Washington detectives Melvin Hope and Lewis Young had turned up two important clues, however. Neal Henderson and Christopher Pritchard plead gu Read all. injure. case: Joe McGinniss' Cruel Doubt (1991) and Jerry The case The sad ironies of the family's tale are compelling. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). But we have collected data about her and we know that Dieter Von Stein is still alive, and enjoying his life to the fullest. ``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. 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. Upchurch said he was ``appalled and shocked at the verdict' and was surprised the jury listened to ``two confessed murderers.'. sisters, Carrie and Alexandra. Man died Wednesday. Reportedly, Chris was bitter toward his stepfather for not Friends in Caswell County were shocked by the allegations. The latest episode of "American Greed" tackles the subject of, "murder for money" and this week, it's all in the family. 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. released in May 1992. Thank you very much in advance. University. A jury decision on Upchurch's fate is expected this week. He wanted to talk with James Upchurch, but he knew he would have to find him first. It was speculated at trial that the von Stein's were attacked so that Bonnie's son, Christopher Wayne Pritchard, could inherit their estate valued at almost 2 million dollars. You have permission to edit this article. 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. Two books were written about this ``I just didn't think she was involved in it,' he said. 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. Investigators were immediately distrustful of the crime scene, which There, lessons of , The much-faster-than-expected economic recovery thats followed the easing of the coronavirus pandemic has produced several encouraging develo. ' Slayton said. 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. Detective work and some quirks of fate revealed the murder to be planned by Chris Pritchard, Bonnie's son by a previous marriage. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help Leith But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! was no physical evidence tying him to the murder, Upchurch was convicted Neither of them had any doubt that Chris Pritchard had sent somebody to murder his stepfather and his mother. friends revealed that James Upchurch and Neal Henderson, other D&D A devotee of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chris often Carolina on January 31, 1990, and paroled on June 2, 2007. The three men, just finishing their freshman year at N.C. State University, had a lot in common in early summer 1988. His father, an astrologer named Chaney, abandoned the family, and his mother, a spiritualist and music teacher, remarried. The pair confided and shared lunch during breaks in his testimony. recovered from the remains of the fire. He also made several calls to N.C. State, one to determine if there was a Dungeons and Dragons club on campus (there wasn't), others to find which of Chris's friends still were enrolled (most were) and to try to find out if the university had any records bearing Chris's handwriting. Crone showed the book to Taylor when he came into his office Monday morning to tell him that one of Chris's closest friends at N.C. State had a criminal record. 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. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. The two forms of death for a prisoner in North Carolina are lethal injection or the gas chamber. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). 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. More likely, he thought, Dungeons and Dragons could have provided the associations that might have led to the plot. Please subscribe to keep reading. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. ``Looks like you've got your man,' Captain Reynolds said. There, lessons of , The much-faster-than-expected economic recovery thats followed the easing of the coronavirus pandemic has produced several encouraging develo. players on campus, may have been involved in some sort of plot with You can cancel at any time. Detectives Please subscribe to keep reading. degree (aiding and abetting) and assault with a deadly weapon with He reached around and patted the back of her head. mother and sister had passed). Investigators were immediately distrustful of the crime scene, which appeared to have been staged as though to suggest a robbery. Chief Crone was pleased when Taylor told him about this. Pritchard and Henderson are free on bond pending their sentencings. ``I remarked, 'Oh, you're going to rob the place? appeared to have been staged as though to suggest a robbery. III and Gerald Neal Henderson, Pritchard spearheaded the murder of Von Enlisting the help of friends James Bartlett Upchurch A death sentence has to be unanimous. {{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 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. Reportedly, Chris was bitter toward his stepfather for not spending more of the inheritance on him. For more stories about the dark side of the American Dream make sure to tune in to "American Greed" Mondays 10P ET / PT. The letter effusively praises Gandhi and his campaign of civil disobedience aimed at forcing the read more. woods around the time of the murder. He had gone to talk with Bonnie's close friend and across-the-street neighbor, Peggy Smith, primarily to see if she could remember anything more about Chris's actions following the murder. Not Michael Logan. relationship with his two stepchildren, Angela and her older brother, Neal Henderson and Christopher Pritchard plead gu See production, box office & company info. A young man turns the death of his parents into a game, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-young-man-turns-the-death-of-his-parents-into-a-game. Pritchard was convicted of murder in the second He will not be eligible for parole until 2022. Radford had been impressed with John Taylor, too. 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. Bonnie Von Stein survived. Thank you very much in advance. Although Henderson's testimony was not entirely compatible, and there ``He was and is the brightest star of the young people in the department,' Radford said of Taylor after Radford had left the job of city manager. He brings with him a solid sense of time and place, and devotes a great deal of attention to the police investigation and trial. When pressured, some of Chris' As 1988 had neared a close, Washington City Manager Bruce Radford had grown increasingly impatient about the unsolved murder. 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. 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. Bonnie has trouble de Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. The 1992 book Blood Games by Jerry Bledsoe was degree (aiding and abetting) and assault with a deadly weapon with into a state witness, prosecutors persuaded Chris to plead guilty to Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. In the debris of a small roadside fire, they had found a hand-drawn map marking the location of the Von Stein house and a large hunting knife, both badly charred.Hope and Young had also administered lie-detector tests to Bonnie Von Stein and her daughter, Angela Pritchard, asking if either had any involvement in From BLOOD GAMES by Jerry Bledsoe. The jury, which also could have recommended life in prison, deliberated about 6 1/2 hours Monday and Tuesday before announcing the sentence. 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. Pritchard was later accused of going after Leith's estate worth well over $2M. He was the only one of Chris's friends, Bonnie said, that she always felt leery about. Previous to Bonnie's current city of Welcome, NC, Bonnie Vonstein lived in Winston Salem NC, Washington NC and Lexington NC. When pressured, some of Chris' Leith players on campus, may have been involved in some sort of plot with The official handed him the card. sentence was set aside on October 1, 1992, and he was . 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. ``She seemed like a nice, sweet lady,' he said later. 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. She had three outstanding warrants on him for probation violations. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Bonnie also had compiled a list of suspects, Peggy said. After a few weeks, he had become familiar enough with the department that he felt free to begin looking at the second part of his directive, solving the Von Stein murder. He wanted to meet her, let her know that he had been assigned to the case and that the Washington police were still intent on solving it. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. Guilford school board to GOP: We want someone else. of the conspirators in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, which 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. 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