Chris Benoit

Overview

Chris Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler. On June 25, 2007, Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their 7-year-old son Daniel were found dead in their Fayetteville, Georgia home at around 2:30 p.m. EDT. Investigators confirmed that Benoit murdered his wife and son and later hanged himself.

Timeline

• June 22, 2007 — Benoit killed his wife Nancy.
• Saturday, June 23, 2007 (about 3:30 p.m. EDT) — A co-worker received a voice message from Benoit about a missed flight and being late for a house show in Beaumont, Texas.
• Saturday, June 23, 2007 (about 3:44 p.m. EDT) — Benoit called the co-worker back and stated he was on the phone with Delta Air Lines changing his flight.
• Saturday, June 23, 2007 — Benoit made calls and arrangements involving Nancy and Daniel being sick with food poisoning, and later called WWE’s “Talent Relations” office.
• June 24, 2007 (between 3:51 and 3:58 a.m. EDT) — Five text messages were sent to Benoit’s co-workers from both Benoit’s and his wife Nancy’s phone.
• June 25, 2007 (around 2:30 p.m. EDT) — Benoit, Nancy, and Daniel were found dead in their Fayetteville, Georgia home after police entered on a “welfare check.”
• Tuesday, July 17, 2007 (2:30 p.m. EDT) — Toxicology results were released following a Georgia Bureau of Investigation press conference.

Background

Steroids were found in the home, leading some media organizations to hypothesize that a steroid-induced rage may be the cause of Benoit’s actions. WWE released a press statement responding to “roid-rage” claims, stating that “The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife’s feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage. The presence of a Bible by each is also not an act of rage.”

Investigators seized Benoit’s medical record and also seized Nancy’s medical record. Medical records of Mark Jindrak, Hardcore Holly, Lex Luger, Rey Mysterio, Buff Bagwell, and Johnny Grunge were also obtained; all were described as patients of Dr. Phil Astin. Prosecutors in New York investigated deliveries Benoit received from Signature Pharmacy and MedXLife.com, which sold steroids and human growth hormone over the Internet. Terence Kindlon, the lawyer for MedXLife co-owner Dr. Gary Brandwein, denied allegations that his client’s company sold steroids to Benoit. Brandwein pleaded not guilty to six counts in New York state court related to the criminal sale of a controlled substance.

A Sports Illustrated report described three packages sent to Benoit from Signature Pharmacy: the first was sent in December 2005 to San Antonio, Texas, the second was sent on February 13, 2006 to an address in Peachtree City, Georgia, and the third was sent in July 2006 to Fort Walton Beach, Florida. This followed eleven superstars announced in a Sports Illustrated steroids investigation that began March 2007, including Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, Oscar Gutierrez, Randy Orton, Adam Copeland and Shane Helms, with both Copeland and Helms receiving a high amount of steroids.

World Wrestling Entertainment attorney Jerry McDevitt stated: “they believe the facts of this crime do not support the hypothesis that ‘roid rage’ played a role in the murders.” He cited evidence of premeditation, the lack of a toxicology report, and the fact that steroids found within Benoit’s home were legally prescribed. Dr. Gary I. Wadler agreed, stating that “that was a premeditated act and that’s not rage.”

Paranoia reports described Benoit refusing to attend his friend Johnny Grunge’s funeral after Grunge died in 2006, and refusing to attend church due to hatred of religion. The reports also stated that Benoit would not let Nancy go out past 6 p.m., and would not let Daniel go outside because Benoit felt someone was watching his family and that someone was stalking him. The behavior was described as consistent with Late-Onset Schizophrenia, along with the statement that diagnostic criteria for Late-Onset schizophrenia was still a subject of debate and that paranoid behavior did not necessarily indicate schizophrenia.

The offence

Murder of Nancy Benoit

On Friday, June 22, Benoit killed his wife Nancy. Nancy was left bound at the ankles and wrists and covered with a sheet in a room in their home. A bible was left by her body, and she died of asphyxiation. Investigators said Nancy had bruises on her back and stomach consistent with Benoit pressing a knee into the back while pulling on a cord around her neck.

It was later revealed that Nancy filed for divorce in May 2003, allegedly after domestic abuse from Chris, but withdrew it in August 2003, according to County district attorney Scott Ballard.

Murder of Daniel Benoit

Daniel was suffocated by Benoit in his own bedroom, killing him. A Bible was left by the boy’s body. It was revealed on June 27 that Benoit may have killed his son with a choke hold. Scott Ballard said: “the boy had internal injuries to the throat area, but showed no bruises,” indicating he may have been locked in the crook of his father’s own arm.

The time when this happened was stated as not yet known. Daniel had needle marks in his arm, suggesting that he had been given growth hormones because Benoit and his family considered him undersized. This was theorized to be most likely the result of him suffering from Fragile X Syndrome. District Attorney Scott Ballard released a statement saying that a source having access to Daniel’s medical files reviewed the files and found they mention no pre-existing mental or physical ailments. Daniel Benoit’s educators reported that Daniel was on par with other students and not about to be held back as previously thought.

Investigation

Police entered Benoit’s home on a “welfare check” after several missed appointments. Lieutenant Tommy Pope of the Fayette County, Georgia Sheriff’s Department reported to ABC News that police entered Benoit’s home on a “welfare check” after several missed appointments and concerns. Pope stated that police were not searching for any suspects outside the house because the instruments of death were located at the scene of the crime.

Detective Bo Turner of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department told WAGA-TV that the case was being treated as a murder-suicide. The station reported that investigators believed Benoit murdered his wife and son before killing himself sometime on Monday.

Arrest

No arrest was described in the provided material.

Trial

No trial proceedings were described in the provided material.

Sentencing

No sentencing was described in the provided material.

Outcome

Deaths and suicide method

EDT. Investigators confirmed Benoit murdered his wife and son and committed suicide over a three day period. When Benoit released the weights—about 240 pounds (110 kg), which weighed more than he did—it caused his strangulation. Ballard said the pull-down bar had been removed and Benoit was found seated against the machine.

The perpetrator, Chris Benoit, was described by Scott Ballard as dying of asphyxiation and being found hanging by the cord of a weight machine in his basement. No suicide note was found.

Aftermath

Early reporting and WWE response

Initial WWE response included reporting to fans through WWE Mobile Alerts Service and posting on the official website soon after. World Wrestling Entertainment released the following statement:

“World Wrestling Entertainment is deeply saddened to report that today Chris Benoit and his family were found dead in their home. There are no further details at this time, other than the Benoit family residence is currently being investigated by local authorities. Tonight’s Raw on USA Network will serve as a tribute to Chris Benoit and his family. WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family’s relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy.”

WWE canceled the scheduled three hour long live RAW show on June 25 and replaced the broadcast version with a tribute to Benoit and his family, featuring past matches, segments from the Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story DVD, and comments from wrestlers and announcers. Reports surfaced later that police were working under the belief that Benoit murdered his wife and son before killing himself. The next night after details became concrete, WWE aired a recorded statement by Vince McMahon before their ECW broadcast hinting at regret for the previous night’s special, and stating that Benoit’s name would not be mentioned other than during McMahon’s comments. Since then, the company distanced itself from Benoit by removing merchandise and no longer mentioning him in any way, and removing past match results listings in WWE’s title history summaries, as well as editing out matches that contained Benoit from rebroadcasts of matches from the video library.

Wrestlers’ response

Many superstars past and present commented on the death of Benoit, including Lex Luger, Marc Mero, Ted DiBiase, Lance Storm, Hulk Hogan, Steve Blackman, Kurt Angle, and Chris Jericho.

Media response and other public reaction

Most mainstream news outlets covered Benoit’s death, including MSNBC and Fox News. ECW Press announced on July 16 that wrestling writer Irvin Muchnick would publish a book on the Benoit case, due out in 2008.

At The Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav in the summer of 2007, Jimmy Kimmel commented “Chris Benoit is a better father than Flavor Flav”, to which the crowd reacted shocked.

At a wrestling observer-related matter, it was described that in 2003 Benoit was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) Hall of Fame, and that due to the double murder-suicide his induction would undergo a recall election in 2008. The described policy stated Benoit would be removed from the Hall of Fame if 60% or more of WON Hall of Fame voters elected to remove him, with similarity noted to policies of the Baseball and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Toxicology results

At a press conference held by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at 2:30 p.m. EDT on July 17, 2007, it was announced that three different drugs were found in Nancy Benoit’s system: hydrocodone, hydromorphone, and Xanax. The drugs were said to be at levels investigators considered normal for therapeutic treatment. A blood-alcohol level was found at 0.184. Dr. Kris Sperry added it was impossible to say whether any of the blood findings was due to ingestion of alcohol or the post-mortem process.

It was ruled out that Nancy was sedated by Chris before she was murdered. Xanax was found in Daniel Benoit’s system. Scott Ballard noted this was not a drug that would be given to a child under normal circumstances. It was believed that Daniel was sedated prior to being murdered, with Dr. Sperry ruling out that Daniel died of a drug overdose. The GBI said it could not perform tests for steroids or human growth hormones on Daniel because of a lack of urine.

Xanax and hydrocodone were also found in Chris Benoit’s system at levels investigators called consistent with therapeutic use. Elevated levels of testosterone cypionate were found in his urine, and investigators believed the level suggested it had been taken recently. No artificial steroids were found in Chris’s urine, nor was there evidence of GHB, contrary to speculation. Benoit tested negative for blood alcohol.

Toxicology reports released on July 17, 2007 also described that at their time of death Nancy had Xanax, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone at therapeutic levels; Daniel was found to have Xanax; and Chris was found to have Xanax and hydrocodone. It was also stated that an elevated level of testosterone was found in Chris’s body and that the chief medical examiner considered this a mystery, attributing it to Benoit possibly being treated for a testosterone deficiency caused by previous steroid abuse. It further stated the examiner ruled that GHB was not present in any of the three bodies and found no indication that anything in Chris’s body contributed to violent behavior leading to his death as well as his wife and son’s deaths, concluding there was no “roid rage” involved.

Text messages

Between 3:51 and 3:58 a.m. EDT on June 24, 2007, five text messages were sent to Benoit’s co-workers (among them Chavo Guerrero) from both Benoit’s and Nancy’s phones. The first, third, fourth, and fifth text messages stated: “My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane, Fayetteville Georgia. 30215” (with the fifth message omitting the word “physical”).

The second text message, described as believed by Scott Ballard to have been sent to a neighbor to get someone to find their bodies after he committed suicide, and also described as claimed by Chavo to have also been received, stated: “The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open”

WWE officials were notified of the text messages sent to co-workers two hours before the bodies were found.

Other relevant people and roles

Co-workers and calls

A co-worker later confirmed to be Chavo Guerrero received a voice message from Benoit at about 3:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 23, stating he missed his flight and overslept and would be late for that night’s house show in Beaumont, Texas. The co-worker called him back twelve minutes later because of concern about Benoit’s tone and demeanor. Benoit did not answer, and the co-worker left a message stating: “just call me back”. At 3:44 p.m. EDT, Benoit called the co-worker back, stating he did not answer because he was on the phone with Delta Air Lines changing his flight, and stating: “Benoit stated he had a real stressful day due to Nancy and Daniel being sick with food poisoning,” as described by the WWE Web site.

According to WWE.com, a co-worker who often traveled with Benoit called him from outside the Houston airport, and Benoit answered. Benoit told this co-worker that Nancy was throwing up blood and that Daniel was also throwing up.

Benoit later called WWE’s “Talent Relations” office and stated his son was throwing up and that he and Nancy were in the hospital with their son, and that he would be taking a later flight into Houston but would make the live event in Beaumont.

Personal life

Daniel Benoit was born February 23, 2000. Benoit had two other children from a previous marriage: David (born 1993) and Megan (born May 26, 1997) with his ex-wife Martina.

In 2003, Nancy filed for divorce from Benoit, citing the marriage as “irrevocably broken” and alleging “cruel treatment.” She later dropped the suit, as well as the restraining order filed on her husband.

Benoit’s lost tooth was usually credited to training or an accident early in his wrestling career. Another account stated the tooth resulted from an accident involving his pet Rottweiler, where Benoit was struck with the top of the Rottweiler’s head beneath his chin while play-wrestling with the dog, and his tooth “popped out.”

Career background and biography (non-legal details included in the material)

Chris Benoit (May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was described as a Canadian professional wrestler who wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. He was described as a World Heavyweight Champion in both WCW and WWE and widely regarded as popular and gifted in technical professional wrestling.

He was described as idolizing the Dynamite Kid and styling himself after him, leading to him being initially billed as “Dynamite” Chris Benoit and using the Diving Headbutt and the Snap Suplex. It was stated that Bruce Hart brought him to the Hart house, and that after training in the Hart family “Dungeon”, he began his career in 1985 in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion. His debut match was described as a tag team match on November 22, 1985 in Calgary, Alberta, teaming with “The Remarkable” Rick Patterson against Butch Moffat and Mike Hammer.

The material provided extensive professional wrestling career details including his time in Stampede Wrestling (including International Tag Team and British Commonwealth titles and a feud with Johnny Smith), New Japan Pro Wrestling (training in their “New Japan Dojo” and debuting as The Pegasus Kid; winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Jushin Liger; losing back to Liger; winning the Super J Cup Tournament in 1994; and later leaving for Mexico and Germany and winning regional championships including the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship), World Championship Wrestling (June 1992 debut teaming with Biff Wellington; defeated by Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger; return in January 1993; match at Superbrawl III losing to 2 Cold Scorpio; forming a tag team with Bobby Eaton), Extreme Championship Wrestling (including an accidental break of Sabu’s neck in “November 2 Remember '94” and the “crippler” moniker; tag team championship with Dean Malenko in February 1995 and later losing the titles to The Public Enemy), and World Championship Wrestling (1995–2000) involving the Four Horsemen, feuds, and championships including WCW World Tag Team Championship and WCW United States Championship and formation of “The Revolution.” It also described matches and storyline events at events including WCW Nitro and Souled Out, and subsequent career in WWF/WWE including The Radicalz, intercontinental championship reigns, feuds with Jericho and Kurt Angle, matches involving Edge and Christian, tag team turmoil, and other title matches. The material further described injuries including a neck injury requiring surgery with Dr. Lloyd Youngblood, a groin injury to Booker T, and events including the 2007 WWE Draft and ECW matches, as well as Benoit’s last televised match on June 19, 2007 against Elijah Burke and a match at Vengeance where Johnny Nitro was described as replacing Benoit.

Calendar and places mentioned

Fayetteville, Georgia; Fayette County, Georgia; Fayette County Sheriff’s Department; WAGA-TV; ABC News; Delta Air Lines; Beaumont, Texas; Houston airport; New York; San Antonio, Texas; Peachtree City, Georgia; Fort Walton Beach, Florida; Green Meadow Lane, Fayetteville Georgia. 30215; Madison Square Garden; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Calgary; Kansas City, Missouri; San Jose, California; London? (not stated); and multiple wrestling event locations were included in the material.