of the conspirators in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, which death, 20 years, 6 years and life. of murder in 1990 and sentenced to death. Robertson is currently on death row but keeps appealing his case in the hopes of saving his own life. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. Moreover, no attempt had been made to connect Chris to the partially burned, hand-drawn map that had been found with the burned clothing and the knife in Pitt County. Taylor knew that Bonnie soon would know that he had come to talk with Peggy Smith. We want to hear from you. Christopher "Chris" W. Pritchard Leith was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. 1968) is an American man convicted for the murder of 69-year-old suffers stroke in his home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. of 1 She and Bonnie had had a long talk. ", Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. She thought that she smelled diesel fuel on him, she said, and mentioned it to him. The beginners' adventure described in the book was practically an outline for the Von Stein murder, the players being sent to a castle to kill the overlord and obtain his treasure, which they later would divide. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. Neal Henderson was released from prison in 2000 and finished his probation in. Little about the case had made sense to Crone before, but now he realized that the game offered a rational scenario for the murder. One of Chris's friends at college, James B. Upchurch III, referred to throughout the reports as Moog, had a record for breaking and entering in Caswell County. View Bonnie Von Stein results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Lieth was not so lucky. Near the top of the list was Chris's close friend from high school, Stephen Outlaw, with whom Chris had gotten into trouble. He had photographed the body and the house, then had helped SBI Agent Lewis Young gather evidence at the scene, because no SBI crime lab was available. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. Bonnie has trouble de Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. Henderson is an academic whiz who scored 1500-plus out of a possible 1600 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test - the highest score recorded in the county. He is the first son of Joanne Ensley Upchurch (deceased) and James Bartlett Upchurch World War II Two books were written about this case: Joe McGinniss" Cruel Doubt (1991) and Jerry Bledsoe"s Blood Games (1992). The family would perish in their beds, according to the plan. Thank you very much in advance. The Menendez brothers might be the most famous on our list. Next, they considered staging a break-in by a berserk intruder who would chop off the Von Stein's heads with a machete. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Pritchard was later accused of going after Leith's estate worth well over $2M. his stepfather Lieth Von Stein in 1988 in Washington, North Carolina. On the morning of July 25th, 1988, Christopher Wayne Pritchard walked into the bedroom of his stepfather, Leith Von Stein and mother Bonnie, with a knife and club and murdered Leith, leaving Bonnie with severe injuries. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Both were made into television movies. You have permission to edit this article. To keep creating Bonnie has trouble dealing with the fact that her own son, Christopher Pritchard, along with two friends consip Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. All Rights Reserved. Always wants to do a good job.'. North Carolina reporter Jerry Bledsoe takes a more traditional approach to the case with Blood Games. She had three outstanding warrants on him for probation violations. Watts recommended that Upchurch, who will be taken to Central Prison in Raleigh, be kept under a suicide watch. And of the many who were mentioned in the reports, criminal histories had been run on none. 0. Radford had been impressed with John Taylor, too. She met Chris in the hallway outside his mother's room, and he asked her to wait for him because he might need a ride. ``At first, (Henderson) would call me every time he came home for vacation and it was always, 'I've got to get myself together and pull up my grades.' His co-conspirators, Chris Pritchard and Gerald Neal Henderson, were both convicted of murder in the second degree (aiding and abetting) and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or seriously injure. Nevertheless, she gave McGinniss remarkable access. Henderson would chauffeur Upchurch to Washington from N.C. State in Pritchard's restored 1965 Mustang - a gift from his stepfather - and Pritchard would stay on campus all night in order to establish an alibi. I never want to see that much blood again for the rest of my life.'. Pritchard, could inherit their estate valued at almost 2 The latest episode of "American Greed" tackles the subject of, "murder for money" and this week, it's all in the family. she had slept through the brutal attack. Thank you very much in advance. his stepfather Lieth Von Stein in 1988 in Washington, North Carolina. With that read more, An Air France Concorde jet crashes upon takeoff in Paris on July 25, 2000, killing 109 passengers and crew onboard as well as four people on the ground. Taylor also saw that several avenues had to be explored further. vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State That book struck a chord with readers and helped establish true crime as a best-selling genre. Taylor was just 27 years old, a country boy with only four years in the department, but everybody connected with law enforcement in Beaufort County had taken note of him. If any of you have any doubts about the innocence of Dungeons & Dragons, why don't you go to your local hobby store and see about sitting in with a gaming group, so you can see for yourself that D&D is nothing to be afraid of. He wanted to talk with James Upchurch, but he knew he would have to find him first. Both were made into Perhaps Chris and his friends had become so obsessed with the game that they were enacting it in real life. Pritchard and Henderson are free on bond pending their sentencings. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. appeared to have been staged as though to suggest a robbery. In his diary, Truman privately referred to the new weapon, the atomic bomb, as the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. and raised in Caswell County, North Carolina. He will not be eligible for parole until 2022. Chris testified that he had supplied a key and the map to the house where Upchurch had killed Lieth Von Stein. With four in the family and three dead, Hruby is convicted of killing both of his parents after they cut him off financially and was sentenced to life in prison. Peggy gave him a ride to Smallwood. Unfortunately, some important aspects of how and why the crime was committed get jettisoned in the process. spending more of the inheritance on him. Clearly, the case had been left to languish until his arrival. Excerpted by arrangement with Dutton, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc. the murder. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. Bonnie Von Stein on July 25th, 1988, in Washington, NC. If they were similar, it would be a strong indication that Chris had drawn the map. read more, In Paris, France, on July 25, 1917, the exotic dancer Mata Hari is sentenced to death by a French court for spying on Germanys behalf during World War I. In another, "rich kid trying to get richer" story, Andrew Wamsley, along with his girlfriend Chelsea Richardson and friend Susana Toledano, murdered Andrew's parents, Rick and Suzanna Wamsley in aims of collecting on their $1.65M estate. James Bartlett Upchurch III was born The focus is on the crime's effect on the family, and their most intensely private moments are etched in blood-spattered print. His choice: John Crone, an amicable deputy police chief from Ocean City, Md. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. Lieth was not so lucky. They came from good families. The jury, which also could have recommended life in prison, deliberated about 6 1/2 hours Monday and Tuesday before announcing the sentence. Rather than just asking such questions, McGinniss should have researched them more fully. His wife Bonnie was severely injured and scarcely survived, while teen-age daughter Angela slept unharmed in a nearby room. Angela, Bonnies 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that she had slept through the brutal attack. There's a sense of evil in the portrayal, and Bledsoe explores the youths' unsettling involvement with Dungeons & Dragons. According to trial testimony the von Steins were attacked so that Bonnie"s son, Christopher Wayne Pritchard, could inherit their estate valued at almost 2 million dollars. ``I thought that would be pretty quick and I wanted it to be quick and painless,' Pritchard testified. As pop culture's thirst for true crime stories and other "reality-based" grit continues, it seems the moment 911 has been dialed, writers - including some very talented ones - begin clicking away at the word processor. The police also found out spending more of the inheritance on him. books, each of which was adapted into a TV movie. Once logged in, you can add biography in the database, August 17, 1968 He'd been told that the police department was a mess. ``James Upchurch and Christopher Pritchard were my friends.'. On Thursday, March 16, Taylor drove to Raleigh armed with the subpoena to see the document bearing Chris's handwriting. Murder defendant Alan J. Hruby, 20, appeared before District Judge Ken Graham in Stephens County District Court on Thursday, March 10, 2016, to plead guilty for killing his parents and sister in Oct. 2014, at the family home in Duncan, Okla. Lyle, left, and Erik Galen Menendez sit in Beverly Hills, Calif., courtroom, May 14, 1990 as a judge postponed their preliminary hearing on charges of murdering their wealthy parents the previous August. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help Air Date -- Pictured: Blythe Danner as Bonnie Von Stein, Gwyneth Paltrow as Angela Pritchard -- Photo by: Bruce Birmelin/NBCU Photo Bank. Upchurch, the son of a social services administrator, studied alongside him in classes for the academically gifted. in the second degree (aiding and abetting) and assault Detectives He testified the guilt he carried for the homicide ``wasn't so bad when I was busy but whenever I had quiet time by myself, I'd remember what he'd said that night.'. both films heavily emphasized. Enlisting the help of friends James Bartlett Upchurch "He would have turned 61 in March," reminisced Bonnie. The men raced back to Raleigh, Henderson said, stopping three times: to burn the map of the house and other evidence, to get rid of Upchurch's clothing and to wash the car. Leith was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. Guilford school board to GOP: We want someone else. According to her family tree, she married Daniel F. Sullivan on October 18, 1975 in Texas . degree (aiding and abetting) and assault with a deadly weapon with (born November 25, 1968) is an American man convicted for masterminding If Chris had planned the murder, and if he actually had been at N.C. State while it was taking place, as the evidence indicated, he had to have involved others, perhaps some of his drug-taking buddies at college. John Taylor, Matt McGrath as Chris Pritchard, Miguel Ferrer as Lewis. Bonnie Von Stein, who was attacked but managed to call police, had testified out of the presence of the jury last week that she did not want Upchurch to receive the death sentence because nothing would bring her husband back. Prabook is a registered trademark of World Biographical Encyclopedia, Inc. James Bartlett Upchurch III is an American man convicted for the murder of Lieth Von Stein and the assault with intent to kill of Bonnie Von Stein on July 25th, 1988, in Washington, North Carolina. Upchurch was convicted of first degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or seriously injure, conspiracy to commit murder, and burglary in the first degree. Chris testified that he had supplied a Enlisting the help of friends James Bartlett Upchurch million dollars. Chris testified that he had supplied a But up until he got out of the car with the weapons, I didn't fully believe he would do it. You have permission to edit this article. Lack of access to the Von Steins didn't stop Bledsoe from doing extensive research, although he has difficulty sifting out minor details. Bonnie Von Stein survived. injure. Visit Us 4201 Wilson Blvd, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22203 glentunnel to christchurch FREE QUOTE. As the sentence was announced, Upchurch's mother, JoAnn Kramer, reached up and hugged her son. The 1992 book Blood Games by Jerry Bledsoe was The collegians' conversation was recounted in Pasquotank Superior Court in Elizabeth City this month, where Henderson, 22, and Pritchard, 21, took the stand and pointed to Upchurch as the man who carried out the deed in a bizarre murder-for-money plot. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Previous to Bonnie's current city of Welcome, NC, Bonnie Vonstein lived in Winston Salem NC, Washington NC and Lexington NC. It was after dark when Taylor got back to Washington. aiding and abetting the murder. If Chris had been looking for somebody to kill his parents, he might very well turn to a friend who already had been involved in crime. Henderson, a key witness for the prosecution, testified that he joined the murder scheme not so much for the money, as for a chance at belonging in a group. We have many The man's famil, "The Wall Street Journal just so happened to have a supportive op-ed ready to publish within hours of the meeting. The producers of this film should be sued for the misrepresentation of copyrighted materials, namely the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players' Handbook. The police also found out Beyond that, he'd had no further role in the case, and had not kept up with the day-to-day details of the investigation. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. The long-suffering Bonnie Von Stein is portrayed as a martyr who refuses to confront the reality of her emotions in the face of the tragedy. Please subscribe to keep reading. The case, a front-page concern in ``little Washington' from the day a badly battered Bonnie Von Stein summoned police to her house, has Triad connections: Upchurch and Pritchard, casual friends since their Cub Scouting days, are from Caswell County, where both were academically gifted students at Yanceyville's Bartlett Yancey High School. the Murderpedia project stay alive. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. Upchurch told Watts that he did not want to be kept alive by force feeding. Man died Wednesday. Crone also thought the only way to bring new life to the case was to assign a new investigator. Very dedicated. Finally, he had decided the police department needed new leadership. Taylor had found out the day before that Bonnie was in the area. In the early months of 1853, a wild band of desperadoes began terrorizing Calaveras County in central read more, Before he took the stage at the 1964 Newport Folk Festivalthe annual event that had given him his first real national exposure one year earlierBob Dylan was introduced by Ronnie Gilbert, a member of The Weavers: And here he istake him, you know him, hes yours. In his 2004 read more, Jack London leaves for the Klondike to join the gold rush, where he will write his first successful stories. Detectives Taylor took the card back to Capt. Leith Yet only a couple of those had been interviewed. Both denied it, and the test indicated they were telling the truth. Dieter Von Stein is Dead or Alive? caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the Both were made into television movies.The miniseries Cruel Doubt was released in May 1992.The adaptation of Bledsoe"s book, Honor Thy Mother, aired in April 1992. James B. 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