McDonnell did not call Steven Benson in his own defense. . She is shown here in a photo shoot at. Last Known Contact Information. Attorney (s) appearing for the Case Steven Benson blew up his mother and brother, and tried to kill his sister, to get a $10 million fortune. 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. Many members of the family have disappeared from public view in the past 20 years. Benson told his family members where to sit in the Suburban. Debunking the Myth: Is Maduro a Dictator? One youth remembered finding dry-cell batteries, wire and alligator clips in a closet and saying to himself, "Oh, this is Steve Benson's stuff . The chief prosecutor, Jerry Brock, argued she had made conflicting statements in earlier depositions. Trending. After Harry Hitchcock had health problems in the late 1950s, Edward ran the company for him. She suffered first-degree burns on her face and hands in the explosion and is still undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery. 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. Benson, he recalled, had a reputation as a wimp., He didnt fit in, Schelling said. In the second half of 2015, there were close to 200 inmate deaths in Florida's prisons. Puncture wound of right temple made by a sharpened instrument ('shank')," the report states. Fragments of the pipe-bomb Steven Benson built to blow up his family's Chevy Suburban, killing his mother and nephew and injuring his sister on July 9, 1985 in front of their Naples, Fla., home. Theyre all dead.. Represented by attorney Michael McDonnell, Steven Benson was ultimately convicted of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, and arson of a dwelling. By the time the trial began, Steven Benson had been in jail for almost 11 months. 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. He called Hitchcock, his friend and employer, to express his condolences on the deaths of Hitchcocks daughter and grandson. Something is wrong with Daddy. After his initial outburst, Benson became stoic and unemotional as the evidence was presented against him. When Sands heard that Benson had been pressuring his mother for money shortly before her death, he was not surprised. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. 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. He looked, said one of the many reporters who cover the trial every day, "brain-dead." They had so much, and the family dynamic was about as whacked out as you could ask for.. (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. I must think of a better word. While she was being helped by the golfer, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall's brother Steven stood and watched the carnage. The jury was split on the death penalty, and so gave him life in prison. Also Read:Mariannette Miller-Meeks : Role during Iowa elections. 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. After her testimony, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was nowhere to be seen. People are interested in that, and the way it was done every day, people dont blow up their mother and brother and sister in a prominent part of Naples., Young described Benson as calm, calculated, coldblooded., He thought he could get away with it, Young said. (AP Photo). BOSTON (AP) _ Tobacco heiress Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, who survived a car bombing that killed her mother and adopted brother, has said under oath that the dead young man was actually her son, her attorney said today. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, Appellant/Petitioner, v. Marjorie Starnes, As Guardian of the Property for the Minor Children of Steven W. Benson, and Steven W. Benson, Appellees/Respondents. However, she continued to pamper him. It r She, not being blinded by the forces of sexuality, very quickly perceived the true character of Tracy Mullins and was very much opposed to my seeing her. Error! It was then that she had her personal secretary run a tab of what her children owed her. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. He never looked at anybody, says Murphy, who sat right behind Benson during the trial. He will be eligible for parole when he is 85. Though police initially called the blast, caused by two pipe bombs, a big mystery, it didnt take them long to zero on one suspect: Steven Benson. . Your email address will not be published. And he put a lot of planning in it but never covered his tracks at all., Tom Schelling, whom the Benson family had on the payroll to do maintenance and construction around their many estates, said he has known Steven Benson since high school. The motive was money. At the urging of Hitchcock, Sands tried to talk to Benson about religion, about accepting Jesus as his savior, but Benson did not want to talk about that. He said that "initially" he thought it was just sloppy bookkeeping. I remember when my sister had him here was this baby and then he ends up killing her. Thats the whole thing: self, self, self and me, me, me and me. 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.. 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. It just never stopped, Cirace said. [2] (Margaret Hitchcock Benson was heiress of the Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Co., Lancaster, Pa., and had no connection with Benson & Hedges brand cigarettes manufactured in the US by Philip Morris.) doesn't have anything to do with my mother anymore.". To him, sadly, its not a shocker, the terrible things people do to each other, the terrible things they do for money. It also wanted to rehear some of what the government fingerprint expert had said about the palm prints. 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. Sands, who spent winters in Florida, visited Benson a half a dozen times in the mid-90s. Benson tried and failed at a succession of businesses. That's a negative as far as the jury is concerned. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. 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. He was born in 1951 in Baltimore. 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. Behind bars, Benson has worked in the laundry and on a painting detail. 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. It was obvious he was spending his mothers money on himself and his family, Brock said. He had retained Naples attorney Michael McDonnell. Electronics. 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. Just follow the money, and you could see what he was doing.. Kendall's mother and son, Scott, were killed in the blast and Kendall, a resident of suburban Chestnut Hill, was seriously injured. Carol Kendall was born on 07/08/1944 and is 78 years old. ", When they got back to Naples, Margaret told Steven she wanted to meet with him and Kerr that evening and "talk business." Murphys nephew, Steven Benson, was the only one to escape the fiery blast that day. His grandson never acknowledged him again, not even when he came to Florida for the trial. You can also browse other available content for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall on IMDb such as filmography, trivia, personal details, etc. The Chevrolet Suburban was blown all to bits and pieces, with a body lying out on each side.. LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - Heres what has stuck with them for 30 years, since the day that Steven Benson blew up his family in a Chevy Suburban in the driveway of their Florida home, in a greedy attempt to inherit a $10 million Lancaster tobacco company fortune: . ", 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. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. The star of the show by far was Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. Macron wont let go off Africa so easily, he is love sick, Canadas Debt Crisis: A Never-Ending Burden Passed On From Generation to Generation, Alcohol tax in Canada: Canadian government is taking a sip out of your beer. Steven Benson blew up his family in the driveway of their Florida home in July 1985. Left-Wing Meloni: Italys Attempt to Replicate Giorgia Meloni, Europe is dumping its migrants in Africa in exchange of money, Mariannette Miller-Meeks : Role during Iowa elections, Mustang used by Steve Mcqueen in Bullitt auctioned, Mexicos constitutional crisis has its roots in Washington, The EU-Mercosur Deal: Macrons Duplicity Unveiled, Paraguay declares Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation. I think it was just pure greed for money, Murphy said. "Sharp force head trauma. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. By the time the closing statements were presented, the evidence was clear, Bennett said. Steven Benson, convicted in 1986 of murdering his mother and adopted brother, died in July at Taylor Correctional Institution in northern Florida. 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. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. She had hoped he would get the death penalty. She was afraid her brother would come after her and her children if he ever got free. ", The jowly and bespectacled witness testified that Steven's company books were a mess, with checkbook entries missing and no balance carried forward. A lot. 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