She, of course, was referring to Margaret. According to prosecution evidence, there was even talk that Steven might be cut out of his mother's will. The only survivor of the blast, Steven Benson's sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, testifies about the explosion and injuries she sustained. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. He had been driving it all that time, he said. Nor was he surprised when prosecutors said Benson had murdered his mother and sister to get at the familys fortune. And he is an arbitrator within the family when things go wrong., Steven started to cry. In addition, the Benson Family murder case was the subject of The Serpent's Tooth, a 1987 book by Christopher Andersen. Then the witness surprised the judge by asking if he could make a "statement." 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 Prosecution. The first thing he said was, Well, Steve done it, you know that. He thought that right away, Sands, now 81, remembered today. 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. I just cant imagine. 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. She cannot believe that two decades have passed since the day that two family members were killed and her familys life was changed forever. He was sobbing.. I remember when my sister had him here was this baby and then he ends up killing her. Dad was very religious, she said. And so he appears very much alone. He was born in 1951 in Baltimore. Carl Westman, a Naples attorney named to represent Margaret Benson's estate, usually sat with Cirace. 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. 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. 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. [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. . The Trustees set up a trust for Kendall, a trust for Stephen, and a share for Scott. After Benson was convicted, Hitchcock asked Sands to visit Benson in prison. Bensons wife never attended the trial. When the police questioned him about the trip, he said he was delayed when he ran into some people he knew; but Steven was unable to provide the police with their names. She thought he had been embezzling family funds and had called her attorney to check into it. . Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. It was very weird. She is shown here in a . View our. 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.. 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. Benson, they learned, had been pressuring his mother for money. Kendall was injured in the car-bomb that killed her son, Scott Benson, and mother, Margaret . Photo Gallery. 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. Later he approved a partial distribution from Margaret Benson's estate. The feud went back to at least 2012 after a series of assaults by Washington. Instead, he died in prison, leaving behind just $30.06 in his commissary fund. Collier Judge Hugh Hayes presided over the trial. Within this circle, there was lots of money. Harold Young, the lead Collier County sheriff's detective who pegged Benson as his primary suspect the day of the killings, said he is more surprised by the length of the investigation than the way Benson died. Kendall's mother and son, Scott, were killed in the blast and Kendall, a resident of suburban Chestnut Hill, was seriously injured. He just looked at me. Hed always been sort of strange, she says. I walk into a restaurant and people say, Didnt you do the Benson case? But Murphy will never forget how the deaths affected her father. ", The jowly and bespectacled witness testified that Steven's company books were a mess, with checkbook entries missing and no balance carried forward. We learned about the passing of Carol Lynn Benson Kendall on May 23, 2022. The explosion was so loud that golfers ran off the course to see what had happened. 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." People had suspicions as to why, after having two children of her own, all of a sudden Mrs. Benson adopts a third.. Steven Benson denied all requests for media interviews. 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. For his work, the man who once stood to gain millions received no compensation, prison officials said. 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. 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. Support local journalism. You can also browse other available content for Carol Lynn Benson Kendall on IMDb such as filmography, trivia, personal details, etc. 'Money is the last thing that's even on my mind.'. She hardly looked at her brother, but when she testified about Scott Benson, she called him "my son. 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. 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. 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. Margarets blood was still all over the side of his van. ", Once all was set, she testified, Steven handed Scott the keys, and then said he had forgotten something and headed back toward the house. But Kendall, who was injured. Support local journalism. He had very few visitors. Murphys father, Harry Hitchcock, was fine. Attorney (s) appearing for the Case The Money. Beyond that, Young had little to say. It was like . Maybe it was the money, the power and the greed, they say. He didnt say anything after prison. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Moments later, a second bomb, this one planted in the rear of the vehicle, exploded. US fails miserably against Russia at the crucial UN Vote. Mail Address: Law Offices of Carol Lynn B Kendall, Esq 2719 Hollywood Blvd Ste 164 Hollywood, FL 33020-4821. McDonnell did succeed in keeping the jury from hearing the testimony of the groundskeeper who had said he had seen Steven playing with a remote-control bomb device in Pennsylvania, but he was not able to stop a former employe from telling the jury that at the wake, Steven mentioned to a small group that he had "made bombs as a kid.". The judge did another unusual thing. Most recently, he was assigned as a houseman, performing maintenance and cleaning duties. 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. One pulled Kendall, who was screaming, Im hot! He wanted his own way and he was going to get it one way or another, he says. 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. An investigator said later they probably didnt have a chance to move.. Scott was an aspiring tennis professional, but apparently the aspirations were Margaret's rather than his. 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. 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. Please enable JavaScript to properly view our site. "Malevolent" is what the prosecutors for the state call 35-year-old Steven Benson. Carol 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. And then, at the last minute, he went back into the house, supposedly because he had forgotten a tape measure. 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. Benson died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. 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. 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. Margaret Benson eventually loaned her son the money but he never did anything with the building, Sands says. It continued to prosper, and eventually both families had what some people call "real money," and what others disdain as "nouveau. After his first marriage also failed, Benson married a farm worker from his familys tobacco empire. Benson, he recalled, had a reputation as a wimp., He didnt fit in, Schelling said. 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. Young had several reasons to suspect Benson. 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. The bills were sent to and paid for by Margaret. Nervously at first, but then more calmly, she testified in response to the prosecutor's questions. And finally, there was the issue of Steven's apparent history of playing with explosives. 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 's cause of death is unknown to us at this time. Carol Lynn Kendall testifies during the trial of her brother, Steven Benson, during his 1986 trial. 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. Benson said he first went to get coffee and doughnuts at a nearby store. Murphy declined to say where she now is living and says she does not see her regularly. (One witness, Scott's psychiatrist, testified that the young man had a serious nitrous oxide habit, which had started when he'd go to the supermarket and sniff Reddi-Whip cans. Lancaster was the hometown of the wealthy Benson family and the case received coverage . Benson never bothering to wash his mothers blood spatters from the side of his white van, which he had parked near the blown-apart Suburban, and which he was still driving on the day police showed up to arrest him for the killings, a month and a half later. Nobody else had time to put a bomb in there, Young said. There was an error processing your request. Carol Lynn Kendall unsuccessfully ran for a Naples City Council seat while living in Port . Simpson trial before the O.J. An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup. Simpson trial, a gripping tale of a wealthy family torn apart by murder and avarice. Steven was paid $244,974.39 so he could pay his legal fees. He returned and got everyone into the Suburban and then went back into the house to retrieve a tape measure. 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. ", After almost four hours of final argument, and another hour of his carefully read instructions, Judge Hayes gave the case to the jury at 2:06 yesterday afternoon. A jury convicted Steven Benson of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and arson of a dwelling. A lot. 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. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 2719 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 164, Hollywood, disbarred effective immediately, following a Sept. 22 court order. ), 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. 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. BOSTON -- Tobacco heiress Carol Lynn Benson Kendall said Wednesday she has no intention of cutting her brother's children out of the family fortune despite his conviction of murdering her mother and son. You know, he wouldnt say yes or no or nothing. As the lead investigator in the Collier County Sheriffs Department, Harold Young was one of the first people to answer the call about a bombing at Margaret Bensons home in a gated golf course community on the morning of July 9, 1985. Reached Friday about her brothers death, she said, I really have no comment.. Steven Benson killed his mother and brother in an attempt to get his hands on the familys $10 million tobacco fortune. Jul 23, 2015. The jury deliberated just 12 hours before finding Benson guilty. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Menu. 20 years later, friends and family still try to make sense of Benson murders: 'It still seems unreal', By opting into newsletters you are agreeing to our. Is Carol Lynn Benson Kendall still alive? Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation? McDonnell argued that palm print identification is not reliable. Through taxes, disbursements and attorneys fees, the estate has dwindled from $10 million to about $1.2 million, said Carl Westman, the estates attorney. On July 11, two days after Margaret and Scott Benson were killed, Wayne Kerr, the lawyer from Philadelphia, filed a 1983 will that named him executor of the estate. His second wife Debra was not in the courtroom, or even in Florida. Behind bars, Benson has worked in the laundry and on a painting detail. It is said that she has taken their three children and returned to her small Wisconsin home town. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay restitution of $1,075 to one client. Thats how Margaret died. I never saw him cry as much as he did with the Challenger. The three children were to divide the estate equally. To that end, he held court one day from 8:30 in the morning, his usual opening time, to 10 that night. He had retained Naples attorney Michael McDonnell. Something is wrong with Daddy. Though police initially called the blast, caused by two pipe bombs, a big mystery, it didnt take them long to zero on one suspect: Steven Benson. Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. I dont know if it will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https://lancasteronline.com. 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. Steven's defense case, which lasted from Saturday, July 26, to last Monday, was marred by fights over the late introduction of witnesses (at one point Judge Hayes told the defense that such a practice was "just damn bush") and frequent bench conferences that resulted in the jury's being excused for the day. It came to an average monthly payment of more than $10,000, or a grand total of "around a quarter of a million dollars.". To my knowledge, Scott never confronted his mother with the question. . Benson died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. And there was lots of squabbling over who got what. He told the attorneys he did not want them standing up and shouting, "I object." He thought he was better than everybody else.. And Steven usually drove when we were together. The prosecution's evidence is entirely circumstantial. He is also charged with the attempted murder of his sister, Carol Lynn. And he complained. It seemed like a dumb thing." This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. She was afraid her brother would come after her and her children if he ever got free. ", As for the positioning of the vehicle's occupants, "I thought it was awfully strange that Scott was driving. 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. In the Know: Is that Benson guy still in prison? 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. United Press International, Inc. all Rights Reserved to and paid for by Margaret, remembered.! Prosecutor 's questions convicted, Hitchcock asked Sands to visit Benson in prison of assaults by Washington could a! Mother 's will Malevolent '' is what the prosecutors for the crimes the greed, they,. Everyone into the house, supposedly because he had forgotten a tape measure want them up. 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