June 26, 200718 yr VIDEO http://video.msn.com/v/us/foxsports.htm?f=...=/other/stories No motive offered by officials in deaths of Chris Benoit, wife and son June 26, 2007 By GREG BLUESTEIN http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6960688 http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/bands/b/benoit_chris/dead_06262007/281x211.jpg Pro wrestler Chris 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. 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.” Authorities offered no motive for the killings, which were spread out over a weekend, and would not discuss Benoit’s state of mind. No suicide note was found. “I’m baffled about why anybody would kill a 7-year-old,” District Attorney Scott Ballard said. “I don’t think we’ll ever be able wrap our head around that.” The Montreal-born Benoit was one of the stars of the WWE wrestling circuit and was known for his wholesome family-man image. His wife, Nancy, was a wrestling stage manager who worked under the name “Woman.” They married in 2000. When he won the world heavyweight championship in 2004, Benoit (pronounced ben-WAH) hoisted the belt over his head and invited his wife and child into the ring to celebrate. Asked by the Calgary Sun that same year to name his worst vice: Benoit replied: “Quality time with my family is a big vice. It’s something I’ll fight for and crave.” Nevertheless, Nancy Benoit filed for a divorce in 2003, saying the couple’s three-year marriage was irrevocably broken and alleging “cruel treatment.” She later dropped the complaint, as well as a request for a restraining order in which she charged that the 5-foot-10, 220-pound Benoit had threatened her and had broken furniture in their home. In the divorce filing, she said Benoit made more than $500,000 a year as a professional wrestler and asked for permanent custody of Daniel and child support. In his response, Benoit sought joint custody. The bodies were found Monday afternoon in the house, situated off a gravel road in this suburb about 20 miles south of Atlanta. Benoit’s 43-year-old wife was killed Friday in an upstairs family room, her feet and wrists were bound and there was blood under her head, indicating a possible struggle, Ballard said. Daniel was probably killed late Saturday or early Sunday, the body found in his bed, the district attorney said. Benoit, 40, apparently hanged himself several hours and as long as a day later, Ballard said. His body was found in a downstairs weight room, his body found hanging from the pulley of a piece of exercise equipment. A closed Bible was placed next to the bodies of the wife and son, authorities said. The prosecutor said he found it “bizarre” that the WWE wrestling star spread out the killings over a weekend and appeared to remain in the house for up to a day with the bodies. 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.” 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. Benoit was a quiet, roughhewn figure amid the glitz and bluster of pro wrestling. He performed under his real name, eschewed scripted personas and didn’t bother to fix a gap where he had lost one of his front teeth. (According to the WWE Web site, he lost the tooth while roughhousing with his pet Rottweiler.) His signature move was the “Crippler Crossface,” in which he would lock his hands around an opponent’s face and stretch his neck. He met his wife in the 1990s when she was married to rival wrestler Kevin Sullivan. As part of the scripted rivalry, Benoit and Nancy were supposed to act as if they were having an affair. A real romance blossomed, and she left Sullivan for Benoit. Neighbors said the Benoits led a low-key lifestyle. “We would see Chris walking in his yard from time to time. He wasn’t rude, but he wasn’t really outwardly warm,” said Alaina Jones, who lives across the street. Jimmy Baswell, who was Benoit’s driver for more than five years, placed a white wreath at the Benoits’ gate. “They always seemed like they were the happiest people,” he said. World Wrestling Entertainment said on its Web site that it asked authorities to check on Benoit and his family after being alerted by friends who had received “several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning.” “He was like a family member to me, and everyone in my family is taking it real hard,” said fellow Canadian Bret Hart, a five-time champion. The WWE canceled its live “Monday Night RAW” card in Corpus Christi, Texas, after the bodies were discovered. Monday’s show was supposed to be a memorial service for WWE owner Vince McMahon. In a storyline concocted by the WWE, McMahon was supposedly “assassinated” in a limousine explosion two weeks earlier. McMahon appeared at the beginning of Monday’s telecast and acknowledged the bombing was made up. The McMahon storyline has been dropped.
June 26, 200718 yr The thing I find very bizarre is that all 3 died over seperate days, the child died on the Saturday, the woman died on the Sunday then he killed himself on the Monday Hmm maybe the wife killed the son, then she wanted to die herself for what she'd done so her and her husband agreed to die together or something? So he killed her, then it took him a while to pluck up the courage to kill himself too? Sounds far-fetched but there's few logical explanations to think about. :( Very sad news though, even though I've never heard of him. Edit. ^_^ Forget all that, just seen Scotty's post. :o
June 26, 200718 yr Hmm maybe the wife killed the son, then she wanted to die herself for what she'd done so her and her husband agreed to die together or something? So he killed her, then it took him a while to pluck up the courage to kill himself too? Sounds far-fetched but there's few logical explanations to think about. :( Very sad news though, even though I've never heard of him. Edit. ^_^ Forget all that, just seen Scotty's post. :o I had thought something similar. Or that his wife killed the child, and then Benoit killed her. But it seems he killed both and put bibles next to the bodies. Perhaps he found out the wife was having an affair or something and just lost it, there had to be some reason.The whole thing is beyond bizzare. It just does not make any sence as to why he would suddenly have to rush home to kill them and then himself, and the whole thing of them being on seperate days is just even more strange. I was watching on youtube his friends his wrestling paying tribute to him, they were all in tears, his best friend (Chavo Guerro) said he had spoken to him the night before he killed himself and he seemed fine and told him he loved him etc. :wacko: And it now seems WWE.com have taken off their site all the tribute pics and vids they had for him, obviously due to it being confirmed he himself killed them. I am suprised this did'nt make Sky News etc, I know it's mainly news in the US, but it is the main story on the Sun's website.
June 27, 200718 yr i heard this earlier and was well shocked :o i remember watching him a few years ago when i was a hardcore wrestling fan and cant believe this has all happened now.... :(
June 27, 200718 yr I was shocked when i heard it. I don't usually keep up with wrestling but I didn't expect this to happen.
June 27, 200718 yr This is getting even more strange. :wacko: WWE: Benoit Told Others Family Was Ill By GREG BLUESTEIN 06.27.07, 8:14 AM ET http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/27/ap3861471.html 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. 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. 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." "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. 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. Associated Press writers Debbie Newby and Jason Bronis contributed to this report.
June 27, 200718 yr Timeline of texts from WWE.COM Detailed WWE/Benoit timeline Written: June 26, 2007Below is a detailed WWE/Chris Benoit timeline from Saturday to Monday: Saturday, June 23, 2007 Chris Benoit was scheduled to appear at the WWE SmackDown/ ECW live event in Beaumont, Texas 3:30pm A co-worker received a voice message from Benoit. The message from Benoit stated he missed his flight and over slept and would be late to the WWE Live Event. The co-worker called Benoit back, Benoit confirmed everything he said in his voice message and sounded tired and groggy. Benoit then stated, “I love you”. The co-worker stated that it was “out of context.” 3:42pm The same co-worker was concerned with Benoit’s tone and demeanor and called Benoit for a second time. Benoit did not answer the call and the co-worker left a message stating “just call me back.” 3:44pm Benoit called the co-worker back stating he didn’t answer the call because he was on the phone with Delta changing his flight. Benoit stated he had a real stressful day due to Nancy and Daniel being sick with food poisoning. They discussed travel plans for the WWE Tour of Texas with Benoit still sounding groggy at this point according to the co-worker. 4:30pm A co-worker who consistently travels with Benoit, called Benoit from outside Houston airport and Benoit answered. Benoit told the co-worker that Nancy was throwing up blood and that Daniel was also throwing up. Benoit thought they had food poisoning. Benoit stated he changed his flight and he would be arriving into Houston at 6:30pm. Benoit told the co-worker to drive onto the WWE event. 5:35pm Benoit called WWE Talent Relations stating that his son was throwing up and that he and Nancy were in the hospital with their son, and that Benoit would be taking a later flight into Houston, landing late, but would make the WWE live event in Beaumont. 6:10pm A representative of Talent Relations called Benoit. The representative from Talent Relations asked Benoit what time Benoit was getting into Beaumont. Benoit responded he was leaving Atlanta at 9:20pm Eastern time arriving into Houston at 9:24pm Central time. The representative from Talent Relations advised Benoit that it would be too late to make the WWE live event in Beaumont. Benoit apologized citing he had a family emergency. The representative from Talent Relations suggested to Benoit that instead of going to the WWE live event in Beaumont, Benoit should take the flight to Houston, rest up and be ready for the Vengeance Pay-Per-View event. 6:13pm The representative from Talent Relations called Benoit to reconfirm the travel plans with no answer from Benoit. The representative from Talent Relations left a voice message to take the flight and rest up. Sunday, June 24, 2007 Text messages sent to co-workers from Chris Benoit and Nancy Benoit’s cell phones: Text Message 1 Sent to: Two Co-Workers (the same who had verbal correspondence with Benoit the day before) From: Benoit’s cell phone When: 6/24 at 3:53am from Message: C, S. My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215 Text Message 2 Sent to: Two Co-Workers (the same who had verbal correspondence with Benoit the day before) From: Benoit’s cell phone When: 6/24 at 3:53am Message: The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open Text Message 3 Sent to: Two Co-Workers (the same who had verbal correspondence with Benoit the day before) From: Nancy Benoit’s cell phone When: 6/24 at 3:54am Message: C, S. My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215 Text Message 4 Sent to: Two Co-Workers (the same who had verbal correspondence with Benoit the day before) From: Nancy Benoit’s cell phone When: 6/24 at 3:55am Message: C, S. My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215 Text Message 5 Sent to: A Co-Worker who consistently traveled with Benoit From: Nancy Benoit’s cell phone When: 6/24 at 3:58am Message: My address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215 WWE made several attempts to contact Benoit via phone and text messages, as well as, the local hospitals in the Atlanta area. As of 11:00 pm Sunday night there was no contact made with Benoit. Monday, June 25, 2007 12:30pm WWE was notified of text messages sent to the two co-workers. 12:45pm WWE contacted the Fayetteville County Sheriff’s office and requested them to go to Benoit’s residence 4:00pm WWE received a call from the Fayetteville County Sheriff’s office, advising that they entered the house of Benoit and found 3 deceased bodies (a male, a female and a child). The Fayette County Sheriff’s office has secured the house as a “major crime scene” and that the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office had no further information.
June 27, 200718 yr Omg its all crazy :o why would poccess ( think thats how you spell it ) you to kill your own family
June 27, 200718 yr I'm surprised at how much detail WWE's putting out really! I hope they don't start using it as some kind of storyline or something =/
June 27, 200718 yr They probably will do :lol: theres something goin on in it now that Mr McMahon has died isnt there in a car which got blown up?
June 27, 200718 yr No, they most definatly will not use it as a story. They have completelly scrapped the story of Mr McMahon's death now, which cost them millions (for the stunt of his limo blowing up). When the news first broke, which was basically that he was dead along with his family, nothing about him killing them himself, the WWE cancelled their tv show Raw, and replaced it with a tribute show to Benoit, showing his best matches and other wrestlers praising him. Also, McMahon came out and said they were not continuing with the storylines. However, now that the news has been confirmed that he murdered them himself, wwe will no show the tribute show around the world as it is obviously not appropriot to praise him. McMahon made a breif comment regarding it before the most recent wwe show, and said Benoit's name would no longer be mentioned. You can watch it here. They have also, taken off all the tributes to him off their website. 5bdu09u7xXE
June 27, 200718 yr Just read this on prowrestling.com. What an awful thing for Amazon to do. Try and make money out of this. :puke2: In one of the most despicable acts since the Benoit tragedy started, when you search Amazon.com for “WWE”, at the top of their website it says: “Tragic news from the WWE. Wrestler Chris Benoit and his wife and son have been found dead in their Georgia home, and police are investigating the situation as a possible murder-suicide.” The caption is accompanied by a photo and a link to purchase the WWE Chris Benoit: Hard Knocks DVD.
June 28, 200718 yr i have no sympathy for him at all. Only for his poor wife and son. It sounds to be he has been abusive to his Wife for many years now, shame she didnt get out of it quick enough, and resulted in him f***ing killing her :( R.I.P
June 28, 200718 yr Don't blame Amazon - they're adverts work by reading the content of the page its on and showing the most relevant links to products. The reason WWE is distancing themselves from this is that there's apparently a school of thought that the wrestler was a heavy steroid user and has suffered depression and fits of anger as a side effect. The company already went through a massive court case over steroid use some years ago and wrestlers from the 1980s (when steroid use was everywhere) have been dropping like flies*...mostly from heart failure due to overuse of steroids and narcotics. Like I said before, it has to be one of the least glamorous jobs in the world - you're virtually signing a death warrant for yourself. Only those who make it REALLY big and are able to get out of the business early enough can find happiness and survive. The also-rans find themselves on the road nearly every day of the year, make a pittance compared to the top-earners and often turn to drugs and alcohol. * - Check this site - http://www.garywill.com/wrestling/decwres.htm - how many huge names from the 1980s do you recognise in there?
July 1, 200718 yr Apparently details of his death we posted over 12 hours before the bodies were discovered, they traced the IP of the pc that posted them and it was at the WWE headquarters, so the PC thas been seized there But in the text messages he sent I think he warned about his murder/suicide the day before he did it
July 2, 200718 yr Benoit wrestle hold killed son By SIMON ROTHSTEIN of THE LILSBOYS July 02, 2007 http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003560...7300340,00.html WRESTLER Chris Benoit murdered his seven-year-old son with his WWE finishing move, police have said. Cops in Georgia are speculating that Benoit, 40, ended Daniel's life with a version of the Crippler Crossface hold the morning after strangling his wife Nancy, 43, to death. Later that day Benoit committed suicide. The Crippler Crossface was a move Benoit used in almost all his wrestling matches, including when he beat Triple H for the heavyweight title at WrestleMania XX. Police were originally confused by bruising on the young lad that wouldn't have been there had he been strangled. Then an officer watched a wrestling tape, quickly realising that the marks on Daniel's body matched the application of a version the Crossface. The version Chris used in WWE rings involved him placing an arm of a floored opponent between his legs before locking his hands around their face and pulling back to stretch their neck. In the context of a wrestling match the move was lightly applied, with Benoit's foe 'selling' it with his facials to make it look like he was really hurt. District Attorney Scott Ballard said: "A choke hold was used to strangle the boy, rather than hands, because there's no bruising consistent with strangulation by hands." Respected American wrestling writer Dave Meltzer added: "There was bruising consistent with the Crippler Crossface on one arm and Daniel's face. There were no bruises on his neck "The police don't believe, because of the size difference, that the hold was applied exactly as it would be in a pro wrestling match. "Benoit would have been in more of a kneeling position, sort of straddling Daniel while using one leg to pull back on his arm." More details of what turned a quiet man into a killer are also emerging. Chris's mental state deteriorated after the recent deaths of grappling pals Eddie Guerrero, Mike 'Johnny Grunge' Durham and Victor 'Black Cat' Mar. They came on the back of the loss of other friends in the business including Brian Pillman, British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, Owen Hart and Brian Hildebrand - as well as his trainer and mentor Stu Hart. He was also becoming increasingly paranoid and deluded due to a lethal mix of steroids, pain killers, anti-depressants and the medication he was taking for his blood pressure brought on by decades of steroid abuse. The full results of a toxicology (blood) test is still several weeks away. Meltzer - who has spent a week speaking to police and Chris's friends for his Wrestling Observer publication - concludes that is unfair to point the figure at the wrestling industry or steroids. But he adds: "An absolutely horrible question to deal with in this situation, as well as many of the other deaths of wrestlers, is would these young men and women still be alive if they were never pro wrestlers or tied to another profession? "Perhaps in some circumstances, the answer is no. "But looking on this case, and going back to people who I knew very well and talked with regularly, who are no longer alive, if they had never gotten into wrestling, I can't help but believe with all my heart, that every one of them would still be alive." :wacko: :wacko: :wacko:
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