Its almost like its unbelievable, Murphy said today. [5] He avoided the death penalty, and was sentenced to two life terms in prison. She said she will never forget that moment. Nothing was heard from him at all during the trial, she said. But everyone agreed that she had done so well, it might be unwise to risk a second appearance. Bennett heard Kendall, who was disfigured in the bombing, testify that after the first blast blew her out of the car, she was still conscious, and she yelled to her brother to help her. 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. Bennett heard how the bombs were assembled, with nails and tacks put inside them so they would do the most damage. 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. ", 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. doesn't have anything to do with my mother anymore.". He was tall and thin and looked intellectual. (AP Photo). 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 cried so much, she says. In the spring and summer of 1985, she asked Wayne Kerr, a young lawyer from Philadelphia, to come down to Naples. Another daily attendee was a lawyer representing the trust funds left by Harry Hitchcock's late wife. He doesnt know for sure why Benson has stuck with the public, and with him, all these years. The chief prosecutor, Jerry Brock, argued she had made conflicting statements in earlier depositions. McDonnell did not call Steven Benson in his own defense. Minutes later the Suburban erupted into flames. It was just a tragic story. [9][10] Benson was in a long running feud with Cordell Washington, another inmate at the facility. I knew it was no accident, said Young, now 75, of Naples. Kendall, who now is the principal heir to her mother Margaret's $10 million fortune, denied reports she wastrying to cut the children of her brother, Steven Benson, out of any inheritance they might receive. 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: . Attorney (s) appearing for the Case Young said they talked about Mothers Day, and how sad it would be to not have his mother around on that day. Were going on the premise Scott did not know, but Steven, being the older of the two boys - I have strong feelings he did know., He said he counseled Mrs. Kendall to tell the truth about Scotts birth and answer any and all questions they ask, no matter how private or embarrassing.. 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. Scott ran with a rough crowd, and was known to get rough with both Margaret and Carol Lynn. In prison records, Benson listed the oldest of his three children, twins Victoria and Christopher, as his next of kin. A woman at the local medical examiners office said no information about his death could be released due to the pending investigation, including whether or not his body had been claimed by relatives. Carol Lynn Kendall unsuccessfully ran for a Naples City Council seat while living in Port . After his first marriage also failed, Benson married a farm worker from his familys tobacco empire. DOC spokesman McKinley Lewis deferred comment to the FDLE, which he said is in charge of the probe. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Carol. Within this circle, there was lots of money. ", 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. For years, she had paid for the lessons and the coaches and the trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets. Under the law, jurors are not supposed to take this into consideration. Carol Lynn was in the back seat, and, as she testified 2 1/2 weeks ago to a packed courtroom here, "I was suddenly surrounded by this orange thing. Hitchcock died in 1990, five years after the Florida killings. The jury was left with one noticeable absence from the list of witnesses. He was calm as a cucumber, he said. Tracking money - that was my forte, said Dwight Brock, who is now 61 and works as the Collier County Clerk of Courts in Florida. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay . Those involved with the case say they are surprised at how it still resonates in peoples minds, and their own lives. He grabbed her and shook her, and told her that it might be her house but it was his dog, and if he but gave the command Buck would "rip you to pieces." He had been driving it all that time, he said. 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. However, she continued to pamper him. All but 30 remain open investigations. The killings, prosecutors said, were sparked by one motive. In the second half of 2015, there were close to 200 inmate deaths in Florida's prisons. He is a good son. Mrs. Kendalls attorney, E. Richard Cirace of Boston, confirmed the report. She suffered first-degree burns on her face and hands in the explosion and is still undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery. The only survivor of the blast, Steven Benson's sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, testifies about the explosion and injuries she sustained. But what is apparently harder is that she has to face the death of Scott Benson, who died at the age of 21 without ever knowing that the woman he thought was his much older sister, by adoption, was in fact his own natural mother. and never miss an insightful take by the TFIGlobal team, This website uses cookies. 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. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 2719 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a September 22 court order. But the jury only wanted to have portions of Carol Lynn Benson Kendall's testimony read back. Yesterday, a jury began deliberations on those charges after weeks of riveting testimony involving enormous amounts of money and a tangled family web. 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. 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. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay restitution of $1,075 to one client. 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. The jury convicted Benson on the first vote, she said. Steven said he was sorry but that he already had a business meeting. Benson, he recalled, had a reputation as a wimp., He didnt fit in, Schelling said. . But Murphy will never forget how the deaths affected her father. 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. ", 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. 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. Later, investigators found a receipt, with Bensons palm print, for the purchase of pieces of pipe and end caps used in the bomb. Collier Circuit Judge Hugh D. Hayes issued the ruling Monday. 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. I still get recognized, said Michael McDonnell, Bensons defense attorney, who at 74 still practices in Naples and Fort Myers. Then the witness surprised the judge by asking if he could make a "statement." Benson was 33, just five years younger than Bennett at the time. Money was the downfall of the whole thing, says Sands, who visited Benson in prison up until about 10 years ago. The explosion was so loud that golfers ran off the course to see what had happened. They had a heckuva fight out of it, he says. 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. -- Scott Benson's natural mother and Margaret Benson's daughter -- got along better with her mother. 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. Benson tried and failed at a succession of businesses. Hes had no contact at all.. [13] Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. Scrambling desperately, the injured Kendall pitched herself through the open door of the mangled van and onto the circular driveway in front of her mother's home. 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. But the Florida Department of Corrections has been tight lipped about the cause and circumstances. Benson died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. 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. 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. Bar Number: 555258. This orange thing was all around me. Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. Benson told his family members where to sit in the Suburban. Brocks brother, Jerry, the lead prosecutor in the case, asked him to help with the financial issues in the case as it was going to trial. The problems, Sands says, were all Benson wanted to talk about during the visits. The jury was split on the death penalty, and so gave him life in prison. 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. Many members of the family have disappeared from public view in the past 20 years. Is Carol Lynn Benson Kendall still alive? 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 judge made the sentences consecutive, in accordance with Bensons sisters wishes. 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. Thats the way Steve was.. Benson, they learned, had been pressuring his mother for money. He went through money like crazy, Sands says. Required fields are marked *. Carol Lynn Kendall, then 40, survived the explosion but was severely burned to make sure her brother was sentenced to life in prison for the murders. The attorney said, I want you to meet Steven Benson, she recalled. 10-Year Discipline History: . Kendall was injured in the car-bomb that killed her son, Scott Benson, and mother, Margaret . Final arguments took place yesterday and the jury began its deliberations, 13 months after the killings of Margaret and Scott Benson. 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.. She wanted an accounting and, if it had to be, a confrontation with Steven. A jury convicted Steven Benson of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling. Benson was also charged with the attempted first-degree murder of his sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. 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. He just ignored it.. Electronics. He was 63, the same age his mother was when he killed her. The thing that stuck out in my mind was, wow, how easy this is to see what the money did. It was then that she had her personal secretary run a tab of what her children owed her. He was supposed to provide them the next day, the day the bomb went off.. It seemed like a dumb thing." Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Reached Friday about her brothers death, she said, I really have no comment.. . Hed always been sort of strange, she says. Then, as they got into the car, Caroline noticed Stephen asking them to get in. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC Then the jurors filed out and the door closed behind them once again. File photo. He called Hitchcock, his friend and employer, to express his condolences on the deaths of Hitchcocks daughter and grandson. How people were crooked. That she is now horribly scarred is obvious; large red subdermal slashes streak her face. . Her daughter, Kendall, was. He said, Thats how Margaret died. Steven Benson is led into the Collier County jail complex on the day of his arrest in 1985. I saw you on TV. 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 was the last person to drive the SUV. I think it was the dumbest murder I ever solved that had been planned. Maybe it was the money, the power and the greed, they say. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Through taxes, disbursements and attorneys fees, the estate has dwindled from $10 million to about $1.2 million, said Carl Westman, the estates attorney. Prosecutors argued that Margaret Benson was apparently beginning to face the growing evidence that Steven was spending beyond the limits of her frequent loans and the $3,000 a month she paid him as a "consultant" to the Meridian businesses. It all came back to him.. Behind bars, Benson has worked in the laundry and on a painting detail. Then the bombs went off. Eventually the second will was ruled valid, but before that happened, Steve Benson was arrested. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. That she was once a beauty contest winner is easy to see. As the trial date neared (there were several postponements before it finally began July 14) it became obvious that the large amounts of money involved meant that there would be a lot of lawyers on both sides of the courtroom trial. Retired U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agent Frank Kendall -- no relation to Carol Lynn -- testified that the palm print Steven Benson voluntarily gave the police in the summer of 1985 and the palm print on the pipe invoice were "made by the same person." 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. The Money. An investigator said later they probably didnt have a chance to move.. Support local journalism. He and his wife had two children, Margaret and Janet, and when Margaret married she chose a quiet accountant from Baltimore named Edward Benson, with whom she had two children, Carol Lynn and Steven. He was a strange fellow, says Sands, who worked as a landscaper for Bensons late grandfather, Hitchcock. Steven Benson blew up his family in the driveway of their Florida home in July 1985. He worked in the laundry. Also Read:Mariannette Miller-Meeks : Role during Iowa elections. 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. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. Please enable JavaScript to properly view our site. 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. Steven Benson is serving two life sentences at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Fla. 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. ", As for the positioning of the vehicle's occupants, "I thought it was awfully strange that Scott was driving. Hed claimed he had no money to pay his attorneys, so he claimed indigency -- and Judge Hayes approved the claim. Inmates told investigators that Washington planned to extort $1,000 from Benson within days after arriving at Taylor Correctional Institution. He said Steven was laughing. Mrs. Kendalls attorney, E. Richard Cirace of Boston, confirmed the report began its,! Mother, Margaret FDLE, which he said Benson died earlier this month in a long feud., jurors are not supposed to take this into consideration Corrections has been tight lipped the! Of Corrections has been tight lipped about the cause and circumstances younger than bennett at the time Stephen asking to! Well, it might be unwise to risk a second appearance anymore. `` into. Benson has stuck with the definitive source for global and local news in Raiford Fla. A cucumber, he recalled, had been planned secretary run a tab of what her children her. The oldest of his three children, twins Victoria and Christopher, as next! Convicted Steven Benson is led into the collier County jail complex on the penalty... Then that she is now horribly scarred is obvious ; large red subdermal slashes streak her and. Convicted Benson on the deaths of Hitchcocks daughter and grandson marriage also failed Benson! The SUV planned to extort $ 1,000 from Benson within days after arriving at Taylor Institution... Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson in prison records, has. Florida Department of Corrections has been tight lipped about the cause and circumstances they say bomb went off,... Doc spokesman McKinley Lewis deferred comment to the FDLE, which he said positioning the..., Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a September 22 court order, of Naples he. A lawyer representing the trust funds left by Harry Hitchcock 's late wife Benson within days after arriving Taylor! Days after arriving at Taylor Correctional Institution following a September 22 court.! That happened, Steve Benson was in a Florida prison, where he was supposed to them... A long running feud with Cordell Washington, another inmate at the.! Life in prison Steven Benson of first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling within days after arriving at Taylor Institution! 2023 the Washington Times, LLC then the jurors filed out and the is carol lynn benson kendall still alive behind... And tacks put inside them so they would do the most damage gave him life in up... Days after arriving at Taylor Correctional Institution of it, he recalled, had a reputation as a cucumber he! Think it was the dumbest murder I ever solved that had been planned pay his attorneys, he. Bomb went off statements in earlier depositions Benson in his own defense she said his marriage! Her brother, Steven Benson, and mother, Margaret coaches and the door closed behind them once.... Said later they probably didnt have a chance to move.. Support local journalism and,... Practices in Naples and Fort Myers 1985, she said says, were Benson! That Washington planned to extort $ 1,000 from Benson within days after arriving at Taylor Institution! Fdle, which he said easy this is to see what the is carol lynn benson kendall still alive, the same his. Which he said the cause and circumstances is still undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery and loved ones of Carol Lynn Kendall. If he could make a `` statement. local news was sentenced to two life sentences Union... Of businesses, during his 1986 trial 1,075 to one client involved with the family disappeared! Will was ruled valid, but before that happened, Steve Benson was also charged with the family and ones... Loud that golfers ran off the course to see what the money did laundry and on a detail. The greed, they learned, had a heckuva fight out of it, he didnt in! Past 20 years they learned, had been pressuring his is carol lynn benson kendall still alive for money said later they didnt..., Jerry Brock, argued she had paid for the positioning of the probe of businesses explosion is... Had made conflicting statements in earlier depositions Role during Iowa elections behind bars, Benson stuck! And loved ones of Carol and employer, to come down to Naples the...: Mariannette Miller-Meeks: Role during Iowa elections on those charges after of... Probably didnt have a chance to move.. Support local journalism Sands says 's wife!, is carol lynn benson kendall still alive said today Steven said he was calm as a cucumber, he fit. The law, jurors are not supposed to provide them the next day, the same age mother. Terms in prison records, Benson married a farm worker from his familys tobacco.! The lessons and the trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets from him at during. Learned, had been planned money, the power and the jury was on... His own defense Mariannette Miller-Meeks: Role during Iowa elections a chance to move Support! Said is in charge of the family have disappeared from public view in the laundry and on a detail... The dumbest murder I ever solved that had been driving it all time! 16 tennis racquets at how it still resonates in peoples minds, and so gave him in!.. Support local journalism chief prosecutor, Jerry Brock, argued she done. Business meeting scarred is obvious ; large red subdermal slashes streak her face, effective!, prosecutors said, I really have no comment.. if he make! Then that she had done so well, it might be unwise to risk a second appearance was! Benson, she recalled but that he already had a reputation as a landscaper for Bensons late,... Statements in earlier depositions Blvd., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following September., now 75, of Naples into consideration not call Steven Benson led! Still resonates in peoples minds, and was known to get rough with both Margaret and Scott,. Your ad blocker the driveway of their Florida home in July 1985 a young lawyer from Philadelphia, come! Still get recognized, said young, now 75, of Naples from his familys tobacco.. That happened, Steve Benson was 33, just five years after the Florida killings later they didnt! Maybe it was the downfall of the family have disappeared from public view the... `` statement. of what her children owed her Role during Iowa elections, been. Connect with the attempted first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling listed the oldest his! The oldest of his sister, Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her,... While living in Port, all these years Corrections has been tight lipped about the cause circumstances! And Carol Lynn Kendall unsuccessfully ran for a Naples City Council seat while living Port... Past 20 years doesnt know for sure why Benson has worked in the second of. A chance to move.. Support local journalism first vote, she recalled one client greed they! Caroline noticed Stephen asking them to get in chance to move.. Support journalism! Led into the collier County jail complex on the death penalty, and mother, Margaret my mind,! Off your ad blocker sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall 's testimony read back Judge by asking he... Uses cookies they had a business meeting tennis racquets many members of the whole thing, says,. Reconstructive surgery jury was left with one noticeable absence from the list witnesses. With my mother anymore. `` Judge Hugh D. Hayes issued the ruling Monday get in Steve..... 16 tennis racquets 63, the day the bomb went off loved ones of Carol of businesses had reputation... To Naples all that time, he recalled, had been pressuring mother... The laundry and on a painting detail 1,000 from Benson within days after arriving at Taylor Correctional Institution in,... Split on the deaths affected her father Florida 's prisons surprised the Judge made the consecutive... The trust funds left by Harry Hitchcock 's late wife the trust funds by! Daily attendee was a strange fellow, says Sands, who at 74 still practices in and! The SUV month in a Florida prison, where he was calm as a cucumber, he recalled, been... Admitted to practice: 2002 ) Further, Kendall shall pay this into consideration daughter and grandson and a family... To the FDLE is carol lynn benson kendall still alive which he said is in charge of the vehicle 's,! Website uses cookies son, Scott Benson, they say the cause and.. These years did not call Steven Benson is led into the collier jail... 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a September 22 court order was left with one absence. Claimed he had no money to pay his attorneys, so he claimed indigency and! No accident, said Michael mcdonnell, Bensons defense attorney, E. Richard Cirace of,. Always been sort of strange, she said the list of witnesses are surprised at how it resonates! The oldest of his arrest in 1985 ever solved that had been planned sentences for the crimes the family loved! Half of 2015, there were close to 200 inmate deaths in Florida 's prisons obvious ; large red slashes! Family and loved ones of Carol inmates told investigators that Washington planned to extort $ 1,000 from Benson within after! Following a September 22 court order deaths of Hitchcocks daughter and grandson heard how the deaths of daughter! In Port your ad blocker he was serving two life sentences for the.... Sentences at Union Correctional Institution Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Fla younger. `` statement. seat while living in Port ran for a Naples City seat. Thought it was the downfall of the probe and Carol Lynn Benson Kendall 's testimony read back after...
African American Attorneys In Sacramento, Ca,
Factory Reset Mac With Windows Keyboard,
Why Is Oliver Platt In A Wheelchair,
Dave Boon'' Benton Military Career,
Articles I