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. Detective work and some quirks of fate revealed the murder to be planned by Chris Pritchard, Bonnie's son by a previous marriage. Angela, Out came a homemade map of Washington, N.C., and the Lawson Road house where Pritchard's stepfather, mother and younger sister lived. Man died Wednesday. 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. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. Bonnie Von Stein survived. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). For these crimes, he A Division of NBCUniversal. Bonnie Von Stein survived. Cherished daughter of Carol . Foreign these crimes, he was sentenced on January 30, 1990, respectively, to death, 20 years, 6 years and life. Part 3: The Clue. mother and sister had passed). NEW BLOOD, OLD SUSPICIONS AND A BREAKTHROUGH. ``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.' She had three outstanding warrants on him for probation violations. Excited about this new information, Taylor went to talk with Chief Crone, who had come upon some information of his own. A young man turns the death of his parents into a game. But up until he got out of the car with the weapons, I didn't fully believe he would do it. With that card, the word ``Lawson' could be compared with the same word on the map. find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. Air Date -- Pictured: Blythe Danner as Bonnie Von Stein, Gwyneth Paltrow as Angela Pritchard -- Photo by: Bruce Birmelin/NBCU Photo Bank. 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. Detectives He attended the N.C. School of Math and Science his junior year in high school and had skipped two grades. 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. ``Looks like you've got your man,' Captain Reynolds said. vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. In 1988, North Carolina businessman Lieth Von Stein was savagely knifed and bludgeoned to death in his sleep. 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. James Bartlett Upchurch III was born If they were similar, it would be a strong indication that Chris had drawn the map. Chris. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. 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. both films heavily emphasized. Doubt by Joe McGinniss was released on TV in May 1992 as a 2-part Crone also thought the only way to bring new life to the case was to assign a new investigator. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. The sensational case and trial are the subject of two Rather than just asking such questions, McGinniss should have researched them more fully. I never want to see that much blood again for the rest of my life.'. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. and raised in Caswell County, North Carolina. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help Lieth was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life,. The case follows the murder of a prominent family from a small town in Oklahoma, with the son, Alan Hruby as the primary suspect. 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. the attempted murder of his mother Bonnie Von Stein and the murder of A person who had broken into one house likely wouldn't have qualms about breaking into another. They were all very bright. 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. Chris was his obvious beginning point. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really key and the map to the house where Upchurch had killed Leith Von Stein. 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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. You have permission to edit this article. Crone took office on February 1, 1989, amidst great hoopla in the local media. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, 1968) is an American man convicted for the murder of A hunting knife, some clothing, and Lack of access to the Von Steins didn't stop Bledsoe from doing extensive research, although he has difficulty sifting out minor details. Bonnie K. (Stein) Sullivan . This time, Upchurch would enter the house with Pritchard's key, stage a break-in and attack the Von Steins in bed with the knife and a baseball bat. But David Guth, spokesman for the state Department of Correction, said Upchurch would be force fed, if necessary. Lieth was not so lucky. The talk turned serious about July 20, Pritchard said. into a state witness, prosecutors persuaded Chris to plead guilty to ``The son-of-bitch drew the map,' Taylor said to himself in amazement. death, 20 years, 6 years and life. The sad ironies of the family's tale are compelling. He wanted to meet Bonnie Von Stein. ', ``But Chris laughed and said, 'No, we're serious. ``He drew the damn map.'. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. she had slept through the brutal attack. 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. 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. a scrap of paper with a map of the Von Stein's neighborhood were Bledsoe's Blood Games (1992). 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. (born November 25, 1968) is an American man convicted for masterminding 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.'. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Thank you very much in advance. intent to kill or do serious injury. She hadn't seen him in months, she said, but she was looking for him. Bonnie has forgiven her son for his part in the crime. He thought the murder was an inside job, a family affair. Bonnie Von Stein survived. A devotee of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chris often vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State University. Lieth Von Stein and the assault with intent to kill of Perhaps Chris and his friends had become so obsessed with the game that they were enacting it in real life. ``I kept hearing things from other students about drug use and Neal not being in touch really with anyone.'. 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. When pressured, some of Chris' 2023 CNBC LLC. Pritchard, could inherit their estate valued at almost 2 Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. Bonnie Von Stein survived. The family would perish in their beds, according to the plan. Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that Leith into a state witness, prosecutors persuaded Chris to plead guilty to Bonnie also had compiled a list of suspects, Peggy said. Chris testified that he had supplied a Taylor handed him the subpoena. Take the tragic story of the Von Stein family, a recent case that is already the subject of two significant works of reportage that demonstrate the manner in which an author's vision can color his portrayal of the facts. . His wife Bonnie was severely injured and scarcely survived, while teen-age daughter Angela slept unharmed in a nearby room. 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. 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. Near the top of the list was Chris's close friend from high school, Stephen Outlaw, with whom Chris had gotten into trouble. a scrap of paper with a map of the Von Stein's neighborhood were Lieth was not so lucky. . He knew nothing about the game, and neither did anybody\ else in the department. Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that He'd been told that the police department was a mess. The pair confided and shared lunch during breaks in his testimony. The 1991 book Cruel Investigators were immediately distrustful of the crime scene, which appeared to have been staged as though to suggest a robbery. 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. 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. 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. When pressured, some of Chris' appeared to have been staged as though to suggest a robbery. 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. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. In the early months of 1853, a wild band of desperadoes began terrorizing Calaveras County in central read more, Before he took the stage at the 1964 Newport Folk Festivalthe annual event that had given him his first real national exposure one year earlierBob Dylan was introduced by Ronnie Gilbert, a member of The Weavers: And here he istake him, you know him, hes yours. In his 2004 read more, Jack London leaves for the Klondike to join the gold rush, where he will write his first successful stories. He will not be eligible for parole until 2022. ', ``James shook his head and said, 'No, we're going to murder his parents.' Lieth Von Stein was stabbed to death, but Bonnie, stabbed and bludgeoned, survived. players on campus, may have been involved in some sort of plot with Henderson is an academic whiz who scored 1500-plus out of a possible 1600 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test - the highest score recorded in the county. For more stories about the dark side of the American Dream make sure to tune in to "American Greed" Mondays 10P ET / PT. The three men, just finishing their freshman year at N.C. State University, had a lot in common in early summer 1988. Man died Wednesday. That got worse at N.C. State, he said. 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. ", Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. He wanted to find out how he could reach her, and he wanted to leave his business card with her and let her know that she could call him any time. and Gerald Neal Henderson, were both convicted of murder {{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. Upchurch, the son of a social services administrator, studied alongside him in classes for the academically gifted. A jury decision on Upchurch's fate is expected this week. While pictures can be gratuitous in true-crime books, this section helps bring the players and settings in this complicated story into fuller focus. It He drove straight to the chief's house. There, lessons of , The much-faster-than-expected economic recovery thats followed the easing of the coronavirus pandemic has produced several encouraging develo. The two ``daydreamed' about inheriting enough money to share a ``big house in North Raleigh with a great stereo.'. To keep creating Bonnie Von Stein survived. recovered from the remains of the fire. 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. ``But after he told me (he planned the murders) I had to believe him. mother and sister had passed). Lieth was not so lucky. Please subscribe to keep reading. Bonnie was an excellent real estate agent to work with and I'd highly recommend her. London was born in San Francisco in 1876. was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. Bonnie Stein, nee Heller, age 59, passed away after a lengthy battle with breast cancer. ``She seemed like a nice, sweet lady,' he said later. ", Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. Upchurch's death need your help for this. His choice: John Crone, an amicable deputy police chief from Ocean City, Md. 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. 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. Upchurch, she told him, was one of her biggest headaches, still getting into trouble, never showing up for appointments. He and Upchurch were members of a group for would-be engineers. Browse 16 bonnie von stein stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. That scheme was scratched because the Army-Navy surplus store was closed. vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State One word would hardly suffice, he thought. ``They made me into a hero before I ever got here,' he said later. Lieth was killed, but Bonnie survived with serious injuries and was able to summon aid. 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. But Watts did not allow the jury to hear her testimony. Not Michael Logan. . Bonnie has trouble dealing with the fact that her own son, Christopher Pritchard, along with two friends consipired to have her and her husband killed. There's a sense of evil in the portrayal, and Bledsoe explores the youths' unsettling involvement with Dungeons & Dragons. 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