Although Richard Jewell lived 88 days in fear of being prosecuted for a crime he did not commit, IMO, he recovered quickly and actually may have emotionally and/or financially benefited from the terrible false accusations.
Mr. Jewels image was later transformed into Olympic hero (which he was for moving people away from the area of the bomb). He was given acting opportunities and performed in two movies. He also was asked to appear on Saturday Night Live where he stated he had a very enjoyable week. The amount Mr. Jewel recovered from libel lawsuits against the media was never published. He sued one news outlet, The New York Times, for $15 million
and the NY Times settled with him out-of-court. NBC also settled out-of-court for undisclosed millions. The state Legislature issued a proclamation honoring Jewell in 1998 and Gov. Sonny Perdue invited Jewell to receive another award from the governor himself.
Yes, Richard Jewel had an incredibly awful 88 days, but he appeared to recover from the accusations. IMO, if SM has been falsely accused, she will sue everyone, write a book, and eventually recover. Sadly, the family and friends of Kyron will always miss him.