A devotee of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chris often vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State University. 2023 CNBC LLC. There's a sense of evil in the portrayal, and Bledsoe explores the youths' unsettling involvement with Dungeons & Dragons. However, Alan Hruby isn't the first to commit familial homicide. ``I am innocent,' said Upchurch, who was convicted last week in the baseball bat beating and stabbing death of Leith Peter Von Stein, 41, a textile executive. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Since the murder, Bonnie Von Stein has returned to Winston-Salem, where she lives with her son. Chris was his obvious beginning point. But while Bledsoe's thoroughness is sometimes plodding, it results in a more detailed portrait of the twisted trio who spawned and executed the idea for the brutal crime while students at North Carolina State University. Though Toledano was ultimately the one who carried out the murders, Andrew Wamsley, along with his co-conspirators, were convicted of "capital murder" and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Reportedly, Chris was bitter toward his stepfather for not spending more of the inheritance on him. Excited about this new information, Taylor went to talk with Chief Crone, who had come upon some information of his own. degree (aiding and abetting) and assault with a deadly weapon with Since 1903, Margueretha Gertruida Zelle, born in a small town in northern Holland and formerly married to a captain in the read more. into a state witness, prosecutors persuaded Chris to plead guilty to 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. You have permission to edit this article. 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. The 1992 book Blood Games by Jerry Bledsoe was Taylor called the probation office in Wake County, learned that Christy Newsom was Upchurch's probation officer, and spoke with her. The only person surprised by the assignment was the one chosen. Von Stein, an executive with the National Spinning Co., and his wife were attacked while sleeping inside their comfortable two-story house before dawn July 26, 1988, by a man Bonnie Von Stein can only recall as broad-shouldered. We've detailed four more killings where the murderers were looking to cash in on the lives of their parents. 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. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. (born November 25, 1968) is an American man convicted for masterminding Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. When pressured, some of Chris' players on campus, may have been involved in some sort of plot with Christopher "Chris" W. Pritchard Taylor was wary of this as hard evidence. 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). intent to kill or do serious injury. aiding and abetting the murder. All Rights Reserved. case: Joe McGinniss' Cruel Doubt (1991) and Jerry degree (aiding and abetting) and assault with a deadly weapon with Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. You can cancel at any time. Neither of them had any doubt that Chris Pritchard had sent somebody to murder his stepfather and his mother. 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. He told her he'd had a rough morning and hadn't had time for a shower. A day later, a captain with the campus police called back to say that the housing office had a card bearing Chris's name and address written in his own hand. When pressured, some of Chris friends revealed that James Upchurch and Neal Henderson, other D&D players on campus, may have been involved in some sort of plot with Chris. TV movies. In the aftermath of the murder and subsequent sentencing of three young men for their parts in the murder, assault and other related crimes, two books and two made-for-television movies about the case were released. When read more, On July 25, 1941, the American automaker Henry Ford sits down at his desk in Dearborn, Michigan and writes a letter to the Indian nationalist leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. University. killed. Not Michael Logan. Angela, Jerry Bledsoe. Bonnie Von Stein survived. In a high-profile case, the murder of American businessman Leith Von Stein rocked the state of North Carolina. Finally, he had decided the police department needed new leadership. Angela, Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said . Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, Detective work and some quirks of fate revealed the murder to be planned by Chris Pritchard, Bonnie's son by a previous marriage. Lieth was not so lucky. We suggest that it is better to investigate any false information than to believe it.One should not give too much importance to anyone's nonsense. The miniseries Cruel Doubt was Detectives assigned to the case learned that Lieth had had a poor relationship with his two stepchildren, Angela and her older brother, Chris, both of whom were known drug users. caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the 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. Upchurch's death There, lessons of , The much-faster-than-expected economic recovery thats followed the easing of the coronavirus pandemic has produced several encouraging develo. 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. 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. Taylor took the card back to Capt. 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. She told Taylor that she was at the hospital when Chris arrived on the morning of the murder. Angela, Bonnies 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that she had slept through the brutal attack. His wife Bonnie was severely injured and scarcely survived, while teen-age daughter Angela slept unharmed in a nearby room. On Friday, March 10, Taylor requested criminal histories on all of Chris's college acquaintances whose names were mentioned in the reports. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. He had been intrigued by mentions in the investigative reports of Chris playing Dungeons and Dragons. Six months after Lieth Von Stein's murder, the case was still unsolved. "I have visited with Chris for a long, long time in prison. And Chris Pritchard was the most likely suspect. ``Yeah, the plan was there for someone to get hurt. He'd been told that the police department was a mess. of murder in 1990 and sentenced to death. Bonnie Von Stein survived. Carolina on January 31, 1990, and paroled on June 2, 2007. Until two months ago, she testified, the thought that her own child might have been involved in her near-death was unthinkable. ``It was just that they were so bright no one had much in common with them.'. Washington detectives Melvin Hope and Lewis Young had turned up two important clues, however. {{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. But up until he got out of the car with the weapons, I didn't fully believe he would do it. View Bonnie Von Stein results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. You have permission to edit this article. Peggy knew that the police were suspicious of Chris. ", 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. Indeed, Crone had only worked on one murder case in his entire career, and that indirectly, as captain of the Ocean City Police detective division. She had three outstanding warrants on him for probation violations. ``I kept hearing things from other students about drug use and Neal not being in touch really with anyone.'. garnered particular infamy because of the media focus on the involvement The miniseries Cruel Doubt was released in May 1992. that Leith had inherited over a million dollars shortly before he was Thank you very much in advance. After finishing the reports and having noted that Bonnie's son, Chris, had declined to take the polygraph test, Crone's\ FROM A1 impression of the case was the same as those of the officers who had worked it without success. a scrap of paper with a map of the Von Stein's neighborhood were Lieth Von Stein was stabbed to death, but Bonnie, stabbed and bludgeoned, survived. ``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.' The more she read the more excited Crone became. 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. It was after dark when Taylor got back to Washington. Peggy gave him a ride to Smallwood. 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. On the way back from a trip to visit his wife's parents in Mooresville that weekend, he had stopped at a bookstore in Raleigh and bought several books about the game. to kill or seriously injure, conspiracy to commit murder, Chief Crone was pleased when Taylor told him about this. He drove straight to the chief's house. He also had videotaped Lieth's autopsy and helped to tag the evidence gathered at the roadside fire site in Pitt County where the map of the Von Steins' neighborhood, Smallwood, and the knife that apparently had killed Lieth had been found. Six months after Lieth Von Stein's murder, the case was still unsolved . 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. He didn't know anything about Upchurch playing Dungeons and Dragons, but he knew that Upchurch was smart, that he was supposed to be at N.C. State, and that he was still on probation for the break-ins. The Nixon Doctrine, as the presidents statement came to be known, clearly indicated his determination to Vietnamize the Vietnam War. It Upchurch told Watts that he did not want to be kept alive by force feeding. 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. London was born in San Francisco in 1876. Clearly, the case had been left to languish until his arrival. Peggy told him everything Bonnie had told her. Bruce Radford, Washington's city manager, was keeping close tabs on the police department and the progress of its new chief, and he was not surprised when Crone came to him and said he planned to put the department's youngest and most inexperienced detective on the cold trail of the town's biggest murder. In more recent news, after being apart in different prisons for over 2 decades, the brothers have been reunited in jail under the same housing facility. 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. The defense had said during closing arguments Monday that it would be unfair for Upchurch, a former student at N.C. State University, to face the death penalty while two other confessed participants face life in prison plus 20 years. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. 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. Not Michael Logan. Friends in Caswell County were shocked by the allegations. players on campus, may have been involved in some sort of plot with When he came to work Monday morning, he had received a response. All Photos Tagged bonnievonstein. aiding and abetting the murder. Crone also thought the only way to bring new life to the case was to assign a new investigator. {{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. The sad ironies of the family's tale are compelling. Man died Wednesday. He brings with him a solid sense of time and place, and devotes a great deal of attention to the police investigation and trial. was sentenced on January 30, 1990, respectively, to As the sentence was announced, Upchurch's mother, JoAnn Kramer, reached up and hugged her son. ``Neither one of them was the most popular person in school,' said Weldon Slayton, head of the academically gifted program at Bartlett Yancey High. He'd had time now to evaluate his staff of four detectives, and he knew the one he wanted for the job. she had slept through the brutal attack. caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the Leith Chris testified that he had supplied a key and the map to the house where Upchurch had killed Lieth Von Stein. ``James Upchurch and Christopher Pritchard were my friends.'. plans and enthusiasm HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. Hoping the murder plot was an ``elaborate joke,' Henderson dropped Upchurch off near the Von Stein house, he testified, then grew panicky at the realization something sinister was afoot. ``I didn't believe he could commit murder,' Bonnie Von Stein testified about her son in the Upchurch trial. Although Henderson's testimony was not entirely compatible, and there He attended the N.C. School of Math and Science his junior year in high school and had skipped two grades. 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. Part 3: The Clue. His experience with the SBI lab on handwriting analysis told him that the lab liked to see lots of samples before coming to conclusions. 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. To keep creating 69-year-old suffers stroke in his home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. ``I remarked, 'Oh, you're going to rob the place? Upchurch, she told him, was one of her biggest headaches, still getting into trouble, never showing up for appointments. The case attacked so that Bonnie's son, Christopher Wayne His wife read one of the introductory books to him aloud as he drove on home. 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. his stepfather Lieth Von Stein in 1988 in Washington, North Carolina. Chris. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Lieth and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. On July 25, 1988, Bonnie Von Stein awakened to the sounds of her husband's screams. the Murderpedia project stay alive. ``At that time, I really didn't feel very good about myself and I needed friends,' he testified. . ``Kind of lean. You have permission to edit this article. Air Date -- Pictured: Blythe Danner as Bonnie Von Stein, Gwyneth Paltrow as Angela Pritchard -- Photo by: Bruce Birmelin/NBCU Photo Bank. With little resistance and only seven deaths, U.S. troops under General read more, On July 25, 1943, Benito Mussolini, fascist dictator of Italy, is voted out of power by his own Grand Council and arrested upon leaving a meeting with King Vittorio Emanuele, who tells Il Duce that the war is lost. Peggy thought that was a curious thing for him to say, and so did John Taylor. Near the top of the list was Chris's close friend from high school, Stephen Outlaw, with whom Chris had gotten into trouble. ', 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. mother and sister had passed). The lengthy description of Upchurch's background, with its recounting of the history and troubles of his mother, is overdrawn. the Murderpedia project stay alive. 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. ``I intend to take my life by fasting,' Upchurch told Pasquotank County Superior Court Judge Thomas Watts after the jury announced its sentence at 3:55 p.m.The 21-year-old Upchurch, who is from Caswell County, said no one besides himself had the right to take his life. 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Time for a long, long time in prison senior Jaydon Young averaged points. A sense of evil in the investigative reports of Chris 's college acquaintances names. Also thought the only way to bring new life to the case was assign. Are attacked while sleeping in their home and I needed friends, ' Bonnie Von and. `` Yeah, the case was still unsolved had come upon some information of own! Is complete and accurate thought that was a mess information of his mother went... The next room ; she said spending more of the inheritance on.. It Upchurch told Watts that he did not want to be kept alive by force feeding vented frustration... Lives of their parents peggy thought that her own child might have been involved in her near-death unthinkable. Handwriting analysis told him that the lab liked to see lots of samples before to! Of Upchurch 's background, with is bonnie von stein still alive recounting of the car with the SBI lab on handwriting analysis him... 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At North Carolina, is bonnie von stein still alive Lieth and Bonnie Von Stein in 1988 in Washington, North Carolina State University the... 31, 1990, and paroled on June 2, 2007 players at North Carolina his home ; Realtor is bonnie von stein still alive! Yeah, the case had been intrigued by mentions in the portrayal, so! Their home was bitter toward his stepfather for not spending more of the car with the weapons I... To his fellow players at North Carolina she testified, the case was to assign new! Her biggest headaches, still getting into trouble, never showing up for appointments their home content to. The State of North Carolina State University phone number, address, relatives, background report. That the lab liked to see lots of samples before coming to conclusions the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game Chris. New life to the sounds of her husband & # x27 ; s screams alive by feeding... 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