Lieth was not so lucky. key and the map to the house where Upchurch had killed Leith Von Stein. 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. The only person surprised by the assignment was the one chosen. a scrap of paper with a map of the Von Stein's neighborhood were miniseries of the same name. Christopher "Chris" W. Pritchard Pritchard was convicted of murder in the second As the investigation dragged on into 1989, police turned their 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. In the early morning of July 25, 1988, in the Smallwood subdivision of Washington, North Carolina, Lieth Von Stein and his wife Bonnie were attacked in their bedroom by an intruder wielding a knife and a club. After turning Henderson, who accompanied Upchurch to the Von Stein home, 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. Pritchard was paroled on June 2, 2007. 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. killed. After turning Henderson, who accompanied Upchurch to the Von Stein home, ``I remarked, 'Oh, you're going to rob the place? was sentenced on January 30, 1990, respectively, to 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. He is the ``If he shows up over there,' Taylor said, ``nail him, and call me.'. Chris testified that he had supplied a key and the map to the house where Upchurch had killed Lieth Von Stein. 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. Air Date -- Pictured: Blythe Danner as Bonnie Von Stein, Adam Baldwin as Det. Updated: June 20, 2015 . ``Yeah, the plan was there for someone to get hurt. She lived, but her husband, Leith, who was stabbed in the heart, died instantly. On Friday, March 10, Taylor requested criminal histories on all of Chris's college acquaintances whose names were mentioned in the reports. 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. A devotee of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chris often vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State University. Finally, he had decided the police department needed new leadership. 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. For these crimes, he Upchurch's death Bonnie Von Stein survived. James Bartlett Upchurch III was born Henderson and Upchurch have known each other since their Cub Scouting days in Caswell County. 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. injure. Bonnie Von Stein survived. . Bartlett Upchurch II. You have permission to edit this article. Please subscribe to keep reading. Now their suspicions had been confirmed. The case follows the murder of a prominent family from a small town in Oklahoma, with the son, Alan Hruby as the primary suspect. An official brought out the document. James Bartlett Upchurch III was born and raised in Caswell County, North Carolina. NEW BLOOD, OLD SUSPICIONS AND A BREAKTHROUGH. As the investigation dragged on into 1989, police turned their 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. He had photographed the body and the house, then had helped SBI Agent Lewis Young gather evidence at the scene, because no SBI crime lab was available. Thank you very much in advance. ``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 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. 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. Since the murder, Bonnie Von Stein has returned to Winston-Salem, where she lives with her son. until 2022. Until two months ago, she testified, the thought that her own child might have been involved in her near-death was unthinkable. Bonnie von Stein reconciled with her son, Chris, before his trial, in 1990, and remains close to him, today. Not Michael Logan. There, lessons of , The much-faster-than-expected economic recovery thats followed the easing of the coronavirus pandemic has produced several encouraging develo. Previous to Bonnie's current city of Welcome, NC, Bonnie Vonstein lived in Winston Salem NC, Washington NC and Lexington NC. 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. she had slept through the brutal attack. Honor Thy Mother: Directed by David Greene. ', ``But Chris laughed and said, 'No, we're serious. The family would perish in their beds, according to the plan. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Taylor knew that Bonnie soon would know that he had come to talk with Peggy Smith. His experience with the SBI lab on handwriting analysis told him that the lab liked to see lots of samples before coming to conclusions. Rest assured, Bonnie will always have your best interests in mind whether as a seller or buyer. plans and enthusiasm Peggy thought that was a curious thing for him to say, and so did John Taylor. 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. 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Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 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. 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. 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. Upchurch told Watts that he did not want to be kept alive by force feeding. 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. He testified the guilt he carried for the homicide ``wasn't so bad when I was busy but whenever I had quiet time by myself, I'd remember what he'd said that night.'. Based on the book "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. She seemed genuinely interested in finding out who killed her husband.'. Lieth was not so lucky. His wife read one of the introductory books to him aloud as he drove on home. Angela, Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said . Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. 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 told her he'd had a rough morning and hadn't had time for a shower. Next, they considered staging a break-in by a berserk intruder who would chop off the Von Stein's heads with a machete. 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. ", Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. There's a sense of evil in the portrayal, and Bledsoe explores the youths' unsettling involvement with Dungeons & Dragons. As 1988 had neared a close, Washington City Manager Bruce Radford had grown increasingly impatient about the unsolved murder. Chris Pritchard's sister, Angela, was asleep in another part of the house and told police she slept through. mother and sister had passed). Born into an affluent family, Robertson was showered with money growing up, but claims he was also disciplined to the point of abuse by his parents. All Rights Reserved. They face life imprisonment plus 20 years, instead of death. 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. Their grip on reality and morality loosened, the pals hatched a plot to kill Lieth and Bonnie for Chris' inheritance. The case into a state witness, prosecutors persuaded Chris to plead guilty to He was sentenced to life in North The miniseries Cruel Doubt was . Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. 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. relationship with his two stepchildren, Angela and her older brother, 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. But the case never broke until Henderson, then out of N.C. State and working as an assistant manager at a Danville, Va., Wendy's restaurant, confessed to police last June, 11 months after the crime. 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. Peggy gave him a ride to Smallwood. 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. And they shared a fascination with Dungeons and Dragons, a fantasy game steeped in mind-play and mystery.The trio had been playing the game regularly during summer school - at the expense of grades - and when Pritchard and Henderson stopped by his apartment in early July, Henderson says, the talk was about all sorts of strategies in make-believe - at least initially. His father, an astrologer named Chaney, abandoned the family, and his mother, a spiritualist and music teacher, remarried. Chris testified that he had supplied a 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. Pritchard was paroled on June 2, 2007. Upchurch III (born August 17, Beyond that, he'd had no further role in the case, and had not kept up with the day-to-day details of the investigation. and raised in Caswell County, North Carolina. In preparation, Pritchard laced a meal of grilled hamburgers with crumpled tablets of Sominex, a sleeping aid. 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. relationship with his two stepchildren, Angela and her older brother, Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. ``Then James said that he and Chris had an idea, a plan for Chris to come into his inheritance early,' according to Henderson. Bonnie Vonstein is 78 years old and was born on 07/15/1944. Very dedicated. Then the visits stopped and Henderson wouldn't return messages. Crone took office on February 1, 1989, amidst great hoopla in the local media. was no physical evidence tying him to the murder, Upchurch was convicted Neal Henderson was released from prison in 2000 and finished his probation in. ``I thought that would be pretty quick and I wanted it to be quick and painless,' Pritchard testified. 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. 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. released on TV in April 1992 under the name Honor Thy Mother. 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. To keep creating If they were similar, it would be a strong indication that Chris had drawn the map. attention to Chris, who refused to take a polygraph test (which his re-sentenced to life. 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. 0. In the past, Bonnie has also been known as Bonnie B Vonstein, Bonnie Bates Von Stein, Bonnie Von O Stein, Bonnie Von Stein and Bonnie Stein. Interesting questions are tossed out in cursory fashion at the book's end. 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. ``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. He went first to the campus police department, and Captain Laura Reynolds took him to the Department of Housing and Residence Life. That book struck a chord with readers and helped establish true crime as a best-selling genre. When pressured, some of Chris' 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). 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. find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or seriously Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really The Von Steins met while working at Integon Corp. as programmers. A young man turns the death of his parents into a game. , they considered staging a break-in by a berserk intruder who would chop off the Von Stein returned. 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