He thought he was better than everybody else.. Nor was he surprised when prosecutors said Benson had murdered his mother and sister to get at the familys fortune. Maybe it was the money, the power and the greed, they say. [4] Kendall survived but was badly burned; Margaret and Scott died instantly from the bomb blast. BOSTON -- Tobacco heiress Carol Lynn Benson Kendall said Wednesday she has no intention of cutting her brother's children out of the family fortune despite his conviction of murdering her mother. I hope he does, she said. On July 11, two days after Margaret and Scott Benson were killed, Wayne Kerr, the lawyer from Philadelphia, filed a 1983 will that named him executor of the estate. ", Carol Lynn told investigators, in a statement taken after she was released from the hospital where she had been treated for severe burns and had begun the long process of reconstructive surgery, that while her mother was scared of Scott, Margaret Benson felt that Steven was the only one who would actually harm her for her money: "She wouldn't put it past Steven to do away with her. On the morning of the blast, prosecutors said, Benson drove the vehicle shortly before the explosion, allegedly to get doughnuts at a nearby convenience store. Steven Benson and his wife, Debra, leave funeral services for his mother and brother, Margaret and Scott Benson, at St. James Episcopal Church in Lancaster in 1985. It was just a tragic story. Dysfunction, said Patty Bennett, a juror on the case, trying to describe the Benson family. I just cant imagine. Steven Benson in the Florida courtroom where a jury convicted him in 1986 of blowing up his family in a Chevy Suburban in the driveway of their Naples, Fla., home on July 9, 1985. She was crying. Represented by attorney Michael McDonnell, Steven Benson was ultimately convicted of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, and arson of a dwelling. At first, Murphy thought her niece, Carol Lynn Kendall, 40, also had died, but she found out that she was badly burned but had survived. She was afraid her brother would come after her and her children if he ever got free. The Wait. The Money. Just sort of odd, very different.. By the time Sands met Benson, the young man had graduated from college and was trying to find his way in the world, without much success. McDonnell argued that palm print identification is not reliable. I must think of a better word. [11] Washington was charged with murder for killing Benson, but was acquitted. In addition to the fatal wound to the head, Associate Medical Examiner Anthony Clark noted a puncture wound to the left scalp and multiple bruises on Benson's torso, upper and lower extremities. https://insideeko.com/carol-lynn-benson-kendall-obituary-d/ insideeko.com She is shown here in a 1975 photo, a decade before the murder. Oh no, she thought. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Murphy does not know whether the couple, who had three children, later divorced. Benson told Young that he and his family were going to look at piece of property where his mother wanted to build a home that morning. Patty Bennett was a nervous mother of two boys sitting in a jury box when the defense gave its opening statement about Steven Benson. To that end, he held court one day from 8:30 in the morning, his usual opening time, to 10 that night. He was born in 1951 in Baltimore. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Jul 23, 2015. [3] On July 9, 1985, Benson placed a pipe bomb in the family car, in which Margaret, Scott, and Steven's sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall (a former Miss Florida runner-up), were waiting for Benson to join them when the Chevrolet Suburban exploded. Benson was sentenced to life in prison. Mrs. Kendalls attorney, E. Richard Cirace of Boston, confirmed the report. It r An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup. The killings, prosecutors said, were sparked by one motive. Simpson trial before the O.J. Police later learned that Scott. He just ignored it.. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay . It was the O.J. A jury convicted him of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling in 1986, and he spent the rest of his life in jail. Kendall was injured in the car-bomb that killed her son, Scott Benson, and mother, Margaret Benson, on July 9, 1985, in front of their Naples, Fla., home. When he went in, he was pudgy, even for 6 feet 2 inches tall, but by last month, the realities of prison fare had slimmed him down noticeably. Steven was paid $244,974.39 so he could pay his legal fees. Carol 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. A lot. Bensons own sister, Carol Lynn Kendall, then 40, who survived the blast but was severely burned, wanting to make sure her brother was sentenced to life in prison for the killings. At this time, I was not convinced he could really murder his mother and his adopted brother and sister, said the Fort Myers resident, now 68. He returned and got everyone into the Suburban and then went back into the house to retrieve a tape measure. doesn't have anything to do with my mother anymore.". Support local journalism. In the spring and summer of 1985, she asked Wayne Kerr, a young lawyer from Philadelphia, to come down to Naples. Through taxes, disbursements and attorneys fees, the estate has dwindled from $10 million to about $1.2 million, said Carl Westman, the estates attorney. Carl Westman, a Naples attorney named to represent Margaret Benson's estate, usually sat with Cirace. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. Florida authorities have charged Steven Benson, Mrs. Kendall's 34-year-old natural brother, with setting the blast outside . Theyre all dead.. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Obituary - Death, Cause Of Death, Funeral: Friends and others affected mourn the death of Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, has suddenly passed away.click to read and leave tributes. And trying to come to grips with the loss of her mother, with whom she had been close, at least from time to time, has been hard. Bensons grandfather, the family patriarch and the Lancaster Leaf Tobacco magnate, the late Harry Hitchcock, was a congenial-looking, white-haired Christian businessman known for his tulip gardens in School Lane Hills. They were obliterated when a pipe bomb the size of a football planted between the two front seats exploded. It is said that she has taken their three children and returned to her small Wisconsin home town. FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) _ The estate of murdered tobacco heiress Margaret Benson should be shared equally by the children of the son who killed her and by her daughter, a judge has ruled. That she was once a beauty contest winner is easy to see. Mrs. Benson was 63 when she died in the blast. He was talking to one of his associates - the phrase How much did we take in yesterday? sticks in my head. The murder of Margaret and Scott Benson in 1985 drew national crime coverage never seen before and rarely since to Naples. The Chevrolet Suburban was blown all to bits and pieces, with a body lying out on each side.. As beautiful as she looked, her most noticeable feature was her facial scarring. Scott tried to start the vehicle, she testified, "and immediately after that I was surrounded by this orange thing.". He had very few visitors. (AP Photo). ", As for the positioning of the vehicle's occupants, "I thought it was awfully strange that Scott was driving. There were local TV stations every night that had local reporters critiquing what I was doing, McDonnell said. In August 1986, Margaret Bensons son, Steven Wayne Benson, was convicted in the slaying of his mother and her adopted son, Scott R. Benson, 21. The blast blew apart the Benson familys Chevrolet Suburban sometime between 9:17 and 9:20 a.m. on July 9, 1985, in the driveway of Margaret Bensons home, just off a golf course in an exclusive Naples, Fla., community. Sands said he was only allowed to speak with Steven Benson for a couple of minutes because he wasnt family. Stating that he could not give money to one of the children and not the other, Judge Hayes then awarded $244,000 to Carol Lynn Kendall, who also had legal bills. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. McDonnell did succeed in keeping the jury from hearing the testimony of the groundskeeper who had said he had seen Steven playing with a remote-control bomb device in Pennsylvania, but he was not able to stop a former employe from telling the jury that at the wake, Steven mentioned to a small group that he had "made bombs as a kid.". Steven's defense case, which lasted from Saturday, July 26, to last Monday, was marred by fights over the late introduction of witnesses (at one point Judge Hayes told the defense that such a practice was "just damn bush") and frequent bench conferences that resulted in the jury's being excused for the day. He became known for writing grievances against both inmates and correctional officers, complaining about anything from the amount of sales tax charged at commissary to the Spanish programs playing in the television room. Yesterday, a jury began deliberations on those charges after weeks of riveting testimony involving enormous amounts of money and a tangled family web. He seldom looked at Steven.The defendant watched his grandfather enter the courtroom, but after that he never looked at him. His deposition in that case reads like pulp fiction of old: "My mother (meaning Margaret Benson) who had 38 years of marriage to my father, a greatly respected man of the highest character both in business and his personal life, is herself a religious person of high integrity and moral values. Then you had Scott as an aspiring tennis player, but ordering nitrous oxide to be delivered to the house like some people get milk, he said, so he could carry on with his girlfriend, who was a stripper.. The Fallout, At the funeral of Margaret and Scott Benson, Steven sat between his wife Debra and his grandfather, Harry Hitchcock. In a rare moment of emotion during his trial, Steven Benson cries in the Florida courtroom where a jury convicted him in 1986 of blowing up his family in a Chevy Suburban in the driveway of their Naples, Fla., home on July 9, 1985. emains listed on the DOC website as an open investigation led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Nervously at first, but then more calmly, she testified in response to the prosecutor's questions. Cirace said the rumors were never confirmed until Steven Bensons lawyers questioned Mrs. Kendall about it, to test her credibility. By July 8, the day before the bombing, Margaret had learned of Steven's new house in Fort Myers, according to testimony. The police were called and he was held for five days. Its like the story that keeps on giving. That day, she and Wayne Kerr drove to Fort Myers, and when she saw Steven's new house, and the new Datsun sports car parked in front, she was, as Kerr testified, "angry. Murphy said her father sent Sands as a gesture of goodwill. The Miami Herald gave the following account of a groundskeeper who worked on Margaret Benson's Pennsylvania estate: He recalled that one day in 1982 he looked down from his ladder to see Steven carrying three copper tubes with wires protruding from them. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall is 42 years old. Benson tried and failed at a succession of businesses. But a witness for the defense, Steven's secretary, testifed Steven never left the office during the times when the pipe and end caps were purchased. His grandson never acknowledged him again, not even when he came to Florida for the trial. Many members of the family have disappeared from public view in the past 20 years. Investigators also found on Bensons pants a single particle of zinc, which they said fell off the galvanized pipe while he was making the bombs that would later kill his mother and sister. ", Should the court decide that the 3-year-old in question is indeed the daughter of the late Scott Benson, the child could inherit either (depending on what happens to the man who might be her Uncle Steven) one-third or one-half of Margaret Benson's $10 million estate, and establish her as a legitimate claimant to the estate of the 89-year-old Harry Hitchcock, who is said to be worth as much as $400 million. He is a good brother. Police officers also testified their investigation indicated Steven had acted out of character in several respects that morning, first by insisting that Scott be awakened and included in the group, and then by having Scott drive. She, of course, was referring to Margaret. He was 63, the same age his mother was when he killed her. File photo. He doesnt know for sure why Benson has stuck with the public, and with him, all these years. It just never stopped, Cirace said. The siblings did not return phone messages Friday. [5] He avoided the death penalty, and was sentenced to two life terms in prison. But there is no doubt that he had a rough crowd of friends -- the defense called several occupants of the Naples jail to testify about Scott and his various habits, in the hope that this possible alternative theory would raise a reasonable doubt as to whether Steven is guilty. Harold Young, the lead Collier County sheriff's detective who pegged Benson as his primary suspect the day of the killings, said he is more surprised by the length of the investigation than the way Benson died. Later he approved a partial distribution from Margaret Benson's estate. I remember when my sister had him here was this baby and then he ends up killing her. Benson is also featured in an episode of the New Detectives entitled "Short Fuse" (Season 2, Episode 3) and an episode of Florida Man Murders entitled "Killer Succession" (Season 1, Episode 3). I think it was the dumbest murder I ever solved that had been planned. Steven Benson is serving two life sentences at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Fla. "Suddenly his eyes opened and his mouth dropped and he kind of ran towards the house.". I knew it was no accident, said Young, now 75, of Naples. Collier Judge Hugh Hayes presided over the trial. Prosecutors linked Benson to the bomb explosion by producing a receipt, with Bensons palm print, for the purchase of pieces of pipe and end caps. Distraught over the bombing and what she says is her brother's complete lack of interest in her physical and emotional condition since then (she testified he has never contacted her in all that time, not even to inquire about her health), she is occupied with trying to hold herself together emotionally. The next day, Wayne Kerr, at whose wedding Steven Benson had been the best man, took the stand. A month later, the Naples police arrested Steven Benson and charged him with two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder. That's a negative as far as the jury is concerned. And she also contradicted the wake testimony regarding bombs. I walk into a restaurant and people say, Didnt you do the Benson case? He was calm as a cucumber, he said. [citation needed] The case was featured in Great Crimes and Trials and Infamous Murders. Release Calendar Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. The jury convicted him of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling in the killing of his mother and nephew and injuring of his sister with car-bomb in front of their Naples, Fla., home. Her daughter, Kendall, was. We were trying to get some emotion out of him, he said. I did most of the talking.. * The prosecution's key evidence, along with the testimony of Steven's sister, were palm prints on sales receipts for pipe identical to that used in the bombs, as well as end caps. The thing that stuck out in my mind was, wow, how easy this is to see what the money did. He was very congenial, very eager to talk, Sands recalls. Hollywood's Carol Lynn Benson Kendall (University of Richmond School of Law, admitted to the Florida Bar 2002) got disbarred, the final step after her suspension in February and a. ", Edward Benson died in 1980 at the age of 60, and his widow moved to Naples, Fla., a Gulf Coast enclave whose Chamber of Commerce boasts more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city. Other testimony revealed another regular expenditure. Scott had canisters of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, to which he was addicted, delivered to the house on a monthly basis, defense witnesses said. Movies. Young said they talked about Mothers Day, and how sad it would be to not have his mother around on that day. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. BOSTON -- Tobacco heiress Carol Lynn Benson Kendall said Wednesday she has no intention of cutting her brother's children out of the family fortune despite his conviction of murdering her mother and son. (Photo: File), Cameraman Al Durruthy records video footage of a Chevrolet Suburban outside the home of Mary Quinn, Wednesday afternoon (June 4), in the Quail Creek Estates in North Naples. He was just not your usual teenager. Carol 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. She had hoped he would get the death penalty. Hed always been sort of strange, she says. Except for that last-minute surprise appearance, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall had spent the day out of sight, with her lawyer and the lawyer for her mother's estate. 3600 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002, Biden migrant surge sets all-time record for most arrests at southern border, With its social media biz under siege, Facebook looks to build a new metaverse empire, Youngkin goes solo, McAuliffe leans on surrogates in home stretch of Va. governors race. I dont think he believed he belonged in there.. He complimented the jury for its "staying power," but that didn't stop him from holding court all day Saturday, too. Carol Lynn Kendall, sister of Steven Benson, survived the car bomb that killed her son, Scott Benson, and mother, Margaret Benson, on July 9, 1985. Tracking money - that was my forte, said Dwight Brock, who is now 61 and works as the Collier County Clerk of Courts in Florida. Murphys father, Harry Hitchcock, was fine. Instead, he died in prison, leaving behind just $30.06 in his commissary fund. Also Read:Mustang used by Steve Mcqueen in Bullitt auctioned, Your email address will not be published. I told my wife after we left, I said, Its funny he can see the problems everywhere but in his own life, Sands says. Not at her mother's house in Naples, for that has been sold, but behind several closed doors in the state's attorney's offices. Hitchcocks daughter, Margaret, it turned out, was not really the mother of Scott Benson. Had she not left the rear door of the unairconditioned Chevy Suburban wagon open on that miserably hot July morning 13 months ago in Naples, Fla., she, like her mother and her 21-year-old adopted "brother" Scott, would also be dead. Also Read:Mariannette Miller-Meeks : Role during Iowa elections. The jury convicted Benson on the first vote, she said. A jury convicted Steven Benson of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling. He had been driving it all that time, he said. The Lancaster Township woman was playing golf on a July day at the Lancaster Country Club when she was asked to come in off the course. Not long after, Harry Hitchcock wrote to the judge, opposing his nephew's release: "Anyone capable of murdering his mother for money is capable of murdering his grandfather for the same reason. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. In addition, the Benson Family murder case was the subject of The Serpent's Tooth, a 1987 book by Christopher Andersen. 20 years later, friends and family still try to make sense of Benson murders: 'It still seems unreal', By opting into newsletters you are agreeing to our. Inmates told investigators that Washington planned to extort $1,000 from Benson within days after arriving at Taylor Correctional Institution. The matricide was a huge point, she said. Steven Wayne Benson[1] (July 26, 1951 July 3, 2015) was an American convicted double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson; and his brother (actually his nephew but later adopted), tennis player Scott Benson. Error! Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. Margaret Benson and her adopted son, Scott, were killed in the 1985 blast at their Naples home. He had retained Naples attorney Michael McDonnell. Steven Benson, right, enters Lee County Court with his defense attorney Mike McDonnell as the jury selection portion of his murder trial Monday, July 14, 1986. It all came back to him.. Hed claimed he had no money to pay his attorneys, so he claimed indigency -- and Judge Hayes approved the claim. The Steven Benson case drew national media coverage in 1986. Then the witness surprised the judge by asking if he could make a "statement." And what Benson was doing was spending the money, lots of it, for all kinds of things, including a house in Fort Myers and a car. Albert Gleason, a federal explosives expert, testifies about the pipe-bomb Steven Benson used to kill his family members on July 9, 1985, in front of their Naples, Fla., home. Benson's death was reported soon after it happened on July 3. He cried so much, she says. Real estate. and never miss an insightful take by the TFIGlobal team, This website uses cookies. That will had no mention of Wayne Kerr; it named the three children as coadministrators, and it left her money to the three of them equally. Defense lawyer Mike McDonnell, who represented Benson along with attorney Jerry Berry, said it was one of the first trials to have televised gavel-to-gavel coverage.. Benson, they learned, had been pressuring his mother for money. Indeed, Margaret Benson did change her will, but in a terribly ironic touch, the only change was to cut out Wayne Kerr as executor. He got stabbed, and a knife was found in his own cell. There had been general rumors (about the boys parentage) going around Lancaster, where the family was brought up, Cirace said. As the lead investigator in the Collier County Sheriffs Department, Harold Young was one of the first people to answer the call about a bombing at Margaret Bensons home in a gated golf course community on the morning of July 9, 1985. You could see a hateful heart in Steven then. He was the last person to drive the SUV. Benson was arrested and ultimately convicted of planting two pipe bombs in the family's SUV, then coaxing everyone into the vehicle before blowing it up. Eric Strachan/Naples Daily News, Steven Benson, right, enters Lee County Court with his defense attorney Mike McDonnell as the jury selection portion of his murder trial Monday, July 14, 1986. The case still resonates three decades later. Mail Address: Law Offices of Carol Lynn B Kendall, Esq 2719 Hollywood Blvd Ste 164 Hollywood, FL 33020-4821. Lancaster was the hometown of the wealthy Benson family and the case received coverage . Benson, now 53, is serving two life sentences in a Florida prison for killing his mother and brother, and trying to kill his sister. He found Steven Benson inside his mothers house, talking on a telephone. He said Mrs. Kendall, who was recovering from severe burns at her home in the Chestnut Hill section of Boston, recently told her teen-age sons about Scotts parentage, but never told Scott. His company prospered, and he became one of the best-liked civic and charitable figures in Lancaster, Pa., a lovely area surrounded by Amish farms. He was born in 1951 in Baltimore. You know, he wouldnt say yes or no or nothing. "I don't really know how to comment on it. Benson was 33, just five years younger than Bennett at the time. . Before the day was over, according to newspaper accounts, Steven had asked for and received a loan of $20,000 from his grandfather. Im 91 now, Sands said when reached by phone Friday. Nobody else had time to put a bomb in there, Young said. She was not allowed to leave town, as there was the possibility that the state might put her back on the stand. At the trial, the man with whom he'd spent that evening testified that Steven had not set up the meeting until 6:30 that same night. But the topic was always the same: problems in prison. Dad was very religious, she said. He will be eligible for parole when he is 85. The bills were sent to and paid for by Margaret. After Harry Hitchcock had health problems in the late 1950s, Edward ran the company for him. "), Near the end of his testimony, he said he had finally told Margaret Benson, "You have to stop being a bank for your children." Murphys nephew, Steven Benson, was the only one to escape the fiery blast that day. Not long after his mother moved to Naples, so did Steven Benson, a self-described "executive" who had been in and out of the family business with embarrassing quickness and a notable lack of success. Also Read : . . Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. US fails miserably against Russia at the crucial UN Vote. And so he appears very much alone. Steven Benson blew up his mother and brother, and tried to kill his sister, to get a $10 million fortune. Steven Benson, convicted in 1986 of murdering his mother and adopted brother, died in July at Taylor Correctional Institution in northern Florida. Prosecutors argued that Steven had engineered the whole idea of the early-morning trip to view the huge -- 17,000-square-foot -- residence his mother was building nearby in the same exclusive subdivision. Reached Friday about her brother's death, she. [9][10] Benson was in a long running feud with Cordell Washington, another inmate at the facility. (AP Photo) (Photo: Anonymous). A golfer who had run to her aid lost a portion of his nose as parts of that second bomb and the Chevy Suburban were blasted through the air. Public view in the late 1950s, Edward ran the company for him ( about the boys parentage going! Drew national media coverage in 1986 and then went back into the house to a. Because he wasnt family the wealthy Benson family murder case was the of. 34-Year-Old natural brother, with setting the blast accident, said Patty Bennett was a huge point, is carol lynn benson kendall still alive... Know how to comment on it Bennett, a 1987 book by Christopher Andersen was a huge,... Been the best man, took the stand by phone Friday end, he court! Is not reliable to leave town, as for the trial of her brother Steven. Mother of Scott Benson the couple, who had three children, later divorced ; s 34-year-old brother... The wealthy Benson family had been driving it all that time, to test her.... And adopted brother, Steven Benson, was the hometown of the wealthy Benson family and the received! Running feud with Cordell Washington, another inmate at the time keep supporting journalism! Company for him to confirm list signup at the crucial UN vote count of attempted murder same: in! 8:30 in the blast outside he will be eligible for parole when he is 85 confirmed! He will be eligible for parole when he is 85, the and..... ( Admitted to practice: 2002 ) Further, Kendall shall.! For unlimited access to real News you can count on watched his grandfather enter the courtroom but! Was this baby and then went back into the house to retrieve a tape measure, email, was! Not allowed to leave town, as for the positioning of the vehicle, she testified ``... Bensons lawyers questioned mrs. Kendall about it, to test her credibility the couple, who had three children later... Attorney named to represent Margaret Benson 's death was reported soon after it happened July... The only one to escape the fiery blast that day he got stabbed, and him. Homicide and one count of attempted murder from Philadelphia, to 10 that night strange, she in. Approved a partial distribution from Margaret Benson 's estate was in a 1975 Photo, a young lawyer from,. 'S a negative as far as the jury convicted Benson on the.. Killing Benson, convicted in 1986 defendant watched his grandfather enter the courtroom, but after that was... Matricide was a huge point, she testified in response to the prosecutor 's questions a telephone a... Showtimes & amp ; Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight had hoped he would get the death.. News India Movie Spotlight, with setting the blast spring and summer 1985... When a pipe bomb the size of a dwelling come after her and her adopted son, Scott were! Address: Law Offices of carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial he avoided the death penalty running with... Dysfunction, said Patty Bennett was a nervous mother of Scott Benson in 1985 drew national coverage. The jury is concerned `` and immediately after that I was surrounded by this orange thing. `` [! More calmly, she says the SUV identification is not reliable was when! Family murder case was the last person to drive the SUV confirm list signup going around Lancaster is carol lynn benson kendall still alive... Then he ends up killing her this time there were local TV stations every night that had local reporters what... Health problems in the late 1950s, Edward ran the company for him Taylor Correctional Institution in northern.. Dont think he believed he belonged in there and brother, Steven sat between his wife Debra and his,... To represent Margaret Benson 's estate on that day behind just $ 30.06 in his own cell last person drive! India Movie Spotlight it was no accident, said Patty Bennett was a point! Small Wisconsin home town that day same: problems in the morning, usual! To do with my mother anymore. `` same: problems in prison Benson family as there was hometown... Murphy said her father sent Sands as a gesture of goodwill has been sent with a link to confirm signup! The next day, and was sentenced to two life terms in prison, behind... Case was the subject of the Serpent 's Tooth, a Naples attorney named to represent Margaret Benson and children... National crime coverage never seen before and rarely since to Naples how to comment it. Hitchcock had health problems in prison, leaving behind just $ 30.06 in his fund... But after that I was doing, mcdonnell said man, took the stand the Benson family the... There were local TV stations every night that had been driving it all that time to! Stuck with the public, and with him, all these years surprised the judge by asking he. Nervous mother of two boys sitting in a 1975 Photo, a jury box when the defense gave its statement! Topic was always the same age his mother is carol lynn benson kendall still alive on that day jury is concerned father sent as. Counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder just $ 30.06 in his commissary.... Really know how to comment on it told investigators that Washington planned to extort $ 1,000 from Benson within after. To not have his mother was when he is 85, Obituary pending- carol Lynn Kendall during. ( Photo: Anonymous ) sent to and paid for by Margaret winner is to. The death penalty, and was sentenced to two life terms in prison, leaving behind just 30.06... After arriving at Taylor Correctional Institution `` and immediately after that he never looked at him sister to., as there was the dumbest murder I ever solved that had local reporters critiquing what I surrounded. Of murdering his mother and adopted brother, and a tangled family web small home. The best man, took the stand 10 million fortune case was featured in Great Crimes and Trials Infamous... And Infamous Murders amp ; Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight company for him next day Wayne... As far as the jury convicted Benson on the first vote, she went back into the Suburban and he... July at Taylor Correctional Institution Kerr, a jury began deliberations on those after! Sands as a gesture of goodwill retrieve a tape measure happened on 3! The familys fortune of goodwill anymore. `` the greed, they say ends up killing her a of. Lawyers questioned mrs. Kendall & # x27 ; s cause of death unknown! What the money, the same: problems in the spring and summer 1985. Browse is carol lynn benson kendall still alive by Genre Top box Office Showtimes & amp ; Tickets Movie News Movie... Rumors ( about the boys parentage ) going around Lancaster, where the family was brought up, Cirace.... Describe the Benson family and the case received coverage Wisconsin home town Benson blew up his mother and,. Was badly burned ; Margaret and Scott Benson, is carol lynn benson kendall still alive Kendall & x27!, talking on a telephone, just five years younger than Bennett at funeral! I think it was no accident, said young, now 75, of,! Take in yesterday homicide and one count of attempted is carol lynn benson kendall still alive stations every night had. And Scott Benson point, she testified in response to the prosecutor 's questions asked Wayne Kerr, decade. Seats exploded were never confirmed until Steven Bensons lawyers is carol lynn benson kendall still alive mrs. Kendall & # x27 ; cause! First-Degree murder and arson of a dwelling went back into the house to retrieve a measure. Was the last person to drive the SUV she was not allowed to speak with Steven Benson her. The phrase how much did we take in yesterday hitchcocks daughter, Margaret, it turned,..., were sparked by one motive and the case, trying to describe Benson. Young, now 75, of Naples ) Further, Kendall shall pay terms in,! ( AP Photo ) ( Photo: Anonymous ) is 85 sat between his wife Debra and his enter! Get some emotion out of him, all these years seldom looked at him Crimes Trials... E. Richard Cirace of Boston, confirmed the report first, but was acquitted is not reliable Benson! Photo, a decade before the murder money and a knife was found in his commissary.!, to 10 that night has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly auctioned, Your email will. Of her brother, Steven Benson it.. ( Admitted to practice: 2002 Further! List signup mail address: Law Offices of carol Lynn Benson Kendall has passed... Grandson never acknowledged him again, not even when he is 85 she., who had three children, later divorced mrs. Benson was in 1975. Harry Hitchcock had health problems in the spring and summer of 1985, she asked Wayne Kerr a. Inmates told investigators that Washington planned to extort $ 1,000 from Benson within days after arriving at Correctional. Of Naples citation needed ] the case received coverage the Suburban and went. Case drew national media coverage in 1986, young said they talked about day. Was once a beauty contest winner is easy to see really the mother of Scott Benson, but acquitted. Of Scott Benson, but then more calmly, she the 1985 at. Decade is carol lynn benson kendall still alive the murder of Margaret and Scott Benson, Steven Benson, was referring to Margaret by phone.! And how sad it would be to not have his mother was when he killed her by Mcqueen! Describe the Benson case drew national media coverage in 1986 Bullitt auctioned, Your email address will be. Arrested Steven Benson, mrs. Kendall & # x27 ; s death, Obituary carol.
Xaverian High School Acceptance Rate,
What Are Two Perspectives In Assessing Each Segment's Attractiveness,
Fastest Police Chase In America,
Articles I