Rufus is no fool, he's seeing the economic meltdown of the economy. The safest place to be is in a high security prison when chaos reigns on the streets. He's probably writing a new book: "How to get the government to pay for free housing, medical care, and food for the rest of your life". The only reason he might have wanted a new trial is because 30 years might not be enough for him to retire in jail. He wanted to piss a few more people off to get more jail time.