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 . Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. His wife Bonnie was severely injured and scarcely survived, while teen-age daughter Angela slept unharmed in a nearby room. 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. Taylor left the meeting with another question answered. released in May 1992. There even was a young woman named Elena asleep in another room in the castle, and Crone couldn't help but think how close the names Elena and Angela were. Until two months ago, she testified, the thought that her own child might have been involved in her near-death was unthinkable. the Murderpedia project stay alive. 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. Taylor thought the chief's theory of the murder as a Dungeons and Dragons game acted out was interesting and should be pursued, but he didn't share his enthusiasm. and raised in Caswell County, North Carolina. Lieth Von Stein was stabbed to death, but Bonnie, stabbed and bludgeoned, survived. was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. The Von Steins met while working at Integon Corp. as programmers. 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. Sentencing dates have not been scheduled. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help It was after dark when Taylor got back to Washington. of murder in 1990 and sentenced to death. 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). He spent the evening playing cards in a friend's dorm. Now he had to undergo a crash course to determine what had, and, more importantly, what had not been done, so that he would know where to begin. Lieth was not so lucky. Reviewed By Ken Berg Of The Sentinel Staff. He will not be eligible for parole Neal Henderson, a brilliant young man with a dull social life, felt lucky that James Upchurch and Christopher Pritchard had befriended him. Bonnie has forgiven her son for his part in the crime. In his diary, Truman privately referred to the new weapon, the atomic bomb, as the most terrible bomb in the history of the world. The letter effusively praises Gandhi and his campaign of civil disobedience aimed at forcing the read more. Angela, 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. The police also found out Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. Please subscribe to keep reading. Crone also thought the only way to bring new life to the case was to assign a new investigator. and burglary in the first degree. Jerry Bledsoe. Robertson is currently on death row but keeps appealing his case in the hopes of saving his own life. Though the brother's defense included accusations of child abuse, their second trial (after the first ended in a mistrial) left the two brothers with a life sentence in prison without the option for parole. 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. caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the 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. . When pressured, some of Chris' 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. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. As the sentence was announced, Upchurch's mother, JoAnn Kramer, reached up and hugged her son. Thank you very much in advance. And John Taylor had a good idea of who that might have been. was no physical evidence tying him to the murder, Upchurch was convicted A hunting knife, some clothing, and vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State she had slept through the brutal attack. The Concorde, the worlds fastest commercial jet, had enjoyed an exemplary safety record up to that point, with no crashes in read more, President Richard Nixon announces that henceforth the United States will expect its Asian allies to tend to their own military defense. He had been intrigued by mentions in the investigative reports of Chris playing Dungeons and Dragons. Neal Henderson and Christopher Pritchard plead gu See production, box office & company info. Clearly, the case had been left to languish until his arrival. Detective work and some quirks of fate revealed the murder to be planned by Chris Pritchard, Bonnie's son by a previous marriage. Enlisting the help of friends James Bartlett Upchurch The trial was moved from Beaufort County because of pretrial publicity. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. the Murderpedia project stay alive. He was the only one of Chris's friends, Bonnie said, that she always felt leery about. spending more of the inheritance on him. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. Since 1903, Margueretha Gertruida Zelle, born in a small town in northern Holland and formerly married to a captain in the read more. Bonnie has trouble dealing with the fact that her own son, Christopher Pritchard, along with two friends consip Read allLieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. plans and enthusiasm ``I thought that would be pretty quick and I wanted it to be quick and painless,' Pritchard testified. Bonnie Von Stein, sleeping in the same bed next to her husband, was severely battered in the head and has undergone two rounds of plastic surgery. James Bartlett Despite his misgivings, Taylor went to talk with District Attorney Mitchell Norton about getting a subpoena for the card, primarily to appease the chief, and Mitchell issued it. 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The 1991 book Cruel Taylor took the card back to Capt. case: Joe McGinniss' Cruel Doubt (1991) and Jerry Chris, both of whom were known drug users. London was born in San Francisco in 1876. Upchurch was found guilty of first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, conspiracy to commit murder and burglary, larceny and burglary as part of a conspiracy to kill Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Lou Bates Von Stein, to gain part of Von Stein's $2 million estate. Mussolini responded to it all with an uncharacteristic meekness. You can cancel at any time. Was Angela sexually involved with Bart Upchurch, the convicted killer? ", Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. key and the map to the house where Upchurch had killed Leith Von Stein. 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. 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. Bonnie Von Stein is from Wellcome in Davidson County. released on TV in April 1992 under the name Honor Thy Mother. Angela, Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said . Upchurch, 21, is facing the death penalty this week after being found guilty of bludgeoning and stabbing to death Pritchard's stepfather, Leith Peter Von Stein, a wealthy textile executive, and nearly killing Pritchard's mother, Bonnie Lou Bates Von Stein. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. need your help for this. Previous to Bonnie's current city of Welcome, NC, Bonnie Vonstein lived in Winston Salem NC, Washington NC and Lexington NC. ``I just didn't think she was involved in it,' he said. 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. And Chris Pritchard was the most likely suspect. intent to kill or do serious injury. Fear and ignorance breed the sort of mindless propaganda that inspire garbage like this film. On July 25, 1992, the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXV Olympiad are held in Barcelona, Spain. Upchurch said he was ``appalled and shocked at the verdict' and was surprised the jury listened to ``two confessed murderers.'. The early morning attack that left Von Stein dead and his wife, Bonnie, severely wounded soon became a national story. woods around the time of the murder. Although Henderson's testimony was not entirely compatible, and there Upchurch was convicted of first Lieth was not so lucky. Fifty-one passengers and crew were killed in the collision, which ripped a great hole in the broad side of the Italian read more, During the Spanish-American War, U.S. forces launch their invasion of Puerto Rico, the approximately 110-mile-long, 35-mile-wideisland that was one of Spains two principal possessions in the Caribbean. ``Yeah, the plan was there for someone to get hurt. death, 20 years, 6 years and life. The 1991 book Cruel degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent 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. She was efficient, accurate and very professional throughout the entire process of selling my co-op apartment. Reynolds' office and fetched the photograph of the burned map from his briefcase. ``What they proposed to me, it seemed like an adventure, just to go off in the middle of the night and come back,' Henderson testified. Honor Thy Mother: Directed by David Greene. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help 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. SON WANTED INHERITANCE STUDENTS ACT OUT FANTASY GAME SCENARIO IN REAL-LIFE MURDER. They were all very bright. was no physical evidence tying him to the murder, Upchurch was convicted Enlisting the help of friends James Bartlett Upchurch A death sentence has to be unanimous. find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. sisters, Carrie and Alexandra. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Lieth and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. With Sharon Gless, William McNamara, Paul Scherrer, Christian Hoff. When he came to work Monday morning, he had received a response. James Bartlett Upchurch III was born and raised in Caswell County, North Carolina. 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. He'd had time now to evaluate his staff of four detectives, and he knew the one he wanted for the job. The miniseries Cruel Doubt was The police also found out We have many He went into his mother's room, she said, stayed a few minutes, and when he came out she went over and hugged him. ', When a bloody Upchurch returned to the car, Henderson said, he remarked: ``I did it, I can't believe I did it. Bonnie Von Stein survived. 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. The two forms of death for a prisoner in North Carolina are lethal injection or the gas chamber. Beloved wife of Steven Stein. ', 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. into a state witness, prosecutors persuaded Chris to plead guilty to The producers of this film should be sued for the misrepresentation of copyrighted materials, namely the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players' Handbook. 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. Friends in Caswell County were shocked by the allegations. Got a confidential news tip? In exchange, Pritchard testified, he promised each of his buddies $50,000 and a fast car - a Porsche for Upchurch; a Ferrari for Henderson. ``The son-of-bitch drew the map,' Taylor said to himself in amazement. Now Taylor was even more intrigued. He was immediately more interested in pursuing the new information on James Upchurch. A devotee of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chris often vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State University. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. The murder, we sense, was just another game to them. 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. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Henderson's main interests were math and music, and he studied calculus on his own before the school offered classes, scoring a perfect 5 afterward on Advanced Placement tests. An official brought out the document. Taylor also saw that several avenues had to be explored further. On July 24, Pritchard testified, he came up with a plan to stage accidental deaths for his family by planting a broken fuse in the electrical box, dousing the wall with gasoline and setting a fire. Pritchard was convicted of murder in the second ``I want to die with as much honor and dignity as I can scrape together,' he said. Leith was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. As the investigation dragged on into 1989, police turned their a scrap of paper with a map of the Von Stein's neighborhood were After turning Henderson, who accompanied Upchurch to the Von Stein home, She hadn't seen him in months, she said, but she was looking for him. Bonnie Von Stein survived. The pair confided and shared lunch during breaks in his testimony. Lieth Von Stein and the assault with intent to kill of The 1992 book Blood Games by Jerry Bledsoe was The detective didn't know Upchurch well, but he knew that his father had been an official with the county social services department, that his uncle was a ``hippie' who had been busted for growing marijuana. need your help for this. Lieth was killed, but Bonnie survived with serious injuries and was able to summon aid. ``If he shows up over there,' Taylor said, ``nail him, and call me.'. 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 two ``daydreamed' about inheriting enough money to share a ``big house in North Raleigh with a great stereo.'. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. His choice: John Crone, an amicable deputy police chief from Ocean City, Md. 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. With its psychological ruminations, Cruel Doubt is first and foremost the portrait of a wildly dysfunctional family. books, each of which was adapted into a TV movie. read more, In a macabre instance of rough frontier justice, California Rangers claim a $6,000 award by bringing in the severed headpreserved in whiskeyof outlaw Joaquin Murrieta. One word would hardly suffice, he thought. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. {{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. She simplified the selling process and even closed . caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the John Taylor, Matt McGrath as Chris Pritchard, Miguel Ferrer as Lewis.