Investigators believe World Wrestling Entertainment star Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son over the weekend and then killed himself on Monday.
Benoit, his wife Nancy and young son Daniel were all found dead at their suburban Atlanta home at about 2:30 (et). Tommy Pope of the Fayette County, Georgia Sheriff’s Department told ABC News that Benoit missed several appointments over the weekend and neighbors and WWE personnel both asked the local police for a "welfare check." and the bodies were found.
Pope indicated there were no signs of gunshot wounds or stabbing but said the instruments of death were located on scene and the police were not actively searching for any suspects outside of the house.
An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. (et).
The 40-year old Benoit was scheduled to win the ECW heavyweight tile on Sunday at a pay per view event in Houston, Texas but bowed out of the match citing a "family emergency.”
Following the announcement of the deaths, the WWE issued the following statement: "Chris was beloved among his fellow superstars, and was a favorite among WWE fans for his unbelievable athleticism and wrestling ability. He always took great pride in his performance, and always showed respect for the business he loved, for his peers and towards his fans. This is a terrible tragedy and an unbearable loss. WWE extends its sincere condolences and prayers to the Benoit family and loved ones in this time of tragedy."
WWE then canceled its scheduled sold out live three-hour "Monday Night RAW" television taping in Corpus Christi. The event was originally programmed as a "memorial service" for WWE chairman Vince McMahon, whose character was recently killed off in an over the top scripted storyline.
Instead McMahon, looking worn and disheveled, opened the program from center ring in an empty arena and told his viewing audience that Benoit and his family had died "in reality." McMahon then called Benoit "one of the greatest WWE superstars of all-time" and aired a three-hour tribute to the former world champion.
36 comments:
I'm still shocked! I watched the tribute too...I'm just in awe
its so sad to see this. out of all the people why chris benoit? i grew up watching him. since i was a little kid i watched this man. so hard to believe =/
I can't believe this! WHY BENOIT?!?! WHY?!!?!??!!
Mayb Its Jus Gods Way Of Sayin..Don't Play With Death....
Chris Benoit devoted himself to what he did. He had an unprecedented level of pride in what he did. He absorbed tremendous amounts of respect from thousands of people, including myself. I held so much respect for the "Rabbid Wolverine", but now to hear that he could have possibly murdered the two people he loved more than performing, is devastating. It's still early, however, the evidence presently presented is staring directly at Benoit. Should he turn out to have killed hie wife, Nancy and son, Daniel, I will abolish all respect I have ever contained for Chris Benoit. Hopefully, this is not the case. Perhaps Nancy poisoned them and then OD'ed or there is another suspect that should be captured and executed for murdering the Benoit family. Either way, a legendary, entertaining, and exciting wrestler has exited the stage for the final time.
May he now R.I.P
You will be deeply missed Chris
All of your fans will always remember you and love you
I can"t belive it ! :(((
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www.wrestling-slovenia.tk
anyone with a bit of sympathy for this murder disgusts me, since im christian I forgive you, I guess you dont get it, a man doesnt own his wife and kids to kill them
I loved watching Benoit as a kid and growing up. When I was trying to break into the wreslting world, I made my character like him. The BEST match I ever saw him in was when he was in the WCW's Great American Bash. He and Kevin Sullivan had a huge brawl that ended up in the mens room.
After hearing the comments from his friends and fellow wrestlers, about how he was with his family, I just cant believe he would do something like this. There has to be more to this than just a ,murder suicide.
May the 'Rabid Wolverine' rest in peace. a final farewell to my favorite wrestler.
Rich
When I turned on Raw last night and heard about Chris Benoit I was shocked. I wondered what could have happened to him.
When I found out this morning that he might have killed his family, I was hurt and disappointed. Benoit was all about respect and family. Why would he do this? They say that steriods might have played a part. Something must have triggered this tragedy.
I hope we find out soon. Chris Benoit will be missed but,if it turns out that he killed his family, I will lose all respect for him.
To the person that wrote "Chris Benoit devoted himself to what he did. He had an unprecedented level of pride in what he did. He absorbed tremendous amounts of respect from thousands of people, including myself." I wholehardely agree with all of your comments and I too admired and looked up to "the crippler" my whole life. I have not been able to find the words to describe how I truly feel about this tradegy and I thank you for summing it up for me.
Now we see the dangers of steroid abuse, Ive known nice guys who started taking steroids and ended up on the edge animals.
Chris Benoit Love'd his FAMILY Why whould HE do that??
i have a really hard time believing that Benoit pulled a murder-suicide, hopefully the evidence shows otherwise... Still, it is a very sad tradgedy. Nacy, Daniel, and Chris... you are all missed.
Benoit was simply amazing.
He was such a good wrestler and I just found out he died and I still can't believe it.
He def. will be rememered 4 ages- as I said he was amazing and would be hard to forget
This man is a murderer, whether or not he, in the end killed himself as do so many other killers (think Virginia Tech, Columbine). IMHO, more sympathy should be shown to his victims rather than giving a murderer "tributes." How about a nice FAT tribute to the two people he KILLED, like how they gave tribute to those students at VT. Just because he was famous does not excuse his actions. GOD what is happening to this society with it's "Free Paris" and "Tributes" to killers?!?!
I agree with the few people who are sickened by the rest of you, regardless of how great of a wrestler he was, or how "great" of a person he was...The police that are investagating this would NOT make the assumption that it was a murder-suicide if they weren't almost 100% sure on it. Who cares about his career, he murdered his family, more than likely because he jammed his body full of drugs that any common moron would know the side effects that come with steroids, yet you all find this so hard to believe? He's a murderer and a coward for taking his own life afterwards instead of facing his actions like a man.
benoit was an awesome wrestler FACT
benoit was a murderer NOT FACT
until it is proved ortherwise then we should mourn the death of a lengedary wrestler and his family
you will be sadly missed
Benoit IS a murderer. He suffocated his wife and children with the crossface crippler hold, and then hung himself.
I am really sorry for the death of the three!! But paying tribute to a killer we cannot accept, even he killed his own son and wife and himself!!! Saddam was also killing his own people why was he hanged then???? He was also a great fighter and a good godfather!!
chris benoit is a murderer: fact.
You people are morons for defending or even mourning Benoit.
Yea I am sure he was a great family man, EXCEPT for the little old double murder thing. Give me a break. He had a history of violence and needed some serious mental help apparently. There is no defending killing a seven-year-old boy. None.
Chris Benoit might have been a well-respected wrestler all his life...WHATEVER!!! People, look at what he did! He murdered his family! This man has lost any and all respect as a wrestler and a human being. Chris Benoit is no hero, no role model, no superstar and therefore should not be idolized or felt sorry for! Wake up America...Chris Benoit destroyed his legacy the moment he killed his family and afterwards, cowardly killed himself. What is the world coming to? To pay tribute to a murderer?
Maybe this terrible incident will send a wake-up call to WWE. If it comes out that steroids were in Benoit's system, then old Vincy should be checking for them.
I find it very hard to believe when watching some of these wrestlers that some of them are not using. Steroids are a dangerous drug. And the sad thing is its not just wrestling, that has been smeared by them. Maybe this will cause some introspection from pro athletes.
I am saddened that one of the people my son watched did this. He is a football player and hopefully this will be a valuable lesson to him. Physical prowess is some thing you have to work hard for. Not cheat and use muscle pumping drugs that endanger your health and possible mental status.
My prayers go out to all those who have been hurt and disapointed by this awful event.
That is DISGUSTING.
Everyone is all "Oh my god, Rest In Peace Chris Benoit"
Yeah, but he doesn't deserve that seeing as he murdered his family.
How can someone do that to their own child and their wife?
What a loser.
You people are morons for defending or even mourning Benoit.
Yea . Give me a break. He had a history of violence and needed some serious mental help apparently. What about the other big name star that beat his wife last year. Time for the WWE to wake up. There is no defending killing a seven-year-old boy. None.
My condolences go out to Benoit's family, friends and fans. However, in regards to the Christian that posted their comment about being Christian and and forgiving everybody, news flash: no man OWNS his wife and kids moron. They are not material possessions. Your comment is ridiculous and you might need to put some overtime in at church. Beat it nerd.
No man owns his wife and kids. They are not material possessions. The christian that thinks that they are, is a moron. Try opening up a bible.
So many of you are focused so tightly on the situation, that, the very idea of thinking outside of the squared circle, or, the box, as the saying goes, is simply inconceivable to the majority of the posters on this site. You people are so quick to make snap judgements. Face it, unless you knew the man and his family personally, you dont have a clue. If the CSI team is worth their salt, evidential proof will be presented, be it for or against. The first question that came to my mind when I heard the news, was, "Who would do such a thing?" Considering the psych profile of Chris, as offered by those that knew him best, these are not his actions. Going over the history, trying to see if there was anyone that might have a motive for wanting to utterly destroy, Chris Benoit, I didn't have to look very hard. (If you don't already know, take a moment ad read up on the history between Chris and Kevin Sullivan.) What started out as a storyline for the show thought up by Kevin, ultimately blew up in his face. He was publicly humiliated by his then wife Nancy, when she actually did end up having an affair with Chris, and divorced Kevin so she could be with Chris and then to only have Chris beat him in the career ending grudge match, could only have left Kevins psych profile an absolute wreck. When you consider the kinds of feelings that come from events such as those, I think it safe to say that Kevin and Chris (and Nancy) did not part friends. The person that did these things would have to have a hate unlike anything most of us are accustomed to. Besides, hate and revenge are the only emotions that have such a negative end as this. Is it simply a coincidence that there is an individual with those qualities so close to the victims? On one hand I am saddened to think that Chris himself could have done this and yet I am even more horrified when I think, that there could very well be a person walking around out there who has already proven themselves capable of these violent and hateful acts, and, they are cunning enough to stage this making it appear that Chris did it himself. If the true murderer gets away with it, he will have effectively turned the tables on Chris, utterly destroying him. First, by, killing his wife and child (probably forced him watch) and then making it look like Chris did it, and second, by staging Chris's murder to look like a suicide, both of which would cause Chris to loose the respect and admiration, that even he himself knows that Chris has.
All the police need to do now is, not screw it up like those that worked on the Jon Bonet or O.J. Simpson crime scenes. Here's hoping that Law Enforcement can pass their one true test, and nail this guy.
I think this story about Nancy's ex is worth a look at. I'm not a fan of Wrestling, after reading this blog it really made me think? I just can't see how anyone could kill thier child. That person would have to be showing some real outward promlems.
This is NOT Law&Order or CSI, in which ALL details are ironed out and the crime is solved in ONE HOUR or less. This is the REAL world. For all of you people who this it's a FACT that he's a murderer BEFORE the facts come out, you all are stupid because the scientific verification tests involved in determining evidence can take weeks or MONTHS. Unless you're a genius who invented a process that spans a WEEK, none of you know SQUAT about it. It's a LOT easier to come on here and speak down on someone's family member like dirt but if this had happened in YOUR family, it would be different. In my opinion, INTELLECTUALS gather information over a long period of time to come to a justifiable conclusion--dummies get pimped by the media, a media whom might I add, DOESN'T know more than YOU DO about the case and is giving their quick assumptions to appease the public's curiousity.
Unless you were THERE while it happened or you knew them all PERSONALLY, you all are IGNORANT to the facts like everyone else...bottom line.
Of course all of u are fans, and WWE has lost a great wrestler, however its upsetting to see "RIP CHRIS BENOIT" on every post....what about his son and wife?
No Sorry,
I am not convinced the Benoit was responsible for this.
Read this entry from
http://www.johnnyleeclary.com/benoitmurdered.htm
He has some interesting things to say about this and he points to somebody else that had a motive.
If you go with what the authorties are saying, it is more likely that Clary's argument is correct then that Benoit did this.
There was an obvious rush to judgement by the police and by the media. I believe they erred and had tunnel vision.
It is highly unlikley that a homicide investigation takes 1-2 days to solve and to conclude.
Something is wrong with this picture.
Disclaimer: I am, in no way, defending Chris Benoit. I was a casual fan of his when he was wrestling. I am just a person who doesn't always believe what they hear.
I just wanted to clarify a couple things:
1) Were his prints found on the cord that strangled Nancy? (I don't know if you can get prints from that, but I figured I would inquire)
2) In a crime of passion, one would expect the use of bare hands. Benoit was a big man, he didn't need to use a cord. If he was going to choke her, I would imagine he would do it with his hands.
As far as Daniel goes, I think the method fits. He sedated him (mercy, I guess) and then choked him to death in the crook of his arm. Fine. Even the method killing himself seems logical.
But to me, the Nancy thing just doesn't fit.
Also, with the wikipedia thing and the Kevin Sullivan accusations, I think this isn't so open and shut. And now with the toxicology results finally back, that whole "roid rage" thing is out the window.
Personally, I believe this is a case of overzealous media outlets, back woods police work, and dense people who are willingly spoon fed false information from a biased media.
But that's just me. I really hope it doesn't end like this.
Did Kevin Sullivan Murder Chris Benoit and His Family?
By Johnny Angel
(Former Pro Wrestling Champion)
Now known as Rev. Johnny Lee Clary
World-Wide Evangelist
The tragic deaths of Chris Benoit and his wife Nancy and son Daniel have shocked the wrestling world. The police are calling it a double-murder-suicide, but is it really? Let’s look at some facts. It has been 10 years exactly since Nancy divorced Kevin Sullivan to marry Chris Benoit. In the 1980’s Sullivan, along with his then-wife Nancy, were running a gimmick in wrestling of how they were Satanists, and Nancy was known as “The Fallen Angel.” She later became known as “Woman.” The trouble with the Satanists gimmick was it was for real, and was not a work, or fake. In the 1990’s Kevin Sullivan was the booker for WCW, and he scripted his wife Nancy into having an affair with Chris Benoit who was a member of the Four Horsemen. This made for a good angle, except, the acting became reality as Chris and Nancy actually fell in love and Nancy divorced Sullivan to marry Benoit.
Benoit left the WCW to go to work for the WWE which was then known as the WWF. It is a fact that Sullivan threatened Benoit and told him he would kill him. Yes, that was 10 years ago, but Kevin Sullivan is no dummy. He is known for being a calculating, cold-hearted individual. Today, according to a source close to me, Kevin Sullivan is a high ranking member of the Satanic Church. The police need to consider the possibility that Sullivan carried out these gruesome murders in order to have his revenge, which is what Satanists live for. He could have entered the home, with an accomplice or accomplices and held the Benoit’s at gunpoint, Sullivan could have then bound up Nancy, and made Benoit and his son watch as he strangled the life out of her. Then the next day after making Benoit and his son spend the day in agony, murdered Benoit’s little boy because of his hatred for the offspring of Benoit and Nancy. Then he could have made Benoit wait an entire day before killing him to by hanging him in the basement.
By doing this, not only would Kevin Sullivan have lived out his Satanic Church creed with his lust for revenge, but he would have destroyed Chris Benoit’s reputation which is what has happened now as the wrestling world is attacking the memory of Chris Benoit remembering him as an insane baby killer and wife killer instead of the great World Champion wrestler and friend that he was.
Satanists hate the Bible and the police have stated that a Bible was found next to the bodies of Benoit’s wife and son. This would serve as a bizarre calling card as if to either say “What good did your Bible do you?” or to throw off investigators to keep them from suspecting Sullivan and his Satanists would have been involved.
Another thing to note is the fact that Kevin Sullivan was also associated with Sherri Martel, who died just a few days before the bodies of Chris Benoit, and his family was found, and the full details of Martell’s death have not been made known as of the time of this writing.
I wonder why the police have not even considered investigating the possibility the Kevin Sullivan killed Benoit, Nancy, and their child. It is certainly a possibility worth looking in to.
Also, Benoit was going to be crowned ECW World Champion on Sunday night. Why would he murder his family and kill himself when he was going to be on top again and make lots more money?
Why would he tie his wife up before killing her? He would have no reason to, but Kevin Sullivan sure would!
Sure he had some problems with Nancy, but that was 4 years ago and what married couple doesn’t have problems? Remember also that they reconciled and as far as everyone knows there has been no other incidents reported.
One also needs to consider the fact that Benoit loved his kids and was so proud of his son that was killed. His kids wore suits and ties to his wrestling events and was proud of their dad. He was loved and respected by all those who knew him.
In my opinion, there is no way he would have murdered his family. This whole murder case has Satanists written all over it and Sullivan is a Satanist and has the motive to murder them.
I am encouraging anyone who reads this to send this to police authorities and circulate it on the internet, so these facts can be investigated, before the case is closed and Benoit is written off in history a murderer. If Sullivan is the real killer, justice should be served!
As a former Pro Wrestler myself, now a born again Christian and world wide evangelist, I am hoping and praying for justice no matter who is responsible.
Rev. Johnny Lee Clary
I Can't belive this happen
but when you mess with drugs you mess with death.
you will been miss forever
I'm still shocked!he was a good man but how can he do this
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