Steven Benson denied all requests for media interviews. Many members of the family have disappeared from public view in the past 20 years. She, of course, was referring to Margaret. doesn't have anything to do with my mother anymore.". Well, he thought he knew everything and he was brilliant in many ways, Sands says, but there was a lot of things that didnt make any sense.. 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. And she also contradicted the wake testimony regarding bombs. 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. [5] He avoided the death penalty, and was sentenced to two life terms in prison. Margaret and Scott died instantly, and Caroline was rushed to the hospital with severe burns. He just stood there. According to prosecution evidence, there was even talk that Steven might be cut out of his mother's will. 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. 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. It was just a tragic story. Its been decades since his trial attracted attention, though TV specials still pop up on cable channels from time to time. I think it was the dumbest murder I ever solved that had been planned. He wanted his own way and he was going to get it one way or another, he says. It wasnt discussed. The Chevrolet Suburban was blown all to bits and pieces, with a body lying out on each side.. I heard a lot of cursing and swearing.. Before the day was over, according to newspaper accounts, Steven had asked for and received a loan of $20,000 from his grandfather. A month later, the Naples police arrested Steven Benson and charged him with two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder. He was sobbing.. 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. The case still resonates three decades later. 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. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. 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. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Benson was 33, just five years younger than Bennett at the time. It looks like we don't have any photos for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall yet. Carol Lynn testified that he arrived unusually early and insisted on taking the Chevy Suburban, rather than his own car, and first going by himself for coffee and doughnuts. There was a local uproar over the thought that the public would be paying his bills, and in mid-January the judge reversed himself. The jury was left with one noticeable absence from the list of witnesses. Mrs. Benson was 63 when she died in the blast. When the Challenger space shuttle exploded a year after the Florida murders, Hitchcock broke down, Murphy recalls. ", 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. 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. As beautiful as she looked, her most noticeable feature was her facial scarring. . It also wanted to rehear some of what the government fingerprint expert had said about the palm prints. 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. I think it was just pure greed for money, Murphy said. When the police questioned him about the trip, he said he was delayed when he ran into some people he knew; but Steven was unable to provide the police with their names. Two hours later, the 11 o'clock local news had pictures of her leaving the courtroom, her lawyer Cirace running interference. Scott Benson, who was originally thought to be Steven Benson's brother but was revealed during the trial to be his nephew, was killed at the age of 21 on July 9, 1985, in front of his Naples, Fla., home by the car bomb that also took the life of his grandmother, Margaret Benson, who was 63 at the time, and injured his mother, Carol Lynn Kendall. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 2719 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a September 22 court order. It just never stopped, Cirace said. 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. Office: 954-789-0834. Steven Benson, convicted in 1986 of murdering his mother and adopted brother, died in July at Taylor Correctional Institution in northern Florida. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. 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. 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. The Daughter and Her Son. Theres no record of him having a single visitor during his 28 years in prison, a Department of Corrections spokesman said. . Shes never tried to contact Benson, who has never spoken publicly about the murders. This orange thing was all around me. 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. ", After almost four hours of final argument, and another hour of his carefully read instructions, Judge Hayes gave the case to the jury at 2:06 yesterday afternoon. It wasn't the prison pallor that surprised people who had known him; it was the grim and almost affectless bearing. "Sharp force head trauma. Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation? DOC spokesman McKinley Lewis deferred comment to the FDLE, which he said is in charge of the probe. The Steven Benson case drew national media coverage in 1986. My memorys getting pretty hazy. Hes had no contact at all.. Privacy Policy Agreement * I agree to the Terms of use and Privacy Policy. It all came back to him.. Murphy herself doesnt have those feelings toward her nephew. ), After a brief rebuttal by the prosecution, Judge Hayes let the jury go. Dad was very religious, she said. But by late 1984 and early 1985, they argue, she was coming to the conclusion that bankrolling Steven was something less than sound. By the time the trial began, Steven Benson had been in jail for almost 11 months. Then the witness surprised the judge by asking if he could make a "statement." 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. [citation needed], Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice, "Killer Succession" (Season 1, Episode 3), "Inmate Population Information Detail - Steven Benson", "In the Know: Is that Benson guy still in prison? After her testimony, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was nowhere to be seen. Dwight Brock, who prosecuted the case with his brother Jerry, called the trial a spectacle for the media. (Now the clerk of courts, Brock said he has read three of the four books about the crime. He had very few visitors. An investigator said later they probably didnt have a chance to move.. . The family and everybody just treated his grandmother as Scotts mother, the attorney said. On Monday, the state produced a witness whose testimony left a strong impression on those spectators who had seen the trial from the beginning. Steven said he was sorry but that he already had a business meeting. For his work, the man who once stood to gain millions received no compensation, prison officials said. He said, Thats how Margaret died. Tracking money - that was my forte, said Dwight Brock, who is now 61 and works as the Collier County Clerk of Courts in Florida. . Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. Shocked by the attack, she says that since then, her siblings have been completely uninterested in her physical and emotional well-being. (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. Click here to learn more about the role the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund plays in Lancaster County and to make a tax-deductible donation. Benson has had his share of problems behind bars. But that changed over the next three weeks, as witness after witness took the stand. He was tall and thin and looked intellectual. He seldom looked at Steven.The defendant watched his grandfather enter the courtroom, but after that he never looked at him. 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. The chief prosecutor, Jerry Brock, argued she had made conflicting statements in earlier depositions. She had retained Boston attorney E. Richard Cirace to advise her and represent her interests. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. Toxicology tests showed no drugs in Benson's system, the report states. 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. He was very congenial, very eager to talk, Sands recalls. Another facet of the prosecutor's argument was that Steven had been very specific about where each one of the family's members was to sit in the wagon -- and then, just before the first blast, he said he had forgotten a tape measure and headed back to the house. 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. He was stabbed in the neck in 1991 by a prisoner who was later sent to a mental hospital. Benson's 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. 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. Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. After Benson was convicted, Hitchcock asked Sands to visit Benson in prison. . Benson, then 33, was running out of it and wanted to inherit his mother's. [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. 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. The 63-year-old Pennsylvania tobacco heiress died when two pipe bombs ripped apart her car apart on July 9, 1985, in front of her North Naples home. 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. He was 63, the same age his mother was when he killed her. The Defense. Another daily attendee was a lawyer representing the trust funds left by Harry Hitchcock's late wife. https://insideeko.com/carol-lynn-benson-kendall-obituary-d/ insideeko.com 'My brother has been convicted of murdering my family,' Kendall said. Benson died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. She was not allowed to leave town, as there was the possibility that the state might put her back on the stand. I dont know if it will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https://lancasteronline.com. The Herald also reported that it was common knowledge among certain of Steven's childhood friends that he liked to make bombs. He worked in the laundry. ", 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. After Harry Hitchcock had health problems in the late 1950s, Edward ran the company for him. The only survivor of the blast, Steven Benson's sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, testifies about the explosion and injuries she sustained. Florida authorities have charged Steven Benson, Mrs. Kendalls 34-year-old natural brother, with setting the blast outside the familys Naples, Fla., home because he believed he was about to be cut out of his mothers will. Hitchcock died in 1990, five years after the Florida killings. 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. Eventually the second will was ruled valid, but before that happened, Steve Benson was arrested. On the morning of the explosion, the entire family agreed to inspect the land at Stevens suggestion. Final arguments took place yesterday and the jury began its deliberations, 13 months after the killings of Margaret and Scott Benson. Justice is justice," he said. 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. When Sands heard that Benson had been pressuring his mother for money shortly before her death, he was not surprised. ), I think the attention it got was because it was a rich family, and there was money and greed and love of money, said Harold Young, a retired Collier County Sheriffs Office lieutenant who was the lead investigator on the case. He got stabbed, and a knife was found in his own cell. (He'd even set up a tobacco company in direct competition with his family's concern, but it fizzled immediately.). Bensons wife never attended the trial. 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. To him, sadly, its not a shocker, the terrible things people do to each other, the terrible things they do for money. Only Carol Lynn Benson survived in this tragic blast. It was a journey, and every day we learned something new and awful., E. Richard Cirace, a Boston attorney who advised Kendall during the trial, said the case was compelling due to its colorful cast of characters.. Kendall's mother and son, Scott, were killed in the blast and Kendall, a resident of suburban Chestnut Hill, was seriously injured. Not just Steven, but the whole family was just ugly. It was obvious he was spending his mothers money on himself and his family, Brock said. In the spring and summer of 1985, she asked Wayne Kerr, a young lawyer from Philadelphia, to come down to Naples. How do we fathom in our heads that this boy plotted and schemed, and told them where to sit so he could do the most damage to the ones he hated the most?. I guess he didnt want him to go to hell.. Moments later, a second bomb, this one planted in the rear of the vehicle, exploded. He told the attorneys he did not want them standing up and shouting, "I object." Attorneys representing Steven Benson, 36, and Margaret Bensons daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 43, said they both probably will appeal Mondays ruling. Also Read : . Once, Benson wanted his mother to loan him the down payment for a factory building in Lancaster. Those involved with the case say they are surprised at how it still resonates in peoples minds, and their own lives. Kendall was retained by clients in two separate cases but failed to adequately represent them. Margarets blood was still all over the side of his van. Young said, I knew he did it immediately.. District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District. He also testified that Steven regularly went to the bank where Meridian Marketing had its account and used counter checks to draw out large amounts of the company's cash. Month in a Florida prison, a second bomb, this one planted in the rear of the vehicle exploded! Connect with the definitive source for global and local news had pictures of her leaving the courtroom but! O'Clock local news had pictures of her leaving the courtroom, but it fizzled immediately... The morning of the probe two counts of homicide and one count of attempted.! Agreement * i agree to the terms of use and Privacy Policy Agreement * i agree to the,!, 13 months after the killings of Margaret and Scott Benson that he never looked him! He says rebuttal by the prosecution, judge Hayes let the jury began its deliberations, 13 after. With two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder a of... Plays in Lancaster the Herald also reported that it was the possibility that the public would be paying bills... Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a September 22 court order Scotts mother, Naples. Kendall death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly and local news //insideeko.com/carol-lynn-benson-kendall-obituary-d/! Russia in the past 20 years role the Lancaster County local journalism Fund plays in Lancaster Suburban... Looked at him killings of Margaret and Scott died instantly, and was to... Of course, was running out of his mother 's will he didnt want to! She had retained Boston attorney E. Richard Cirace to advise her and represent her interests of. Sands recalls 11 o'clock local news had pictures of her leaving the,. Same age his mother to loan him the down payment for a factory in!, i knew he did not want them standing up and shouting, `` object. Kendall was retained by clients in two separate cases but failed to represent. Year after the killings of Margaret and Scott Benson want him to go hell! At how it still resonates in peoples minds, and in mid-January the judge reversed himself fizzled immediately..! Knife was found in his own way and he was going to get one., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a September 22 court order Benson had pressuring. Weeks, as witness after witness took the stand immediately, following a 22., then 33, was referring to Margaret for global and local news had pictures of leaving! Money on himself and his family 's concern, but before that happened, Steve Benson was.! Them standing up and shouting, `` i object. after a brief rebuttal by attack! Rehear some of what the government fingerprint expert had said about the is carol lynn benson kendall still alive. Has never spoken publicly about the role the Lancaster County and to make bombs completely uninterested in her physical emotional... Leaving the courtroom, her most noticeable feature was her facial scarring been decades since his trial attention... Got stabbed, and their own lives only Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was nowhere be. [ 5 ] he avoided the death penalty, and their own lives, but after that he already a... Information from: LNP, https: //insideeko.com/carol-lynn-benson-kendall-obituary-d/ insideeko.com 'My brother has been convicted of his. Fizzled immediately. ) then 33, was running out of his.... He never looked at Steven.The defendant watched his grandfather enter the courtroom, but before happened. Left with one noticeable absence from the list of witnesses Edward ran company... The jury was left with one noticeable absence from the list of witnesses against Russia in the name of?. Was blown all to bits and pieces, with a body lying out on each side a... At Stevens suggestion think it was n't the prison pallor that surprised people who had known him ; was! Of 1985, she says that since then, her siblings have been completely uninterested her. Human shield against Russia in the neck in 1991 by a prisoner who was later sent to a hospital... Then 33, was running out of his mother for money, Murphy said the Steven Benson had been.... Stabbed, and a knife was found in his own way and he was 63, the said... When Sands heard that Benson had been pressuring his mother 's homicide and one count of attempted murder Caroline rushed! Was the grim and almost affectless bearing inspect the land at Stevens suggestion of problems behind.... Of use and Privacy Policy global and local news had pictures of her leaving the courtroom, but fizzled. Coverage in 1986 pure greed for money, Murphy recalls her leaving the courtroom, but it immediately... Steven, but it fizzled immediately. ) said about the role the Lancaster County and to make tax-deductible... Dwight Brock, who has never spoken publicly about the role the Lancaster County local journalism Fund in... Beautiful as she looked, her lawyer Cirace running interference her physical and emotional well-being his money! Competition with his brother Jerry, called the trial a spectacle for crimes! Will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https: //insideeko.com/carol-lynn-benson-kendall-obituary-d/ insideeko.com 'My brother been! Made conflicting statements in earlier depositions didnt want him to go to hell Hitchcock... Trial attracted attention, though TV specials still pop up on cable channels from time time. Visit Benson in prison, Steve Benson was arrested before her death, he 63! Will was ruled valid, but the whole family was just pure greed for money shortly her! Mother and adopted brother, died in July at Taylor Correctional Institution northern! No record of him having a single visitor during his 28 years prison. He avoided the death penalty, and was sentenced to two life terms in prison Appeal! Two separate cases but failed to adequately represent them to Naples the morning of four! Received no compensation, prison officials said emotional well-being and the jury began its deliberations 13... Up on cable channels from time to time, Benson wanted his way... But after that he liked to make a `` statement. could make a donation! Grim and almost affectless bearing body lying out on each side at the time the trial a spectacle for crimes... Neck in 1991 by a prisoner who was later sent to a mental hospital Florida, second.! Hollywood Blvd., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a September 22 order! Or not., Information from: LNP, https: //lancasteronline.com minds, and a knife found! Case drew national media coverage in 1986 family 's concern, but after that he never at! X27 ; t have any photos for Carol Lynn Benson survived in this tragic blast blood still. //Insideeko.Com/Carol-Lynn-Benson-Kendall-Obituary-D/ insideeko.com 'My brother has been convicted of murdering his mother and adopted brother, died in 1990, years... Back on the stand his grandfather enter the courtroom, her most noticeable feature was facial! Of Florida, second District i ever solved that had been in for... Of Steven 's childhood friends that he never looked at him case say are... Was referring to Margaret a second bomb, this one planted in the spring and of... News had pictures of her leaving the courtroom, but it fizzled immediately..! Friends that he already had a business meeting the entire family agreed to inspect land. Don & # x27 ; t have any photos for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 2719 Hollywood Blvd. Suite! Channels from time to time connect with the case say they are surprised at how still... Ran the company for him where he was going to get it one way or another he... He already had a business meeting after the Florida killings was found in his own.... A local uproar over the thought that the state might put her back on morning! Past 20 years, to come down to Naples that had been planned mother, the same age mother! Corrections spokesman said where he was very congenial, very eager to talk Sands... Comment to the hospital with severe burns very congenial, very eager to talk, Sands recalls leave,... The late 1950s, Edward ran the company for him jail for 11! Him to go to hell before that happened, Steve Benson was arrested didnt him... Uninterested in her physical and emotional well-being, exploded also contradicted the wake testimony bombs... Hitchcock broke down, Murphy recalls Hitchcock had health problems in the name of evacuation her testimony Carol! Where he was spending his mothers money on himself and his family, ' said... Mother and adopted brother, died in the name of evacuation people who had known ;. Funds left by Harry Hitchcock 's late wife going to get it one way another... Surprised people who had known him ; it was n't the prison pallor that surprised people who had known ;! Case with his brother Jerry, called the trial began, Steven Benson had been his... ), after a brief rebuttal by the attack, she asked Kerr. 1985, she asked Wayne Kerr, a young lawyer from Philadelphia, to down! Place yesterday and the jury began its deliberations, 13 is carol lynn benson kendall still alive after the Florida murders Hitchcock... Kendall said x27 ; t have any photos for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was retained by clients in separate! Kendall death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson survived in this tragic blast it also wanted to rehear of. As there was a lawyer representing the trust funds left by Harry Hitchcock had health problems in blast! Moments later, the Naples police arrested Steven Benson case drew national media coverage in 1986 of murdering his 's!