Steven Benson blew up his family in the driveway of their Florida home in July 1985. 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. Murphys daughter, Brenda, was there that day. When the Challenger space shuttle exploded a year after the Florida murders, Hitchcock broke down, Murphy recalls. He was the last person to drive the SUV. I think it was the dumbest murder I ever solved that had been planned. 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. Debra divorced Steven shortly after his August 22, 1985, arrest. ), After a brief rebuttal by the prosecution, Judge Hayes let the jury go. [11] Washington was charged with murder for killing Benson, but was acquitted. . Murphy declined to say where she now is living and says she does not see her regularly. Patty Bennett was a nervous mother of two boys sitting in a jury box when the defense gave its opening statement about Steven Benson. On July 9, 1985 Benson placed a car bomb on the family car, in which Margaret, Scott, and Steven's sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, (a former Miss Florida runner-up) were waiting for Steven to join them in the vehicle when the Suburban exploded. Attorneys, an investigator and a juror have never forgotten what Steven Benson did, and how it affected their lives in the years since he was convicted of killing his family in Naples, Florida. 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. 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. 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. There was a local uproar over the thought that the public would be paying his bills, and in mid-January the judge reversed himself. In the Know: Is that Benson guy still in prison? 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. [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. Once, Benson wanted his mother to loan him the down payment for a factory building in Lancaster. She sat in the front row, not directly behind Steven, but on the other side -- in one of the seats reserved for the prosecution. I mean, I was scared of Scott . 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. Yesterday, a jury began deliberations on those charges after weeks of riveting testimony involving enormous amounts of money and a tangled family web. Steven Benson is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 2, and prosecutors have asked for a life sentence. Margaret Benson eventually loaned her son the money but he never did anything with the building, Sands says. Not at her mother's house in Naples, for that has been sold, but behind several closed doors in the state's attorney's offices. But there were other debits. He thought he was better than everybody else.. I thought I was being electrocuted. He just ignored it.. Steven Benson turned gray behind bars and died, to little fanfare. 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, who was serving two consecutive life sentences, had last been housed at the Taylor Correctional Institution, a prison about an hour southeast of Tallahassee. 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. 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. To that end, he held court one day from 8:30 in the morning, his usual opening time, to 10 that night. Margaret Benson Kendall was injured in the car-bomb that killed her son, Scott Benson, and mother, Margaret . Retired U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agent Frank Kendall -- no relation to Carol Lynn -- testified that the palm print Steven Benson voluntarily gave the police in the summer of 1985 and the palm print on the pipe invoice were "made by the same person." Carol Lynn Kendall unsuccessfully ran for a Naples City Council seat while living in Port . Thats the whole thing: self, self, self and me, me, me and me. Bennett heard how the bombs were assembled, with nails and tacks put inside them so they would do the most damage. She is shown here in a photo shoot at Lancaster Country Club in 1974, more than a decade before the incident. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Obituary - Death, Cause Of Death, Funeral: Friends and others affected mourn the death of Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, has suddenly passed away.click to read and leave tributes. FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said the agency had no updated information as of Friday afternoon. Is Carol Lynn Benson Kendall still alive? He smiles with his attorneys on occasion when the jury is out, but the men he seems most comfortable with, the men he sometimes even kids with, are the huge-armed deputy sheriffs, his jailers. An autopsy report obtained by the Naples Daily News indicates the cause of death was a stab to the right temple. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC 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. The three children were to divide the estate equally. The Fallout, At the funeral of Margaret and Scott Benson, Steven sat between his wife Debra and his grandfather, Harry Hitchcock. They had so much, and the family dynamic was about as whacked out as you could ask for.. It continued to prosper, and eventually both families had what some people call "real money," and what others disdain as "nouveau. . It was full of surprises. He went through money like crazy, Sands says. 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. An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup. The feud went back to at least 2012 after a series of assaults by Washington. There was an error processing your request. Steven Bensons late father didnt think he was capable of doing anything, Cirace said, an assessment that apparently was correct as Benson, who grew up and lived in Lancaster most of his life, left behind a series of failed business ventures. He became known for writing grievances against both inmates and correctional officers, complaining about anything from the amount of sales tax charged at commissary to the Spanish programs playing in the television room. Another daily attendee was a lawyer representing the trust funds left by Harry Hitchcock's late wife. 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. Naples Daily News 0:00 1:22 Steven Benson is led into the Collier County jail complex on the day of his arrest in 1985. Just follow the money, and you could see what he was doing.. Simpson trial before the O.J. Attorneys representing Steven Benson, 36, and Margaret Bensons daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 43, said they both probably will appeal Mondays ruling. [5] He avoided the death penalty, and was sentenced to two life terms in prison. But the jury only wanted to have portions of Carol Lynn Benson Kendall's testimony read back. He is a good son. 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. Benson told his family members where to sit in the Suburban. Collier Circuit Judge Hugh D. Hayes issued the ruling Monday. It just never stopped, Cirace said. Support local journalism. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall is 42 years old. Benson tried and failed at a succession of businesses. Collier County's most notorious killer himself met with a violent end. Thats the way Steve was.. Im hot! from the burning car. 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. 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. 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. he asked. Tragically, Hitchcock turned out to be right about his grandson. The bombing took place July 9, 1985 in the Quail Creek community. 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