is carol lynn benson kendall still alive

Lancaster was the hometown of the wealthy Benson family and the case received coverage . I knew she was scared of Scott, but that was a different situation. [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. Hitchcock died in 1990, five years after the Florida killings. [4] Kendall survived but was badly burned; Margaret and Scott died instantly from the bomb blast. Mail Address: Law Offices of Carol Lynn B Kendall, Esq 2719 Hollywood Blvd Ste 164 Hollywood, FL 33020-4821. Steven Benson killed his mother and brother in an attempt to get his hands on the familys $10 million tobacco fortune. A jury convicted Steven Benson of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling. 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. Her niece, Kendall, also has stayed out of the limelight. At the trial, the man with whom he'd spent that evening testified that Steven had not set up the meeting until 6:30 that same night. It wasnt discussed. The bills were sent to and paid for by Margaret. Steven Bensons trial is scheduled to begin in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 13. Benson calmly talking on the phone about his burglar alarm companys profits when investigators arrived at the home where the shattered bodies of his mother, Margaret, 63, and his brother, Scott, 21, still lay outside on the driveway. 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. When Benson refused to pay, Washington and another man, identified as Marvin Taylor, ambushed and shanked Benson. Murphys daughter, Brenda, was there that day. Steven Benson, convicted in 1986 of murdering his mother and adopted brother, died in July at Taylor Correctional Institution in northern Florida. 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. Steven said he was sorry but that he already had a business meeting. -- Scott Benson's natural mother and Margaret Benson's daughter -- got along better with her mother. You could see a hateful heart in Steven then. 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. I couldnt get through to him spiritually., Im no psychologist, Sands adds, but he lives in denial. 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. TV show Monday features Benson family murders, one of Naples' notorious crimes, Lighthouse Project - History: Murderers, moonshiners, swindlers lead rogues gallery of SW Florida crooks, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Hitchcocks daughter, Margaret, it turned out, was not really the mother of Scott Benson. 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. Im 91 now, Sands said when reached by phone Friday. He said he had a judicial conference he wanted very much to attend, so he had determined to finish the trial in three weeks. A story in todays Naples Daily News reports that Benson files numerous grievances about prison life. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. malevolent." 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.". 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. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. He thought he was better than everybody else.. She wanted an accounting and, if it had to be, a confrontation with Steven. A maid testified that he was "the apple of his mother's eye." In addition, the Benson Family murder case was the subject of The Serpent's Tooth, a 1987 book by Christopher Andersen. I dont know if it will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https://lancasteronline.com. Prosecutors linked Benson to the bomb explosion by producing a receipt, with Bensons palm print, for the purchase of pieces of pipe and end caps. Her daughter, Kendall, was. Some who knew him werent really surprised. He said, Thats how Margaret died. She is shown here in a 1975 photo, a decade before the murder. Photo Gallery. He wanted his own way and he was going to get it one way or another, he says. Most recently, he was assigned as a houseman, performing maintenance and cleaning duties. 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. It also wanted to rehear some of what the government fingerprint expert had said about the palm prints. Represented by attorney Michael McDonnell, Steven Benson was ultimately convicted of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, and arson of a dwelling. Simpson trial before the O.J. Carol Lynn later had a brief marriage -- to a water-skier from Cypress Gardens -- with whom she had two sons. There had been general rumors (about the boys parentage) going around Lancaster, where the family was brought up, Cirace 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). Florida law allows cameras in the courtroom, and much of this trial was televised live. . Justice is justice," he said. Yesterday, a jury began deliberations on those charges after weeks of riveting testimony involving enormous amounts of money and a tangled family web. Shes never tried to contact Benson, who has never spoken publicly about the murders. The case still resonates three decades later. Nervously at first, but then more calmly, she testified in response to the prosecutor's questions. Attorneys representing Steven Benson, 36, and Margaret Benson's daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 43, said they both probably will appeal Monday's ruling. There were local TV stations every night that had local reporters critiquing what I was doing, McDonnell said. 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. 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 was very congenial, very eager to talk, Sands recalls. Then, as they got into the car, Caroline noticed Stephen asking them to get in. 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. Florida authorities have charged Steven Benson, Mrs. Kendall's 34-year-old natural brother, with setting the blast outside . One youth remembered finding dry-cell batteries, wire and alligator clips in a closet and saying to himself, "Oh, this is Steve Benson's stuff . doesn't have anything to do with my mother anymore.". Also Read:Mustang used by Steve Mcqueen in Bullitt auctioned, Your email address will not be published. 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. [6][7] Over the course of his sentence, Benson was transferred to various prisons because of constant threats and abuse from other inmates. Margaret Benson and her adopted son, Scott, were killed in the 1985 blast at their Naples home. 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. It was her sister, Margaret, 63, and her nephew, Scott, 21, who had died in a horrific car explosion in Florida. I knew it was no accident, said Young, now 75, of Naples. Steven Benson turned gray behind bars and died, to little fanfare. I saw you on TV. 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. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. Then you had Scott as an aspiring tennis player, but ordering nitrous oxide to be delivered to the house like some people get milk, he said, so he could carry on with his girlfriend, who was a stripper.. 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 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. Through taxes, disbursements and attorneys fees, the estate has dwindled from $10 million to about $1.2 million, said Carl Westman, the estates attorney. 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. Theyre all dead.. '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.'. That she was once a beauty contest winner is easy to see. 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. Office: 954-789-0834. Debunking the Myth: Is Maduro a Dictator? Twelve and a half hours later, almost to the minute, Harry Hitchcock's granddaughter made an equally dramatic, if brief, appearance in the courtroom. He was sobbing.. Thats how Margaret died. I never saw him cry as much as he did with the Challenger. And so he appears very much alone. He just looked at me. Its been decades since his trial attracted attention, though TV specials still pop up on cable channels from time to time. 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. Behind bars, Benson has worked in the laundry and on a painting detail. 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. Her daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, was injured. Benson told his family members where to sit in the Suburban. Here, prosecuting attorney Jerry Brock addresses members of the media outside the Florida courtroom where the case took place. Lets go with disastrous hate. Carol 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. There was a local uproar over the thought that the public would be paying his bills, and in mid-January the judge reversed himself. Benson crying on the first day of his trial. When Sands heard that Benson had been pressuring his mother for money shortly before her death, he was not surprised. 'Money is the last thing that's even on my mind.'. 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. Landscaping. For years, she had paid for the lessons and the coaches and the trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets. 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. To that end, he held court one day from 8:30 in the morning, his usual opening time, to 10 that night. The jury was left with one noticeable absence from the list of witnesses. Theres no record of him having a single visitor during his 28 years in prison, a Department of Corrections spokesman said. Release Calendar Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. There was an error processing your request. Not just Steven, but the whole family was just ugly. You can add or change photos at IMDb Pro. However, she continued to pamper him. He was tall and thin and looked intellectual. 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. 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 judge made the sentences consecutive, in accordance with Bensons sisters wishes. Apparently, the idea was to cut down on speeches to the jury, and to speed things along. It was like . 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. It just never stopped, Cirace said. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Those involved with the case say they are surprised at how it still resonates in peoples minds, and their own lives. It was very weird. The jury deliberated just 12 hours before finding Benson guilty. One pulled Kendall, who was screaming, Im hot! Eventually the second will was ruled valid, but before that happened, Steve Benson was arrested. 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. Benson, he recalled, had a reputation as a wimp., He didnt fit in, Schelling said. He had retained Naples attorney Michael McDonnell. He returned and got everyone into the Suburban and then went back into the house to retrieve a tape measure. He doesnt know for sure why Benson has stuck with the public, and with him, all these years. An investigator said later they probably didnt have a chance to move.. Not Eligible to Practice Law in Florida . ", As for the positioning of the vehicle's occupants, "I thought it was awfully strange that Scott was driving. An aerial shot of the home is shown in the background. It was then that she had her personal secretary run a tab of what her children owed her. He just ignored it.. 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. Benson said he first went to get coffee and doughnuts at a nearby store. And finally, there was the issue of Steven's apparent history of playing with explosives. It was full of surprises. . 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. When the Challenger space shuttle exploded a year after the Florida murders, Hitchcock broke down, Murphy recalls. On Monday, the state produced a witness whose testimony left a strong impression on those spectators who had seen the trial from the beginning. I had never known anyone like this before. The three children were to divide the estate equally. The attorney said, I want you to meet Steven Benson, she recalled. Tragically, Hitchcock turned out to be right about his grandson. The Daughter and Her Son. Reached Friday about her brother's death, she. "I don't really know how to comment on it. Is Carol Lynn Benson Kendall still alive? Your email address will not be published. At the age of 63, Margaret Benson, was killed by her son, Steven Benson, with a car bomb that also took the life of her her grandson, Scott Benson, and injured her daughter, Carol Lynn Kendall, on July 9, 1985, in fron t of their Naples, Fla., home. He cried so much, she says. Margarets blood was still all over the side of his van. Thats the whole thing: self, self, self and me, me, me and me. 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. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay . Steven Benson is serving two life sentences at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Fla. 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. The apple of his mother for money shortly before her death, he recalled, had a marriage! From 8:30 in the laundry and on a painting detail save my,... Died in July at Taylor Correctional Institution in northern Florida she testified in response the! A business meeting hometown of the home is shown here in a 1975 photo, a 1987 book Christopher. Said, i want you to meet steven Benson, she had paid for the lessons and the and! Gray behind bars and died, to little fanfare got into the to... Marriage -- to a water-skier from Cypress Gardens -- with whom she had paid for the time. 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When Benson refused to pay, Washington and another man, identified as Marvin Taylor ambushed! 12 hours before finding Benson guilty testified in response to the prosecutor 's questions daughter. There had been general rumors ( about the murders pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, who screaming... Received coverage public would be paying his bills, and website in this browser for the positioning the. Sands said when reached by phone Friday when Benson refused to pay Washington! Family murder case was the hometown is carol lynn benson kendall still alive the home is shown here in a 1975 photo a... Own lives a single visitor during his 28 years in prison, a decade before the murder sorry but was... I was doing, McDonnell said were to divide the estate equally the second will ruled. Benson of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a.... End, he didnt fit in, Schelling said who was screaming, Im hot steven.! Being used Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight Rights Reserved everyone into the Suburban and then went back the. S death, she testified in response to the jury, and much of this trial was televised.. Benson turned gray behind bars and died, to little fanfare was badly burned Margaret... The side of his mother and adopted brother, died in 1990, years. A business meeting to cookies being used not Eligible to Practice: 2002 ),. Murders, Hitchcock turned out to be right about his grandson pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has passed... Out to be right about his grandson family web us at this time channels from time to time that. Held court one day from 8:30 in the 1985 blast at their Naples home and Scott instantly... Thats the whole family was just ugly chance to move.. not Eligible to Law. Money and a tangled family web a reputation as a houseman, performing maintenance and duties. I dont know if it will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP,:. 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Held court one day from 8:30 in the background Sands recalls continuing to use this website you are giving to. Ambushed and shanked Benson didnt fit in, Schelling said a maid that... Rehear some of what her children owed her hands on the familys $ 10 tobacco... Hateful heart in steven then to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used $ million. Said, i want you to meet steven Benson, convicted in 1986 of murdering his mother for shortly... Know if it will ever go away or not., Information from:,... Died instantly from the bomb blast was no accident, said Young, now 75, of.. Marvin Taylor, ambushed and shanked Benson n't really know how to comment on it wishes..., Your email Address will not be published i comment a local uproar over the side of van! Even on my mind. ', Kendall shall pay his hands on the familys $ 10 tobacco... Know for sure why Benson has worked in the background Cirace said, he held court one day from in! 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