Chris Benoit dead

[Dread]

It is my regret that I feel the need to relay the news of the death of Chris Benoit and his family.

He was always my favorite wrestler when I watched him (from early local TV to WCW to WWE). He always combined showmanship with amazing physicality and had an intensity not often seen.

I was honored at the E2 Main Page awards by being referred to having a "Chirs Benoit-like work ethic."

There are no details other than tonight's RAW being a tribute. I'll be watching RAW for the first time in 5 years tonight.

Thank you, Mr. Benoit.

[JackFetch]

I found out about it 15 minutes before Raw started. I'm still in shock. Apparently he canceled Sunday's show because his wife and son were throwing up blood.

I admit I was never a Benoit mark, but you couldn't deny his talent and work ethic. I will miss him.

[Missy]

That opening image of Raw was... wow!

I have a new respect for Vince.

[Aaron Robinson]

This is really scary. That's two of my favourite wrestlers who have died in the past couple of years, and it's made even worse with the knowledge that his wife and kids died in the same incident.

[JackFetch]

by Dave Meltzer

Sources in the Fayette County Police Department are now working under the theory that Chris Benoit killed Nancy on Saturday, son Daniel on Sunday, and then killed himself earlier today.

Benoit was found dead in his weight room. Nancy was found dead in the lving room. Daniel was found dead in his bedroom, accordig t an unnamed source in the department.

Lt. Tommy Pope told ABC News "the instruments of death were located on the scene," but didn't specify what those were or where they were found. Pope said the department was not actively searching for any suspects outside the house.

It's just sad. Nobody knows what makes normal people do things like this.

[Missy]

Nothing is confirmed yet, so let's not hang the man out to dry.

[JackFetch]

Benoit's death part of a double murder-suicide Written: June 25, 2007 According to lead investigator Lt. Tommy Pope, of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, in Fayetteville, Ga., the deaths of WWE Superstar Chris Benoit, wife Nancy and son Daniel were the result of a double murder-suicide, WWE.com has learned. Benoit failed to appear both at Saturday’s live event in Beaumont, Tx., and WWE’s Vengeance: Night of Champions in Houston Sunday night, after informing WWE of a family emergency. Several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning prompted concerned friends to alert Richard Hering, VP of Government Relations for WWE, Inc. Hering, in turn, spoke with Fayette County sheriffs Monday, and requested that they respond to the Benoit residence to check on him and his family.

Authorities representing the Sheriff’s Department initially had a difficult time entering Benoit’s new Fayetteville home Monday afternoon, which had been guarded by two large German Shepherds roaming freely around the property. Once authorities entered the residence, they quickly located the bodies of Benoit, Nancy and Daniel. WWE was notified of the discovery at approximately 4 p.m.

At 10 p.m. Monday night, Lt. Pope held a press conference in conjunction with Scott Ballard, the district attorney for Fayette County. The press conference officially ruled authorities’ findings as a double murder-suicide from within the home.

WAGA, a FOX-owned and operated television station in Atlanta, reported that investigators believe Benoit killed his wife and 7-year-old son over the weekend, then himself on Monday.

The three bodies have been received by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab, in Decatur, Ga., where autopsies will be performed Tuesday morning. Toxicology reports will not become available for at least two weeks.

WWE.com has further information relating to both the investigation and the cause of death, but the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department has requested that WWE.com not release any additional details at this time.

I know it's hard to believe, but everyone involved has come to the conclusion that he did it, and they know stuff we don't.

[Missy]

The case isn't closed, and we don't know the circumstances.

I'm not saying he didn't do it. What I am saying is that we should wait until the police have revealed everything before we let this tarnish our memory of the man. As I've said elsewhere, this could have been a mercy killing.

[slothian]

I'm just completely numb at this point. Firstly because my favourite wrestler is dead, alongside his wife and son. Secondly, it's being implied that he skipped Vengeance so that he could murder both of them before killing himself. As I say, completely numb.

[RedRight88]

I honestly feel like my insides are being ripped out

[drqshadow]

The last twelve hours have just been gut-wrenching.

[ragernok2002]

Its not bad enough that Chris is dead, but the fact that he may have killed his wife and child as well is just......... I don't what to think about it.

I want to agree with Yoda about not jumping to conclusions about what really happened, with all the evidence it doesn't look good at all.

All I really have is a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Dammit.

[RedRight88]

note: notjumping to conclusions here, just hypothesizing

After having some time to soak this in (and sleep), I can't help but shake the feeling that this could be an Andre Waters like situation.

For those who might not know, Andre Waters was a former professional football player who killed himself at the age of 44. Afterwords, an autopsy preformed on his brain revealed that its condition was similar to that of someone twice his age going through the latter stages of ahlzheimer's disease.

Once again, just a theory, not meant to be taken as fact

[Missy]

MORE DETAILS ON THE BENOIT TRAGEDY, REPORT ON TODAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE

by Buck Woodward @ 3:50:00 PM on 6/26/2007

A press conference was held this afternoon to inform the media of the latest findings in the investigation of the deaths of Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy Benoit and their son Daniel. Here is information from the press conference, which was held outside of the Benoit home in Fayetteville, Georgia.

Sheriffs Lieutenant Tommy Pope spoke first.

- He discussed how authorities had received a phone call from WWE at 2:30pm yesterday out of concern when they couldn't get in touch with him. The police searched the Benoit home and discovered the three bodies. At this point, the autopsy has been completed and the investigators are ruling this a double homicide and suicide.

- Going by reports from the medical examiner, it is believed by investigators that Benoit asphyxiated his wife, possibly as early as Friday, then asphyxiated his son on Saturday. Both deaths are currently being ruled as death by asphyxiation. Then it is believed that late Saturday or early Sunday, Benoit hung himself. Pope stated that is was several hours, but no more than a day, between the time of Daniel's death and the time that Benoit hung himself. Toxicology reports are still being worked on, but that is the findings of the investigators at this time.

- There was no suicide note found in the home.

- Daniel Benoit was located in his bedroom, Nancy Benoit was located in an office area, both in the upstairs part of the house.

- Pope said they would not discuss any possible motives for Benoit's actions at this time. Pope also said that they were not able to determine his state of mind as a result of investigating the crime scene.

- When asked if Benoit had an arrest record, Pope noted he had been arrested once on an DUI, but in their jurisdiction they had no knowledge of any arrests or any record of domestic violence. He had no knowledge of any divorce filings.

- Pope stated that there was a lot of prescription medication, which they believe was all legally prescribed. He did not have a full list of drugs, but when pressed by the media, Pope stated that there was anabolic steroids. He noted that there was a prescription for them.

- Pope stated that Benoit did send a text message to a "co-worker" during the weekend, who received it several hours after it was sent. Pope would not disclose the contents of the message or who it was sent to.

District Attorney Scott Ballard then fielded questions from the media.

- Regarding a comment Ballard had made about the deaths being "bizarre", Ballard said that he felt the presumed timing of the deaths of the victims and the suicide was bizarre, as it would mean that Benoit was in the home for several hours with the dead bodies.

- There was a bible placed next to the body of Nancy and a bible next to the body of Daniel. There was no bible found in the room where Benoit hung himself.

- Nancy Benoit was bound around her feet and her wrists (Ballard seemed unsure about the wrists at first), and blood was found under her head. She was clothed, but wrapped in a towel in an office area in the upstairs part of the house.

- Daniel Benoit's body was found in his bed, he was clothed. His bedroom was also in the upstairs part of the home.

- Benoit's body was found in a weight room in the basement of the home. He had hung himself using the cable and pulley system on an exercise machine.

- Ballard reiterated that the autopsy reports indicate that Nancy Benoit was killed on Friday, Daniel Benoit on Saturday morning, and that it is believed Benoit died later Saturday, possibly Sunday.

- The subject of Benoit calling WWE this weekend and informing them that he had to miss the shows due to a family emergency was brought up. Ballard said was not aware of what Benoit claimed the family emergency was.

- Ballard said he had not seen the documents, but noted he had been informed of the order of protection that Nancy Benoit had filed for, but later asked to be rescinded several years ago.

- Ballard noted that toxicology reports will take time, but these are their conclusions to date.

- Ballard did not know if there were firearms in the house.

That ended the press conference, and it was noted that investigators were still at work in the Benoit house.

[slothian]

Words can't express how hurt I am about this whole situation.

In a way, I'm glad I have my Hard Knocks DVD because there'd be no way that I'd find one now. And for everything he did to tarnish his legacy in his demise, I still think his career is worth remembering. If only to realise why feelings over the last couple of days have been so strong and violent.

But still, I'm horrified at how this has turned out.

[JackFetch]

WWE.com has posted a complete update regarding Benoit and a timeline for the recent tragic events. Benoit was scheduled to be in Beaumont, Texas on Saturday June 23rd.

However, WWE made alternative plans for Benoit and another flight was booked so that he could work the Vengeance PPV. When WWE employees tried to contact Benoit regarding his travel plans they were unable to contact him.

Early Sunday morning, between 3:51 and 3:58 a.m., Benoit sent five text messages to co-workers:

Text Message 1 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:53 a.m.) - Chris Benoit’s cell phone

“My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane, Fayetteville Georgia. 30215”

Text Message 2 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:53 a.m.) - Chris Benoit’s cell phone

“The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open”

Text Message 3 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:54 a.m.) - Nancy Benoit’s cell phone

“My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane.

Fayetteville Georgia. 30215”

Text Message 4 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:55 a.m.) - Nancy Benoit’s cell phone

“My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane.

Fayetteville Georgia. 30215"

Text Message 5 to one co-worker (sent 6/24 at 3:58 a.m.) - Nancy Benoit’s cell phone

“My address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215”

At 12:30 p.m. on Monday, June 25, WWE officials were notified of the text messages sent to the co-workers the previous day. By 12:45 p.m., WWE had contacted Fayetteville County Sheriff’s office requesting they check on the Benoit family.

That's really strange. I can't imagine his state of mind at the time, or if he even knew who he was talking to.

[Holacik]

WWE.com has posted a complete update regarding Benoit and a timeline for the recent tragic events. Benoit was scheduled to be in Beaumont, Texas on Saturday June 23rd.

However, WWE made alternative plans for Benoit and another flight was booked so that he could work the Vengeance PPV. When WWE employees tried to contact Benoit regarding his travel plans they were unable to contact him.

Early Sunday morning, between 3:51 and 3:58 a.m., Benoit sent five text messages to co-workers:

Text Message 1 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:53 a.m.) - Chris Benoit’s cell phone

“My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane, Fayetteville Georgia. 30215”

Text Message 2 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:53 a.m.) - Chris Benoit’s cell phone

“The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open”

Text Message 3 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:54 a.m.) - Nancy Benoit’s cell phone

“My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane.

Fayetteville Georgia. 30215”

Text Message 4 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:55 a.m.) - Nancy Benoit’s cell phone

“My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane.

Fayetteville Georgia. 30215"

Text Message 5 to one co-worker (sent 6/24 at 3:58 a.m.) - Nancy Benoit’s cell phone

“My address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215”

At 12:30 p.m. on Monday, June 25, WWE officials were notified of the text messages sent to the co-workers the previous day. By 12:45 p.m., WWE had contacted Fayetteville County Sheriff’s office requesting they check on the Benoit family.

That's really strange. I can't imagine his state of mind at the time, or if he even knew who he was talking to.

Yeah those text's don't make any sense. If you killed people, as premediatedly as it sounds, why text the location of where the bodies are?

[Dread]

WWE.com has posted a complete update regarding Benoit and a timeline for the recent tragic events. Benoit was scheduled to be in Beaumont, Texas on Saturday June 23rd.

However, WWE made alternative plans for Benoit and another flight was booked so that he could work the Vengeance PPV. When WWE employees tried to contact Benoit regarding his travel plans they were unable to contact him.

Early Sunday morning, between 3:51 and 3:58 a.m., Benoit sent five text messages to co-workers:

Text Message 1 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:53 a.m.) - Chris Benoit’s cell phone

“My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane, Fayetteville Georgia. 30215”

Text Message 2 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:53 a.m.) - Chris Benoit’s cell phone

“The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open”

Text Message 3 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:54 a.m.) - Nancy Benoit’s cell phone

“My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane.

Fayetteville Georgia. 30215”

Text Message 4 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 3:55 a.m.) - Nancy Benoit’s cell phone

“My physical address is 130 Green Meadow Lane.

Fayetteville Georgia. 30215"

Text Message 5 to one co-worker (sent 6/24 at 3:58 a.m.) - Nancy Benoit’s cell phone

“My address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215”

At 12:30 p.m. on Monday, June 25, WWE officials were notified of the text messages sent to the co-workers the previous day. By 12:45 p.m., WWE had contacted Fayetteville County Sheriff’s office requesting they check on the Benoit family.

That's really strange. I can't imagine his state of mind at the time, or if he even knew who he was talking to.

Yeah those text's don't make any sense. If you killed people, as premediatedly as it sounds, why text the location of where the bodies are?

Because he very clearly wasn't planning on going to jail. He wanted to be found.

[Holacik]

Because he very clearly wasn't planning on going to jail. He wanted to be found.

I dunno, the whole thing just leaves me scratching my head in disbelief. Still though he texts it four times, that is just strange. Why bother sending the ones about the dogs, since it seems like he let them out?

[Missy]

We as sane, rational, non-murderous people will never understand what goes through one's mind before, during and after killing someone -- especially loved ones.

[Holacik]

We as sane, rational, non-murderous people will never understand what goes through one's mind before, during and after killing someone -- especially loved ones.

Very true. Just part of me wants to make sense of it, but I know from personal experience that you never really know someone. I used to work with a guy at my old job, his name was Steve. Nice guy, never heard him raise his voice. He had two kids a newborn and a four year old. I, at the time had my son who too was a newborn, we had dozens of conversations about our kids. When his newborn was around six months, he had died due to S.I.D.S. A few months later he strangled his four year old, and it turns out he smothered his baby, just because he wanted to go to sleep and the baby was crying. It's just a really fucked up world sometimes.

[drqshadow]

Still though he texts it four times, that is just strange.

The texts didn't arrive at their destination(s) until the next morning, since the provider's network was having technical problems. I'm sure we've all double posted once or twice when a particular set of forums aren't running at optimal speed, and we're usually just commenting on something of minimal importance in the grand scheme. Benoit was sending instructions about how to find his family's bodies.

Incidentally, this week's F4W revealed that the two co-workers the text messages were sent to were Chavo Guerrero and William Regal. An earlier post of the transcripts on WWE.com included the initials "C, S:" at the beginning of the first message. The "S" was presumably Regal, as everybody backstage still calls him Steven from his WCW days. Explains a lot about why Regal didn't want to comment on the man outside of his work in the ring during the tribute.

[Dread]

This is fucking nuts. Is it sick that I'm almost hoping somebody else in geek culture dies so we can talk about them?

What a sad occurrence. Of course, they'll look into steroids as a cause like they look into heavy metal or video games. Of course they'll condemn it all and it may even bring the world down around McMahon's shoulders (whether he deserves it or not is another debate).

The point is: steroids make you punch a wall or destroy a hotel room. Steroids don't make you tie up your wife and strangle her, place a bible next to her body and then go into a 7 year old's room hours later to do the same before hanging yourself.

He was a DEEPLY disturbed individual who clearly had some skewed view of life. He was a coward who didn't think about anyone but himself. Fuck him.

It's too goddamned bad how it will colour the view I have had of him for years as he's a wrestler as well as a man but that's unpreventable in my eyes.

[ragernok2002]

Sums up quite nicely how I feel about the man

[Holacik]

This is fucking nuts. Is it sick that I'm almost hoping somebody else in geek culture dies so we can talk about them?

What a sad occurrence. Of course, they'll look into steroids as a cause like they look into heavy metal or video games. Of course they'll condemn it all and it may even bring the world down around McMahon's shoulders (whether he deserves it or not is another debate).

The point is: steroids make you punch a wall or destroy a hotel room. Steroids don't make you tie up your wife and strangle her, place a bible next to her body and then go into a 7 year old's room hours later to do the same before hanging yourself.

He was a DEEPLY disturbed individual who clearly had some skewed view of life. He was a coward who didn't think about anyone but himself. Fuck him.

It's too goddamned bad how it will colour the view I have had of him for years as he's a wrestler as well as a man but that's unpreventable in my eyes.

While I agree with everything you said, it might not be a bad thing if this pushes the WWE to really look into a steriod policy and actually attempt to enforce it. It's obvious that they're a lot of people in the wwe (and wrestling as a whole) that are using steriods. The rampant abuse of steriods(and painkillers) are whats killing the stars of the eighties in thier forties. Obviously something has to be done about it, and while this horrific event had nothing to do with steriods, it might be the one thing that really pushes steriods to the fringes of wrestling.