Friday, June 29, 2007

Benoit Murder Update (6-18-08)


Normally, I would add this to the original story. But this is strange enough for its own post. Investigators are looking into who altered pro wrestler Chris Benoit's Wikipedia entry. Specifically the entry allegedly mentioned his wife's death hours before authorities discovered the bodies of the couple and their 7-year-old mentally handicapped son. Benoit's page on Wikipedia was updated at 12:01 a.m. Monday, about 14 hours before authorities say the bodies were found. The site reported that Benoit missed a match on Saturday night "stemming from the death of his wife Nancy."
Fayette County district attorney's office learned of the posting Thursday. E-mail to the AP.WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt disclosed that no one at the WWE knew Nancy Benoit was dead before her body was found Monday afternoon. Text messages from Chris Benoit's cell phone were sent to co-workers a few hours after the Wikipedia posting. 10 empty beer cans were found in a trash can in the Benoit home. An empty wine bottle was found a few feet from where Benoit hung himself. Toxicology tests may not be available for a few weeks.

"He was feeling depressed, that kind of thing," McDevitt said. Apparently, shortly before the killings, Benoit and his wife argued over whether he should stay home more to take care of their mentally retarded 7-year-old son, according to an attorney for the WWE wrestling league.

Chalk this one up to marital problems? Alcohol? Steroids? Out side chance, murder meant to look like a murder suicide?

Update 7-2-07: The New York Daily News has speculated that Benoit abused gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB a/k/a "date-rape drug.") GHB which is associated with blackouts and memory loss, was thought by some to be a performance enhancing drug back in the 1990's. Legal Pub cautions that the toxicology report has still not been released, so this is still speculation.

Update 7-12-07 Stone Called Steve Austin's Ex Wife allegedly has reported abusive conduct in her relationship as well. Speculation has been fueled that perhaps the wrestling world powers need to provide more education and counseling for its entertainers.

Update 7-13-07:

Benoit regularly received deliveries from MedXLife.com which allegedly sold steroids, human growth hormone and testosterone on the Internet. Six people at the pharmacy have already pleaded guilty to supplying athletes with drugs. Benoit apparently also injected his son with growth hormone because he thought he was too small for his age. Since the death of MedXLife.com customer Eddie Guerrero from heart failure in November 2005 - the WWE has a strict testing procedure.

Update 7-17-07 Coronor's autopsy report contains toxicology data indicating Benoit had elevated levels of testosterone associated with steroid use. No surprise here. Still does not prove steroids caused the rage. Hydrocodone (pain killer) and xanax (anti anxiety) were also reported in his system. Dr. Astin who allegedly prescribed the steroids faces charges for improper prescription writing...

Update 7-24-07: There is an excellent comment that should be read about why steroids were likely a very minor factor in the Benoit murder- family suicide. I will not repeat it here as it should be read in the comment section where the author placed it!

Update 9-6-07: Steroids may not have been the cause of the murder-suicide after all. Brain scan and pathology reports are allegedly consistent with brain damage (protein and plaque formation around the dead tissue) from multiple concussions. This alone may account for the depression and bizarre behavior of Chris Benoit. It may also serve as an additional defense in the event of any wrongful death lawsuit.

Update 6-18-08: A recent comment on the Pub argues that the crime scene findings are consistent with murder and not murder suicide. For example, all the empty alcohol containers but only one victim with alcohol in her blood stream. Read the comment and judge for your self whether this should remain an open investigation.

Update 3-2-10: We shall never know if steroids played any role in this tragedy. What we do know is that due to unreasonable spamming, any further comments on this particular thread will need to be sent to legalpub@legalpub.net. They will then be posted manually.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was probably Benoit who changed the web site or someone he told about the death of his wife. I doubt it was a murder made to look like a murder suicide.

Sounds like mental depression and alcohol might have been the cause.

Anonymous said...

Pretty scary stuff.

Anonymous said...

I think he just went crazy

Anonymous said...

Crazy is right!

Ms Calabaza said...

I heard the wikipedia site was changed by someone in Colorado (coincidentally where the world wrestling assoc. is located), so they don't believe it was Benoit himself who changed the info. Someone in the wrestling association knows a lot more . . .

Anonymous said...

I think he was texting his buddies and execs in the wrestling world after he killed her...

Anonymous said...

Manic depressive disorder?

Anonymous said...

No matter what the toxicology, steroids will always be blamed. It is good press. Generates interest. Serves as an example. Even if there is no proof that steroids caused the death, it will be assumed in the media.

Muscle Man

Viper said...

Thanks for the update. I also noted that your story on Criminal Drug dealing Doctors and Terrorist Physicians contains the information about the Doctor who prescribed steroids to Benoit. I suspect he will lose his license.

Anonymous said...

This story some how has captured America's attention. Benoit seemed like he had it all...

Anonymous said...

Looks like steroids were in his system. No whether that caused the murder or not, that is a scientific topic left up for others to debate that are smarter then me...

Legal Pub said...

Benoit and Stallone are similar. Both were role models. Both had the public trust and admiration. Both apparently took short cuts. There is no short cut to being a good role model.

Say it is not so Barry Bonds. America wants to believe in true heroes like the 72 year old marine who fought off his pick pocket.

Anonymous said...

Benoit's father seeks better understanding of what went wrong. Somethings we will never know. Of the things we do know, it is simply disturbing. Perhaps more information will come out with regard to the allegations against Benoit's physician.

Anonymous said...

I am really surprised that this came as such a shock to Benoit's dad. As I understand it, there was a history of violence or at least threats in the past.

Anonymous said...

Benoit's Dad probably is seeking closure. I hope some peace of mind comes with the knowledge that he seeks.


Justin

Anonymous said...

Will they ever determine who altered the web post?

Anonymous said...

Not sure about the web alteration information, but autopsy drug screen should be available.

Doc

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your updates.


Bill

Anonymous said...

Growth hormone to a seven year old without a proper persciption would be over the top.

Anonymous said...

Just another example of a role model who kids can no longer look up to.
Benoit was on the small side. So he was a crowd favorite. Now, not only is he dead, he serves as an example of what is wrong with athletes and celebrates.

Legal Pub said...

Toxicology report released this afternoon. No real surprises to me!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the update and sumary of the toxicology report.



Bradley

Anonymous said...

Benoit has become the poster child for what is wrong in the Wrestling World.

Anonymous said...

When will the madness end? Athletes have been so pampered that now they routinely think they are above the law.

Anonymous said...

Dr Phil Astin ought to be ashamed...

Was Benoit self medicating with the Xanax to control roid rage?

Anonymous said...

Abuse of xanax is all too common even without steroid use.

Anonymous said...

Even if it is from head trauma, the Benoit man still killed his family. End of story?

Anonymous said...

Fine, just don't try to blame the killing on steroids because I'm not buying it. There is no proof.

Anonymous said...

Benoit didn't kill his family out of rage. If that was the case both wife and kid would have been dead within minutes or an hour of each other. And he wouldn't have taken the time to tie her up, wrap her in a towel, and then strangle her. I believe I read somewhere that there was pressure put onto her back as she lay belly down on the ground. They keep saying she had blood on her head, but nothing about head trauma, just that she was strangled by an electrical cord. They've said the son was asphyxiated with a bag, but then say he was also given the 'cross-faced crippler' based on the bruises on his neck and arms. All three had the sedative Xanax in their system. Then there's all of the empy beer cans and wine bottle inside and outside the house, yet the only one in the house with elevated alcohol levels was Nancy. How is it that they didn't find any alcohol in Benoit, considered there were empty beer cans around his lifeless body?
Lastly, text messaging people instead of calling? Did he lose his voice? He was already apparently calling people earlier on Saturday.
Stuff doesn't add up. The posting on Wikipedia is also really odd. Who does that? The guy who did it apparently heard some rumour, but we never found out where the rumour came from. RIP Benoit & Family. I'm one of the people who think you were all murdered, and Chris was framed.

Anonymous said...

I agree. I think Benoit was framed and the family murdered. Who is still investigating this?