megager
26-06-2007, 09:04 PM
In a former life I was a wrestling fan and was deeply shocked by this story. By all the accounts the guy was pretty unstable, as they all are. Still this is really insane and shocking.
Canadian pro-wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife and suffocated his son before hanging himself with a pulley on a weightlifting machine, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.
"From an investigation that has taken place yesterday afternoon, and continued at the crime lab earlier today where autopsies were performed on all three subjects, we're now looking at this case and ruling it as a double homicide-suicide," said Lt. Tommy Pope, lead investigator with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, on Tuesday afternoon.
Pope said evidence from Benoit's suburban Atlanta home led investigators to believe that the wrestler murdered his 43-year-old wife Nancy, possibly on Friday. Sometime shortly after that, Benoit murdered his seven-year-old son Daniel.
"Then maybe later on Saturday evening, sometime early Sunday, he committed suicide by hanging himself in the basement," said Pope, adding that no suicide note was found at the scene.
Benoit, 40, his wife and son were found dead at 2 p.m. on Monday in three separate rooms. Authorities said Benoit placed a Bible next to the bodies of his wife and son before hanging himself. All three died of asphyxiation, autopsy results show.
Benoit was supposed to participate in a pay-per-view World Wrestling Entertainment event in Houston over the weekend but cancelled because of a family emergency.
ABC's Mike Von Fremd told Canada AM from outside Benoit's home in Fayetteville on Tuesday that friends of Benoit said they received "curious text messages" from the wrestler on Sunday morning.
The WWE notified authorities after hearing from friends who received the messages, the wrestling organization said on its website.
Pope said the "instruments of death were located on scene."
Authorities also told AP that they are investigating if steroids may have played a role. Steroid abuse has been linked to depression, paranoia, and aggressive behaviour or angry outbursts known as "roid rage."
"We don't know yet. That's one of the things we'll be looking at," Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard told AP.
Pope said anabolic steroids were found in the home along with various prescription drugs.
Wrestling career
World Wrestling Entertainment aired a three-hour tribute show to Benoit instead of its usual "Monday Night RAW" TV show on the USA Network.
"I am deeply saddened over the loss of Chris Benoit," WWE Canada president Carl DeMarco said on the organization's website.
"My heartfelt thoughts and sympathy go out to his parents and family. My relationship with Chris has extended many years and I consider him a great friend. Chris was always first-class -- warm, friendly, caring and professional ... one of the best in our business."
Benoit was born in Montreal and grew up in Edmonton, graduating from Archbishop O'Leary High School.
He began his career in 1985, starting with the famous Hart family of Calgary, who operated Stampede Wrestling.
He won the world heavyweight championship at Wrestlemania XX. In response, Edmonton declared "Chris Benoit Day" on April 15, 2004.
Benoit was known as "The Canadian Crippler," in part after he unintentionally broke another wrestler's neck during a match in 1994. Another nickname was the Rabid Wolverine. His signature move was the "Crippler Crossface."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Benoit's wife, known by her stage name "Woman," managed several wrestlers.
The couple met when Chris Benoit wrote a script depicting an ongoing love affair between the two on World Championship Wrestling, the newspaper said.
Nancy Benoit filed for a divorce in May 2003, saying their 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 Chris Benoit threatened her and had broken furniture in their home.
In the divorce filing, she said Benoit made more than US$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.
Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship
Canadian pro-wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife and suffocated his son before hanging himself with a pulley on a weightlifting machine, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.
"From an investigation that has taken place yesterday afternoon, and continued at the crime lab earlier today where autopsies were performed on all three subjects, we're now looking at this case and ruling it as a double homicide-suicide," said Lt. Tommy Pope, lead investigator with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, on Tuesday afternoon.
Pope said evidence from Benoit's suburban Atlanta home led investigators to believe that the wrestler murdered his 43-year-old wife Nancy, possibly on Friday. Sometime shortly after that, Benoit murdered his seven-year-old son Daniel.
"Then maybe later on Saturday evening, sometime early Sunday, he committed suicide by hanging himself in the basement," said Pope, adding that no suicide note was found at the scene.
Benoit, 40, his wife and son were found dead at 2 p.m. on Monday in three separate rooms. Authorities said Benoit placed a Bible next to the bodies of his wife and son before hanging himself. All three died of asphyxiation, autopsy results show.
Benoit was supposed to participate in a pay-per-view World Wrestling Entertainment event in Houston over the weekend but cancelled because of a family emergency.
ABC's Mike Von Fremd told Canada AM from outside Benoit's home in Fayetteville on Tuesday that friends of Benoit said they received "curious text messages" from the wrestler on Sunday morning.
The WWE notified authorities after hearing from friends who received the messages, the wrestling organization said on its website.
Pope said the "instruments of death were located on scene."
Authorities also told AP that they are investigating if steroids may have played a role. Steroid abuse has been linked to depression, paranoia, and aggressive behaviour or angry outbursts known as "roid rage."
"We don't know yet. That's one of the things we'll be looking at," Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard told AP.
Pope said anabolic steroids were found in the home along with various prescription drugs.
Wrestling career
World Wrestling Entertainment aired a three-hour tribute show to Benoit instead of its usual "Monday Night RAW" TV show on the USA Network.
"I am deeply saddened over the loss of Chris Benoit," WWE Canada president Carl DeMarco said on the organization's website.
"My heartfelt thoughts and sympathy go out to his parents and family. My relationship with Chris has extended many years and I consider him a great friend. Chris was always first-class -- warm, friendly, caring and professional ... one of the best in our business."
Benoit was born in Montreal and grew up in Edmonton, graduating from Archbishop O'Leary High School.
He began his career in 1985, starting with the famous Hart family of Calgary, who operated Stampede Wrestling.
He won the world heavyweight championship at Wrestlemania XX. In response, Edmonton declared "Chris Benoit Day" on April 15, 2004.
Benoit was known as "The Canadian Crippler," in part after he unintentionally broke another wrestler's neck during a match in 1994. Another nickname was the Rabid Wolverine. His signature move was the "Crippler Crossface."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Benoit's wife, known by her stage name "Woman," managed several wrestlers.
The couple met when Chris Benoit wrote a script depicting an ongoing love affair between the two on World Championship Wrestling, the newspaper said.
Nancy Benoit filed for a divorce in May 2003, saying their 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 Chris Benoit threatened her and had broken furniture in their home.
In the divorce filing, she said Benoit made more than US$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.
Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship