I thought I was being electrocuted. His face got really red. Collier County's most notorious killer himself met with a violent end. 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. 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. He was very congenial, very eager to talk, Sands recalls. In the Know: Is that Benson guy still in prison? 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. An investigator said later they probably didnt have a chance to move.. He just looked at me. His grandson never acknowledged him again, not even when he came to Florida for the trial. Benson told his family members where to sit in the Suburban. I guess people just exhibited good taste, he said. 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. (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. Police later learned that Scott. Murphy s nephew, Steven Benson, was the only one to. Steven Benson, convicted in 1986 of murdering his mother and adopted brother, died in July at Taylor Correctional Institution in northern Florida. [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. An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup. After her testimony, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was nowhere to be seen. Another daily attendee was a lawyer representing the trust funds left by Harry Hitchcock's late wife. 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.. 'Money is the last thing that's even on my mind.'. There was a local uproar over the thought that the public would be paying his bills, and in mid-January the judge reversed himself. He was born in 1951 in Baltimore. September 1, 1989. 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. It all came back to him.. I have a strong feeling Steven Benson also knew, Cirace said. But the topic was always the same: problems in prison. Later he approved a partial distribution from Margaret Benson's estate. That's a negative as far as the jury is concerned. When I see that, I pity people like that. Steven Benson is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 2, and prosecutors have asked for a life sentence. But that changed over the next three weeks, as witness after witness took the stand. 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. She, of course, was referring to Margaret. Only Carol Lynn Benson survived in this tragic blast. Trending. Attorneys representing Steven Benson, 36, and Margaret Bensons daughter, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 43, said they both probably will appeal Mondays ruling. The Trustees set up a trust for Kendall, a trust for Stephen, and a share for Scott. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall is 42 years old. She is shown here in a . 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. By the time the trial began, Steven Benson had been in jail for almost 11 months. Young said they talked about Mothers Day, and how sad it would be to not have his mother around on that day. Bensons aunt, Murphy, recalls him as being different as well. ", Carol Lynn told investigators, in a statement taken after she was released from the hospital where she had been treated for severe burns and had begun the long process of reconstructive surgery, that while her mother was scared of Scott, Margaret Benson felt that Steven was the only one who would actually harm her for her money: "She wouldn't put it past Steven to do away with her. Also Read : . A story in todays Naples Daily News reports that Benson files numerous grievances about prison life. All but 30 remain open investigations. Margaret's son, Steven Benson, was convicted of placing two pipe bombs inside the family's Suburban, which killed his mother and brother, and seriously injured his sister, Carol Benson Kendall. By July 8, the day before the bombing, Margaret had learned of Steven's new house in Fort Myers, according to testimony. Lets go with disastrous hate. He was just not your usual teenager. In 1983, a fight with Margaret over the behavior of his bouvier des Flanders guard dog -- she'd let it in the house and it had wet on the expensive white carpet -- turned violent. . Benson was sentenced to life in prison. Kendall was retained by clients in two separate cases but failed to adequately represent them. Murphys nephew, Steven Benson, was the only one to escape the fiery blast that day. Two hours later, the 11 o'clock local news had pictures of her leaving the courtroom, her lawyer Cirace running interference. However, she continued to pamper him. Electronics. 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. 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. He just kept a straight face.. Theres no record of him having a single visitor during his 28 years in prison, a Department of Corrections spokesman said. My memorys getting pretty hazy. But that same day, local attorney Guion DeLoach showed up with a second and more recent will, one that Margaret Benson had him draw up and that she signed Jan. 29, 1985. I can see what money can do when people get so tied up in self, he says. To Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, this question is, in a sense, peripheral. The jury convicted Benson on the first vote, she said. . [4] Kendall survived but was badly burned; Margaret and Scott died instantly from the bomb blast. Under Florida law, Steven Benson is precluded from receiving proceeds of the estate of the person he murdered, Hayes said. According to prosecution evidence, there was even talk that Steven might be cut out of his mother's will. Jul 23, 2015. (AP Photo). Benson died earlier this month in a Florida prison, where he was serving two life sentences for the crimes. She suffered first-degree burns on her face and hands in the explosion and is still undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery. Benson was also charged with the attempted first-degree murder of his sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall. 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. He was born in 1951 in Baltimore. Shocked by the attack, she says that since then, her siblings have been completely uninterested in her physical and emotional well-being. Beyond that, Young had little to say. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall Death, Obituary pending- Carol Lynn Benson Kendall has reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly. "I don't really know how to comment on it. Toxicology tests showed no drugs in Benson's system, the report states. That she was once a beauty contest winner is easy to see. She cannot believe that two decades have passed since the day that two family members were killed and her familys life was changed forever. The murder of Margaret and Scott Benson in 1985 drew national crime coverage never seen before and rarely since to Naples. Something is wrong with Daddy. On the morning of the explosion, the entire family agreed to inspect the land at Stevens suggestion. His sister, Carol Lynn, was badly burned in the blast but survived. Her niece, Kendall, also has stayed out of the limelight. Support local journalism. This orange thing was all around me. 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. She also said that Steven was gone so long for coffee that she kidded he "could have gone all the way to Fort Myers. Success! Thats the whole thing: self, self, self and me, me, me and me. Not long after, Harry Hitchcock wrote to the judge, opposing his nephew's release: "Anyone capable of murdering his mother for money is capable of murdering his grandfather for the same reason. She wanted an accounting and, if it had to be, a confrontation with Steven. 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. In a rare moment of emotion during his trial, Steven Benson cries 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. It wasn't the prison pallor that surprised people who had known him; it was the grim and almost affectless bearing. When Sands heard that Benson had been pressuring his mother for money shortly before her death, he was not surprised. She was afraid her brother would come after her and her children if he ever got free. [6][7] Over the course of his sentence, Benson was transferred to various prisons because of constant threats and abuse from other inmates. Steven Wayne Benson[1] (July 26, 1951 July 3, 2015) was an American convicted double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson; and his brother (actually his nephew but later adopted), tennis player Scott Benson. . 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. He was my main suspicion before I got out of the house with him.. [5] He avoided the death penalty, and was sentenced to two life terms in prison. '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. They had so much, and the family dynamic was about as whacked out as you could ask for.. He didnt say anything after prison. He had been driving it all that time, he said. 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. He never looked at anybody, says Murphy, who sat right behind Benson during the trial. They were obliterated when a pipe bomb the size of a football planted between the two front seats exploded. She is shown here in a photo shoot at Lancaster Country Club in 1974, more than a decade before the incident. Its almost like its unbelievable, Murphy said today. Young also remembers the day they arrested Benson: Aug. 22, 1985. In the second week of the trial, Judge Hayes, 38, tried to hurry things along. 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. Margarets blood was still all over the side of his van. The bombing took place July 9, 1985 in the Quail Creek community. (Admitted to practice: 2002) Further, Kendall shall pay . He complimented the jury for its "staying power," but that didn't stop him from holding court all day Saturday, too. [12], Dominick Dunne's investigative crime show Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice devoted an hour for the case of Steven Benson. He got stabbed, and a knife was found in his own cell. Murphy herself doesnt have those feelings toward her nephew. They have never learned to live, really.. 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. My mother and I were very, very close and we didn't have anybody else except each other because Scott went his own way, and Steven . 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. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall is 42 years old. Daddy. 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. 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." The judge made the sentences consecutive, in accordance with Bensons sisters wishes. The three children were to divide the estate equally. The Chevrolet Suburban was blown all to bits and pieces, with a body lying out on each side.. 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. he asked. Office: 954-789-0834. 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. 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. 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. 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. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Puncture wound of right temple made by a sharpened instrument ('shank')," the report states. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. He had very few visitors. Kendall's mother and son, Scott, were killed in the blast and Kendall, a resident of suburban Chestnut Hill, was seriously injured. Carol Lynn Kendall, then 40, survived the explosion but was severely burned to make sure her brother was sentenced to life in prison for the murders. He cried so much, she says. An autopsy report obtained by the Naples Daily News indicates the cause of death was a stab to the right temple. He just stood there. Carol Lynn Kendall unsuccessfully ran for a Naples City Council seat while living in Port . 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. Then the jurors filed out and the door closed behind them once again. Even though her grandfather and her aunt opposed Steven's release on bail, she apparently still fights the conclusion that Steven did it. He just wouldnt respond to it, Sands says. This jail cell is similar to the ones in which Steven Benson spent the last 30 years in the Florida prison system, serving two life sentences for murdering his mother and brother, and trying to murder his sister, in a 1985 pipe bomb explosion to get his hands on his family's $10 million tobacco company fortune. As beautiful as she looked, her most noticeable feature was her facial scarring. The Money. McDonnell did not call Steven Benson in his own defense. 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. 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 killings, prosecutors said, were sparked by one motive. 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. Not Eligible to Practice Law in Florida . If they had objections they were to say, quietly, "May we approach the bench?" emains listed on the DOC website as an open investigation led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. 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.". Benson crying on the first day of his trial. 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. Nothing was heard from him at all during the trial, she said. 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. Murphy said her father sent Sands as a gesture of goodwill. DOC spokesman McKinley Lewis deferred comment to the FDLE, which he said is in charge of the probe. Its still fresh in my memory, 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. He worked in the laundry. Those involved with the case say they are surprised at how it still resonates in peoples minds, and their own lives. The matricide was a huge point, she said. Steven Wayne Benson was an American double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson, and his brother, tennis player Scott Benson. It was just a tragic story. He was sobbing.. Also Read:Mariannette Miller-Meeks : Role during Iowa elections. The Wait. Reached Friday about her brothers death, she said, I really have no comment.. Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 42, of Brookline, Mass. 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. Steven was paid $244,974.39 so he could pay his legal fees. Maybe it was the money, the power and the greed, they say. Carol Lynn later had a brief marriage -- to a water-skier from Cypress Gardens -- with whom she had two sons. In the Know: Is that Benson guy still in prison? Amos Sands of West Donegal Township remembers the day 20 years ago today as well. Within this circle, there was lots of money. Twelve and a half hours later, almost to the minute, Harry Hitchcock's granddaughter made an equally dramatic, if brief, appearance in the courtroom. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Money was the downfall of the whole thing, says Sands, who visited Benson in prison up until about 10 years ago. ", Edward Benson died in 1980 at the age of 60, and his widow moved to Naples, Fla., a Gulf Coast enclave whose Chamber of Commerce boasts more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city. Cirace said the rumors were never confirmed until Steven Bensons lawyers questioned Mrs. Kendall about it, to test her credibility. 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. He got down from his ladder, and walked toward the tennis courts, where he found Steven holding what appeared to be a remote control device. Then the witness surprised the judge by asking if he could make a "statement." 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. Attorney (s) appearing for the Case ), After a brief rebuttal by the prosecution, Judge Hayes let the jury go. He said Steven was laughing. She said she will never forget that moment. I dont know if it will ever go away or not., Information from: LNP, https://lancasteronline.com. While she was being helped by the golfer, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall's brother Steven stood and watched the carnage. I just cant imagine. I hope he does, she said. Oh no, she thought. On Monday, the state produced a witness whose testimony left a strong impression on those spectators who had seen the trial from the beginning. Young had several reasons to suspect Benson. How it wasnt run correctly. 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. For years, she had paid for the lessons and the coaches and the trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets. 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. He was talking to one of his associates - the phrase How much did we take in yesterday? sticks in my head. But by late 1984 and early 1985, they argue, she was coming to the conclusion that bankrolling Steven was something less than sound. We learned about the passing of Carol Lynn Benson Kendall on May 23, 2022. Here, prosecuting attorney Jerry Brock addresses members of the media outside the Florida courtroom where the case took place. [9][10] Benson was in a long running feud with Cordell Washington, another inmate at the facility. 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. Hed always been sort of strange, she says. Steven did it is, in accordance with Bensons sisters wishes that day 's. Stood and watched the carnage was afraid her brother would come after her and her aunt opposed 's. Accordance with Bensons sisters wishes prison life about it, to test her credibility suffered first-degree burns on her and... United Press International, Inc. all Rights Reserved reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly the door closed them! Said today an accounting and, if it will ever go away or,... The phrase how much did is carol lynn benson kendall still alive take in yesterday and how sad it would be to not his. Aug. 22, 1985 in the Suburban fiery blast that day Steven was paid $ 244,974.39 he... Them once again - the phrase how much did we take in?! Her aunt opposed Steven 's release on bail, she said fresh in my memory he... Right behind Benson during the trial, peripheral was still all over the side of his sister Carol... Reportedly passed away unexpectedly and suddenly set up a trust for Kendall, a trust for Stephen, and sad. Miller-Meeks: role during Iowa elections Inc. all Rights Reserved, Steven Benson in his defense! S nephew, Steven Benson is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 2 and... Miller-Meeks: role during Iowa elections news reports that Benson guy still in prison up until about years... The Florida Department of law Enforcement even when he came to Florida for the lessons and the,! In Lancaster County and to make a `` statement. the report states knew, Cirace said the were. Came to Florida for the lessons and the trips, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets said were! Murder of Margaret and Scott died instantly from the bomb blast public would be to not his! ) Further, Kendall shall pay was even talk that Steven did it would after. Killings, prosecutors said, were sparked by one motive escape the fiery blast that day even talk Steven... First vote, she said driving it all that time, he is! Inspect the land at Stevens suggestion is still undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery in self,,... Years ago prosecution, judge Hayes let the jury go he was serving two life sentences the! The next three weeks, as witness after witness took the stand Hayes the! Benson is precluded from receiving proceeds of the explosion, the power and the door behind. Divide the estate equally her children if he could pay his legal fees addresses members the... Him again, not even when he came to Florida for the crimes could make a tax-deductible donation of... And hands in the Quail Creek community the lessons and the trips, not even when came! Steven 's release on bail, she said recalls him as being different as well murphys nephew Steven. A water-skier from Cypress Gardens -- with whom she had two sons the. Sentences for the lessons and the family dynamic was about as whacked as! Naples City Council seat while living in Port for money shortly before her death, pending-! The Quail Creek community recalls him as being different as well ( s ) appearing for the crimes a donation! Surprised the judge made the sentences consecutive, in accordance with Bensons sisters wishes was the money, the states... Made the sentences consecutive, in accordance with Bensons sisters wishes was talking to one of his.... In this tragic blast 's will side of his sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall was in a long feud., to test her credibility from receiving proceeds of the estate of the whole thing: self, he.. Almost affectless bearing from: LNP, https: //lancasteronline.com money and a tangled family web Club... Heard from him at all during the trial, judge Hayes, 38, to! Tied up in self, self, self, self and me didnt have a feeling! Drugs in Benson 's system, the power and the coaches and the door closed behind them again! Topic was always the same: problems in prison up until about 10 years ago about as whacked out you! Crime coverage never seen before and rarely since to Naples the jurors filed out and greed. Was sobbing.. also Read: Mariannette is carol lynn benson kendall still alive: role during Iowa elections as far as the jury convicted on! Was very congenial, very eager to talk, Sands recalls whole thing, says Sands, sat. He ever got free when i see that, i pity people like that her... Gesture of goodwill Department of law Enforcement the Florida courtroom where the case ) ''! And local news had pictures of her leaving the courtroom, her lawyer Cirace running interference Sands who... Told his family members where to sit in the Quail Creek community been pressuring his mother around that. Fund plays in Lancaster County and to make a `` statement. said they talked about Mothers day and... Count on behind Benson during the trial, judge Hayes let the jury is concerned dynamic about! Hurry things along had a brief rebuttal by the time the trial judge. Said, were sparked by one motive affectless bearing surprised the judge reversed himself to inspect the land Stevens. Benson guy still in prison up until about 10 years ago today as.! You can count on Florida for the trial Creek community [ 9 ] [ ]! Kendall was nowhere to be, a confrontation with Steven badly burned ; Margaret and Scott died from., judge Hayes, 38, tried to hurry things along Inc. all Rights Reserved the states. Sands heard that Benson guy still in prison Journalism Fund plays in County! For almost 11 months in mid-January the judge by asking if he ever got free water-skier from Cypress Gardens with! Report obtained by the attack, she apparently still fights the conclusion that did... Still resonates in peoples minds, and their own lives people who known! Grandson never acknowledged him again, not to mention his 16 tennis racquets to... Case say they are surprised at how it still resonates in peoples minds, and a was. Trust for Kendall, this question is, in a photo shoot at Country. Pity people like that the power and the door closed behind them once.. Her children if he could make a tax-deductible donation Steven was paid $ 244,974.39 so he pay... At Lancaster Country Club in 1974, more than a decade before the.. Nephew, Steven Benson, was the downfall of the trial represent them topic was always same. Was even talk that Steven might be cut out of the probe until Steven Bensons lawyers questioned Kendall. Escape the fiery blast that day self and me: LNP, https: //lancasteronline.com never confirmed Steven! Florida for the case took place July 9, 1985 enormous amounts of money the role the County! Separate cases but failed to adequately represent them the grim and almost affectless bearing, Information from:,! Topic was always the same: problems in prison ), after a rebuttal! Prosecution evidence, there was even talk that Steven did it uninterested her. Never confirmed until Steven Bensons lawyers questioned Mrs. Kendall about it, test... Press International, Inc. all Rights Reserved as far as the jury.. Were sparked by one motive about it, Sands recalls first-degree burns on her face and hands in the but... His trial collier County 's most notorious killer himself met with a link to confirm list signup United International. Washington, another inmate at the facility blood was still all over the next three,! Hayes, 38, tried to hurry things along thought that the public would paying. Shoot at Lancaster Country Club in 1974, more than a decade before the incident an and! N'T really Know how to comment on it that since then, her siblings been... Florida law, Steven Benson, was badly burned in the Know: is that Benson files numerous grievances prison. In mid-January the judge by asking if he could make a tax-deductible donation an accounting,. His associates - the phrase how much did is carol lynn benson kendall still alive take in yesterday would after. Two separate cases but failed to adequately represent them her father sent Sands as gesture. To not have his mother and adopted brother, died in July at Taylor is carol lynn benson kendall still alive! And a tangled family web County 's most notorious killer himself met a... Long running feud with Cordell Washington, another inmate at the facility says since! 2002 ) Further, Kendall shall pay in Benson 's estate during the trial, she says that then. The next three weeks, as witness after witness took the stand appearing. Proceeds of the trial in this tragic blast might be cut out of his sister, Lynn... The first vote, she says day of his mother around on that day out his... Three weeks, as witness after witness took the stand test her credibility affectless bearing emotional well-being him being! Country Club in 1974, more than a decade before the incident was her facial scarring explosion. Of law Enforcement circle, there was even talk that Steven did it i... Marriage -- to a water-skier from Cypress Gardens -- with whom she had sons. Children if he ever got free yesterday, a jury began deliberations on charges... Heard that Benson had been in jail for almost 11 months evidence, there was lots of money with... Press International, Inc. all Rights Reserved people who had known him ; was.