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| Wrestler Benoit Had Tragic Family Secret; WSBTV: Thursday, June 28, 2007 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 17 2012, 09:14 AM (90 Views) | |
| Entity | Apr 17 2012, 09:14 AM Post #1 |
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FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. — An attorney for World Wrestling Entertainment says that in the days before the deaths of Chris Benoit, his wife and seven-year-old son, the couple argued over whether he should stay home more to take care of the mentally retarded boy. Jerry McDevitt said care for the boy -- who had a rare genetic disorder called Fragile X Syndrome -- was "a source of stress and consternation" for Benoit and his wife. Two days before he and his family were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide, pro wrestler Chris Benoit told co-workers his wife and son had food poisoning and were throwing up, according to World Wrestling Entertainment. McDevitt says the subject of caring for the child complicated the Benoits' relationship. He said it was something they both constantly struggled with. McDevitt said the wrestling organization learned from the couple's friends and relatives that the Benoits were trying to determine where to send the boy to school since he had recently finished kindergarten. He also said Benoit's wife didn't want him to quit wrestling, but she "wanted him to be at home more to care for Daniel." She would say she could not take care of him by herself when Benoit was on the road. Benoit's personal physician says the wrestler visited his office on Friday and showed no signs of distress or rage. Dr. Phil Astin, who said he was Benoit's longtime friend and physician, said he had prescribed testosterone to Benoit because he suffered from low amounts of the hormone. He said the condition likely originated from previous steroid use. He would not say what, if any, medications he prescribed the day of the meeting. Text Messages Released Benoit strangled his wife, suffocated his 7-year-old son and placed a Bible next to their bodies before hanging himself with a weight-machine pulley, authorities said Tuesday. Authorities offered no motive for the killings, which were spread out over the weekend and discovered Monday. No suicide note was found. On Saturday, Benoit called a co-worker to say he had missed a flight and would be late for a wrestling event in Texas, WWE said in a timeline posted Tuesday on its Web site. The co-worker said Benoit sounded tired and groggy and said "I love you," which the co-worker found "out of context," WWE said. When a co-worker who usually travels with Benoit called him later from the Houston airport, Benoit told the co-worker his wife, Nancy, was throwing up blood and that his son, Daniel, also was throwing up. Benoit said he thought it was food poisoning, according to WWE. After Benoit talked to a WWE Talent Relations representative, the representative suggested Benoit try to make it to a pay-per-view event in Houston since he would not be able to make it to the live event in Beaumont, Texas. But early Sunday, two co-workers received a series of text messages from the cell phones of Benoit and his wife. Most stated his home address in Fayetteville, about 20 miles south of Atlanta. One message from Benoit's phone said: "The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open," according to WWE. The text messages led WWE to ask authorities to check on Benoit and his family. District Attorney Scott Ballard said the messages appeared to be an attempt by Benoit to get someone to the home to find the bodies after his suicide. Nancy Filed For Divorce In 2003 Investigators found anabolic steroids in the house and want to know whether the muscle man nicknamed "The Canadian Crippler" was unhinged by the bodybuilding drugs, which can cause paranoia, depression and explosive outbursts known as "roid rage." Nancy Benoit accused her husband of domestic abuse and filed for divorce in 2003, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She claimed in court filings she was intimidated by threats of violence from her husband, the newspaper reported. A judge issued a restraining order against Chris Benoit and barred him from the couple's home. Later that year Nancy Benoit asked to have both the divorce filing and the protective order dismissed. No Motive "In a community like this it's bizarre to have a murder-suicide, especially involving the death of a 7-year-old," Ballard said. "I don't think we'll ever be able to wrap our minds around this." He said Benoit's 43-year-old wife was killed Friday in an upstairs family room, and her feet and wrists were bound and there was blood under her head, indicating a possible struggle. Daniel was probably killed late Saturday or early Sunday, and his body was found in his bed, the district attorney said. Benoit, 40, apparently hanged himself hours later, Ballard said. His body was found in a downstairs weight room hanging from the pulley of a piece of exercise equipment. The prosecutor said it appeared the wrestler remained in the house for up to a day with the bodies. Ballard said he found the timing of the murder-suicide disturbing. "It would appear some period of time elapsed between the death of the two victims and the suicide," said Ballard during a Tuesday afternoon news conference. "It struck me as somewhat bizarre that he would even be in the home with their bodies." The boy had old needle marks in his arms, Ballard said. He said he had been told the parents considered him undersized and had given him growth hormones. "The boy was very small, even dwarfed," Ballard said. Toxicology test results may not be available for weeks or even months, Ballard said. As for whether steroids played a role in the crime, he said: "We don't know yet. That's one of the things we'll be looking at." Benoit received drug deliveries from a Florida business that sold steroids, human growth hormone and testosterone on the Internet, according to the Albany County, N.Y., District Attorney's Office, which is investigating the business, MedXLife.com. Six people, including two of the pharmacy's owners, have pleaded guilty in the investigation, and 20 more have been arrested, including doctors and pharmacists. The WWE, based in Stamford, Conn., issued a statement Tuesday saying steroids "were not and could not be related to the cause of death." "The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage," the company said, adding that Benoit tested negative April 10, the last time he was tested for drugs. Steroids have been linked to the deaths of several professional wrestlers in recent years. Eddie Guerrero, one of Benoit's best friends, died in 2005 from heart failure linked to long-term steroid use. The father of Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig blamed steroids and painkillers for Hennig's drug overdose death in 2003. Davey Boy Smith, the "British Bulldog," died in 2002 from heart failure that a coroner said was probably caused by steroids. The 40-year-old Benoit, a native of Canada, was a former world heavyweight champion, Intercontinental champion and held several tag-team titles over his career. Benoit was scheduled to perform at the "Vengeance" pay-per-view event Sunday night in Houston, but was replaced at the last minute because of what announcer Jim Ross called "personal reasons." Benoit maintained a home in metro Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the defunct World Championship Wrestling. The federal-style house is in a secluded neighborhood set back about 60 yards off a gravel road, surrounded by stacked stone wall and double-iron gate. Friends Stunned Benoit's friends said they were stunned. "I saw him with his family all the time," said Jimmy Baswell, who was Benoit's driver for more than five years. Accompanied by his wife and son, Baswell laid a white wreath Tuesday at the Benoits' gate. "They always seemed like they were the happiest people," he said. Baswell said Benoit had promised to teach his 13-year-old son Gavin how to wrestle. In a letter placed on the wreath, Gavin promised to grow up and become a wrestler like Benoit. "Hey Chris, hope you like it up there in heaven. Don't worry about me. I'm still going to wrestle. Tell Daniel and Nancy I said hi," the letter said. Neighbors said the Benoits led a low-key lifestyle. "They were nice," said Lorre Jones, who lives across the street. Her daughter Alaina said, "We would see Chris walking in his yard from time to time. He wasn't rude, but he wasn't really outwardly warm." "You never dream anything like this would happen in your neighborhood -- let alone across the street," Lorre Jones said. Benoit and his wife, Nancy, met when her then-husband drew up a script that had them involved in a relationship as part of an ongoing story line on World Championship Wrestling, according to the AJC. Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship. WSBTV.com |
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6:22 PM Jul 10