friends revealed that James Upchurch and Neal Henderson, other D&D (born November 25, 1968) is an American man convicted for masterminding He reached around and patted the back of her head. She has since moved back to Winston-Salem. 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. ', Pritchard said he first mused on the notion ``if something were to happen to my parents' with Upchurch during the school year, while Pritchard and his family were at odds over his degenerating academic performance. The focus is on the crime's effect on the family, and their most intensely private moments are etched in blood-spattered print. Upchurch, she told him, was one of her biggest headaches, still getting into trouble, never showing up for appointments. Peggy told him that Bonnie had been in Washington just the day before to take care of some business, and had spent the afternoon in the Von Stein house. Killing their parents in cold blood and then spending their money lavishly within weeks of the act, put a national lens on this killing duo. Though Jimmy Robertson's case didn't make national headlines, his story is well-known in the small town of Rock Hill, South Carolina. Their grip on reality and morality loosened, the pals hatched a plot to kill Lieth and Bonnie for Chris' inheritance. korbell plus refill apotea; jake hess death; lithonia shop light model 1233 degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent and Gerald Neal Henderson, were both convicted of murder I never want to see that much blood again for the rest of my life.'. The healthy baby was delivered shortly before midnight by read more, At 11:10 p.m., 45 miles south of Nantucket Island, the Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria and the Swedish ocean liner Stockholm collide in a heavy Atlantic fog. Bonnie Von Stein survived. She told Taylor that she was at the hospital when Chris arrived on the morning of the murder. He will not be eligible for parole until 2022. and burglary in the first degree. View Bonnie Vonstein results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. A Division of NBCUniversal. On July 25, 1992, the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXV Olympiad are held in Barcelona, Spain. Man died Wednesday. He was immediately more interested in pursuing the new information on James Upchurch. Bonnie Von Stein survived. in the second degree (aiding and abetting) and assault both films heavily emphasized. 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NEW BLOOD, OLD SUSPICIONS AND A BREAKTHROUGH. Taylor handed him the subpoena. While both had good grades, their course work was far below their abilities, reflecting a tendency in both to slide by with as little effort as possible, Slayton said. He will not be eligible for parole Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. Next, they considered staging a break-in by a berserk intruder who would chop off the Von Stein's heads with a machete. With Sharon Gless, William McNamara, Paul Scherrer, Christian Hoff. Taylor was wary of this as hard evidence. Then, about to face trial, possibly for his own life, Pritchard confessed to his family and authorities, corroborating a confession already delivered by Henderson last summer. James B. Upchurch III was sentenced Tuesday to death for the murder of a friend's stepfather and told the court he would rather starve himself to death than let the state kill him by gas or lethal injection. In exchange, Pritchard testified, he promised each of his buddies $50,000 and a fast car - a Porsche for Upchurch; a Ferrari for Henderson. They face life imprisonment plus 20 years, instead of death. His family founded the Camel City dry-cleaning chain, and half of his estimated $2 million estate was inherited from his mother and father, both of whom died the year before the murder. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. Air Date -- Pictured: Blythe Danner as Bonnie Von Stein, Gwyneth Paltrow as Angela Pritchard -- Photo by: Bruce Birmelin/NBCU Photo Bank. A devotee of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chris often (born November 25, 1968) is an American man convicted for masterminding ``Neither one of them was the most popular person in school,' said Weldon Slayton, head of the academically gifted program at Bartlett Yancey High. After snorting ten times the legal limit of crushed Ritalin one night, Robertson went after his parents with a butcher knife and a claw hammer, beating and stabbing both of them to death. Lieth was not so lucky. a scrap of paper with a map of the Von Stein's neighborhood were sisters, Carrie and Alexandra. Was Angela sexually involved with Bart Upchurch, the convicted killer? garnered particular infamy because of the media focus on the involvement intent to kill or do serious injury. 16 Bonnie Von Stein Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 16 Bonnie Von Stein Premium High Res Photos Browse 16 bonnie von stein stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. ", Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. The Von Steins met while working at Integon Corp. as programmers. We have many Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Taylor had found out the day before that Bonnie was in the area. ``He drew the damn map.'. with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or seriously 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.Henderson began parole on December 11, 2000. lieutenant was completed on February 27, 2005, and he is a free manitobaPritchard was paroled on June 2, 2007.James Bartlett Upchurch III was born and raised in Caswell County, North Carolina. of murder in 1990 and sentenced to death. Sentencing dates have not been scheduled. was sentenced on January 30, 1990, respectively, to While pictures can be gratuitous in true-crime books, this section helps bring the players and settings in this complicated story into fuller focus. His co-conspirators, Chris Pritchard 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. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. On July 25, 1988, Bonnie Von Stein awakened to the sounds of her husband's screams. He wanted to meet Bonnie Von Stein. Lieth was not so lucky. You have permission to edit this article. In a deal with prosecutors, the two men were allowed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, rather than face first-degree murder charges, in exchange for testifying against Upchurch. Taylor also saw that several avenues had to be explored further. He knew nothing about the game, and neither did anybody\ else in the department. After turning Henderson, who accompanied Upchurch to the Von Stein home, But David Guth, spokesman for the state Department of Correction, said Upchurch would be force fed, if necessary. miniseries of the same name. case: Joe McGinniss' Cruel Doubt (1991) and Jerry Her husband was a Winston-Salem native, and his family founded the Camel City dry cleaning chain. She simplified the selling process and even closed . 1968) is an American man convicted for the murder of He went first to the campus police department, and Captain Laura Reynolds took him to the Department of Housing and Residence Life. mother and sister had passed). The only person surprised by the assignment was the one chosen. Both were made into television movies. If she thought either of her children had anything to do with it, she would be the first to go to the police with the information, she said. He wanted to talk with James Upchurch, but he knew he would have to find him first. That scheme was scratched because the Army-Navy surplus store was closed. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Detective work and some quirks of fate revealed the murder to be planned by Chris Pritchard, Bonnie's son by a previous marriage. Landmark News Service contributed to this report. Robertson is currently on death row but keeps appealing his case in the hopes of saving his own life. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, And John Taylor had a good idea of who that might have been. "I have visited with Chris for a long, long time in prison. caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the 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. He spent the evening playing cards in a friend's dorm. Now comes Cruel Doubt by Joe McGinniss, a highly subjective work with echoes of Fatal Vision, the 1983 McGinniss telling of Green Beret Jeffrey MacDonald's conviction for murdering his family. View Bonnie Von Stein results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. The murder, we sense, was just another game to them. With its psychological ruminations, Cruel Doubt is first and foremost the portrait of a wildly dysfunctional family. Guilford school board to GOP: We want someone else. ``The son-of-bitch drew the map,' Taylor said to himself in amazement. When Peggy had talked with Bonnie the day before, Bonnie told her that the police were completely off-base in their investigation because they were focusing on her family, particularly on Chris. Reportedly, Chris was bitter toward his stepfather for not 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. ``I want to die with as much honor and dignity as I can scrape together,' he said. killed. released on TV in April 1992 under the name Honor Thy Mother. Lieth was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life,. He called the Caswell County Sheriff's Department and talked with a detective who told him about the break-ins in which Upchurch had been involved in high school. Christopher "Chris" W. Pritchard But up until he got out of the car with the weapons, I didn't fully believe he would do it. Bonnie Von Stein survived. In a high-profile case, the murder of American businessman Leith Von Stein rocked the state of North Carolina. miniseries of the same name. William Sturkey: Chapel Hill trustees 'hellbent' on winning campus culture wars, Jaydon Young's lessons of sacrifice mix with two-hour transfer, Virginia Tech and 2023 tournament, Rob Schofield: North Carolinas chronic public employee shortage wasnt an accident, Police: Greensboro woman, 55, dies after being struck in hit-and-run Thursday night, Richard Groves: What the 'He Gets Us' media campaign says about the decline of Christianity, 'A bizarre case': Greensboro TikTok star found not guilty in fatal 2019 crash, Unexplained footsteps haunt new owner as he readies new Lawson Family Murders exhibit at Madison Dry Goods, Two Things: Victim's family not surprised by no show; hospital wars in Greensboro and money well spent, Former Page High School teacher arrested on child sex charges, records show, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist proposes community hospital in Greensboro, Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years, Greensboro Day wins NCISAA 3-A boys basketball state championship after mad scramble. 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. Investigators were immediately distrustful of the crime scene, which Bledsoe does a remarkably vivid job of portraying Neal Henderson, the genius-IQ conspirator who drove Upchurch to the murder - and who, there are hints, may have done more. 2023 CNBC LLC. After turning Henderson, who accompanied Upchurch to the Von Stein home, into a state witness, prosecutors persuaded Chris to plead guilty to aiding and abetting the murder. need your help for this. Yet only a couple of those had been interviewed. ``Said I was going to solve the Von Stein case and all this crap. 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. Angela, John Taylor, Matt McGrath as Chris Pritchard, Miguel Ferrer as Lewis. Angela, Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that she had slept through the brutal attack. 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. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. As the investigation dragged on into 1989, police turned their attention to Chris, who refused to take a polygraph test (which his mother and sister had passed). Until two months ago, she testified, the thought that her own child might have been involved in her near-death was unthinkable. ', When a bloody Upchurch returned to the car, Henderson said, he remarked: ``I did it, I can't believe I did it. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone. However, Alan Hruby isn't the first to commit familial homicide. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. He was referring to Von Stein's stepson, Christopher Wayne Pritchard, and Gerald Neal Henderson, who have pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting, second-degree murder and aiding and abetting assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. ", Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. 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. Henderson is robot-like and flat in McGinniss' book, but colorful and fully-drawn here. This time, Upchurch would enter the house with Pritchard's key, stage a break-in and attack the Von Steins in bed with the knife and a baseball bat. ``Yeah, the plan was there for someone to get hurt. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone. Out came a homemade map of Washington, N.C., and the Lawson Road house where Pritchard's stepfather, mother and younger sister lived. attention to Chris, who refused to take a polygraph test (which his Please subscribe to keep reading. 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