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. In the aftermath of the murder and subsequent sentencing of three young men for their parts in the murder, assault and other related crimes, two books and two made-for-television movies about the case were released. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. Pritchard was convicted of murder in the second his stepfather Lieth Von Stein in 1988 in Washington, North Carolina. 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. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help plans and enthusiasm Doubt by Joe McGinniss was released on TV in May 1992 as a 2-part SON WANTED INHERITANCE STUDENTS ACT OUT FANTASY GAME SCENARIO IN REAL-LIFE MURDER. Pritchard and Henderson are free on bond pending their sentencings. Bonnie has trouble dealing with the fact that her own son, Christopher Pritchard, along with two friends consip Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. 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. The adaptation of Bledsoe's book, Radford had been impressed with John Taylor, too. The Nixon Doctrine, as the presidents statement came to be known, clearly indicated his determination to Vietnamize the Vietnam War. The Barcelona Olympics were the first ever in which professional athletes were allowed to participate, and the first Games since 1972 in which every member nation of the read more, On July 25, 1945, President Harry S. Truman hints to Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin that the United States has successfully developed a new weapon. Six months after Lieth Von Stein's murder, the case was still unsolved . garnered particular infamy because of the media focus on the involvement Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that Very dedicated. Bonnie also had compiled a list of suspects, Peggy 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. The first recorded railroad accident in U.S. history occurs when four people are thrown off a vacant car on the Granite Railway near Quincy, Massachusetts. The family would perish in their beds, according to the plan. Bonnie Von Stein survived. Chris, both of whom were known drug users. Investigators were immediately distrustful of the crime scene, which Chris was his obvious beginning point. released on TV in April 1992 under the name Honor Thy Mother. Angela, Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said . Peggy thought that was a curious thing for him to say, and so did John Taylor. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. When pressured, some of Chris' University. Carolina on January 31, 1990, and paroled on June 2, 2007. Taylor called the probation office in Wake County, learned that Christy Newsom was Upchurch's probation officer, and spoke with her. Bonnie has trouble de Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. He spent the evening playing cards in a friend's dorm. 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. to kill or seriously injure, conspiracy to commit murder, 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.'. that Leith had inherited over a million dollars shortly before he was 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. The Von Steins met while working at Integon Corp. as programmers. Honor Thy Mother: Directed by David Greene. Leith was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. 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. You can cancel at any time. recovered from the remains of the fire. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help 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. Aug 19, 1991 Updated Jan 23, 2015. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Lieth and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. Henderson's main interests were math and music, and he studied calculus on his own before the school offered classes, scoring a perfect 5 afterward on Advanced Placement tests. His wife read one of the introductory books to him aloud as he drove on home. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. She met Chris in the hallway outside his mother's room, and he asked her to wait for him because he might need a ride. case: Joe McGinniss' Cruel Doubt (1991) and Jerry NEW BLOOD, OLD SUSPICIONS AND A BREAKTHROUGH. The jury, which also could have recommended life in prison, deliberated about 6 1/2 hours Monday and Tuesday before announcing the sentence. 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. appeared to have been staged as though to suggest a robbery. million dollars. He and Upchurch were members of a group for would-be engineers. Taylor was wary of this as hard evidence. 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. He attended the N.C. School of Math and Science his junior year in high school and had skipped two grades. players on campus, may have been involved in some sort of plot with He wanted to meet Bonnie Von Stein. Chris, both of whom were known drug users. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, When she said Bonnie had described the shadowy attacker as young and strong, Chris responded, ``You mean it could have been one of my best friends?'. Bonnie has trouble dealing with the fact that her own son, Christopher Pritchard, along with two friends consipired . Detectives caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the woods around the time of the murder. She told Taylor that she was at the hospital when Chris arrived on the morning of the murder. Taylor left the meeting with another question answered. Chief Crone was pleased when Taylor told him about this. Enlisting the help of friends James Bartlett Upchurch He was referring to Von Stein's stepson, Christopher Wayne Pritchard, and Gerald Neal Henderson, who have pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting, second-degree murder and aiding and abetting assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. The only person surprised by the assignment was the one chosen. Was Angela sexually involved with Bart Upchurch, the convicted killer? It was speculated at trial that the von Stein's were Finally, he had decided the police department needed new leadership. Lieth was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life,. Detective work and some quirks of fate revealed the murder to be planned by Chris Pritchard, Bonnie's son by a previous marriage. Now Taylor was even more intrigued. friends revealed that James Upchurch and Neal Henderson, other D&D ``I want to die with as much honor and dignity as I can scrape together,' he said. Mussolini responded to it all with an uncharacteristic meekness. Crone also thought the only way to bring new life to the case was to assign a new investigator. woods around the time of the murder. the Murderpedia project stay alive. John Taylor, Matt McGrath as Chris Pritchard, Miguel Ferrer as Lewis. Guilford school board to GOP: We want someone else. Leith But before Taylor could go to Raleigh to take a look at the card, however, he had to take care of another matter. 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. Sentencing dates have not been scheduled. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. (born November 25, 1968) is an American man convicted for masterminding As the investigation dragged on into 1989, police turned their 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. 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. books, each of which was adapted into a TV movie. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. 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. He was the only one of Chris's friends, Bonnie said, that she always felt leery about. ``I remarked, 'Oh, you're going to rob the place? Reportedly, Chris was bitter toward his stepfather for not Henderson, a key witness for the prosecution, testified that he joined the murder scheme not so much for the money, as for a chance at belonging in a group. He took no notes, but he did form some impressions. 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. 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. ", Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. 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