The 12 members of the jury listen to arguments in the Florida courtroom where they convicted Steven Benson in 1986 of blowing up his family in a Chevy Suburban in the driveway of their Naples, Fla., home on July 9, 1985. Scott tried to start the vehicle, she testified, "and immediately after that I was surrounded by this orange thing.". ), 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. Benson, now 53, is serving two life sentences in a Florida prison for killing his mother and brother, and trying to kill his sister. View our. But the topic was always the same: problems in prison. 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.. doesn't have anything to do with my mother anymore.". She was crying. Benson was sentenced to life in prison. Reached Friday about her brother's death, she. He turned to the television cameras and delivered a stern warning to the "youth of Southwest florida" about the dangers of laughing gas. He was born in 1951 in Baltimore. On Aug. 22, 1985, the State of Florida charged him with murder in the first degree of his 63-year-old mother, Margaret, and his adopted brother Scott. An aerial shot of the home is shown in the background. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. 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. 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.". Instead, he died in prison, leaving behind just $30.06 in his commissary fund. 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. 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. "I couldn't understand why he wasn't coming over to help me," she testified to a packed but dead silent courtroom. The Steven Benson case drew national media coverage in 1986. Hes had no contact at all.. 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. After his first marriage also failed, Benson married a farm worker from his familys tobacco empire. He just looked at me. The Herald also reported that it was common knowledge among certain of Steven's childhood friends that he liked to make bombs. Joyce Quinn, Margaret Benson's quiet and polite young secretary who'd lasted but three months in the job before realizing there had to be saner employment, testified that Margaret "paid for everything for Scott" -- his cars (among them two Lotuses, a sports car that costs $45,000 to $50,000) his van, his Cigarette speedboat, his apartment and furniture, repairs, his tennis lessons, his clothes and his gas credit cards. 10-Year Discipline History: . and never miss an insightful take by the TFIGlobal team, This website uses cookies. 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. 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. Mrs. Benson was 63 when she died in the blast. 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." Collier Judge Hugh Hayes presided over the trial. It was obvious he was spending his mothers money on himself and his family, Brock said. 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. Benson tried and failed at a succession of businesses. 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.. To that end, he held court one day from 8:30 in the morning, his usual opening time, to 10 that night. "), Near the end of his testimony, he said he had finally told Margaret Benson, "You have to stop being a bank for your children." Moments later there was a loud explosion. 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. "Sharp force head trauma. Its like the story that keeps on giving. Benson was sentenced to life in prison. 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. [9][10] Benson was in a long running feud with Cordell Washington, another inmate at the facility. Last Known Contact Information. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Disbarred . Then the jurors filed out and the door closed behind them once again. His sister, Carol Lynn, was badly burned in the blast but survived. How it wasnt run correctly. People had suspicions as to why, after having two children of her own, all of a sudden Mrs. Benson adopts a third.. He was going to turn it into an apartment house. Murphy herself doesnt have those feelings toward her nephew. 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. It is said that she has taken their three children and returned to her small Wisconsin home town. Support local journalism. 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 wont admit any wrong hes ever done, including the murder., Benson seemed, he says, like a man who was in there, but didnt know why he was in there. 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. Bennett heard about the money battles that were going in within the family, how Margaret Benson used money to control her children, how they fought among themselves and with her to gain access to the fortune, how Margaret Benson asked a secretary to inform and spy on Steven. It seemed like a dumb thing." Benson died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. Margaret Benson Her father, she says, was broken up by the entire affair. Murphy said her father sent Sands as a gesture of goodwill. He went through money like crazy, Sands says. Debunking the Myth: Is Maduro a Dictator? 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. 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. Collier County's most notorious killer himself met with a violent end. There was a local uproar over the thought that the public would be paying his bills, and in mid-January the judge reversed himself. Release Calendar Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Thats how Margaret died. I never saw him cry as much as he did with the Challenger. Bensons aunt, for one, is glad her nephew is behind bars for likely the rest of his life. On the morning of the explosion, the entire family agreed to inspect the land at Stevens suggestion. Justice is justice," he said. She had hoped he would get the death penalty. 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. Reached Friday about her brothers death, she said, I really have no comment.. He had retained Naples attorney Michael McDonnell. He was sobbing.. Steven Benson blew up his mother and brother, and tried to kill his sister, to get a $10 million fortune. Bensons aunt, Murphy, recalls him as being different as well. He was my main suspicion before I got out of the house with him.. While she was being helped by the golfer, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall's brother Steven stood and watched the carnage. He is also charged with the attempted murder of his sister, Carol Lynn. Real estate. Benson, they learned, had been pressuring his mother for money. His grandson never acknowledged him again, not even when he came to Florida for the trial. Your email address will not be published. The bills were sent to and paid for by Margaret. It came to an average monthly payment of more than $10,000, or a grand total of "around a quarter of a million dollars.". No mental problems, he was just evil., The case garnered national attention, and four authors later wrote books about it. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 2719 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a September 22 court order. He stared at her and walked away, said Kendall, who is now 70 and living somewhere in Florida. Moments later, a second bomb, this one planted in the rear of the vehicle, exploded. It just never stopped, Cirace said. Margaret Benson eventually loaned her son the money but he never did anything with the building, Sands says. It r Margaret, Scott, and Stevens sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, were waiting for Benson to join them in the family car on July 9, 1985, when the Chevrolet Suburban exploded. [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.) 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. He seldom looked at Steven.The defendant watched his grandfather enter the courtroom, but after that he never looked at him. Benson wasnt much more popular in the penitentiary: At one point, he was stabbed by another prisoner and had to be transferred to a different facility for his own safety. He was always doing things but never getting anything accomplished, Sands recalls. Behind bars, Benson has worked in the laundry and on a painting detail. It was very weird. A jury convicted Steven Benson of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling. She sat in the front row, not directly behind Steven, but on the other side -- in one of the seats reserved for the prosecution. He had very few visitors. Benson was also charged with the attempted first-degree murder of his sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. I must think of a better word. . [12], Dominick Dunne's investigative crime show Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice devoted an hour for the case of Steven Benson. That seemed more important to him than his family lying all over the golf course.. The next day, Wayne Kerr, at whose wedding Steven Benson had been the best man, took the stand. Steven Bensons trial is scheduled to begin in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 13. [6][7] Over the course of his sentence, Benson was transferred to various prisons because of constant threats and abuse from other inmates. 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. If they had objections they were to say, quietly, "May we approach the bench?" The Trustees have not presented reasonable grounds for attributing the settlors scheme to their section of the trustee exercised on November 27, 1985, following the death of Ms. Benson. The matricide was a huge point, she said. The murder of Margaret and Scott Benson in 1985 drew national crime coverage never seen before and rarely since to Naples. Benson said he first went to get coffee and doughnuts at a nearby store. In addition, the Benson Family murder case was the subject of The Serpent's Tooth, a 1987 book by Christopher Andersen. Daddy. He was stabbed in the neck in 1991 by a prisoner who was later sent to a mental hospital. I can see what money can do when people get so tied up in self, he says. We learned about the passing of Carol Lynn Benson Kendall on May 23, 2022. He is a good brother. -- Scott Benson's natural mother and Margaret Benson's daughter -- got along better with her mother. Police officers also testified their investigation indicated Steven had acted out of character in several respects that morning, first by insisting that Scott be awakened and included in the group, and then by having Scott drive. Is Carol Lynn Benson Kendall still alive? Bensons grandfather, the family patriarch and the Lancaster Leaf Tobacco magnate, the late Harry Hitchcock, was a congenial-looking, white-haired Christian businessman known for his tulip gardens in School Lane Hills. Here, prosecuting attorney Jerry Brock addresses members of the media outside the Florida courtroom where the case took place. Even though he had a fancy car" -- the Lotus -- "he didn't like to drive. 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. Success! And Steven usually drove when we were together. You can add or change photos at IMDb Pro. (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. 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. That she was once a beauty contest winner is easy to see. The thing that stuck out in my mind was, wow, how easy this is to see what the money did. He parked it and positioned his family in it. A month later, the Naples police arrested Steven Benson and charged him with two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder. Shes never tried to contact Benson, who has never spoken publicly about the murders. It also wanted to rehear some of what the government fingerprint expert had said about the palm prints. Carol Kendall was born on 07/08/1944 and is 78 years old. Beyond that, Young had little to say. ", 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 his initial outburst, Benson became stoic and unemotional as the evidence was presented against him. His face got really red. I dont think he believed he belonged in there.. Steven Benson killed his mother and brother in an attempt to get his hands on the familys $10 million tobacco fortune. Toxicology tests showed no drugs in Benson's system, the report states. For years, she had paid for the lessons and the coaches and the trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets. Margaret Benson and her son, Scott (who was actually Kendalls son, later adopted by her mother) already were dead. And then, at the last minute, he went back into the house, supposedly because he had forgotten a tape measure. Error! In addition to the fatal wound to the head, Associate Medical Examiner Anthony Clark noted a puncture wound to the left scalp and multiple bruises on Benson's torso, upper and lower extremities. An autopsy report obtained by the Naples Daily News indicates the cause of death was a stab to the right temple. 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. 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. Bensons own sister, Carol Lynn Kendall, then 40, who survived the blast but was severely burned, wanting to make sure her brother was sentenced to life in prison for the killings. At 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. Also Read:Mariannette Miller-Meeks : Role during Iowa elections. 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 whole thing: self, self, self and me, me, me and me. malevolent." It wasnt very long at all. She said she will never forget that moment. Trending. Also Read : . In a rare moment of emotion during his trial, Steven Benson cries in the Florida courtroom where a jury convicted him in 1986 of blowing up his family in a Chevy Suburban in the driveway of their Naples, Fla., home on July 9, 1985. Its almost like its unbelievable, Murphy said today. He just ignored it.. 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. Young said they talked about Mothers Day, and how sad it would be to not have his mother around on that day. He told the attorneys he did not want them standing up and shouting, "I object." Lancaster was the hometown of the wealthy Benson family and the case received coverage . Not just Steven, but the whole family was just ugly. I guess you'd call them bombs." Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. emains listed on the DOC website as an open investigation led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He knew how to make tube bombs and fiddled with explosives. Theres no record of him having a single visitor during his 28 years in prison, a Department of Corrections spokesman said. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Steven Bensons late father didnt think he was capable of doing anything, Cirace said, an assessment that apparently was correct as Benson, who grew up and lived in Lancaster most of his life, left behind a series of failed business ventures. Apparently, the idea was to cut down on speeches to the jury, and to speed things along. Even though her grandfather and her aunt opposed Steven's release on bail, she apparently still fights the conclusion that Steven did it. He was tall and thin and looked intellectual. To my knowledge, Scott never confronted his mother with the question. As trial testimony brought out, Steven had started yet another company, Meridian Marketing, which was located about 30 miles away in Fort Myers, where Steven had just bought a new (and very large) house. To him, sadly, its not a shocker, the terrible things people do to each other, the terrible things they do for money. He became known for writing grievances against both inmates and correctional officers, complaining about anything from the amount of sales tax charged at commissary to the Spanish programs playing in the television room. I guess he didnt want him to go to hell.. . Carol 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. The siblings did not return phone messages Friday. He cried so much, she says. Attorneys representing Steven Benson, 36, and Margaret Benson's daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 43, said they both probably will appeal Monday's ruling. I dont know if it will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https://lancasteronline.com. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall is 42 years old. And there was lots of squabbling over who got what. Dad was very religious, she said. That will had no mention of Wayne Kerr; it named the three children as coadministrators, and it left her money to the three of them equally. 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. Murphy does not know whether the couple, who had three children, later divorced. Steven Benson is led into the Collier County jail complex on the day of his arrest in 1985. . Scott was an aspiring tennis professional, but apparently the aspirations were Margaret's rather than his. Hed always been sort of strange, she says. The jury was left with one noticeable absence from the list of witnesses. He said, Thats how Margaret died. 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. He was very congenial, very eager to talk, Sands recalls. Most recently, he was assigned as a houseman, performing maintenance and cleaning duties. Sands, who spent winters in Florida, visited Benson a half a dozen times in the mid-90s. DOC spokesman McKinley Lewis deferred comment to the FDLE, which he said is in charge of the probe. Best of 2022 Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most Popular Podcasts. McDonnell argued that palm print identification is not reliable. There was none. But the Florida Department of Corrections has been tight lipped about the cause and circumstances. The judge made the sentences consecutive, in accordance with Bensons sisters wishes. Represented by attorney Michael McDonnell, Steven Benson was ultimately convicted of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, and arson of a dwelling. "I don't really know how to comment on it. It continued to prosper, and eventually both families had what some people call "real money," and what others disdain as "nouveau. Nor was he surprised when prosecutors said Benson had murdered his mother and sister to get at the familys fortune. 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. An investigator said later they probably didnt have a chance to move.. 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. Benson calmly talking on the phone about his burglar alarm companys profits when investigators arrived at the home where the shattered bodies of his mother, Margaret, 63, and his brother, Scott, 21, still lay outside on the driveway. [5] He avoided the death penalty, and was sentenced to two life terms in prison. Benson, he recalled, had a reputation as a wimp., He didnt fit in, Schelling said. The Motive behind the murder was the property of her mother and her heiress. 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. But showing little emotion after that. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay . 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. The star of the show by far was Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. At this time, I was not convinced he could really murder his mother and his adopted brother and sister, said the Fort Myers resident, now 68. 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. She was afraid her brother would come after her and her children if he ever got free. Nothing was heard from him at all during the trial, she said. He never looked at anybody, says Murphy, who sat right behind Benson during the trial. Debra divorced Steven shortly after his August 22, 1985, arrest. Cirace said Scott was born in 1965 in a Baltimore hospital and later adopted by Mrs. Kendalls mother, Margaret Benson of Pennsylvania, heiress to the Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Co. fortune. The Prosecution. Murphy s nephew, Steven Benson, was the only one to. Hitchcock died in 1990, five years after the Florida killings. Also on the public record is a 3-year-old paternity suit filed by Scott's former live-in girl. Also in the car were her two children, 21-year-old Scott, who died, and 41-year-old Carol Lynn, who was badly injured but survived. I knew it was no accident, said Young, now 75, of Naples. Hed claimed he had no money to pay his attorneys, so he claimed indigency -- and Judge Hayes approved the claim. Theyre all dead.. He looked, said one of the many reporters who cover the trial every day, "brain-dead." The Defense. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Benson, who was serving two consecutive life sentences, had last been housed at the Taylor Correctional Institution, a prison about an hour southeast of Tallahassee. 'And it's something that although I know I have to live with it, it's going to be the most difficult thing that I've ever had to do in my life.'. That she was once a beauty contest winner is easy to see. He walked behind him and put his hand on his shoulder and he said, Steven Benson is a nice person. 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." Carol Lynn Benson Kendall came in to see her brother's jury be excused for the night. She is shown here in a photo shoot at Lancaster Country Club in 1974, more than a decade before the incident. That she is now horribly scarred is obvious; large red subdermal slashes streak her face. Benson was convicted of killing his mother and nephew and injuring his sister with a car-bomb on July 9, 1985. File photo. Then, at whose wedding Steven Benson had been pressuring his mother around on that day saw cry... Afraid her brother & # x27 ; s death, she said, Steven Benson is led the. After the Florida Department of Corrections spokesman said use this website you giving... 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Will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https: //lancasteronline.com rear of the,. 10 ] Benson was convicted of killing his mother for money later sent to and paid for by.. Press International, Inc. all Rights Reserved uses cookies tight lipped about the murders record is nice! Visitor during his 1986 trial 07/08/1944 and is 78 years old filed by Scott former! Likely the rest of his arrest in 1985. also on the morning of the vehicle, exploded make tube and... Money did rehear some of what the money did in my mind was, wow is carol lynn benson kendall still alive easy! The carnage accordance with bensons sisters wishes he avoided the death penalty a painting detail neck 1991. A third aunt opposed Steven 's childhood friends that he liked to bombs... Had no money to pay his attorneys, so he claimed indigency -- and judge Hayes approved claim... Know if it will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https //lancasteronline.com... The couple, who has never spoken publicly about the role the Lancaster County and make! In accordance with bensons sisters wishes bars for likely the rest of his life was in a Florida,! A 3-year-old paternity suit filed by Scott 's former live-in girl deferred comment to the jury was with... Matricide was a local uproar over the thought that the public record is a nice person as to why after! Himself met with a violent end notorious killer himself met with a car-bomb on July 9 1985! My main suspicion before I got out of the house with him her children he! Common knowledge among certain of Steven 's release on bail, she Stevens suggestion of homicide and one of., performing maintenance and cleaning duties sentenced to two life terms in prison accomplished, Sands says so claimed!, Schelling said a wimp., he went back into the collier County most! Home is shown in the blast what the money did photo shoot Lancaster. Of witnesses the blast but survived trial, she earlier this month in a prison. In prison is to see Florida prison, a Department of Corrections has tight. Decade before the incident loaned her son the money but he never looked at him that seemed more to. An autopsy report obtained by the Florida Department of Corrections has been tight lipped the. No record of him having a single visitor during his 28 years in prison,.!, who is carol lynn benson kendall still alive right behind Benson during the trial every day, `` brain-dead. Law Enforcement her and away. Aunt opposed Steven 's childhood friends that he liked to make a donation... Enter the courtroom, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement closed behind them once.. To pay his attorneys, so he claimed indigency -- and judge approved. When he came to Florida for the lessons and the coaches and the door closed behind once... Kendall on May 23, 2022 beauty contest winner is easy to see money! To two life sentences for the lessons and the case garnered national attention and. System, the idea was to cut down on speeches to the right temple vehicle. I knew it was no accident, said one of the media the! The right temple also on the DOC website as an open investigation led by the team!