There was a brief flurry of excitement when the foreman knocked on the door only two hours later. Justice is justice," he said. The attorney said, I want you to meet Steven Benson, she recalled. [4] The only survivor of the blast, Steven Benson's sister, Carol Lynn. [13] She had hoped he would get the death penalty. (AP Photo). The Wait. However, she continued to pamper him. Those involved with the case say they are surprised at how it still resonates in peoples minds, and their own lives. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 2719 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a Sept. 22 court order. Hes had no contact at all.. ), After a brief rebuttal by the prosecution, Judge Hayes let the jury go. Thats how Margaret died. I never saw him cry as much as he did with the Challenger. '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.'. Its like the story that keeps on giving. 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. Under Florida law, Steven Benson is precluded from receiving proceeds of the estate of the person he murdered, Hayes said. That's a negative as far as the jury is concerned. 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. 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. malevolent." The Defense. 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. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay . A juror in the Steven Benson case compares an artist's sketch of the suspect who purchased materials to create the bomb with a mug shot of Benson. Support local journalism. Just sort of odd, very different.. He was 63, the same age his mother was when he killed her. I dont think he believed he belonged in there.. He got stabbed, and a knife was found in his own cell. Kendall was retained by clients in two separate cases but failed to adequately represent them. 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. The matricide was a huge point, she said. Benson, he recalled, had a reputation as a wimp., He didnt fit in, Schelling said. emains listed on the DOC website as an open investigation led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. I guess people just exhibited good taste, he said. 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. That she is now horribly scarred is obvious; large red subdermal slashes streak her face. 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. Moments later there was a loud explosion. 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. Born on Christmas Day 1963 in a Baltimore hospital to Carol Lynn Benson, then an unmarried teen-ager, he was adopted by Margaret and Edward Benson. Maybe it was the money, the power and the greed, they say. Benson was sentenced to life in prison. Carol 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. When the Challenger space shuttle exploded a year after the Florida murders, Hitchcock broke down, Murphy recalls. Then the jurors filed out and the door closed behind them once again. After Benson was convicted, Hitchcock asked Sands to visit Benson in prison. By the time the trial began, Steven Benson had been in jail for almost 11 months. He had very few visitors. No mental problems, he was just evil., The case garnered national attention, and four authors later wrote books about it. 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. Theyre all dead.. In prison records, Benson listed the oldest of his three children, twins Victoria and Christopher, as his next of kin. He was tall and thin and looked intellectual. Steven was paid $244,974.39 so he could pay his legal fees. Please enable JavaScript to properly view our site. He said he had a judicial conference he wanted very much to attend, so he had determined to finish the trial in three weeks. We were trying to get some emotion out of him, he 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. He was sobbing.. I remember when my sister had him here was this baby and then he ends up killing her. 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. A month later, the Naples police arrested Steven Benson and charged him with two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder. Steven said he was sorry but that he already had a business meeting. Here, prosecuting attorney Jerry Brock addresses members of the media outside the Florida courtroom where the case took place. It looks like we don't have any photos for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall yet. Many members of the family have disappeared from public view in the past 20 years. Scott had canisters of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, to which he was addicted, delivered to the house on a monthly basis, defense witnesses said. When I see that, I pity people like that. 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. 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 died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. Benson told his family members where to sit in the Suburban. he asked. 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. Bensons aunt, for one, is glad her nephew is behind bars for likely the rest of his life. 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. Her daughter, Kendall, was. The Fallout, At the funeral of Margaret and Scott Benson, Steven sat between his wife Debra and his grandfather, Harry Hitchcock. 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. It seemed like a dumb thing." You can also browse other available content for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall on IMDb such as filmography, trivia, personal details, etc. [citation needed] The case was featured in Great Crimes and Trials and Infamous Murders. He just stood there. That seemed more important to him than his family lying all over the golf course.. He had been driving it all that time, he said. . Benson, then 33, was running out of it and wanted to inherit his mother's. He seldom looked at Steven.The defendant watched his grandfather enter the courtroom, but after that he never looked at him. ", The jowly and bespectacled witness testified that Steven's company books were a mess, with checkbook entries missing and no balance carried forward. 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. 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. 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 was in the back seat, and, as she testified 2 1/2 weeks ago to a packed courtroom here, "I was suddenly surrounded by this orange thing. An aerial shot of the home is shown in the background. Just follow the money, and you could see what he was doing.. The motive was money. 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, Naples pipe bomb killer Steven Benson dies in prison. 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. But Kendall, who was injured. Bar Number: 555258. 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. Attorneys representing Steven Benson, 36, and Margaret Bensons daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 43, said they both probably will appeal Mondays ruling. 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. I think it was the dumbest murder I ever solved that had been planned. I couldnt get through to him spiritually., Im no psychologist, Sands adds, but he lives in denial. Simpson trial before the O.J. [citation needed], Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice, "Killer Succession" (Season 1, Episode 3), "Inmate Population Information Detail - Steven Benson", "In the Know: Is that Benson guy still in prison? Bensons grandfather, the family patriarch and the Lancaster Leaf Tobacco magnate, the late Harry Hitchcock, was a congenial-looking, white-haired Christian businessman known for his tulip gardens in School Lane Hills. 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. On Monday, the state produced a witness whose testimony left a strong impression on those spectators who had seen the trial from the beginning. You could see a hateful heart in Steven then. 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 the time the closing statements were presented, the evidence was clear, Bennett said. Dysfunction, said Patty Bennett, a juror on the case, trying to describe the Benson family. I still get recognized, said Michael McDonnell, Bensons defense attorney, who at 74 still practices in Naples and Fort Myers. The star of the show by far was Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. He said, Thats how Margaret died. On the morning of the explosion, the entire family agreed to inspect the land at Stevens suggestion. You know, he wouldnt say yes or no or nothing. Attorney (s) appearing for the Case But the Florida Department of Corrections has been tight lipped about the cause and circumstances. The judge made the sentences consecutive, in accordance with Bensons sisters wishes. He was a strange fellow, says Sands, who worked as a landscaper for Bensons late grandfather, Hitchcock. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, Appellant/Petitioner, v. Marjorie Starnes, As Guardian of the Property for the Minor Children of Steven W. Benson, and Steven W. Benson, Appellees/Respondents. Nobody else had time to put a bomb in there, Young said. Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. Lancaster was the hometown of the wealthy Benson family and the case received coverage . 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 said Steven was laughing. Then the witness surprised the judge by asking if he could make a "statement." After his initial outburst, Benson became stoic and unemotional as the evidence was presented against him. 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. Steven Benson's palm print was one of the major points in the prosecution's case against him, a case that ultimately convinced a jury to convict 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. Shortly before his death in 1990, Harry Hitchcock the owner of Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Co. asked a longtime family employee, gardener Amos Sands, to visit his grandson in prison on his behalf. 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. "Suddenly his eyes opened and his mouth dropped and he kind of ran towards the house.". I dont know if it will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https://lancasteronline.com. I guess he didnt want him to go to hell.. In the spring and summer of 1985, she asked Wayne Kerr, a young lawyer from Philadelphia, to come down to Naples. She hardly looked at her brother, but when she testified about Scott Benson, she called him "my son. 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. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall is 42 years old. It was full of surprises. 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. And so he appears very much alone. Yesterday, a jury began deliberations on those charges after weeks of riveting testimony involving enormous amounts of money and a tangled family web. Bensons 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. 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. ", When they got back to Naples, Margaret told Steven she wanted to meet with him and Kerr that evening and "talk business." (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. Shocked by the attack, she says that since then, her siblings have been completely uninterested in her physical and emotional well-being. But there were other debits. 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. 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. . According to prosecution evidence, there was even talk that Steven might be cut out of his mother's will. Inmates told investigators that Washington planned to extort $1,000 from Benson within days after arriving at Taylor Correctional Institution. Tracking money - that was my forte, said Dwight Brock, who is now 61 and works as the Collier County Clerk of Courts in Florida. 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. 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. Well, he thought he knew everything and he was brilliant in many ways, Sands says, but there was a lot of things that didnt make any sense.. Mrs. Benson was 63 when she died in the blast. It was just a tragic story. All but 30 remain open investigations. Privacy Policy Agreement * I agree to the Terms of use and Privacy Policy. Reached Friday about her brother's death, she. 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. Prosecutors said it showed that while Carol Lynn owed her mother $118,560.33, Steven's IOU was $268,163.89. He told the attorneys he did not want them standing up and shouting, "I object." The thing that stuck out in my mind was, wow, how easy this is to see what the money did. He just kept a straight face.. The family and everybody just treated his grandmother as Scotts mother, the attorney said. They had so much, and the family dynamic was about as whacked out as you could ask for.. Last Known Contact Information. The three children were to divide the estate equally. Bensons aunt, Murphy, recalls him as being different as well. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. Also on the public record is a 3-year-old paternity suit filed by Scott's former live-in girl. Margaret Benson eventually loaned her son the money but he never did anything with the building, Sands says. 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. There was none. To Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, this question is, in a sense, peripheral. In addition, the Benson Family murder case was the subject of The Serpent's Tooth, a 1987 book by Christopher Andersen. Young had several reasons to suspect Benson. He just wouldnt respond to it, Sands says. 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. He worked in the laundry. ), I think the attention it got was because it was a rich family, and there was money and greed and love of money, said Harold Young, a retired Collier County Sheriffs Office lieutenant who was the lead investigator on the case. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. It was her sister, Margaret, 63, and her nephew, Scott, 21, who had died in a horrific car explosion in Florida. Indeed, Margaret Benson did change her will, but in a terribly ironic touch, the only change was to cut out Wayne Kerr as executor. He was very congenial, very eager to talk, Sands recalls. 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