Another facet of the prosecutor's argument was that Steven had been very specific about where each one of the family's members was to sit in the wagon -- and then, just before the first blast, he said he had forgotten a tape measure and headed back to the house. 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. She also said that Steven was gone so long for coffee that she kidded he "could have gone all the way to Fort Myers. 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. There was an error processing your request. However, she continued to pamper him. Bennett had heard of the financial battles that took place in the family, how Margaret Benson used money to control her children, how they fought each other and with her for access to wealth, as Margaret Benson asked the secretary to inform and spy on her. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. He was a strange fellow, says Sands, who worked as a landscaper for Bensons late grandfather, Hitchcock. 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. But Murphy will never forget how the deaths affected her father. She said she will never forget that moment. Nobody else had time to put a bomb in there, Young said. FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) _ The estate of murdered tobacco heiress Margaret Benson should be shared equally by the children of the son who killed her and by her daughter, a judge has ruled. He seldom looked at Steven.The defendant watched his grandfather enter the courtroom, but after that he never looked at him. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Carol. 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. . He was 63, the same age his mother was when he killed her. Margaret Benson eventually loaned her son the money but he never did anything with the building, Sands says. Murphys father, Harry Hitchcock, was fine. Photo Gallery. Scott was an aspiring tennis professional, but apparently the aspirations were Margaret's rather than his. 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. It was a journey, and every day we learned something new and awful., E. Richard Cirace, a Boston attorney who advised Kendall during the trial, said the case was compelling due to its colorful cast of characters.. Beyond that, Young had little to say. To Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, this question is, in a sense, peripheral. Also Read:Mariannette Miller-Meeks : Role during Iowa elections. Patty Bennett was a nervous mother of two boys sitting in a jury box when the defense gave its opening statement about Steven Benson. It came to an average monthly payment of more than $10,000, or a grand total of "around a quarter of a million dollars.". "Malevolent" is what the prosecutors for the state call 35-year-old Steven Benson. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Investigators also found on Bensons pants a single particle of zinc, which they said fell off the galvanized pipe while he was making the bombs that would later kill his mother and sister. He. Attorneys representing Steven Benson, 36, and Margaret Bensons daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 43, said they both probably will appeal Mondays ruling. It was full of surprises. Something is wrong with Daddy. I can see what money can do when people get so tied up in self, he says. It all came back to him.. Benson wanted to kill his mother and siblings so he could be sole heir to the familys $10 million estate, police believed. 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. 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. 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. Her daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, was injured. My memorys getting pretty hazy. Steven was paid $244,974.39 so he could pay his legal fees. Simpson trial, a gripping tale of a wealthy family torn apart by murder and avarice. Trending. I still get recognized, said Michael McDonnell, Bensons defense attorney, who at 74 still practices in Naples and Fort Myers. Under Florida law, Steven Benson is precluded from receiving proceeds of the estate of the person he murdered, Hayes said. I think it was just pure greed for money, Murphy said. Twelve and a half hours later, almost to the minute, Harry Hitchcock's granddaughter made an equally dramatic, if brief, appearance in the courtroom. Two hours later, the 11 o'clock local news had pictures of her leaving the courtroom, her lawyer Cirace running interference. However, according to a veteran Florida criminal attorney, "any time in a murder case when a defendant without a prior record fails to take the stand, it looks bad. Moments later there was a loud explosion. 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. 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. Her daughter, Kendall, was. I dont think he believed he belonged in there.. In the second half of 2015, there were close to 200 inmate deaths in Florida's prisons. Represented by attorney Michael McDonnell, Steven Benson was ultimately convicted of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, and arson of a dwelling. (AP Photo) (Photo: Anonymous). 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. I knew she was scared of Scott, but that was a different situation. Margaret Benson The Miami Herald gave the following account of a groundskeeper who worked on Margaret Benson's Pennsylvania estate: He recalled that one day in 1982 he looked down from his ladder to see Steven carrying three copper tubes with wires protruding from them. Benson was sentenced to life in prison. It just never stopped, Cirace said. The Lancaster tobacco heir was convicted after a monthlong trial that was carried on Florida television, drew national headlines and spurred books and intense media coverage both here and in Florida. My relationship with Tracy was always a very turbulent one. Margaret Benson adopted her grandson as her son, to cover up the fact that her daughter, a former beauty queen, became pregnant with a water skier from Cypress Gardens, said Cirace, now 64. I guess people just exhibited good taste, he said. 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. Nervously at first, but then more calmly, she testified in response to the prosecutor's questions. Eventually the second will was ruled valid, but before that happened, Steve Benson was arrested. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall came in to see her brother's jury be excused for the night. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 2719 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a Sept. 22 court order. He just ignored it.. Even though he had a fancy car" -- the Lotus -- "he didn't like to drive. Her father, she says, was broken up by the entire affair. "How long does it take to say a guy was stabbed in the temple?" And there was lots of squabbling over who got what. The jury convicted Benson on the first vote, she said. In the spring and summer of 1985, she asked Wayne Kerr, a young lawyer from Philadelphia, to come down to Naples. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. 'It's hard for me to even put into words the devastation emotionally that this has caused me and my children,' Kendall told reporters at Logan International Airport after flying home from Florida. According to prosecution evidence, there was even talk that Steven might be cut out of his mother's will. Margaret and Scott died instantly, and Caroline was rushed to the hospital with severe burns. You can add or change photos at IMDb Pro. Oh no, she thought. He said he had a judicial conference he wanted very much to attend, so he had determined to finish the trial in three weeks. Then, as they got into the car, Caroline noticed Stephen asking them to get in. Mail Address: Law Offices of Carol Lynn B Kendall, Esq 2719 Hollywood Blvd Ste 164 Hollywood, FL 33020-4821. That seemed more important to him than his family lying all over the golf course.. It was just a tragic story. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. His sister, Carol Lynn, was badly burned in the blast but survived. They had so much, and the family dynamic was about as whacked out as you could ask for.. He had retained Naples attorney Michael McDonnell. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Disbarred . To my knowledge, Scott never confronted his mother with the question. . "Sharp force head trauma. He found Steven Benson inside his mothers house, talking on a telephone. Once Benson was in custody, investigators questioned him until he invoked his right to call an attorney. The case still resonates three decades later. Maybe it was the money, the power and the greed, they say. Collier Judge Hugh Hayes presided over the trial. Puncture wound of right temple made by a sharpened instrument ('shank')," the report states. 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. 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. The District Two Medical Examiner's office provided the report in response to a long-standing request for documents made after Benson's death. Even though her grandfather and her aunt opposed Steven's release on bail, she apparently still fights the conclusion that Steven did it. [11] Washington was charged with murder for killing Benson, but was acquitted. On Monday, the state produced a witness whose testimony left a strong impression on those spectators who had seen the trial from the beginning. Electronics. Its almost like its unbelievable, Murphy said today. . On the morning of the explosion, the entire family agreed to inspect the land at Stevens suggestion. Young also remembers the day they arrested Benson: Aug. 22, 1985. And he put a lot of planning in it but never covered his tracks at all., Tom Schelling, whom the Benson family had on the payroll to do maintenance and construction around their many estates, said he has known Steven Benson since high school. David Ahntholz/Staff (Photo: David Ahntholz .da-), Ajuror compares a police artist's sketch of the man who bought pipe at Hughes Supply to a mug shot of Steven Benson. Once in Florida, Steven founded a series of loosely related businesses (most of which had the word Meridian in the title), the most nearly successful being a burglar alarm security company. FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said the agency had no updated information as of Friday afternoon. The jury convicted him of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling in the killing of his mother and nephew and injuring of his sister with car-bomb in front of their Naples, Fla., home. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Albert Gleason, a federal explosives expert, testifies about the pipe-bomb Steven Benson used to kill his family members on July 9, 1985, in front of their Naples, Fla., home. 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. 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." She suffered first-degree burns on her face and hands in the explosion and is still undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery. The murder of Margaret and Scott Benson in 1985 drew national crime coverage never seen before and rarely since to Naples. Carol Kendall was born on 07/08/1944 and is 78 years old. 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. Once, Benson wanted his mother to loan him the down payment for a factory building in Lancaster. 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. Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. It wasnt discussed. Just sort of odd, very different.. Carol Lynn Kendall unsuccessfully ran for a Naples City Council seat while living in Port . But she didn't know its size, and she didn't know that Steven had made the down payment with a blank check she had signed and left behind for household expenses while she was on a cruise. That she is now horribly scarred is obvious; large red subdermal slashes streak her face. Nor was he surprised when prosecutors said Benson had murdered his mother and sister to get at the familys fortune. 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. The chief prosecutor, Jerry Brock, argued she had made conflicting statements in earlier depositions. Carol Lynn testified that she thought Scott's being there was a "silly request. Then the jurors filed out and the door closed behind them once again. [12], Dominick Dunne's investigative crime show Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice devoted an hour for the case of Steven Benson. ", 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. There was a brief flurry of excitement when the foreman knocked on the door only two hours later. She was crying. Its still fresh in my memory, he said. Not long after, Harry Hitchcock wrote to the judge, opposing his nephew's release: "Anyone capable of murdering his mother for money is capable of murdering his grandfather for the same reason. Attorney (s) appearing for the Case Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. And trying to come to grips with the loss of her mother, with whom she had been close, at least from time to time, has been hard. And he is an arbitrator within the family when things go wrong., Steven started to cry. 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. He knew how to make tube bombs and fiddled with explosives. Prosecutors argued his mother's funds were used as seed money -- or to bail out one or more of the companies in emergencies, of which there were many. She is shown here in a 1975 photo, a decade before the murder. Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. My mother and I were very, very close and we didn't have anybody else except each other because Scott went his own way, and Steven . I couldnt get through to him spiritually., Im no psychologist, Sands adds, but he lives in denial. 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. Im hot! from the burning car. He parked it and positioned his family in it. 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. I knew it was no accident, said Young, now 75, of Naples. McDonnell closed with a string of witnesses, most of them prisoners, who testified as to Scott Benson's less than sterling character, arguing that this indicated Scott had been the target, and that Margaret and Carol Lynn were unlucky enough to be along for the ride. 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.. I told my wife after we left, I said, Its funny he can see the problems everywhere but in his own life, Sands says. 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. 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. 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. Murphy herself doesnt have those feelings toward her nephew. 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. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 20 years later, friends and family still try to make sense of Benson murders: 'It still seems unreal', By opting into newsletters you are agreeing to our. 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. I guess he didnt want him to go to hell.. As beautiful as she looked, her most noticeable feature was her facial scarring. Steven Benson denied all requests for media interviews. But by late 1984 and early 1985, they argue, she was coming to the conclusion that bankrolling Steven was something less than sound. A jury convicted Steven Benson of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling. Debra divorced Steven shortly after his August 22, 1985, arrest. 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. Benson was convicted of killing his mother and nephew and injuring his sister with a car-bomb on July 9, 1985. Within this circle, there was lots of money. I hope he does, she said. Steven Benson blew up his family in the driveway of their Florida home in July 1985. Murphy does not know whether the couple, who had three children, later divorced. . 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. She had retained Boston attorney E. Richard Cirace to advise her and represent her interests. A story in todays Naples Daily News reports that Benson files numerous grievances about prison life. Success! (AP Photo). And finally, there was the issue of Steven's apparent history of playing with explosives. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Steven Bensons trial is scheduled to begin in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 13. 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. After her testimony, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was nowhere to be seen. Shocked by the attack, she says that since then, her siblings have been completely uninterested in her physical and emotional well-being. Toxicology tests showed no drugs in Benson's system, the report states. 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. How people were crooked. It was the O.J. Steven Benson is serving two life sentences at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Fla. I know it happened to me and my family, she says, but it seems so surreal.. I must think of a better word. 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. Benson said he first went to get coffee and doughnuts at a nearby store. 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. Benson, then 33, was running out of it and wanted to inherit his mother's. He said, Thats how Margaret died. 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). '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.'. Menu. You could see a hateful heart in Steven then. She was afraid her brother would come after her and her children if he ever got free. She cannot believe that two decades have passed since the day that two family members were killed and her familys life was changed forever. The explosion was so loud that golfers ran off the course to see what had happened. Dwight Brock, who prosecuted the case with his brother Jerry, called the trial a spectacle for the media. (Now the clerk of courts, Brock said he has read three of the four books about the crime. Attorneys representing Steven Benson, 36, and Margaret Benson's daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 43, said they both probably will appeal Monday's ruling. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC 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. 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