Thats the whole thing: self, self, self and me, me, me and me. In the second half of 2015, there were close to 200 inmate deaths in Florida's prisons. Not long after his mother moved to Naples, so did Steven Benson, a self-described "executive" who had been in and out of the family business with embarrassing quickness and a notable lack of success. Benson, then 33, was running out of it and wanted to inherit his mother's. Also Read : . I walk into a restaurant and people say, Didnt you do the Benson case? 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. How people were crooked. The only survivor of the blast, Steven Benson's sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, testifies about the explosion and injuries she sustained. I felt like I was being pressed back into the seat. Steven Benson is led into the Collier County jail complex on the day of his arrest in 1985. Benson was 33, just five years younger than Bennett at the time. He returned and got everyone into the Suburban and then went back into the house to retrieve a tape measure. 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. Two hours later, the 11 o'clock local news had pictures of her leaving the courtroom, her lawyer Cirace running interference. Toxicology tests showed no drugs in Benson's system, the report states. He said that "initially" he thought it was just sloppy bookkeeping. I knew she was scared of Scott, but that was a different situation. He. Movies. 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. Electronics. Scott ran with a rough crowd, and was known to get rough with both Margaret and Carol Lynn. Her daughter, Kendall, was. Hollywood's Carol Lynn Benson Kendall (University of Richmond School of Law, admitted to the Florida Bar 2002) got disbarred, the final step after her suspension in February and a. . The police were called and he was held for five days. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall is 42 years old. She hardly looked at her brother, but when she testified about Scott Benson, she called him "my son. After his first marriage also failed, Benson married a farm worker from his familys tobacco empire. 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. 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. Lets go with disastrous hate. 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. 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. He was the last person to drive the SUV. 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. She said, I want to know where all the money went. She wanted to see the books. Something is wrong with Daddy. malevolent." Your email address will not be published. Landscaping. Steven Benson blew up his family in the driveway of their Florida home in July 1985. I can see what money can do when people get so tied up in self, he says. Kendall, who now is the principal heir to her mother Margaret's $10 million fortune, denied reports she wastrying to cut the children of her brother, Steven Benson, out of any inheritance they might receive. 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. He was supposed to provide them the next day, the day the bomb went off.. She is shown here in a photo shoot at. And then, at the last minute, he went back into the house, supposedly because he had forgotten a tape measure. A lot. Steven Bensons children - Elizabeth Benson, 5; Christopher Logan Benson, 5; and Natalie Nichole Benson, 4 - are entitled to inherit from their grandmothers estate, the judge said. Dad was very religious, she said. She had retained Boston attorney E. Richard Cirace to advise her and represent her interests. And there was lots of squabbling over who got what. 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. Once Benson was in custody, investigators questioned him until he invoked his right to call an attorney. Attorneys representing Steven Benson, 36, and Margaret Benson's daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 43, said they both probably will appeal Monday's ruling. It seemed like a dumb thing." He had retained Naples attorney Michael McDonnell. he asked. A juror examines a photo of the 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. The only survivor of the blast, Steven Benson's sister, Carol Lynn. 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." They have never learned to live, really.. He went through money like crazy, Sands says. 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. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay restitution of $1,075 to one client. Patty Bennett was a nervous mother of two boys sitting in a jury box when the defense gave its opening statement about Steven Benson. But Murphy will never forget how the deaths affected her father. If he receives the recommended sentence, he would not be eligible for parole for 25 years, officials said. Behind bars, Benson has worked in the laundry and on a painting detail. 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. Benson, he recalled, had a reputation as a wimp., He didnt fit in, Schelling said. 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. Its still fresh in my memory, he said. ), After a brief rebuttal by the prosecution, Judge Hayes let the jury go. When the Challenger space shuttle exploded a year after the Florida murders, Hitchcock broke down, Murphy recalls. Benson told his family members where to sit in the Suburban. 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. The case still resonates three decades later. Nervously at first, but then more calmly, she testified in response to the prosecutor's questions. For years, she had paid for the lessons and the coaches and the trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets. 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. Murphys nephew, Steven Benson, was the only one to escape the fiery blast that day. Benson was sentenced to life in prison. Bensons wife never attended the trial. She cannot believe that two decades have passed since the day that two family members were killed and her familys life was changed forever. Amos Sands of West Donegal Township remembers the day 20 years ago today as well. 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. Once, Benson wanted his mother to loan him the down payment for a factory building in Lancaster. 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. Attorney (s) appearing for the Case Benson died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. Cirace said the rumors were never confirmed until Steven Bensons lawyers questioned Mrs. Kendall about it, to test her credibility. 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. She is shown here in a photo shoot at Lancaster Country Club in 1974, more than a decade before the incident. Mail Address: Law Offices of Carol Lynn B Kendall, Esq 2719 Hollywood Blvd Ste 164 Hollywood, FL 33020-4821. Oh no, she thought. If Steven Benson caused problems, then Scott caused traumas. He is a good son. 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. He had cautioned his new employes, according to testimony, not to let anyone in the offices of the Naples-based companies know the name of the company or what they did. 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. 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. He turned to the television cameras and delivered a stern warning to the "youth of Southwest florida" about the dangers of laughing gas. 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. 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. Yesterday, a jury began deliberations on those charges after weeks of riveting testimony involving enormous amounts of money and a tangled family web. When Benson refused to pay, Washington and another man, identified as Marvin Taylor, ambushed and shanked Benson. I guess he didnt want him to go to hell.. The matricide was a huge point, she said. When he went in, he was pudgy, even for 6 feet 2 inches tall, but by last month, the realities of prison fare had slimmed him down noticeably. Nor was he surprised when prosecutors said Benson had murdered his mother and sister to get at the familys fortune. And Steven usually drove when we were together. He will be eligible for parole when he is 85. Nobody else had time to put a bomb in there, Young said. 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). At the urging of Hitchcock, Sands tried to talk to Benson about religion, about accepting Jesus as his savior, but Benson did not want to talk about that. His face got really red. In the Know: Is that Benson guy still in prison? It was full of surprises. 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. '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.'. You can also browse other available content for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall on IMDb such as filmography, trivia, personal details, etc. [12], Dominick Dunne's investigative crime show Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice devoted an hour for the case of Steven Benson. It also wanted to rehear some of what the government fingerprint expert had said about the palm prints. 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. 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. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. She said she will never forget that moment. As for Carol Lynn, she too waited in Florida for the verdict. Money was the downfall of the whole thing, says Sands, who visited Benson in prison up until about 10 years ago. Thats the way Steve was.. And he is an arbitrator within the family when things go wrong., Steven started to cry. 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. 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 Wait. Margaret and Scott died instantly, and Caroline was rushed to the hospital with severe burns. Prosecutors said it showed that while Carol Lynn owed her mother $118,560.33, Steven's IOU was $268,163.89. 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. (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. 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. Benson said he first went to get coffee and doughnuts at a nearby store. He got stabbed, and a knife was found in his own cell. The Daughter and Her Son. They had a heckuva fight out of it, he says. 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. Moments later there was a loud explosion. Murphy said her father sent Sands as a gesture of goodwill. My memorys getting pretty hazy. After her testimony, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was nowhere to be seen. 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 was tall and thin and looked intellectual. He complimented the jury for its "staying power," but that didn't stop him from holding court all day Saturday, too. 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. Many members of the family have disappeared from public view in the past 20 years. 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 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 Chevrolet Suburban was blown all to bits and pieces, with a body lying out on each side.. I guess you'd call them bombs." There were local TV stations every night that had local reporters critiquing what I was doing, McDonnell said. The jury convicted Benson on the first vote, she said. It just never stopped, Cirace said. "Malevolent" is what the prosecutors for the state call 35-year-old Steven Benson. It all came back to him.. 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. The first thing he said was, Well, Steve done it, you know that. He thought that right away, Sands, now 81, remembered today. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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. The siblings did not return phone messages Friday. (He'd even set up a tobacco company in direct competition with his family's concern, but it fizzled immediately.). Two hours later, the 11 o'clock local news had pictures of her leaving courtroom... 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