Wake County man resentenced for 1995 bombing of BTI building in North Raleigh

A man convicted in the July 1995 bombing at the then Business Telecom, Inc. (BTI) building in North Raleigh will serve an additional decade in prison, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley announced Monday.

Stephan Bullis was resentenced on Friday to a total of 37 years and six months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, which will keep the now 58-year-old in prison another 10 years, Easley said in a news release.

“Stephan Bullis caused terror in the Raleigh community because the pipe bomb at BTI came only a few short months after the Oklahoma City bombing and at a time when the infamous ‘Unabomber’ was at large,” Easely said.

“At the original sentencing, the Judge noted the heinous nature of the crime, the number of victims and potential victims, as well as the defendant’s lack of remorse,” Easley continued. “The defendant knowingly risked harm to countless individuals and inflicted psychological trauma on numerous others. This new sentence holds Bullis accountable for his horrific actions and keeps him behind bars where he belongs.”

Bullis was originally convicted of six charges in 1996 and sentenced to mandatory life in prison, followed by consecutive terms of 30 years and 235 months, according to the release. After changes in the law, two charges were vacated last year, leaving only the 235-month sentence, and the court set the matter for resentencing.

Several victims of the BTI bombing, including Bullis’ former wife, spoke or provided statements at the resentencing describing the physical and psychological impacts that they continue to experience.

Pipe bomb sent to wife’s workplace

At the time of the bombing, Bullis was having an affair with a video store clerk, had increased the payout on his wife’s life insurance policy. and had bought books with instructions for making explosive devices, the news release stated.

In July 1995, he mailed two pipe bombs, one to his then wife’s workplace at BTI.

When she opened the package on July 10, 1995, an explosion destroyed most of her left hand, part of her upper right arm and caused numerous cuts, burns and bruises across her body. The bomb also injured a nearby colleague, according to the news release.

Bullis was likely motivated by his wife’s life insurance policy, which included a double-indemnity clause in case of an accidental death, the release stated. “[H]e believed the accidental death needed to occur while his wife was at work for the double indemnity clause to apply,” the release stated.

A second bomb was found in a decommissioned postal box at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh 10 days after Bullis was arrested.

He did not warn authorities about it after his arrest, according to the release, but it never detonated and did not injure anyone.

Mark Schultz contributed to this report.

This story was originally published February 27, 2023 at 11:19 AM.