In December 1989, Federal Court Judge Robert Vance was killed in his Alabama home when he opened a package that contained a mail bomb. Two days later, Savannah, Georgia civil rights attorney, Robert Robinson, was killed in a separate explosion. Authorities defused two additional mail bombs. One sent to the federal courthouse in Atlanta and one to the Jacksonville, Florida branch of the NAACP. The investigation to find the person responsible for the tri-state attacks became one of the largest cases in FBI history.
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Episode Sources
- Helen Vance is remembered as passionate about life, animal lover. AL.com. Accessed January 15, 2023. https://www.al.com/spotnews/2010/10/helen_vance_remembered_as_pass.html
- Family remembers Savannah attorney killed in 1989 bombing. WTOC.com. Accessed January 20, 2023
https://www.wtoc.com/story/37989246/family-remembers-savannah-attorney-killed-in-1989-bombing/ - Judge Vance Murder. FBI.gov. Accessed February 1, 2023. https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/judge-vance-murder
- Alabama Executes Man for 1989 Mail-Bomb Murder of U.S. Appeals Court Judge Robert S. Vance. Justice.gov. Accessed February 1, 2023.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndal/pr/alabama-executes-man-1989-mail-bomb-murder-us-appeals-court-judge-robert-s-vance-0 - United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Walter Leroy Moody, Jr. Justia US Law. Accessed February 2, 2023. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/977/1425/305286/
- ‘Why my dad?’ Judge recalls father’s legacy as bomber’s execution nears. AL.com. Accessed February 3, 2023
https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2018/04/circuit_judge_bob_vance_talks.html - Alabama Executes Mail Bomber, 83, the Oldest Inmate Put to Death in Modern Era. The New York Times. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/19/us/alabama-execution-walter-leroy-moody.html
Episode Music
Last Frontier and Falling Rain by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons; Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use
