What happened way back in 2007 is beyond belief. Back then, no one would've thought it could happen. Alas, it did happen. A double murde-suicide took place and the world shook.
Over a three-day period from 22-24 June 22–2 2007, Chris Benoit, a 40-year-old Canadian professional wrestler employed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), murdered his wife, Nancy and their seven-year-old son, Daniel, before hanging himself at their residence in Fayetteville, Georgia, United States.
Autopsy results showed that Nancy was murdered first, having died of asphyxiation on the night of 22 June. Daniel, who also died of asphyxia, was killed as he was lying sedated in his bed on the morning of 23 Jun. On the evening of 24 June, Benoit killed himself in his weight room, when he used his lat pulldown machine to hang himself. He placed Bibles near the bodies of Nancy and Daniel.
Chris Benoit killed his wife Nancy in the bonus room of their house in Fayetteville, Georgia, 22 miles south of Atlanta. According to the police report, Nancy's limbs had been bound prior to her death, with her arms being restrained with coaxial cables and her feet being duct-taped together.
A balled-up combination of a tube sock and tape was also found in the kitchen trash and appeared to be soaked in dried blood, which led police to believe that it was being used as a makeshift gag prior to Nancy's death. Injuries indicated that Benoit had pressed a knee into her back while pulling on a cord around her neck; causing strangulation. Her body was found wrapped in a blanket alongside a Bible. Officials said that there were no signs of immediate struggle.
Toxicologists found alcohol in Nancy's body but were unable to determine whether it had been present before death or was a product of decomposition. Decomposition made it difficult to estimate pre-death levels of hydrocodone and alprazolam; which were found in "therapeutic levels" in her body. In any case, the medical examiner saw no evidence that Nancy was as sedated as Daniel had been when he was killed
Daniel Christopher Benoit (25 February 2000 – 23 June 2007) was Chris's third child. Daniel had two older paternal half-siblings, David and Megan, via Chris' first wife, Martina. She and the two older children were living in Canada at the time of the murder–suicide. Daniel was Nancy's only child.
Daniel was suffocated and killed in his bedroom and another Bible was left by his body. He had internal injuries to the throat area; showing no bruises. His exact time of death is unknown.
Toxicology reports determined Daniel was sedated with Xanax and was likely unconscious when he was killed. His body was not as far along as Nancy's body in decomposition.
It was later alleged that Daniel had the genetic disorder fragile X syndrome and that this was the cause of domestic problems within the Benoit family. It was also suggested that track marks on Daniel's arms were the result of human growth hormone (HGH) injections because Benoit considered him undersized due to his condition.
Benoit's co-worker and close friend, wrestler Chris Jericho, stated that from his own research on the condition, the symptoms "fit Daniel to a tee, all across the board." Concerning those who had publicly stated that they had no knowledge of Daniel having the condition, Jericho said, "If Chris had decided that he wanted to keep it to himself, you wouldn't have been able to pry that out of him with anything."
Despite Jericho's initial statements regarding Daniel, he later wrote in his 2011 book, Undisputed: "It turned out that Daniel didn't have fragile X, but at the time it made sense because I was grasping at straws." Fayette County District Attorney, Scott Ballard, later released a statement saying that a source with access to Daniel's medical files found no mention of any pre-existing mental or physical ailments.
Likewise, his teachers reported that he was on par with other students and not about to be held back academically as previously thought. In 2016, speaking publicly for the first time on the Talk is Jericho podcast, Nancy's sister, Sandra Toffoloni, unequivocally denied any claims that Daniel had ever had fragile X or any similar condition.
At about 15:30 EDT on Saturday, 23 June, fellow wrestler and close friend, Chavo Guerrero, received a voicemail message from Benoit's phone stating that both Nancy and Daniel had food poisoning and he would be late for that night's house show in Beaumont, Texas. Guerrero called Benoit back and found that he sounded tired and groggy as he confirmed everything that he had said in his voice message. Guerrero, who grew "concerned about Benoit's tone and demeanor," called him back twelve minutes later. Benoit didn't answer and Guerrero left a voicemail message asking Benoit to call him back.
At 15:44 EDT, Benoit called Guerrero back, stating that he hadn't answered the call because he was on the phone with Delta Air Lines, changing his flight. He stated that he had a stressful day due to Nancy and Daniel's purported food poisoning. Guerrero then replied with, "All right man, if you need to talk, I'm here for you." Benoit ended the conversation by saying, "Chavo, I love you."
During a 2014 appearance on the Talk is Jericho podcast, Guerrero said Benoit sounded "off" when he talked to him, especially when he said "I love you" with emphasis. Another co-worker who often travelled with Benoit called him from outside George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Benoit answered and told the co-worker that Nancy was vomiting blood and that Daniel was also vomiting.
Benoit failed to show up for the house show in Beaumont and left a voicemail on Guerrero's cellphone that he would be on a flight that would arrive in Houston at 08:00 CDT on the following Sunday morning. During this time, Benoit called and left a voicemail for an unknown friend.
On the Sunda, five text messages were sent to co-workers between 03:51 and 03:58; using both Chris' and Nancy's cellphones. Four of them displayed the Benoits' home address. The fifth said that the family's dogs were in an enclosed pool area and that a garage side door had been left open. Guerrero and WWE referee, Scott Armstrong, were two of the recipients of these texts.
Guerrero was woken up by the texts and went back to sleep, reasoning that he would ask Benoit about the texts when he picked him up at Houston airport in a few hours. Benoit didn't board the flight to Houston that landed at 08:00.
Late that morning, Benoit called WWE's talent relations office, stating that Daniel was vomiting and that he and Nancy were at the hospital with him. He stated that he would be taking a later flight into Houston, where he was scheduled to face CM Punk for the vacant ECW World Championship at the Vengeance: Night of Champions pay-per-view event that night. Benoit failed to appear for the event.
According to Ballard and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, Benoit committed suicide by hanging. He removed the bar from a lat pulldown machine in his exercise room and fashioned the end of a cord from the machine into a noose. He then released the weights; causing his strangulation. Ballard said Benoit was found hanging from the pulley cable.
On the 2016 Talk is Jericho podcast, Toffoloni claimed that over the weekend, the search history on Benoit's computer showed he had researched "the quickest and easiest way to break a neck." Benoit had then later used a towel around his neck attached to the handle of the machine, which he pulled down using a very heavy weight and let go; breaking his neck instantly.
However, the police report done by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office states he showed no damage to his neck area other than that which came from the cable around his neck. It also states the only topic he researched on his computer during that time period was the biblical prophet Elijah's resurrection of a dead child.
No mention of the claims made by Toffoloni were present in the police report, and his autopsy report made no mention of damage to Benoit's cervical vertebra; hyoid bone; trachea or larynx are; further indicating he didn't snap his neck as a manner of suicide.
On Monday, 25 June, WWE wrestlers and executives arrived in Corpus Christi for Monday Night Raw; which was to take place at the American Bank Center. As the early hours of the afternoon progressed and the show became closer to starting, WWE executives were increasingly concerned that they hadn't heard from Benoit in over 24 hours. Guerrero then showed WWE Vice President of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis, the text messages that he and Armstrong had received from Chris and Nancy's cellphones in the early hours of Sunday.
As some more time progressed without any contact from Benoit, WWE called the Fayetteville Police Department and asked for a welfare check at the Benoit household. After discovering the bodies, Fayetteville police called WWE around 16:15 (CDT) and informed them that they had discovered three bodies at the Benoit home and that the house was now considered a "major crime scene."
A suicide note was not discovered during the initial investigation. One was later discovered in a Bible that had been among Benoit's possessions that were sent to his first wife and their two children in Canada. Benoit's father Michael stated that Chris had left "a hand-written notation in there saying, 'I'm preparing to leave this Earth.'"
During a 2020 interview with Chris Van Vliet, Benoit's eldest son David stated that he didn't leave a suicide note and showed no indication that anything was wrong in their last conversations prior to the tragedy. David stated that Benoit had planned for him to visit from Canada the week following the murders.
WWE’s timeline of events began on Saturday:
- On Saturday June 23 Chris Benoit was slated to appear at a WWE live event in Beaumont Texas. That afternoon Benoit contacted WWE to inform them that his wife and child were ill and that he would not be able to attend the show.
- WWE executives rebooked Benoit’s flight for the following morning allowing Benoit to miss the Beaumont event and making alternate arrangements for him to attend the pay-per-view event in Houston on Sunday.
- WWE employees attempted to confirm with Benoit his travel plans but 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 03:53) - 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 03:5) - Chris Benoit’s cellphone
"The dogs are in the enclosed pool area. Garage side door is open."
Text Message 3 to two co-workers (sent 6/24 at 03:54) - 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 03:55) - 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 03:58) - Nancy Benoit’s cell phone
"My address is 130 Green Meadow Lane. Fayetteville Georgia. 30215."
Throughout the day on Sunday, WWE made numerous attempts to contact Benoit both at home and at local hospitals in the Atlanta area. As of 23:00, WWE officials were unable to establish contact with Chris Benoit.
At 12:30 on Monday 25 June, WWE officials were notified of the text messages sent to the co-workers the previous day. By 12:45, WWE had contacted Fayetteville County Sheriff’s office requesting they check on the Benoit family.
Fayetteville County Sheriffs office made contact with WWE at approximately 16:00 vising that they had entered the house of Chris Benoit and found three deceased bodies – an adult male adult female and a male child. WWE was told that Benoit’s home was now considered a major crime scene.
The decision to cancel the live event scheduled in Corpus Christi that night was made between 16:00 and 17:00. In keeping with company policy and with limited knowledge regarding facts of the case; WWE chose to air a memorial dedicated to the career of Chris Benoit. As facts emerged surrounding the case; all tributes to Chris Benoit were removed both on-air and on WWE.com.
Investigators found testosterone, pain killers and anti-anxiety drugs in the body of Chris Benoit, a medical examiner said. Investigators found steroids in the body of Chris Benoit.
Dr. Kris Sperry, Georgia's chief medical examiner, said the body of Benoit's wife, Nancy, also contained pain killers and anti-anxiety drugs. Sperry said it's likely the Benoits' 7-year-old son, Daniel, was sedated at the time he was murdered because a high level of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax was found in the boy's system.
Xanax is not normally prescribed for children, Sperry said. Chris Benoit's body contained an "elevated" level of testosterone and therapeutic levels of Xanax and the pain killer, hydrocodone, Sperry said.
He said, however, that the level of testosterone revealed nothing conclusive about the wrestler's state of mind before his death.
"There's no reliable scientific data that says elevated levels of testosterone lead to psychotic rage," Sperry said. "The only thing we can ascertain is that this level of testosterone indicates that he had been using testosterone at least in some reasonably short period of time before he died," he said. "It could be an indication he was being treated for testicular insufficiency."
The investigators found no other drugs, including steroids, in Benoit's body.
The investigation into the Benoits' deaths led to speculation that the wrestler may have been injecting steroids and had experienced what is called " 'roid rage," leading him to kill his wife and son.
An official who is part of the investigation said that Benoit's name was on receipts that indicated he had purchased shipments of anabolic steroids and human growth hormones from Signature Pharmacy.
Phil Astin, Benoit's personal doctor, was indicted by a grand jury on seven charges of improperly dispensing and distributing pain killers and other drugs. Astin was released on $125 000 bond and was under house arrest.
Although Benoit's name wasn't mentioned in Astin's indictment, his arrest stemmed from the investigation into the Benoits' deaths.
"Through prescription records for Mr. Benoit maintained at a pharmacy in Fayetteville, Georgia, Dr. Astin was identified as prescribing, on average, a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids to Mr. Benoit every three to four weeks from May 4, 2006, through May 9, 2007," the U.S. attorney's office said.
Sperry said the body of Nancy Benoit also contained therapeutic levels of hydrocodone and Xanax, along with hydromorphone, which he said is a byproduct of the breakdown of hydrocodone.
Nancy Benoit's blood alcohol level was .184, which is over the legal limit for intoxication but Sperry said all of the alcohol found in her body "could come from the decomposition process."
Sperry said investigators didn't have enough specimen to test for steroids or human growth hormone in Daniel's body. Daniel's body showed signs of needle marks at the time of his death but Sperry couldn't speculate why.
District Attorney, Scott Ballard, didn't answer questions about the state of the investigation into the Benoits' deaths, which he said is ongoing.
"We'd rather wait until we have more of the pieces so we can be more accurate and discuss more of a whole what happened," he said. "We're trying to envision as best we can what happened inside that household. This (the toxicology report) adds one element to all the other elements."
Since the murders, numerous explanations for Benoit's actions have been proposed, including severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE); as well as steroid and alcohol abuse; leading to a failing marriage and other personal problems. This led to numerous media accounts, and a federal investigation into steroid abuse in professional wrestling.
I can't pinpoint the exact reason but this case has always fascinated me. Perhaps it's because I'm a true crime fan. This is a clear case of when drug use goes too far. Wellness programmes and other safety measures (such as chair shots to the head being banned) should've been introduced back then. Then, maybe, this wouldn't have happened.
As long as this story remains in infamy, the name of Chris Benoit will always be brought up. History can't be erased. WWE can do their best but it won't work out in their favour.