? What is next for you guys? DEVEREUX: You know, I don't know what's going to happen next, actually. I think the important thing is, and the real story seems to me to be that he asked for an attorney at some point over the weekend, either Saturday, probably Saturday, certainly yesterday, and that the court here and the U.S. Attorney's Office saw to it that somebody was out there -- so he wouldn't be alone, saw to it that somebody was there to give him advice yesterday. QUESTION: Are you going with him to Birmingham? DEVEREUX: I can't answer that question. What to my mind is critical is that he have counsel, his Sixth Amendment right to counsel, continued until he has an attorney in Birmingham. That is what is going happen. ... QUESTION: In a lot of cases like this, sir, a defendant talks to police before he gets an attorney. Is there any indication he talked to police about specifics? DEVEREUX: I don't think so. I think there was some public safety concern about a campsite, there was concern what might be at a campsite, and I think, out of fundamental decency, he told them where a campsite was, one or more campsites. He was not armed. As far as I can tell, from everything I have heard, that he didn't have a gun at his campsite, and he's -- as you know better than I do, he surrendered without any sort of struggle at all. QUESTION: Sir, has he said whether he is not guilty of the charges or whether he is? DEVEREUX: He is not -- he is not guilty of the charges. QUESTION: What's his mood like? DEVEREUX: He's -- you know, he's a reflective individual. And he's got a lot to think about. He's been through a lot. I was watching somebody's show this morning, and they showed the surviving daughter and the woman who survived the Alabama explosion, and he and I talked a little bit about that. He doesn't know anything about that, or hasn't indicated that he does, but he's not an uncaring person by any stretch of the imagination. QUESTION: Is he a man who thought that he was being impugned, and that he didn't commit these crimes, and he ran away from society because he thought he was going to be mistaken as the bomber? DEVEREUX: I can't answer that question. QUESTION: Police have said that he acted relieved, and that he felt -- there was a sense of relief when he was brought in. Do you get that impression, and that this is all over? DEVEREUX: I don't know that I would necessarily say that. QUESTION: What would you say? DEVEREUX: You know, he's serious, reflective, he -- you heard what the judge said today, he's considered all of that. He's going through it in detail. He has asked questions of me, and I try to answer those questions. QUESTION: Has he had contact with family? DEVEREUX: I don't know that. QUESTION: What has he been doing for five years? DEVEREUX: I'm not sure. ...Again, my role here is to see to it that he had a lawyer. If he had questions or if he were being questioned by law enforcement, that he had a lawyer there. It's not my job to develop the case at this point. So for that reason, I didn't ask him about where he'd been or what he'd done. It seemed like getting way ahead of the game. ...My role is extremely limited. QUESTION: It sounded like he really didn't have any problems saying who he is, that he's Eric Rudolph, and he's almost proud of it? DEVEREUX: I don't know -- that's a leading question .... He told the judge he was Eric Rudolph so the court wouldn't have to go through the unnecessary steps of establishing who he was. QUESTION: That's the extradition process? DEVEREUX: Yes. QUESTION: Do you think he can get a fair trial? DEVEREUX: If he's treated in Alabama or Georgia by the federal system the way he was treated here, yes, I do. QUESTION: They have characterized him as .... belonging to these groups, like white supremacist groups, religious groups, what does he say to that characterization? DEVEREUX: I know that he had a copy of the biography of Gandhi at his campsite. I can tell you that much. QUESTION: Did he booby trap it for authorities? DEVEREUX: Absolutely not. No. No... QUESTION: It is interesting that you say he is not guilty. You don't have to say that much right now, so does that mean that -- he's -- he has told you he really wants to fight this? DEVEREUX: Make sure you understand. Jeff Postell's job was to arrest somebody that was out behind the the grocery store. My very limited job was to make sure that this man who's in a lot of trouble had access to an attorney, and the questions you are asking me have to do with developing a defense, which is something that somebody -- me or somebody -- is going to spend the next year or so working on. QUESTION: Just from a police standpoint, or you believe he's going to fight this and didn't commit these crimes? DEVEREUX: He has benefits from his presumption of innocence like everybody else. I don't -- I haven't asked him that. I mean, he's obviously not going to walk into a courtroom and say anything different. And he didn't, and it wasn't necessary for him to say anything. QUESTION: Have you filed an entry of appearance? DEVEREUX: Yes. QUESTION: Has he indicated that he wants you to stick with it? DEVEREUX: We didn't really talk about that. He's happy with the very limited job I've done so far. QUESTION: What is your level of concern about police access to him before he had an attorney? DEVEREUX: Well, you know, you always have to be concerned about that. He began requesting an attorney, I'm not sure at what point exactly he did, and I'm not sure what he was asked before his request for an attorney was acted on. I can say that -- I was contacted by Joe Rosen [of the] U.S. Attorney's Office, who made me aware that at some point he had asked for counsel, and I don't know many prosecutors that would do that. QUESTION: Would you say he's cooperating? DEVEREUX: You know, he's not creating any obstacles to the system at this point. He didn't have to go in there this morning and say that he was Eric Rudolph. He could have required some proof, and he could have had a full-blown removal hearing, and he was not interested in doing that. QUESTION: Did he tell police about any booby traps or anything? DEVEREUX: My understanding -- I don't know, but my understanding is that whatever campsites, campsite in the Murphy area or perhaps another campsite, I don't know, that was searched and there was no -- nothing found. QUESTION: Well, I wanted to know if you had -- did he call you directly and hire you, and -- or who called you? How did you get this call? DEVEREUX: ... He's apparently indigent. Given that, he filled out an affidavit with the clerk's office. Typically, the first time that a criminal defendant can say I'm indigent, and I need a lawyer is when that person is brought into a courtroom. The Miranda rights that are read to any criminal defendant, or should be, inform that suspect or defendant that they have a right to counsel, and if they can't afford counsel, counsel will be appointed. I've never known that to happen. I don't think I've ever known that to happen, prior to appearance in a courtroom. In this instance -- and I don't know who personally was responsible, but the clerk's office or the court itself or somebody here was concerned enough about that right, the Miranda right, to make counsel available to him before he appeared in court. I was contacted and asked if I would be available as stand-by counsel this morning. There was some thought, I think, that he might not request counsel, and so I was contacted and asked if I -- and maybe other people were too, I don't know. But there are a group of us that are on the list here to be appointed in cases like this. And I agreed that I would be available this morning. I then contacted the U.S. Attorney's Office ... said if he gives any indication whatsoever that he needs counsel or wants counsel, then counsel is available, and I gave her my phone numbers. QUESTION: You spoke with him last night. How much time did you spend with him, and what is he saying to you? DEVEREUX: I spent about 45 minutes with him last night, between 45 minutes and an hour. He was exhausted, it was late, I was tired. I primarily wanted to make sure that he understood that there was a lawyer there, if he needed that lawyer. He indicated that he thought he did. I went through the -- what was going to happen this morning, in this appearance -- in this initial appearance and removal proceeding, and that's generally what we talked about. QUESTION: Sir, when you talked about the Alabama family on TV today, were you implying -- were you implying that he knew nothing about that situation by his reaction to it? DEVEREUX: Yes. I have no reason to believe that he knows anything about that.... He's been portrayed ... over the years in the media as some sort of zealot or fanatic, and he's not. All I'm saying to you -- he didn't say anything different than what you would say. QUESTION: Can he get a fair trial in Birmingham or anywhere? DEVEREUX: You know -- I would like to think so. QUESTION: Would you represent him in Birmingham? DEVEREUX: I haven't thought it that far ahead. ... I don't have any real interest in being away from my family for 18 months, if that's what it took. But we'll see. I mean, I have told him I'll be his lawyer until we get somebody ... QUESTION: I was wondering how long you've been admitted to federal practice and the kind of work you typically do. Do you do civil and criminal? DEVEREUX: Yes, but I do primarily criminal.
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