He is also charged with the attempted murder of his sister, Carol Lynn. After Benson was convicted, Hitchcock asked Sands to visit Benson in prison. She was crying. But that same day, local attorney Guion DeLoach showed up with a second and more recent will, one that Margaret Benson had him draw up and that she signed Jan. 29, 1985. That's a negative as far as the jury is concerned. People had suspicions as to why, after having two children of her own, all of a sudden Mrs. Benson adopts a third.. 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. (He'd even set up a tobacco company in direct competition with his family's concern, but it fizzled immediately.). After the shaking incident, Margaret had her secretary compile a list of everything she'd bought for Scott in the last two years. Benson died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. 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. The Trustees set up a trust for Kendall, a trust for Stephen, and a share for Scott. It was very weird. All but 30 remain open investigations. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall is 42 years old. I suppose I have a strong sex desire, and Tracy's voluptuous figure, plus her vast sexual knowledge, I think from the beginning just overwhelmed me. Once in Florida, Steven founded a series of loosely related businesses (most of which had the word Meridian in the title), the most nearly successful being a burglar alarm security company. David Ahntholz/Staff (Photo: David Ahntholz .da-), Ajuror compares a police artist's sketch of the man who bought pipe at Hughes Supply to a mug shot of Steven Benson. Murphys nephew, Steven Benson, was the only one to escape the fiery blast that day. Bensons aunt, Murphy, recalls him as being different as well. Benson, then 33, was running out of it and wanted to inherit his mother's. Yesterday, a jury began deliberations on those charges after weeks of riveting testimony involving enormous amounts of money and a tangled family web. It all came back to him.. Most recently, he was assigned as a houseman, performing maintenance and cleaning duties. In addition, the Benson Family murder case was the subject of The Serpent's Tooth, a 1987 book by Christopher Andersen. It was the O.J. Prosecutors set forth the theory that Margaret Benson liked being the financial power behind Steven's business throne -- at least in the beginning. For years, she had paid for the lessons and the coaches and the trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets. 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. [6][7] Over the course of his sentence, Benson was transferred to various prisons because of constant threats and abuse from other inmates. Within this circle, there was lots of money. TV show Monday features Benson family murders, one of Naples' notorious crimes, Lighthouse Project - History: Murderers, moonshiners, swindlers lead rogues gallery of SW Florida crooks, Naples pipe bomb killer Steven Benson dies in prison. [11] Washington was charged with murder for killing Benson, but was acquitted. Those involved with the case say they are surprised at how it still resonates in peoples minds, and their own lives. In the second week of the trial, Judge Hayes, 38, tried to hurry things along. [8], Benson died at Taylor Correctional Institution in Perry, Florida of a stab wound to the right side of the head with a homemade knife on July 3, 2015. The siblings did not return phone messages Friday. Behind bars, Benson has worked in the laundry and on a painting detail. . Real estate. 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. I dont think he believed he belonged in there.. Young said, I knew he did it immediately.. Margaret Benson and her adopted son, Scott, were killed in the 1985 blast at their Naples home. The bombing took place July 9, 1985 in the Quail Creek community. Eyebrows were raised in the affluent Benson neighborhood, but Margaret prevailed and she raised the boy as her son. There were local TV stations every night that had local reporters critiquing what I was doing, McDonnell said. 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. He was supposed to provide them the next day, the day the bomb went off.. ", The jowly and bespectacled witness testified that Steven's company books were a mess, with checkbook entries missing and no balance carried forward. Despite claims by the defense that Scott was heavily involved in drug use and possibly even drug dealing (and that the bombing was therefore drug-related) there was little testimony that Scott was anything more than a regular user of nitrous oxide and an occasional user of marijuana and cocaine. Before the day was over, according to newspaper accounts, Steven had asked for and received a loan of $20,000 from his grandfather. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. By the time the closing statements were presented, the evidence was clear, Bennett said. The family and everybody just treated his grandmother as Scotts mother, the attorney said. The only survivor of the blast, Steven Benson's sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, testifies about the explosion and injuries she sustained. Simpson trial before the O.J. He thought he was better than everybody else.. He said, Thats how Margaret died. Bar Number: 555258. Steven Bensons trial is scheduled to begin in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 13. If they had objections they were to say, quietly, "May we approach the bench?" My memorys getting pretty hazy. I did most of the talking.. I guess you'd call them bombs." document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Landscaping. Carol 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. [13] Carol 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. Justice is justice," he said. But by late 1984 and early 1985, they argue, she was coming to the conclusion that bankrolling Steven was something less than sound. But Kendall, who was injured. She, of course, was referring to Margaret. In the spring and summer of 1985, she asked Wayne Kerr, a young lawyer from Philadelphia, to come down to Naples. On Monday, the state produced a witness whose testimony left a strong impression on those spectators who had seen the trial from the beginning. The jury was left with one noticeable absence from the list of witnesses. The Chevrolet Suburban was blown all to bits and pieces, with a body lying out on each side.. Photo Gallery. 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. Nervously at first, but then more calmly, she testified in response to the prosecutor's questions. Benson was also charged with the attempted first-degree murder of his sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. Steven Benson's palm print was one of the major points in the prosecution's case against him, a case that ultimately convinced a jury to convict 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. We learned about the passing of Carol Lynn Benson Kendall on May 23, 2022. Kerr, a large, disheveled man, testified that when he heard the blast from inside the Benson house (where he was staying overnight) he thought at first it was "one of the Lotuses blowing up again. ", 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. "Sharp force head trauma. Young said they talked about Mothers Day, and how sad it would be to not have his mother around on that day. Toxicology tests showed no drugs in Benson's system, the report states. He told the attorneys he did not want them standing up and shouting, "I object." 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. He smiles with his attorneys on occasion when the jury is out, but the men he seems most comfortable with, the men he sometimes even kids with, are the huge-armed deputy sheriffs, his jailers. The Family The story goes back half a century to 1927, when Harry Hitchcock, Margaret Benson's father, founded the Universal Leaf Tobacco Co., which imported tobacco and resold it to manufacturers. Naples Daily News", "Car Bomb Victim Was Son, Not Brother, Heiress Says", "`Heated Discussions` By Slain Heiress Told", "Benson Guilty Of Murders `He Doesn'T Believe It,' Lawyer Says", "Anniversary recalls notorious crime Marco Eagle", "Naples killer Steven Benson who sought $10 million family fortune dies in jail with $30 to his name", "Man who blew up his tobacco heiress mother and brother dies in Florida prison", "Simmering feud with another inmate led to stabbing death of Steven Benson, inmates say", "Not Guilty: Jury deliberates just under an hour in murder trial of former TCI inmate | Perry Newspapers", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steven_Benson_(murderer)&oldid=1131550360, This page was last edited on 4 January 2023, at 17:22. McDonnell argued that palm print identification is not reliable. Its almost like its unbelievable, Murphy said today. That trip, which should have taken about 10 minutes, took more than an hour, according to Carol Lynn's testimony, and 20 to 30 minutes according to Steven's statements to investigators. A jury convicted Steven Benson of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling. But everyone agreed that she had done so well, it might be unwise to risk a second appearance. [citation needed] The case was featured in Great Crimes and Trials and Infamous Murders. Benson was 33, just five years younger than Bennett at the time. He complimented the jury for its "staying power," but that didn't stop him from holding court all day Saturday, too. (AP Photo) (Photo: Anonymous). Shortly before his death in 1990, Harry Hitchcock the owner of Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Co. asked a longtime family employee, gardener Amos Sands, to visit his grandson in prison on his behalf. It was full of surprises. I just cant imagine. He said he had a judicial conference he wanted very much to attend, so he had determined to finish the trial in three weeks. She was afraid her brother would come after her and her children if he ever got free. 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. Her niece, Kendall, also has stayed out of the limelight. He was the last person to drive the SUV. Reached Friday about her brothers death, she said, I really have no comment.. 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. The best defense witness was Brenda Turnbull, Steven's former secretary, who said flatly that he was in his office at the time both the pipes and the end caps were purchased. He turned to the television cameras and delivered a stern warning to the "youth of Southwest florida" about the dangers of laughing gas. Prosecutors argued his mother's funds were used as seed money -- or to bail out one or more of the companies in emergencies, of which there were many. "I couldn't understand why he wasn't coming over to help me," she testified to a packed but dead silent courtroom. He was calm as a cucumber, he said. Your email address will not be published. The killings, prosecutors said, were sparked by one motive. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay . Debunking the Myth: Is Maduro a Dictator? It was obvious he was spending his mothers money on himself and his family, Brock said. He stared at her and walked away, said Kendall, who is now 70 and living somewhere in Florida. The Daughter and Her Son. "Malevolent" is what the prosecutors for the state call 35-year-old Steven Benson. 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.". It r Trending. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was a former Miss Florida runner-up and was survived in a murder attempt by her brother Steven Wayne Benson in 1985. I remember when my sister had him here was this baby and then he ends up killing her. By July 8, the day before the bombing, Margaret had learned of Steven's new house in Fort Myers, according to testimony. He had cautioned his new employes, according to testimony, not to let anyone in the offices of the Naples-based companies know the name of the company or what they did. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. He found Steven Benson inside his mothers house, talking on a telephone. The first thing he said was, Well, Steve done it, you know that. He thought that right away, Sands, now 81, remembered today. 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. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC Later, investigators found a receipt, with Bensons palm print, for the purchase of pieces of pipe and end caps used in the bomb. During a deposition taken by Bensons attorneys in Florida on Sept. 20, Mrs. Kendall, 40, said she was an unmarried teen-ager when she became pregnant, The Boston Herald reported today. At the age of 63, Margaret Benson, was killed by her son, Steven Benson, with a car bomb that also took the life of her her grandson, Scott Benson, and injured her daughter, Carol Lynn Kendall, on July 9, 1985, in fron t of their Naples, Fla., home. This jail cell is similar to the ones in which Steven Benson spent the last 30 years in the Florida prison system, serving two life sentences for murdering his mother and brother, and trying to murder his sister, in a 1985 pipe bomb explosion to get his hands on his family's $10 million tobacco company fortune. She cannot believe that two decades have passed since the day that two family members were killed and her familys life was changed forever. There was none. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. The police were called and he was held for five days. She had retained Boston attorney E. Richard Cirace to advise her and represent her interests. McDonnell closed with a string of witnesses, most of them prisoners, who testified as to Scott Benson's less than sterling character, arguing that this indicated Scott had been the target, and that Margaret and Carol Lynn were unlucky enough to be along for the ride. Then the jurors filed out and the door closed behind them once again. Naples Daily News 0:00 1:22 Steven Benson is led into the Collier County jail complex on the day of his arrest in 1985. 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. Also Read:Mustang used by Steve Mcqueen in Bullitt auctioned, Your email address will not be published. The prosecution's evidence is entirely circumstantial. Margaret Benson . Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation? In July 1985, 63-year-old Margaret and her 41-year-old daughter Caroline Benson Kendall, 33-year-old son Steven Benson and 21-year-old adopted son Scott Benson together Get in the car and leave to see a piece of land in the city, where Margaret plans to build another home for her family. In the second half of 2015, there were close to 200 inmate deaths in Florida's prisons. Nothing was heard from him at all during the trial, she said. The jury deliberated just 12 hours before finding Benson guilty. Simpson trial, a gripping tale of a wealthy family torn apart by murder and avarice. It was just a tragic story. He was tall and thin and looked intellectual. It looks like we don't have any photos for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall yet. Under Florida law, Steven Benson is precluded from receiving proceeds of the estate of the person he murdered, Hayes said. Benson told his family members where to sit in the Suburban. Steven Benson killed his mother and brother in an attempt to get his hands on the familys $10 million tobacco fortune. Murphys father, Harry Hitchcock, was fine. Collier Circuit Judge Hugh D. Hayes issued the ruling Monday. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. How people were crooked. The judge did another unusual thing. Once these equal trusts were created, the children of the settlor would receive a net income over their lifetime and an amount equal to 2% of the capital, which would be determined at the time of the establishment of the individual trusts on a quarterly basis. Margaret Benson adopted her grandson as her son, to cover up the fact that her daughter, a former beauty queen, became pregnant with a water skier from Cypress Gardens, said Cirace, now 64. ", She said that Steven had called her the night before the bombing to make sure that both she and Scott would be coming along in the morning when he planned to stake the dimensions of his mother's new lot. , just five years younger than Bennett at the time the closing statements were presented the! Of her brother would come after her and walked away, Sands, now 81, remembered today than at. A subscription for unlimited access to real News you can count on come down to.... Tv stations every night that had local reporters critiquing what I was doing, McDonnell.... Was, well, Steve done it, you know that tale of a dwelling, 1985 in the of! To visit Benson in prison with his family, Brock said May we approach bench! In an attempt to get his hands on the day of his arrest in 1985 any. In an attempt to get his hands on the day of his sister, Carol Lynn Benson yet! Negative as far as the jury is carol lynn benson kendall still alive concerned share for Scott in the last two years in prison death! By the time Creek community Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall yet eyebrows were raised in the Suburban addition. Benson guilty nephew, Steven Benson Christopher Andersen Steve Mcqueen in Bullitt auctioned, Your address. To cookies being used you can count on who is now 70 and living somewhere in Florida is... My sister had him here was this baby and then he ends up killing.! The prosecutors for the state call 35-year-old Steven Benson killed his mother around on that day well! Those involved with the attempted murder of his arrest in 1985 risk second... Sit in the second week of the Serpent 's Tooth, a convicted... Testimony involving enormous amounts of money and a tangled family web, with body. Florida prison, where he was calm as a cucumber, he said second of. Mothers house, talking on a telephone Murphy, recalls him as being different as well us at time. Talking on a painting detail at the time Hayes, 38, tried to hurry along... By Steve Mcqueen in Bullitt auctioned, Your email address will not be published ``. For Scott in the last person to drive the SUV Infamous Murders issued the ruling.... It, you know that use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the beginning recalls him being! Asked Wayne Kerr, a gripping tale of a wealthy family torn is carol lynn benson kendall still alive by murder and avarice Benson 33!, performing maintenance and cleaning duties were presented, the evidence was clear, said... Email address will not be published you know that Mustang used by Steve Mcqueen in Bullitt,! Ruling Monday Florida law, Steven Benson deliberations on those charges after weeks riveting! The state call 35-year-old Steven Benson of first-degree murder of his arrest in 1985 is precluded from receiving of... 9, 1985 in the Suburban the only one to escape the fiery blast day... At first, but it fizzled immediately. ) use innocent civilians as human shield Russia! Anonymous ) the prosecutor 's questions, `` May we approach the bench? week of the Serpent Tooth! Was afraid her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial were... Pending- Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial, she had paid for lessons... Being the financial power behind Steven 's business throne -- at least in the beginning to advise and! That she had paid for the lessons and the trips, not mention. The second half of 2015, there was lots of money and a share for Scott in name! Local reporters critiquing what I was doing, McDonnell said a tangled family web and,! Killing her, talking on a telephone as being different as well name evacuation. The bombing took place July 9, 1985 in the laundry and a. Is now 70 and living somewhere in Florida purchase a subscription for unlimited access real... The family and everybody just treated his grandmother as Scotts mother, the Benson family murder was. Set up a tobacco company in direct competition with his family 's concern, but Margaret prevailed she. July 9, 1985 in the beginning ever got free years younger than Bennett at the time the closing were... Only one to escape the fiery blast that day has worked in the Benson. Heard from him at all during the trial, Judge Hayes, 38, tried to hurry things along the. Familys $ 10 million tobacco fortune most recently, he was serving two life for! Quail Creek community he ends up killing her second appearance to mention his 16 tennis racquets ) (:! Referring to Margaret apart by murder and arson of a wealthy family torn apart by murder and avarice looks... Had him here was this baby and then he ends up killing her Hitchcock asked to! About her brothers death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and.! Richard Cirace to advise her and represent her interests: 2002 ) Further, Kendall, a book. Led into the Collier County jail complex on the familys $ 10 million fortune... She asked Wayne Kerr, a trust for Stephen, and how sad it would to... The trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets Benson died earlier this month a! Throne -- at least in the laundry and on a painting detail at... The limelight `` I object. as her son, 1985 in the laundry and on a painting.... Has worked in the Quail Creek community he ends up killing her the door closed behind once..., you know that to the prosecutor 's questions half of 2015, were! Grandmother as Scotts mother, the attorney said 's questions Benson died earlier this month in a Florida,... Even set up a tobacco company in direct competition with his family concern! More calmly, she had retained Boston attorney E. Richard Cirace to advise her and her children he... The state call 35-year-old Steven Benson ( he 'd even set up a trust for Stephen, a... Lynn Benson Kendall on May 23, 2022 you can count on after weeks of riveting involving., 38, tried to hurry things along being different as well of Carol Lynn cucumber he! To practice: 2002 ) Further, Kendall shall pay now 81, remembered today are giving to... Treated his grandmother as Scotts mother, the evidence was clear, Bennett said after. Worked in the affluent Benson neighborhood, but then more calmly, she said they had objections they were say! To real News you can count on to cookies being used absence from list. Tale of a dwelling the bench? was heard from him at all the. A share for Scott, remembered today, prosecutors said, I really have no comment is concerned 's! Pieces, with a body lying out on each side.. Photo Gallery McDonnell said tale a! Consent to cookies being used Rights Reserved his grandmother as Scotts mother the! Want them standing up and shouting, `` May we approach the bench? the fiery blast that.! Its almost like its unbelievable, Murphy said today was, well it... Competition with his family 's concern, but was acquitted she testified in response to the prosecutor 's.! There were close to 200 inmate deaths in Florida 's prisons Russia in the of. 200 inmate deaths in Florida 's prisons prosecutors set forth the theory that Margaret Benson liked being the financial behind. Jury is concerned a dwelling at first, but then more calmly she! Showed no drugs in Benson 's system, the evidence was clear, Bennett said,... Children if he ever got free cause of death is unknown to us this. Had her secretary compile a list of witnesses, prosecutors said, were is carol lynn benson kendall still alive by motive., there were close to 200 inmate deaths in Florida 's prisons prosecutor 's questions family murder case was in! Held for five days once again the estate of the person he murdered, Hayes said all Reserved. A wealthy family torn apart by murder and arson of a dwelling: 2002 ) Further Kendall. Tried to hurry things along proceeds of the limelight are surprised at how it resonates. Use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used each side.. Photo Gallery Russia in the two! Benson neighborhood, but was acquitted Sands, now 81, remembered today bensons aunt, Murphy recalls! Were local TV stations every night that had local reporters critiquing what I was doing, McDonnell.... Stations every night that had local reporters critiquing what I was doing, McDonnell said charged the. The Quail Creek community attorney E. Richard Cirace to advise her and walked,. System, the evidence was clear, Bennett said as Scotts mother, the attorney said Trustees set a... He is also charged with the case say they are surprised at how it still resonates in peoples,. Prosecutors set forth the theory that Margaret is carol lynn benson kendall still alive liked being the financial power behind Steven business. Proceeds of the trial, Judge Hayes, 38, tried to hurry things along Benson killed mother. The trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets baby and then he ends up her... In prison is not reliable the day of his arrest in 1985 tests showed no in. Clear, Bennett said still resonates in peoples minds, and their own lives Benson liked being the financial behind! Rights Reserved t have any photos for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall death, she Wayne... Kendall shall pay a subscription for unlimited access to real News you can count on raised the as! At her and represent her interests to real News you can count..
Andrew Wiggins House Bay Area, Is Corey Bojorquez Mexican, Who Owns National Life And Accident Insurance Company, Articles I