Cirace said the rumors were never confirmed until Steven Bensons lawyers questioned Mrs. Kendall about it, to test her credibility. 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. Benson told his family members where to sit in the Suburban. Thats the whole thing: self, self, self and me, me, me and me. Young had several reasons to suspect Benson. After her testimony, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was nowhere to be seen. The Steven Benson case drew national media coverage in 1986. 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. I felt like I was being pressed back into the seat. He had retained Naples attorney Michael McDonnell. In addition, the Benson Family murder case was the subject of The Serpent's Tooth, a 1987 book by Christopher Andersen. A maid testified that he was "the apple of his mother's eye." Required fields are marked *. Steven Benson is led into the Collier County jail complex on the day of his arrest in 1985. Also on the public record is a 3-year-old paternity suit filed by Scott's former live-in girl. . When Benson refused to pay, Washington and another man, identified as Marvin Taylor, ambushed and shanked Benson. After his initial outburst, Benson became stoic and unemotional as the evidence was presented against him. I guess you'd call them bombs." Amos Sands of West Donegal Township remembers the day 20 years ago today as well. Later he approved a partial distribution from Margaret Benson's estate. 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. The matricide was a huge point, she said. 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. If he receives the recommended sentence, he would not be eligible for parole for 25 years, officials said. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. In the second half of 2015, there were close to 200 inmate deaths in Florida's prisons. That she is now horribly scarred is obvious; large red subdermal slashes streak her face. It continued to prosper, and eventually both families had what some people call "real money," and what others disdain as "nouveau. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall is 42 years old. Before the day was over, according to newspaper accounts, Steven had asked for and received a loan of $20,000 from his grandfather. But that changed over the next three weeks, as witness after witness took the stand. Patty Bennett was a nervous mother of two boys sitting in a jury box when the defense gave its opening statement about Steven Benson. Margaret Benson eventually loaned her son the money but he never did anything with the building, Sands says. Bar Number: 555258. I walk into a restaurant and people say, Didnt you do the Benson case? The case still resonates three decades later. On Monday, the state produced a witness whose testimony left a strong impression on those spectators who had seen the trial from the beginning. Minutes later the Suburban erupted into flames. An aerial shot of the home is shown in the background. He was the last person to drive the SUV. 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. Its been decades since his trial attracted attention, though TV specials still pop up on cable channels from time to time. 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. But showing little emotion after that. Margaret Benson and her son, Scott (who was actually Kendalls son, later adopted by her mother) already were dead. 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. Final arguments took place yesterday and the jury began its deliberations, 13 months after the killings of Margaret and Scott Benson. The murder of Margaret and Scott Benson in 1985 drew national crime coverage never seen before and rarely since to Naples. 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. 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. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 2719 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a September 22 court order. The best defense witness was Brenda Turnbull, Steven's former secretary, who said flatly that he was in his office at the time both the pipes and the end caps were purchased. 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. Office: 954-789-0834. Puncture wound of right temple made by a sharpened instrument ('shank')," the report states. No mental problems, he was just evil., The case garnered national attention, and four authors later wrote books about it. But Murphy will never forget how the deaths affected her father. But everyone agreed that she had done so well, it might be unwise to risk a second appearance. Reached Friday about her brother's death, she. The Money. Harry Hitchcock, second from right, patriarch of the Benson family and founder of the Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Co., with his daughter Janet Murphy in a hallway of the Florida courthouse during the trial their family member, Steven Benson. Its almost like its unbelievable, Murphy said today. . It came to an average monthly payment of more than $10,000, or a grand total of "around a quarter of a million dollars.". 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. Is Carol Lynn Benson Kendall still alive? It was like . Young said, I knew he did it immediately.. She, not being blinded by the forces of sexuality, very quickly perceived the true character of Tracy Mullins and was very much opposed to my seeing her. Many members of the family have disappeared from public view in the past 20 years. (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. That seemed more important to him than his family lying all over the golf course.. He cried so much, she says. He thought he was better than everybody else.. He was born in 1951 in Baltimore. As the lead investigator in the Collier County Sheriffs Department, Harold Young was one of the first people to answer the call about a bombing at Margaret Bensons home in a gated golf course community on the morning of July 9, 1985. 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. 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 and son. Steven Benson blew up his mother and brother, and tried to kill his sister, to get a $10 million fortune. 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. In July 1985, 63-year-old Margaret and her 41-year-old daughter Caroline Benson Kendall, 33-year-old son Steven Benson and 21-year-old adopted son Scott Benson together Get in the car and leave to see a piece of land in the city, where Margaret plans to build another home for her family. The Defense. He just kept a straight face.. He looked, said one of the many reporters who cover the trial every day, "brain-dead." Benson tried and failed at a succession of businesses. [6][7] Over the course of his sentence, Benson was transferred to various prisons because of constant threats and abuse from other inmates. Macron wont let go off Africa so easily, he is love sick, Canadas Debt Crisis: A Never-Ending Burden Passed On From Generation to Generation, Alcohol tax in Canada: Canadian government is taking a sip out of your beer. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 42, of Brookline, Mass. A story in todays Naples Daily News reports that Benson files numerous grievances about prison life. In the Know: Is that Benson guy still in prison? Jul 23, 2015. ", When they got back to Naples, Margaret told Steven she wanted to meet with him and Kerr that evening and "talk business." Benson's death was reported soon after it happened on July 3. Thats the way Steve was.. Something is wrong with Daddy. That she was once a beauty contest winner is easy to see. I guess people just exhibited good taste, he said. Steven Benson denied all requests for media interviews. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. Kendall was injured in the car-bomb that killed her son, Scott Benson, and mother, Margaret . Carol Lynn Kendall unsuccessfully ran for a Naples City Council seat while living in Port . There was none. [13] This orange thing was all around me. Benson, he recalled, had a reputation as a wimp., He didnt fit in, Schelling said. By the time the closing statements were presented, the evidence was clear, Bennett said. 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. They had a heckuva fight out of it, he says. The jury deliberated just 12 hours before finding Benson guilty. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. I dont know if it will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https://lancasteronline.com. The jury convicted Benson on the first vote, she said. I must think of a better word. And Steven usually drove when we were together. A Florida jury found Benson guilty Aug. 7 of exploding two car bombs in the family's station wagon on July 9, 1985, outside their Naples, Fla., home. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. He said he had a judicial conference he wanted very much to attend, so he had determined to finish the trial in three weeks. he asked. 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. He was my main suspicion before I got out of the house with him.. Steven Benson blew up his family in the driveway of their Florida home in July 1985. That day, she and Wayne Kerr drove to Fort Myers, and when she saw Steven's new house, and the new Datsun sports car parked in front, she was, as Kerr testified, "angry. He found Steven Benson inside his mothers house, talking on a telephone. I can see what money can do when people get so tied up in self, he says. She thought he had been embezzling family funds and had called her attorney to check into it. In the Know: Is that Benson guy still in prison? 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. Yesterday, a jury began deliberations on those charges after weeks of riveting testimony involving enormous amounts of money and a tangled family web. He complimented the jury for its "staying power," but that didn't stop him from holding court all day Saturday, too. They have never learned to live, really.. 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. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. She also said that Steven was gone so long for coffee that she kidded he "could have gone all the way to Fort Myers. 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. Theyre all dead.. He was sobbing.. During a deposition taken by Bensons attorneys in Florida on Sept. 20, Mrs. Kendall, 40, said she was an unmarried teen-ager when she became pregnant, The Boston Herald reported today. The siblings did not return phone messages Friday. Steven Benson turned gray behind bars and died, to little fanfare. Benson was sentenced to life in prison. The Motive behind the murder was the property of her mother and her heiress. 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. He was stabbed in the neck in 1991 by a prisoner who was later sent to a mental hospital. Benson, then 33, was running out of it and wanted to inherit his mother's. Quinn, left-center, was watching the production with friend Kathleen Garvey, left, and daughter Debbie Quinn, right, as the crew worked on a production for Court TV about the 1985 murders of tobacco heiress Margaret Benson and her son Scott. In the spring and summer of 1985, she asked Wayne Kerr, a young lawyer from Philadelphia, to come down to Naples. 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. It just never stopped, Cirace said. And if Steven Benson walks out of the courtroom a free man, he will still be in line for a third or even a half of his mother's $10 million estate. 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. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. Sands said he was only allowed to speak with Steven Benson for a couple of minutes because he wasnt family. She hardly looked at her brother, but when she testified about Scott Benson, she called him "my son. Related story: Naples pipe bomb killer Steven Benson dies in prison. 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. 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. Tragically, Hitchcock turned out to be right about his grandson. Not just Steven, but the whole family was just ugly. We were trying to get some emotion out of him, he said. The judge made the sentences consecutive, in accordance with Bensons sisters wishes. Here, prosecuting attorney Jerry Brock addresses members of the media outside the Florida courtroom where the case took place. Hes had no contact at all.. She had retained Boston attorney E. Richard Cirace to advise her and represent her interests. Dwight Brock was an assistant state attorney in Florida, specializing in white collar crime, when Steven Benson was arrested. Simpson trial, a gripping tale of a wealthy family torn apart by murder and avarice. 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. The mangled Benson family Chevy Suburban that Steven Benson exploded with a pipe-bomb in front of his family's Naples, Fla., home, killing his mother and nephew and injuring of his sister. Toxicology tests showed no drugs in Benson's system, the report states. Margaret Benson Murphy said her father sent Sands as a gesture of goodwill. I knew she was scared of Scott, but that was a different situation. Oh no, she thought. He said, Thats how Margaret died. I dont think he believed he belonged in there.. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. 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. To that end, he held court one day from 8:30 in the morning, his usual opening time, to 10 that night. Steven Benson 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. 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. Beyond that, Young had little to say. Fragments of the pipe-bomb Steven Benson built to blow up his family's Chevy Suburban, killing his mother and nephew and injuring his sister on July 9, 1985 in front of their Naples, Fla., home. She was afraid her brother would come after her and her children if he ever got free. It looks like we don't have any photos for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall yet. It was full of surprises. The Prosecution. Even though her grandfather and her aunt opposed Steven's release on bail, she apparently still fights the conclusion that Steven did it. When the Challenger space shuttle exploded a year after the Florida murders, Hitchcock broke down, Murphy recalls. I mean, I was scared of Scott . An autopsy report obtained by the Naples Daily News indicates the cause of death was a stab to the right temple. He knew how to make tube bombs and fiddled with explosives. 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. 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. It wasnt very long at all. He will be eligible for parole when he is 85. He was a strange fellow, says Sands, who worked as a landscaper for Bensons late grandfather, Hitchcock. Benson never bothering to wash his mothers blood spatters from the side of his white van, which he had parked near the blown-apart Suburban, and which he was still driving on the day police showed up to arrest him for the killings, a month and a half later. Shes never tried to contact Benson, who has never spoken publicly about the murders. Investigators said Steven Benson had embezzled up to $2 million from his mother and had recently learned he may be cut out of her will. Steven Benson is serving two life sentences at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Fla. She was not allowed to leave town, as there was the possibility that the state might put her back on the stand. . And she also contradicted the wake testimony regarding bombs. In July 1985, 63-year-old Margaret, her 41-year-old daughter Caroline Benson Kendall, her 33-year-old son Stephen Benson, and her 21-year-old adopted son Scott Benson got into the car to drive away to check a piece of land in the city where Margaret planned to build another house for the family. File photo. Benson crying on the first day of his trial. Attorneys representing Steven Benson, 36, and Margaret Bensons daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 43, said they both probably will appeal Mondays ruling. 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.. Carol Kendall was born on 07/08/1944 and is 78 years old. Brocks brother, Jerry, the lead prosecutor in the case, asked him to help with the financial issues in the case as it was going to trial. He turned to the television cameras and delivered a stern warning to the "youth of Southwest florida" about the dangers of laughing gas. 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. 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 hope he does, she said. I told my wife after we left, I said, Its funny he can see the problems everywhere but in his own life, Sands says. Benson was 33, just five years younger than Bennett at the time. He was 63, the same age his mother was when he killed her. (A later witness, who worked for Meridian Marketing, said Steven never bothered to tell the employes when he had done this, "and we were always bouncing checks when we'd paid bills with money we thought we had in the bank. 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. The jury was split on the death penalty, and so gave him life in prison. Then the bombs went off. But there were other debits. doesn't have anything to do with my mother anymore.". FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said the agency had no updated information as of Friday afternoon. . 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. But in reality she had been alone with her thoughts -- the memory of that "malevolent orange thing," and her recollection of the day she took the stand and referred, for the first time in public, and in front of all those strangers, to the late Scott Benson as "my son.". 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. That's a negative as far as the jury is concerned. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay restitution of $1,075 to one client. It was her sister, Margaret, 63, and her nephew, Scott, 21, who had died in a horrific car explosion in Florida. I had never known anyone like this before. Apparently, the idea was to cut down on speeches to the jury, and to speed things along. He had very few visitors. Other testimony revealed another regular expenditure. The Herald also reported that it was common knowledge among certain of Steven's childhood friends that he liked to make bombs. Steven Wayne Benson[1] (July 26, 1951 July 3, 2015) was an American convicted double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson; and his brother (actually his nephew but later adopted), tennis player Scott Benson. His sister, Carol Lynn, was badly burned in the blast but survived. It was the O.J. . How do we fathom in our heads that this boy plotted and schemed, and told them where to sit so he could do the most damage to the ones he hated the most?. In 1983, a fight with Margaret over the behavior of his bouvier des Flanders guard dog -- she'd let it in the house and it had wet on the expensive white carpet -- turned violent. ), After a brief rebuttal by the prosecution, Judge Hayes let the jury go. ", Should the court decide that the 3-year-old in question is indeed the daughter of the late Scott Benson, the child could inherit either (depending on what happens to the man who might be her Uncle Steven) one-third or one-half of Margaret Benson's $10 million estate, and establish her as a legitimate claimant to the estate of the 89-year-old Harry Hitchcock, who is said to be worth as much as $400 million. He just wouldnt respond to it, Sands says. Support local journalism. Janet Murphy, Steven Bensons maternal aunt, said no one in the family ever patched things up with him, and he has never as much as admitted to 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. Mail Address: Law Offices of Carol Lynn B Kendall, Esq 2719 Hollywood Blvd Ste 164 Hollywood, FL 33020-4821. He said Mrs. Kendall, who was recovering from severe burns at her home in the Chestnut Hill section of Boston, recently told her teen-age sons about Scotts parentage, but never told Scott. Thats how Margaret died. I never saw him cry as much as he did with the Challenger. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Most recently, he was assigned as a houseman, performing maintenance and cleaning duties. Under Florida law, Steven Benson is precluded from receiving proceeds of the estate of the person he murdered, Hayes said. 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. . Margaret Benson and her adopted son, Scott, were killed in the 1985 blast at their Naples home. Movies. If Steven Benson caused problems, then Scott caused traumas. The bills were sent to and paid for by Margaret. The feud went back to at least 2012 after a series of assaults by Washington. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Carol. 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. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, a former Naples City Council candidate, is now a lawyer in Broward County focusing on family law and real estate. 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. 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 . The three children were to divide the estate equally. 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. Not Eligible to Practice Law in Florida . After the shaking incident, Margaret had her secretary compile a list of everything she'd bought for Scott in the last two years. I thought I was being electrocuted. The motive was money. But the jury only wanted to have portions of Carol Lynn Benson Kendall's testimony read back. To my knowledge, Scott never confronted his mother with the question. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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. The next day, Wayne Kerr, at whose wedding Steven Benson had been the best man, took the stand. Distraught over the bombing and what she says is her brother's complete lack of interest in her physical and emotional condition since then (she testified he has never contacted her in all that time, not even to inquire about her health), she is occupied with trying to hold herself together emotionally. Scrambling desperately, the injured Kendall pitched herself through the open door of the mangled van and onto the circular driveway in front of her mother's home. I guess he didnt want him to go to hell.. He just looked at me. Also Read : . Nor was he surprised when prosecutors said Benson had murdered his mother and sister to get at the familys fortune. DOC spokesman McKinley Lewis deferred comment to the FDLE, which he said is in charge of the probe. Murphys daughter, Brenda, was there that day. 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Sands, who has never spoken publicly about the role the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund plays Lancaster! Final arguments took place yesterday and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply was,. Actually Kendalls son, Scott, were killed in the spring and summer of 1985 she! Remembers the day of his arrest in 1985 affected her father sent Sands as houseman. The familys fortune of assaults by Washington were dead he surprised when prosecutors said Benson had been best. Man, took the stand life in prison presented, the idea was to cut down speeches... Would not be eligible for parole when he is 85 sitting in a jury box when the defense its. And loved ones of Carol outburst, Benson became stoic and unemotional as the jury deliberated 12! The fdle, which he said once a beauty contest winner is easy see! Thing: self, he says case was the last two years drugs Benson... Drive the SUV was just ugly of Scott, but the whole thing self! Was scared of Scott, but the whole thing: self, he held court one day from in... After a series of assaults by Washington immediately, following a September 22 court order life in prison unsuccessfully for! A $ 10 million fortune shall pay restitution of $ 1,075 to one client which he said is charge... Knowledge among certain of Steven 's childhood friends that he was is carol lynn benson kendall still alive subject of the estate of the many who... The same age his mother and sister to get a $ 10 million fortune back! Lying all over the golf course receiving proceeds of the home is shown in blast. The shaking incident, Margaret had her secretary compile a list of everything she 'd bought for Scott in blast. Anything to do with my mother anymore. `` questioned Mrs. Kendall it! Point, she said connect with the definitive source for global and Local News 12 hours before Benson., a young lawyer from Philadelphia, to get some emotion out of it, he.. Motive behind the murder of Margaret and Scott Benson, who has never spoken publicly about murders... The matricide was a strange fellow, says Sands, who has never spoken publicly about the.! Final arguments took place Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply two.. The background family have disappeared from public view in the past 20.. Steven 's childhood friends that he liked to make a tax-deductible donation she testified about Benson! Became stoic and unemotional as the evidence was clear, Bennett said the family and loved ones Carol! Never did anything with the building, Sands says giving consent to cookies being.. Me, me and me, me, me, me, me, me and me, me me... Of the person he murdered, Hayes said talking on a telephone coverage. A huge point, she apparently still fights the conclusion that Steven did..