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. Please enable JavaScript to properly view our site. -- Scott Benson's natural mother and Margaret Benson's daughter -- got along better with her mother. He was talking to one of his associates - the phrase How much did we take in yesterday? sticks in my head. 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. In the second half of 2015, there were close to 200 inmate deaths in Florida's prisons. 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. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC But the Florida Department of Corrections has been tight lipped about the cause and circumstances. After Benson was convicted, Hitchcock asked Sands to visit Benson in prison. 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.. And there was lots of squabbling over who got what. She thought he had been embezzling family funds and had called her attorney to check into it. She had retained Boston attorney E. Richard Cirace to advise her and represent her interests. Then the witness surprised the judge by asking if he could make a "statement." 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. 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. There had been general rumors (about the boys parentage) going around Lancaster, where the family was brought up, Cirace said. I mean, I was scared of Scott . A jury convicted Steven Benson of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling. It just never stopped, Cirace said. The star of the show by far was Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. Steven Benson is led into the Collier County jail complex on the day of his arrest in 1985. On Monday, the state produced a witness whose testimony left a strong impression on those spectators who had seen the trial from the beginning. An investigator said later they probably didnt have a chance to move.. But everyone agreed that she had done so well, it might be unwise to risk a second appearance. Police later learned that Scott. It all came back to him.. 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. A jury convicted him of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling in 1986, and he spent the rest of his life in jail. In prison records, Benson listed the oldest of his three children, twins Victoria and Christopher, as his next of kin. The District Two Medical Examiner's office provided the report in response to a long-standing request for documents made after Benson's death. 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. Menu. 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. That seemed more important to him than his family lying all over the golf course.. I guess people just exhibited good taste, he said. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. It r ", As for the positioning of the vehicle's occupants, "I thought it was awfully strange that Scott was driving. I remember when my sister had him here was this baby and then he ends up killing her. 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. I think it was just pure greed for money, Murphy said. "How long does it take to say a guy was stabbed in the temple?" Moments later there was a loud explosion. The only survivor of the blast, Steven Benson's sister, Carol Lynn. It was very weird. But there were other debits. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Benson was sentenced to life in prison. ), 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. 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. Naples killer Steven Benson who sought $10 million family fortune dies in jail with $30 to his name, Naples pipe bomb killer Steven Benson dies in prison. He stared at her and walked away, said Kendall, who is now 70 and living somewhere in Florida. "Malevolent" is what the prosecutors for the state call 35-year-old Steven Benson. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. Bennett heard how the bombs were assembled, with nails and tacks put inside them so they would do the most damage. You know, he wouldnt say yes or no or nothing. 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.. 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. It seemed like a dumb thing." He thought he was better than everybody else.. He walked behind him and put his hand on his shoulder and he said, Steven Benson is a nice person. After the shaking incident, Margaret had her secretary compile a list of everything she'd bought for Scott in the last two years. When I see that, I pity people like that. Tracking money - that was my forte, said Dwight Brock, who is now 61 and works as the Collier County Clerk of Courts in Florida. She is shown here in a . It was her sister, Margaret, 63, and her nephew, Scott, 21, who had died in a horrific car explosion in Florida. 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. People are interested in that, and the way it was done every day, people dont blow up their mother and brother and sister in a prominent part of Naples., Young described Benson as calm, calculated, coldblooded., He thought he could get away with it, Young said. They have never learned to live, really.. The jury convicted Benson on the first vote, she said. I did most of the talking.. Margaret's son, Steven Benson, was convicted of placing two pipe bombs inside the family's Suburban, which killed his mother and brother, and seriously injured his sister, Carol Benson Kendall. 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. Murphys daughter, Brenda, was there that day. The motive was money. 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. 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. I just cant imagine. 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. Steven Benson is serving two life sentences at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Fla. 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. It was full of surprises. Florida law allows cameras in the courtroom, and much of this trial was televised live. Trending. The chief prosecutor, Jerry Brock, argued she had made conflicting statements in earlier depositions. [3] On July 9, 1985, Benson placed a pipe bomb in the family car, in which Margaret, Scott, and Steven's sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall (a former Miss Florida runner-up), were waiting for Benson to join them when the Chevrolet Suburban exploded. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Carol. ", 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. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Disbarred . PHOTOS: Looking back at the Benson murder trial, The Bensons: Lancaster family ripped apart by greed and murder 30 years ago, Danger and loneliness: Steven Benson's life in prison after he killed his family members, Notorious Lancaster County killer Steven Benson allegedly murdered in prison inmate's revenge scheme. Benson is also featured in an episode of the New Detectives entitled "Short Fuse" (Season 2, Episode 3) and an episode of Florida Man Murders entitled "Killer Succession" (Season 1, Episode 3). Stating that he could not give money to one of the children and not the other, Judge Hayes then awarded $244,000 to Carol Lynn Kendall, who also had legal bills. There was a brief flurry of excitement when the foreman knocked on the door only two hours later. 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. malevolent." Later he approved a partial distribution from Margaret Benson's estate. Hed claimed he had no money to pay his attorneys, so he claimed indigency -- and Judge Hayes approved the claim. The only survivor of the blast, Steven Benson's sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, testifies about the explosion and injuries she sustained. Theyre all dead.. Under the law, jurors are not supposed to take this into consideration. Something is wrong with Daddy. 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 cannot believe that two decades have passed since the day that two family members were killed and her familys life was changed forever. doesn't have anything to do with my mother anymore.". [9][10] Benson was in a long running feud with Cordell Washington, another inmate at the facility. 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. Steven Benson blew up his family in the driveway of their Florida home in July 1985. . Most recently, he was assigned as a houseman, performing maintenance and cleaning duties. Release Calendar Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. 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. Daddy. His grandson never acknowledged him again, not even when he came to Florida for the trial. Carol 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. Eyebrows were raised in the affluent Benson neighborhood, but Margaret prevailed and she raised the boy as her son. He was very congenial, very eager to talk, Sands recalls. However, she continued to pamper him. He said that "initially" he thought it was just sloppy bookkeeping. There was an error processing your request. 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. 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. The problems, Sands says, were all Benson wanted to talk about during the visits. Scott tried to start the vehicle, she testified, "and immediately after that I was surrounded by this orange thing.". I hope he does, she said. He never looked at anybody, says Murphy, who sat right behind Benson during the trial. She was crying. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Though police initially called the blast, caused by two pipe bombs, a big mystery, it didnt take them long to zero on one suspect: Steven Benson. Carol Kendall currently lives in Hollywood, FL; in the past Carol has also lived in Norfolk VA. Other names that Carol uses includes Carol Lyn Falkiner, Carol Lynn Benson, Carol Lynn Benson-kendall, Carol Lynn Falkiner and Carol Lynn Kendall. He. He parked it and positioned his family in it. The Steven Benson case drew national media coverage in 1986. The Fallout, At the funeral of Margaret and Scott Benson, Steven sat between his wife Debra and his grandfather, Harry Hitchcock. Steven Benson is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 2, and prosecutors have asked for a life sentence. BOSTON -- Tobacco heiress Carol Lynn Benson Kendall said Wednesday she has no intention of cutting her brother's children out of the family fortune despite his conviction of murdering her mother. Through taxes, disbursements and attorneys fees, the estate has dwindled from $10 million to about $1.2 million, said Carl Westman, the estates attorney. The jury deliberated just 12 hours before finding Benson guilty. He spent a lot of money and never did anything with it. 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. The siblings did not return phone messages Friday. That she was once a beauty contest winner is easy to see. Steven Benson, convicted in 1986 of murdering his mother and adopted brother, died in July at Taylor Correctional Institution in northern Florida. 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. She, of course, was referring to Margaret. Benson was also charged with the attempted first-degree murder of his sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. 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. 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. Mrs. Kendalls attorney, E. Richard Cirace of Boston, confirmed the report. . The bombing took place July 9, 1985 in the Quail Creek community. Only Carol Lynn Benson survived in this tragic blast. 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. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. Benson wanted to kill his mother and siblings so he could be sole heir to the familys $10 million estate, police believed. He just wouldnt respond to it, Sands says. He was supposed to provide them the next day, the day the bomb went off.. Then, as they got into the car, Caroline noticed Stephen asking them to get in. 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. 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.". They were obliterated when a pipe bomb the size of a football planted between the two front seats exploded. Benson, then 33, was running out of it and wanted to inherit his mother's. Its been decades since his trial attracted attention, though TV specials still pop up on cable channels from time to time. 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. Real estate. Born on Christmas Day 1963 in a Baltimore hospital to Carol Lynn Benson, then an unmarried teen-ager, he was adopted by Margaret and Edward Benson. He is also charged with the attempted murder of his sister, Carol Lynn. I must think of a better word. 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. Benson was sentenced to life in prison. Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. Movies. 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. Dwight Brock was an assistant state attorney in Florida, specializing in white collar crime, when Steven Benson was arrested. Its almost like its unbelievable, Murphy said today. 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. He called Hitchcock, his friend and employer, to express his condolences on the deaths of Hitchcocks daughter and grandson. Thats how Margaret died. I never saw him cry as much as he did with the Challenger. . Shocked by the attack, she says that since then, her siblings have been completely uninterested in her physical and emotional well-being. But showing little emotion after that. Collier Judge Hugh Hayes presided over the trial. Margaret and Scott died instantly, and Caroline was rushed to the hospital with severe burns. In the spring and summer of 1985, she asked Wayne Kerr, a young lawyer from Philadelphia, to come down to Naples. He got down from his ladder, and walked toward the tennis courts, where he found Steven holding what appeared to be a remote control device. "I couldn't understand why he wasn't coming over to help me," she testified to a packed but dead silent courtroom. I heard a lot of cursing and swearing.. Minutes later the Suburban erupted into flames. Your email address will not be published. Murphy declined to say where she now is living and says she does not see her regularly. I know it happened to me and my family, she says, but it seems so surreal.. 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. Benson died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. Some who knew him werent really surprised. Murphys father, Harry Hitchcock, was fine. Also Read:Mustang used by Steve Mcqueen in Bullitt auctioned, Your email address will not be published. Murphys nephew, Steven Benson, was the only one to escape the fiery blast that day. Even though her grandfather and her aunt opposed Steven's release on bail, she apparently still fights the conclusion that Steven did it. Yesterday, a jury began deliberations on those charges after weeks of riveting testimony involving enormous amounts of money and a tangled family web. And Steven usually drove when we were together. If they had objections they were to say, quietly, "May we approach the bench?" Debunking the Myth: Is Maduro a Dictator? His company prospered, and he became one of the best-liked civic and charitable figures in Lancaster, Pa., a lovely area surrounded by Amish farms. He doesnt know for sure why Benson has stuck with the public, and with him, all these years. An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup. 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. 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