An Alabama man who gained national attention after being falsely suspected of sending mail bombs that killed an Alabama federal judge and Georgia civil rights lawyer in 1989 has died.
Robert Wayne O’Ferrell, “a beloved and unforgettable character,” passed away July 25 at the age of 81, his obituary states.
The bombings case garnered national attention long before the advent of social media laid the foundations to spread information internationally in a few hours.
The deaths of federal judge Robert Vance of Mountain Brook and attorney Robert E. Robinson of Savannah, Georgia, captured the nation’s attention. O’Ferrell, of Coffee County, became a suspect in the case after federal law enforcement investigators keyed on a typewriter in his possession. The typing was similar to letters found at the bombing scenes.
O’Ferrell had previously used the typewriter write letters to federal court officials, media accounts at the time reported. He operated a junk store in Enterprise during that time.
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O’Ferrell and his family were the subject of an FBI investigation and intense surveillance, media accounts then said. Eventually it was proven he had nothing to do with the bombings. Walter Leroy Moody was later convicted of the crimes.
Alabama executed Moody in 2018 when he was 83 by lethal injection. He is the oldest inmate to be executed since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976.
O’Ferrell and his family attempted to receive compensation from the FBI and federal government for their actions, but the efforts were unsuccessful.
“Wayne was a lifelong resident of Alabama and, by all accounts, a true original,” his obituary reads in part. “Known for his big personality and even bigger heart, he never met a stranger and never missed a chance to strike up a conversation. Loud, boisterous, and full of life, Wayne was a true wheeler and dealer, always ready with a story, a deal, or a laugh.”
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This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama man who was falsely tied to mail bombings dies
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