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 Lynn testified that she thought Scott's being there was a "silly request. Steven Benson blew up his mother and brother, and tried to kill his sister, to get a $10 million fortune. And he put a lot of planning in it but never covered his tracks at all., Tom Schelling, whom the Benson family had on the payroll to do maintenance and construction around their many estates, said he has known Steven Benson since high school. He was going to turn it into an apartment house. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 2719 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a Sept. 22 court order. 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. 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. 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. However, she continued to pamper him. The three children were to divide the estate equally. "Suddenly his eyes opened and his mouth dropped and he kind of ran towards the house.". Steven said he was sorry but that he already had a business meeting. Dwight Brock was an assistant state attorney in Florida, specializing in white collar crime, when Steven Benson was arrested. It was just a tragic story. He was very congenial, very eager to talk, Sands recalls. But showing little emotion after that. Bensons aunt, Murphy, recalls him as being different as well. Young also remembers the day they arrested Benson: Aug. 22, 1985. You know, he wouldnt say yes or no or nothing. . Benson was 33, just five years younger than Bennett at the time. Carol 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. 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 prison records, Benson listed the oldest of his three children, twins Victoria and Christopher, as his next of kin. [12], Dominick Dunne's investigative crime show Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice devoted an hour for the case of Steven Benson. The matricide was a huge point, she said. For his work, the man who once stood to gain millions received no compensation, prison officials said. Related story: Naples pipe bomb killer Steven Benson dies in prison. 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. The Wait. She cannot believe that two decades have passed since the day that two family members were killed and her familys life was changed forever. 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. 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." Justice is justice," he said. He was the last person to drive the SUV. The murder of Margaret and Scott Benson in 1985 drew national crime coverage never seen before and rarely since to Naples. But by late 1984 and early 1985, they argue, she was coming to the conclusion that bankrolling Steven was something less than sound. I know it happened to me and my family, she says, but it seems so surreal.. They had a heckuva fight out of it, he says. And then, at the last minute, he went back into the house, supposedly because he had forgotten a tape measure. That's a negative as far as the jury is concerned. I had never known anyone like this before. On the morning of the blast, prosecutors said, Benson drove the vehicle shortly before the explosion, allegedly to get doughnuts at a nearby convenience store. 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. After nearly three decades behind bars, Benson died July 3 at 63, the same age his mother, Margaret Hitchcock Benson, was when she was killed by a pipe bomb he planted in her Chevrolet Suburban in the familys North Naples driveway in 1985. But Kendall, who was injured. Photo Gallery. FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said the agency had no updated information as of Friday afternoon. 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. The Herald also reported that it was common knowledge among certain of Steven's childhood friends that he liked to make bombs. In the Know: Is that Benson guy still in prison? 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. malevolent." Theres no record of him having a single visitor during his 28 years in prison, a Department of Corrections spokesman said. I have a strong feeling Steven Benson also knew, Cirace said. Not just Steven, but the whole family was just ugly. Under Florida law, Steven Benson is precluded from receiving proceeds of the estate of the person he murdered, Hayes said. Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. There was an error processing your request. It r Also on the public record is a 3-year-old paternity suit filed by Scott's former live-in girl. There were local TV stations every night that had local reporters critiquing what I was doing, McDonnell said. After Harry Hitchcock had health problems in the late 1950s, Edward ran the company for him. Money was the downfall of the whole thing, says Sands, who visited Benson in prison up until about 10 years ago. When Sands heard that Benson had been pressuring his mother for money shortly before her death, he was not surprised. Menu. The judge made the sentences consecutive, in accordance with Bensons sisters wishes. 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. The problems, Sands says, were all Benson wanted to talk about during the visits. 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. He had very few visitors. I can see what money can do when people get so tied up in self, he says. 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. Dysfunction, said Patty Bennett, a juror on the case, trying to describe the Benson family. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. By the time the closing statements were presented, the evidence was clear, Bennett said. It was obvious he was spending his mothers money on himself and his family, Brock said. 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. People are interested in that, and the way it was done every day, people dont blow up their mother and brother and sister in a prominent part of Naples., Young described Benson as calm, calculated, coldblooded., He thought he could get away with it, Young said. He was sobbing.. A month later, the Naples police arrested Steven Benson and charged him with two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder. 10-Year Discipline History: . Carol Kendall was born on 07/08/1944 and is 78 years old. Margaret and Scott died instantly, and Caroline was rushed to the hospital with severe burns. She was crying. ", The jowly and bespectacled witness testified that Steven's company books were a mess, with checkbook entries missing and no balance carried forward. He cried so much, she says. 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. A jury convicted Steven Benson of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling. I thought I was being electrocuted. 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. Murphy declined to say where she now is living and says she does not see her regularly. Debra divorced Steven shortly after his August 22, 1985, arrest. 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. 'It's hard for me to even put into words the devastation emotionally that this has caused me and my children,' Kendall told reporters at Logan International Airport after flying home from Florida. And he complained. Steven Benson was taken into police custody on August 22, 1985, after being accused of blowing up his family in a Chevy Suburban in the driveway of their Naples, Fla., home on July 9 of the same year. 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. Hed claimed he had no money to pay his attorneys, so he claimed indigency -- and Judge Hayes approved the claim. He just looked at me. 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. Its almost like its unbelievable, Murphy said today. Benson, then 33, was running out of it and wanted to inherit his mother's. 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. Steven Benson killed his mother and brother in an attempt to get his hands on the familys $10 million tobacco fortune. Lancaster was the hometown of the wealthy Benson family and the case received coverage . Instead, he died in prison, leaving behind just $30.06 in his commissary fund. If they had objections they were to say, quietly, "May we approach the bench?" He is a good brother. To my knowledge, Scott never confronted his mother with the question. Benson wanted to kill his mother and siblings so he could be sole heir to the familys $10 million estate, police believed. There had been general rumors (about the boys parentage) going around Lancaster, where the family was brought up, Cirace said. 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. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Scott tried to start the vehicle, she testified, "and immediately after that I was surrounded by this orange thing.". Support local journalism. 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. I dont know if it will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https://lancasteronline.com. It was full of surprises. 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. Eyebrows were raised in the affluent Benson neighborhood, but Margaret prevailed and she raised the boy as her son. It seemed like a dumb thing." 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. The jury was left with one noticeable absence from the list of witnesses. Kendall was retained by clients in two separate cases but failed to adequately represent them. Hes had no contact at all.. Once Benson was in custody, investigators questioned him until he invoked his right to call an attorney. 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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. 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. Collier Judge Hugh Hayes presided over the trial. 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. 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. Oh no, she thought. 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. I walk into a restaurant and people say, Didnt you do the Benson case? 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. She is shown here in a . Benson died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. 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 also said that Steven was gone so long for coffee that she kidded he "could have gone all the way to Fort Myers. Also Read : . The bills were sent to and paid for by Margaret. A woman at the local medical examiners office said no information about his death could be released due to the pending investigation, including whether or not his body had been claimed by relatives. Benson crying on the first day of his trial. Murphy does not know whether the couple, who had three children, later divorced. Benson, he recalled, had a reputation as a wimp., He didnt fit in, Schelling said. Benson was sentenced to life in prison. An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup. And she also contradicted the wake testimony regarding bombs. He just ignored it.. Then the witness surprised the judge by asking if he could make a "statement." For years, she had paid for the lessons and the coaches and the trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets. She wanted an accounting and, if it had to be, a confrontation with Steven. 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. An investigator said later they probably didnt have a chance to move.. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. At first, Murphy thought her niece, Carol Lynn Kendall, 40, also had died, but she found out that she was badly burned but had survived. 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. Theyre all dead.. After her testimony, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was nowhere to be seen. 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