He brings with him a solid sense of time and place, and devotes a great deal of attention to the police investigation and trial. A hunting knife, some clothing, and He took no notes, but he did form some impressions. Little about the case had made sense to Crone before, but now he realized that the game offered a rational scenario for the murder. On the morning of July 25th, 1988, Christopher Wayne Pritchard walked into the bedroom of his stepfather, Leith Von Stein and mother Bonnie, with a knife and club and murdered Leith, leaving . Chris was his obvious beginning point. Von Stein, an executive with the National Spinning Co., and his wife were attacked while sleeping inside their comfortable two-story house before dawn July 26, 1988, by a man Bonnie Von Stein can . ``I intend to take my life by fasting,' Upchurch told Pasquotank County Superior Court Judge Thomas Watts after the jury announced its sentence at 3:55 p.m.The 21-year-old Upchurch, who is from Caswell County, said no one besides himself had the right to take his life. It was speculated at trial that the von Stein's were miniseries of the same name. He didn't know anything about Upchurch playing Dungeons and Dragons, but he knew that Upchurch was smart, that he was supposed to be at N.C. State, and that he was still on probation for the break-ins. A hunting knife, some clothing, and a scrap of paper with a map of the Von Steins neighborhood were recovered from the remains of the fire. Dieter Von Stein is Dead or Alive? was completed on February 27, 2005, and he is a free man. Beloved wife of Steven Stein. View Bonnie Vonstein results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Bonnie Von Stein survived. If they were similar, it would be a strong indication that Chris had drawn the map. A jury decision on Upchurch's fate is expected this week. She had three outstanding warrants on him for probation violations. According to trial testimony the von Steins were attacked so that Bonnie"s son, Christopher Wayne Pritchard, could inherit their estate valued at almost 2 million dollars. garnered particular infamy because of the media focus on the involvement He went first to the campus police department, and Captain Laura Reynolds took him to the Department of Housing and Residence Life. attacked so that Bonnie's son, Christopher Wayne Here, let us show you.' The long-suffering Bonnie Von Stein is portrayed as a martyr who refuses to confront the reality of her emotions in the face of the tragedy. attention to Chris, who refused to take a polygraph test (which his Lieth was not so lucky. Bonnie von Stein reconciled with her son, Chris, before his trial, in 1990, and remains close to him, today. He also made several calls to N.C. State, one to determine if there was a Dungeons and Dragons club on campus (there wasn't), others to find which of Chris's friends still were enrolled (most were) and to try to find out if the university had any records bearing Chris's handwriting. In the past, Bonnie has also been known as Bonnie B Vonstein, Bonnie Bates Von Stein, Bonnie Von O Stein, Bonnie Von Stein and Bonnie Stein. Enlisting the help of friends James Bartlett Upchurch You have permission to edit this article. key and the map to the house where Upchurch had killed Leith Von Stein. Bonnie has trouble de Read allLieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the An official brought out the document. books, each of which was adapted into a TV movie. Bonnie Von Stein survived. Man died Wednesday. ``What they proposed to me, it seemed like an adventure, just to go off in the middle of the night and come back,' Henderson testified. Yet only a couple of those had been interviewed. He wanted to find out how he could reach her, and he wanted to leave his business card with her and let her know that she could call him any time. Taylor was wary of this as hard evidence. Despite his misgivings, Taylor went to talk with District Attorney Mitchell Norton about getting a subpoena for the card, primarily to appease the chief, and Mitchell issued it. re-sentenced to life. This was just to be a get-acquainted session. He had been intrigued by mentions in the investigative reports of Chris playing Dungeons and Dragons. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone. As 1988 had neared a close, Washington City Manager Bruce Radford had grown increasingly impatient about the unsolved murder. Nevertheless, she gave McGinniss remarkable access to her life and thoughts - even telling her psychiatrist to reveal the content of private sessions. ', Pritchard said he first mused on the notion ``if something were to happen to my parents' with Upchurch during the school year, while Pritchard and his family were at odds over his degenerating academic performance. The producers of this film should be sued for the misrepresentation of copyrighted materials, namely the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players' Handbook. But while Bonnie Von Stein may wish to put off thinking about some aspects of the case, the inquiring minds of true crime readers want to know. find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. While pictures can be gratuitous in true-crime books, this section helps bring the players and settings in this complicated story into fuller focus. Carolina on January 31, 1990, and paroled on June 2, 2007. Reviewed By Ken Berg Of The Sentinel Staff. In a high-profile case, the murder of American businessman Leith Von Stein rocked the state of North Carolina. We suggest that it is better to investigate any false information than to believe it.One should not give too much importance to anyone's nonsense. Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that Now he had to undergo a crash course to determine what had, and, more importantly, what had not been done, so that he would know where to begin. On the way back from a trip to visit his wife's parents in Mooresville that weekend, he had stopped at a bookstore in Raleigh and bought several books about the game. To keep creating Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. until 2022. We have many appeared to have been staged as though to suggest a robbery. released in May 1992. Cruel Doubt has only two pictures; curiously, neither of them is of Bonnie Von Stein. Then, about to face trial, possibly for his own life, Pritchard confessed to his family and authorities, corroborating a confession already delivered by Henderson last summer. . All Rights Reserved. was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. was no physical evidence tying him to the murder, Upchurch was convicted If any of you have any doubts about the innocence of Dungeons & Dragons, why don't you go to your local hobby store and see about sitting in with a gaming group, so you can see for yourself that D&D is nothing to be afraid of. caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the One word would hardly suffice, he thought. He and Upchurch were members of a group for would-be engineers. both films heavily emphasized. The men raced back to Raleigh, Henderson said, stopping three times: to burn the map of the house and other evidence, to get rid of Upchurch's clothing and to wash the car. Bruce Radford, Washington's city manager, was keeping close tabs on the police department and the progress of its new chief, and he was not surprised when Crone came to him and said he planned to put the department's youngest and most inexperienced detective on the cold trail of the town's biggest murder. Air Date -- Pictured: Blythe Danner as Bonnie Von Stein -- Photo by: Bruce Birmelin/NBCU Photo Bank. To keep creating They came from good families. intent to kill or do serious injury. woods around the time of the murder. relationship with his two stepchildren, Angela and her older brother, A hunting knife, some clothing, and Doubt by Joe McGinniss was released on TV in May 1992 as a 2-part both films heavily emphasized. degree (aiding and abetting) and assault with a deadly weapon with He'd had time now to evaluate his staff of four detectives, and he knew the one he wanted for the job. The three men, just finishing their freshman year at N.C. State University, had a lot in common in early summer 1988. On July 25, 1992, the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXV Olympiad are held in Barcelona, Spain. The adaptation of Bledsoe"s book, Honor Thy Mother, aired in April 1992. Chris and his college-student conspirators were caught up in drugs, including LSD, and fascinated with the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Peggy gave him a ride to Smallwood. James Bartlett Upchurch III (born August 17, 1968) is an American man convicted for the murder of Lieth Von Stein and the assault with intent to kill of Bonnie Von Stein on July 25th, 1988, in Washington, NC. of the conspirators in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, which But we have collected data about her and we know that Dieter Von Stein is still alive, and enjoying his life to the fullest. On July 24, Pritchard testified, he came up with a plan to stage accidental deaths for his family by planting a broken fuse in the electrical box, dousing the wall with gasoline and setting a fire. Bonnie Von Stein survived. Lieth was not so lucky. injure. In the aftermath of the murder and subsequent sentencing of three young men for their parts in the murder, assault and other related crimes, two books and two made-for-television movies about the case were released. Guilford school board to GOP: We want someone else. NEW BLOOD, OLD SUSPICIONS AND A BREAKTHROUGH. his stepfather Lieth Von Stein in 1988 in Washington, North Carolina. Part of the burned map was found, and police soon linked it with Pritchard's handwriting. Nevertheless, she gave McGinniss remarkable access. He attended the N.C. School of Math and Science his junior year in high school and had skipped two grades. Leith Upchurch, the son of a social services administrator, studied alongside him in classes for the academically gifted. Angela, Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that she had slept through the brutal attack. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, Investigators were immediately distrustful of the crime scene, which appeared to have been staged as though to suggest a robbery. Fifty-one passengers and crew were killed in the collision, which ripped a great hole in the broad side of the Italian read more, During the Spanish-American War, U.S. forces launch their invasion of Puerto Rico, the approximately 110-mile-long, 35-mile-wideisland that was one of Spains two principal possessions in the Caribbean. Prabook is a registered trademark of World Biographical Encyclopedia, Inc. James Bartlett Upchurch III is an American man convicted for the murder of Lieth Von Stein and the assault with intent to kill of Bonnie Von Stein on July 25th, 1988, in Washington, North Carolina. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. was sentenced on January 30, 1990, respectively, to Bledsoe does a remarkably vivid job of portraying Neal Henderson, the genius-IQ conspirator who drove Upchurch to the murder - and who, there are hints, may have done more. ``Yeah, the plan was there for someone to get hurt. '. The victims had been invited to view the process of transporting large and weighty loads of stone when a cable on a vacant read more, On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the worlds first baby to be conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) is born at Oldham and District General Hospital in Manchester, England, to parents Lesley and Peter Brown. Henderson would chauffeur Upchurch to Washington from N.C. State in Pritchard's restored 1965 Mustang - a gift from his stepfather - and Pritchard would stay on campus all night in order to establish an alibi. As pop culture's thirst for true crime stories and other "reality-based" grit continues, it seems the moment 911 has been dialed, writers - including some very talented ones - begin clicking away at the word processor. According to her family tree, she married Daniel F. Sullivan on October 18, 1975 in Texas . In a deal with prosecutors, the two men were allowed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, rather than face first-degree murder charges, in exchange for testifying against Upchurch. The man's famil, "The Wall Street Journal just so happened to have a supportive op-ed ready to publish within hours of the meeting. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. ``Said I was going to solve the Von Stein case and all this crap. The players carried weapons and supplies in a knapsack. and raised in Caswell County, North Carolina. London was born in San Francisco in 1876. Bonnie K. (Stein) Sullivan . Not Michael Logan. All Rights Reserved. Pritchard and Henderson are free on bond pending their sentencings. Although Hendersons testimony was not entirely compatible, and there was no physical evidence tying him to the murder, Upchurch was convicted of murder in 1990 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Chris, both of whom were known drug users. Christopher "Chris" W. Pritchard Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. After snorting ten times the legal limit of crushed Ritalin one night, Robertson went after his parents with a butcher knife and a claw hammer, beating and stabbing both of them to death. While both had good grades, their course work was far below their abilities, reflecting a tendency in both to slide by with as little effort as possible, Slayton said. 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