| Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide | |
|---|---|
 Benoit in 2006 | |
 | |
| Location | Fayetteville,Georgia, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 33°23′36″N84°31′15″W / 33.393450°N 84.520699°W /33.393450; -84.520699 |
| Date | June 22–24, 2007 (EDT) |
Attack type | |
| Weapons | Strangling cord |
| Deaths | 3 (including the perpetrator) |
| Victims |
|
| Perpetrator | Chris Benoit, aged 40 |
| Motive |
|
Over a three-day period between June 22 and 24, 2007,Chris Benoit, a forty-year-old Canadianprofessional wrestler employed byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), murdered his wifeNancy and their seven-year-old son, Daniel, beforehanging himself at their residence inFayetteville,Georgia, United States.
Autopsy results showed that Nancy was murdered first, having died ofasphyxiation on the night of June 22.[1] Daniel, who also died of asphyxia, was killed as he was lyingsedated in his bed on the morning of June 23. On the evening of June 24, Benoitkilled himself in hisweight room, when he used hislat pulldown machine to hang himself. He placedBibles near the bodies of Nancy and Daniel.[2][3]
Since the murders, numerous explanations for Benoit's actions have been proposed, including severechronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)[4] andsteroid andalcohol abuse,[5] leading to a failing marriage and other personal problems.[6] This led to numerous media accounts, and a federal investigation intosteroid abuse in professional wrestling.
On Friday, June 22, 2007,Chris Benoit killed his wife Nancy in thebonus room of their house inFayetteville,Georgia, twenty-two miles south ofAtlanta. According to the police report, Nancy's limbs had been bound prior to her death, with her arms being restrained withcoaxial 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, causingstrangulation. Her body was found wrapped in a blanket alongside aBible. Officials said that there were no signs of immediate struggle.[7]
Toxicologists foundalcohol in Nancy's body but were unable to determine whether it had been present before death or was a product ofdecomposition. Decomposition made it difficult to estimate pre-death levels ofhydrocodone andalprazolam, which were found in "therapeutic levels" in her body. In any case, themedical examiner saw no evidence that Nancy was assedated as Daniel had been when he was killed.[8]
Daniel Christopher Benoit (February 25, 2000 – June 23, 2007) was Chris's third child. Daniel had two older paternal half-siblings, David and Megan, via Chris's 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 wassuffocated and killed in his bedroom, and another Bible was left by his body.[9] He had internal injuries to the throat area, showing no bruises.[10] His exact time of death is unknown.[11] Toxicology reports determined Daniel was sedated withXanax and likely unconscious when he was killed.[12][13] His body had just started to show signs of decomposition, but was not as far along as Nancy's body.[8]
It was later alleged that Daniel had the genetic disorderfragile X syndrome and that this was the cause of domestic problems within the Benoit family.[14] It was also suggested thattrack marks on Daniel's arms were the result ofhuman growth hormone (HGH) injections because Benoit considered him undersized due to his condition.[15] Benoit's coworker and close friend, wrestlerChris 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."[16] Despite Jericho's initial statements regarding Daniel, he later wrote in his 2011 bookUndisputed: "It turned out that Daniel didn't have fragile X, but at the time it made sense because I was grasping at straws."[17]
Fayette CountyDistrict 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.[18] In 2016, speaking publicly for the first time on theTalk is Jerichopodcast, Nancy's sister, Sandra Toffoloni, unequivocally denied any claims that Daniel had ever had fragile X or any similar condition. She also stated that claims of track marks on Daniel's arms were "preposterous."[19]
At about 3:30 p.m.EDT on Saturday, June 23, 2007, fellow wrestler and close friendChavo Guerrero[20] received avoicemail message from Benoit's phone stating that both Nancy and Daniel hadfood poisoning and he would be late for that night'shouse show inBeaumont,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 did not answer, and Guerrero left a voicemail message asking Benoit to call him back.
At 3:44 p.m. EDT, Benoit called Guerrero back, stating that he had not answered the call because he was on the phone withDelta 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 theTalk is Jericho podcast, Guerrero said Benoit sounded "off" when he talked to him, especially when he said "I love you" with emphasis.[21] Another co-worker who often travelled with Benoit called him from outsideGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport inHouston. 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 8:00 a.m.CDT on the following Sunday morning. During this time, Benoit called and left a voicemail for an unknown friend.
On Sunday, June 24, fivetext messages were sent to co-workers between 3:51 a.m. and 3:58 a.m. 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 refereeScott 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 failed to arrive on the flight at Houston airport that landed at 8:00 a.m.[citation needed]
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 faceCM Punk for the vacantECW World Championship at theVengeance: Night of Championspay-per-view event that night. Benoit failed to appear for the event.[22]
According to Ballard and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, Benoit committedsuicide by hanging.[11] He removed the bar from alat pulldown machine in his exercise room and fashioned the end of a cord from the machine into anoose. He then released the weights, causing hisstrangulation. Ballard said Benoit was found hanging from the pulley cable.[23]
On the 2016Talk 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.[19] 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 prophetElijah'sresurrection of a dead child. No mention of the claims made by Toffoloni were present in the police report, and hisautopsy report made no mention of damage to Benoit'scervical vertebrae,hyoid bone,trachea orlarynx area, further indicating he didn't snap his neck as a manner of suicide.[citation needed]
On Monday, June 25, 2007, WWE wrestlers and executives arrived inCorpus Christi forMonday Night Raw, which was to take place at theAmerican Bank Center. As the early hours of the afternoon progressed and the show got closer to starting, WWE executives were increasingly concerned that they had not heard from Benoit in over twenty-four hours. Guerrero then showed WWE Vice President of Talent RelationsJohn Laurinaitis (a.k.a. Johnny Ace) the texts 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 awelfare check at the Benoit household. After discovering the bodies, Fayetteville police notified WWE around 4:15 p.m. (CDT), informing them that they had discovered three bodies at the Benoit home and that the house was now considered a "majorcrime scene."
Asuicide 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.'"[24][25] However, during a 2020 interview withChris 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.[26]
A memorial for Nancy and Daniel took place inDaytona Beach,Florida, on July 14, 2007.[27] Both werecremated and their ashes placed instarfish-shapedurns for Nancy's family.[28] Benoit was also cremated,[29] following a private memorial service inArdrossan,Alberta, on August 6, 2007. The fate of his ashes has not been publicly disclosed.[30]
Neuroscientist and former wrestlerChristopher Nowinski argued that Benoit may have been suffering from repeated, untreatedconcussions throughout his life, ultimately leading to an unstable mental state. Nowinski stated that Benoit "was one of the only guys who would take a chair shot to the back of the head ... which is stupid."[31] Tests conducted on Benoit's brain by Julian Bailes, the head ofneurosurgery atWest Virginia University (WVU), showed "Benoit's brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year-oldAlzheimer's patient."[32]Bennet Omalu and others suggested that Benoit's brain was damaged enough that he likely would not have lived longer regardless of his actions.
Other tests conducted on Benoit'sbrain tissue revealed severechronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),[33] anddamage to all fourlobes of the brain andbrain stem.[34] Bailes and his colleagues concluded that repeated concussions can lead todementia, which can contribute to severe behavioural problems. Benoit's father said that brain damage may have been the primary cause of the murder–suicide.[35] A statement released by WWE described the findings as "speculative."[36]
Nancy had filed for divorce from Benoit in May 2003, allegingdomestic abuse, but withdrew the filing three months later.[37] In February 2008,The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reported that Nancy may have suspected Benoit of having an affair with a female WWE wrestler, and that they may have also argued over alife insurance policy. TheAJC claimed their source was a recently released report from the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.[38]
Good evening. Tonight, this arena here in Corpus Christi, Texas, was to have been filled to capacity with enthusiastic WWE fans. Tonight's storyline was to have been the alleged demise of my character, Mr. McMahon. However, in reality, WWE Superstar Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their son Daniel, are dead. Their bodies were discovered this afternoon in their new, suburban Atlanta home. The authorities are undergoing an investigation. We here in the WWE can only offer our condolences to the extended family of Chris Benoit, and the only other thing we can do at this moment is, tonight, pay tribute to Chris Benoit. We will offer you some of the most memorable moments in Chris' professional life, and you will hear, tonight, comments from his peers; those here – his fellow performers – those here who loved Chris and admired him so much. So tonight will be a three-hour tribute to one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. Tonight will be a tribute to Chris Benoit.
The deaths at the Benoit household were first reported to fans of WWE via the company's Mobile Alerts Service[citation needed], and posted to its official website soon after. On its corporate website, the company released the following statement:
"World Wrestling Entertainment was informed today by authorities in Fayette County, Ga., that WWE Superstar Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and his son were found dead in their home. Authorities are investigating, but no other details are available at this time.
Instead of its announced programming for tonight onUSA Network, WWE will air a three-hour tribute to Chris Benoit. Chris was beloved among his fellow Superstars, and was a favorite among WWE fans for his unbelievable athleticism and wrestling ability. He always took great pride in his performance, and always showed respect for the business he loved, for his peers and towards his fans. This is a terrible tragedy and an unbearable loss.
WWE extends its sincere condolences and prayers to the surviving members of the Benoit family and their loved ones in this time of tragedy."[40]
After WWE promoterVince McMahon had gathered the wrestlers together to tell them that the Benoit family were all deceased, the company cancelled the scheduled three-hour-long liveMonday Night Raw show that had been scheduled for a few hours later at the American Bank Center. Coincidentally, the show was supposed to be a memorial for the Mr. McMahon character, who on the June 11 episode ofMonday Night Raw "died" in a limo explosion, with the remainder of the ensuing angle cancelled entirely. WWE replaced the broadcast version with a tribute to Benoit's life and career, featuring past matches, segments from theHard Knocks: The Chris Benoit StoryDVD and comments from wrestlers and announcers from WWE'sRaw,SmackDown andECW brands. Shortly after the program aired, many of the aired comments were posted on WWE.com. It was not until the last hour of the tribute program that successive reports surfaced that Chris, Nancy and Daniel had all died on different days over the weekend, and that the police were not looking for any other suspects in the deaths.[citation needed]
The following night, Tuesday, June 26, after details of the murder–suicide became available, WWE aired a recorded statement by McMahon before itsECW broadcast:
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Last night onMonday Night Raw, the WWE presented a special tribute show, recognizing the career of Chris Benoit. However, now some twenty-six hours later, the facts of this horrific tragedy are now apparent. Therefore, other than my comments, there will be no mention of Mr. Benoit's name tonight. On the contrary, tonight's show will be dedicated to everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident. This evening marks the first step of the healing process. Tonight, WWE performers will do what they do better than anyone else in the world: entertain you.[41]
On Friday, June 29, before that week's edition ofSmackDown, McMahon released another statement indicating that the related events of the tragedy were not known to WWE at the time. The rest of the statement remained the same as the first one.[42]
On a recent edition ofRaw, the WWE presented a special tribute show, recognizing the career of Chris Benoit. However, the facts of this horrific tragedy involving Chris Benoit were not known at the time. Therefore, other than my comments, there will be no mention of Mr. Benoit's name in this program. On the contrary, this show is dedicated to everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident. This marks the first step of the healing process whereby WWE performers will now do what they do better than anyone else in the world: entertain you.
After learning about the full details of themurder–suicide, WWE quickly distanced itself from Benoit:[citation needed]
Numerous individuals in professional wrestling, past and present, commented on the deaths and their aftermath:
When the news broke about Benoit's death, most mainstream news outlets covered the story, includingMSNBC andFox News.[75][76] The Benoit incident made the cover ofPeople magazine.ECW Press (which has no affiliation withExtreme Championship Wrestling, a promotion for which Benoit once worked though their initials are the same) announced on July 16 that noted wrestling writer Irvin Muchnick had written a book on the case, due out in 2008.[77] At theComedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav in August 2007,Jimmy Kimmel joked to honoreeFlavor Flav that "Chris Benoit is a better father than Flavor Flav," which drew a shocked response and laughs from the crowd.[78] The show aired less than two months after the incident, but no reference was made to the taping date of the episode in question.[citation needed]
In 2015, wrestling journalistBill Apter speculated the murders were aprofessional hit.[79]
With Benoit and his death allegedly linked to steroid abuse, WWE underwent investigation by theUnited States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding theirtalent wellness policy.[80]Congress did not take action against either WWE or any other professional wrestling company in the wake of the event.
In January 2009,Henry Waxman, outgoing chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, requested that theOffice of National Drug Control Policy chief,John P. Walters, "examine steroid use in professional wrestling and take appropriate steps to address this problem." In the letter, Waxman stated, "In the first year of WWE's testing program, which began in March 2006, 40% of wrestlers tested positive for steroids and other drugs, even after being warned in advance that they were going to be tested." He also wrote about how wrestlers who test positive for performance enhancers, receive light punishment and afterwards can often participate in wrestling events. The committee investigation also uncovered how easily wrestlers could secure "therapeutic use exemptions" (TUEs, permission to take banned substances for medical reasons) so they could continue performing while using steroids. When Waxman's staff interviewed Tracy Ray, a physician contracted by WWE, Ray claimed there was "shadiness in almost every [TUE] case that I've reviewed."[81]
At the time of the Benoit murder–suicide, research was being led by forensic neuropathologist Bennet Omalu into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in former players ofgridiron football. The issue came to the forefront following Omalu's 2002 report on formerPittsburgh Steelerscenter andPro Football Hall of Fame memberMike Webster after the player's death. Subsequent postmortem analyses of the brains of recently deceasedNational Football League (NFL) players agreed with the report on Webster's death, as each player showed the kind of brain damage previously seen in people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, as well as in some retiredboxers.
Christopher Nowinski, a former WWE wrestler who had written the 2006 bookHead Games: Football's Concussion Crisis, was active in investigating the CTE diagnoses of former NFL playersAndre Waters andJustin Strzelczyk, and discussed concerns of concussions after being contacted byTed Johnson. On June 28, 2007, four days after Benoit's death, his father Michael agreed to Nowinski's offer to have his son's brain analysed by the same neurosurgeons. On September 5, 2007, Julian Bailes, the chief of neurosurgery at WVU, held a news conference inNew York City to announce the results of Benoit's postmortem brain examination.[82]
"When the (Sports Legacy Institute) approached Michael Benoit about testing Chris' brain as part of the Sports Legacy Project, our goal was to determine if there was evidence of CTE caused by repeated trauma to the head sustained during Chris Benoit's career. We have now confirmed multiple concussions are part of his medical history, along with clinical symptoms associated with CTE. Because my SLI colleagues and I have found evidence of CTE in the brains of four former professional football players, we felt an examination of Chris Benoit's brain may bring awareness to CTE's existence outside of boxers and football players. The findings of CTE in Chris Benoit suggest that there may be a common syndrome among athletes who suffer multiple head injuries in contact sports."[83]
In December 2009, nearly thirty months after Benoit's death, Omalu confirmed toESPN'sOutside the Lines that the death of a second WWE wrestler,Andrew Martin (a.k.a. Test), was attributed to CTE. Bailes told ESPN, "When we announced our findings about Chris, some in the media said it was 'roid rage. We said at the time the real finding was that repeated head trauma was the cause. With Andrew Martin as the second case, the WWE and the sport in general have to ask themselves, 'Is this a trend?' The science tells us that jumping off ten-foot ladders and slamming people with tables and chairs is simply bad for the brain."[84]
WWE noted the research was new at the time but released the following statement to ESPN:
"While this is a new emerging science, the WWE is unaware of the veracity of any of these tests, be it for Chris Benoit or Andrew Martin. Dr. Omalu claims that Mr. Benoit had a brain that resembled an 85-year-old with Alzheimer's, which would lead one to ponder how Mr. Benoit would have found his way to an airport, let alone been able to remember all the moves and information that is required to perform in the ring."[84]
In the decade following the broadcast, postmortem brain research on numerous deceased wrestlers diagnosed findings consistent with CTE. Wrestlers diagnosed in postmortem research includeAxl Rotten,Balls Mahoney,Jimmy Snuka,Harry Fujiwara andRon Bass.[85][86]
In 2013, the NFL and groups representing 18,000 former players agreed to a $765 millionsettlement compensating players in regards to head injuries, specifically concussions.[87] Influenced by the NFL decision, over sixty professional wrestlers and representatives of deceased wrestlers, joined by attorney Konstantine Kyros, filed aclass-action lawsuit against WWE. Thelitigation claims the company concealed the risks of injury in wrestling, specifically CTE.[88] United States District JudgeVanessa Lynne Bryant dismissed the lawsuits in September 2018, saying the Benoit tragedy did not cause WWE to recognize a link between CTE and wrestling but stated: "The circumstances surrounding Mr. Benoit's death were so tragic and so horrifying that it would have been reasonable for his fellow wrestlers to follow news developments about him and about CTE, through which they could have deduced that they were at risk of developing CTE and sought medical opinions about risks to their own health."[89] TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected anappeal in September 2020 and theUnited States Supreme Court declined to hear the case in April 2021.[90]
In 2025, Chris Jericho interviewed Nowinski for hisTalk is Jericho podcast. He noted theBoston University CTE Center and Brain Bank researched the 2021Phillip Adamsmurder-suicide and found similar connections to Benoit, and examined theParkinson's disease symptoms of former professional wrestlerDean Malenko; both situations were linked to head injuries. Nowinski also noted WWE did not agree with the research into CTE at the time of his research into Benoit. Modern wrestling has since added concussion protocols to ensure wrestlers are not re-entering the ring too early after an incident.[91]
Steroids were found in the Benoit household, leading some media organizations to hypothesize that a steroid-induced rage may have been the cause of Benoit's actions, as some doctors have linked steroid use to uncontrollable anger, among other psychological issues which includeparanoia.[75][92] WWE released a press-statement, challenging the "roid-rage" claims. One part of the statement reads:
"The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife's feet and hands were bound and she wasasphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage. The presence of aBible by each is also not an act of rage."[93]
Prosecutors inNew York investigated the deliveries Benoit received from Signature Pharmacy and MedXLife.com, which sold steroids and HGH over theinternet.[94] Terence Kindlon, the lawyer for MedXLife co-owner Gary Brandwein, denied allegations that his client's company sold steroids to Benoit.[94] Brandwein pleaded not guilty to six counts in New York state court related to the criminal sale of a controlled substance.[95]
According to a report fromSports Illustrated, three packages sent to Benoit were from Signature Pharmacy, with the first one in December 2005 toSan Antonio, Texas. The second package was sent on February 13, 2006, to an address inPeachtree City, Georgia, and the third was sent in July 2006 toFort Walton Beach, Florida.[96] This followed eleven wrestlers that were named in aSports Illustrated steroids investigation that began March 2007, which included Angle, Eddie Guerrero,Oscar Guttierez (a.k.a. Rey Mysterio, Jr.),Adam Copeland (a.k.a. Edge) andGregory Helms, with Copeland receiving a high amount of steroids.[97]
WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt stated that "they believe the facts of this crime do not support the hypothesis that 'roid rage' played a role in the murders", citing evidence ofpremeditation in addition to the lack of atoxicology report, and the fact that the steroids found within Benoit's home were legally prescribed.[93][98]Gary I. Wadler, a former official in theWorld Anti-Doping Agency, agreed with McDevitt's statement, saying that "that was a premeditated act and that's not rage".[99] Investigators seized both Benoit and Nancy's medical records, as well as records belonging toMark Jindrak,Hardcore Holly (Robert Howard), Lex Luger, Rey Mysterio, Jr.,Buff Bagwell (Marcus Bagwell) andJohnny Grunge (Mike Durham), all of whom were patients of Benoit's doctor, Phil Astin.[100][101][102]
At the press conference held by theGeorgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) on July 17, 2007, it was announced that three different drugs were found in Nancy's system:hydromorphone, hydrocodone and Xanax. All three drugs were found to be at levels investigators considered normal for therapeutic treatment, as opposed to recreational use or abuse. Ablood-alcohol level was found to be 0.184. Kris Sperry, the medical examiner, added it was impossible to say whether any of the blood findings were due to ingestion of alcohol or the post-mortem process.[8] It was also ruled out that Nancy was sedated by Benoit before she was murdered.[103]
Xanax was found in Daniel's system. District Attorney Ballard noted this was not a drug that would be given to a child under normal circumstances. It was believed that Daniel was sedated before being murdered, with Sperry ruling out that he had died of adrug overdose.[103] The GBI, however, said in the press conference that it could not perform tests for steroids or HGH on Daniel because of a lack ofurine.[104]
Xanax and hydrocodone were found in Benoit's system, at levels investigators called consistent with therapeutic use. Elevated levels of the synthetic anabolic steroidtestosterone cypionate were found in his urine; investigators believed that the level found suggested it had been taken recently. While testosterone cypionate was found in his urine, there was no evidence ofgamma hydroxybutyrate contrary to speculation.[103] Benoit tested negative for blood alcohol.[105][106]
Phil Astin's attorney, Manny Arora,[107] asked a judge to throw out evidence seized during a raid on Astin's office after the murder–suicide. He claimed the search exceeded authority granted in asearch warrant and that police seized other patients' records and three years of bank and computer records.[108] In February 2008, Astin was charged with overprescribing medication in a case not connected to Benoit.[109] On January 29, 2009, Astin admitted he illegally prescribed drugs, sometimes without examining the patients first, and pleaded guilty to all 175 counts against him. He was sentenced to ten years in prison.[110]
A statement regarding Nancy's death was added to the Chris BenoitEnglish Wikipedia article fourteen hours before police discovered the bodies of Benoit and his family. This seemingly prescient addition was initially reported onWikinews and later onFox News. The article originally read: "Chris Benoit was replaced byJohnny Nitro for the ECW World Championship match at Vengeance, as Benoit was not there due to personal issues, stemming from the death of his wife Nancy."[111]
The phrase "stemming from the death of his wife Nancy" was added at 4:01 a.m.EDT on June 25, whereas the Fayette County police reportedly discovered the bodies of the Benoit family at 2:30 p.m. EDT, 10 hours, 29 minutes later. TheIP address of the editor was traced toStamford,Connecticut, which at the time was the location of theWWE headquarters.[112] After news of the early death notice reached mainstream media, the anonymous poster accessed Wikinews to explain his edit as a "huge coincidence and nothing more."[113][114]
The poster responsible for the edit was later identified as Matthew Greenberg, a then 19-year-old student at theUniversity of Connecticut inStorrs.[115] Police detectives "seized computer equipment from the man held responsible for the postings" and called the posting an "unbelievable hindrance" to their investigation, but believed Greenberg was otherwise uninvolved, declining to press charges.[116][117] Greenberg had found several rumors online,[118] which supported his theory about the Benoit "family emergency" as reported in wrestling news. The IP from which he made the edit was tentatively traced tovandalizing other Wikipedia entries.[119]
In the years following the murder–suicide, it continued to be referred to in the media.The Great American Bash pay-per-view on July 20, 2008, was the last WWE pay-per-view with aTV-14 rating. WWE immediately thereafteradopted their current TV-PG rating, which resulted in a noticeable toning down of edgy content in its broadcasts. Within a few months, blood was severely toned down, which returned WWE's product to its pre-1997 rule on prohibiting deliberateblading in matches.[citation needed]
The removal of Benoit from WWE media was extensive, with the organization immediately opting to remove any and all references to the wrestler in all of their media. This included significant matches with Benoit's involvement, from pay-per-views including main events. In recent years, WWE has softened its policy, and matches he participated in began to appear on the WWE Network not long after its launch. Despite this, Benoit's name would not appear in any descriptions of the event and searching with his name would yield no results. WWE has also mentioned his name in lists regarding the lineages of titles that he also held, though with no links or biographical information present for Benoit's reigns.[120]
WWE took similar actions with other wrestlers in later years, notably withJimmy Snuka for his 2015 arrest regarding the death of Nancy Argentino,[121] and Hulk Hogan following the release of a tape that included Hogan making racist comments (seeBollea v. Gawker). As both men were members of the WWE Hall of Fame, the company removed them from the hall.[122] Journalists and fans compared their removals to the scale of Benoit's. Snuka[citation needed] and Hogan eventually had the actions reversed and both were reinstated into the hall, with Hogan being inducted a second time for his work with the nWo in 2020.[123]
There have been discussions about whether or not Benoit himself would ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.Steve Austin predicted that Benoit, although important to the business, would never be inducted due to his actions.[124] Jericho also stated that Benoit should never be in the hall.[125] Benoit's eldest son David, however, believes that his father someday will be inducted.[126] Vickie Guerrero, widow of Benoit's best friend and Hall of FamerEddie Guerrero, has also approved of Benoit being inducted into the hall.[127] Some journalists, fans and wrestlers, including Hall of FamerMick Foley, have advocated for the inclusion of Nancy into the Hall of Fame for her work in WCW and ECW as a valet and manager.[128][129]
The reports also determine that Benoit's 7-year-old son, Daniel, was sedated with Xanax when he was killed.
A sheriff's official previously said that [Phil] Astin is also being investigated in the February 2006 death of another wrestler,Michael Durham.
