Steven Benson (murderer)

Steven Wayne Benson[1] (July 26, 1951 – July 3, 2015) was an American convicted double murderer of his mother, tobacco heiress Margaret Benson; and his brother (actually his nephew but later adopted), tennis player Scott Benson.[2] (Margaret Hitchcock Benson was heiress of the Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Co., Lancaster, Pa., and had no connection with Benson & Hedges brand cigarettes manufactured in the US by Philip Morris.) He was born in 1951 in Baltimore.[3]

Steven Benson
DOC Mugshot
Born	(1951-07-26)July 26, 1951 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Died	July 3, 2015(2015-07-03) (aged 63) Perry, Florida
Criminal status	Deceased
Spouse(s)	Nancy Ferguson ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1979)​ Debra Franks Larsen Benson ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1993)​
Children	3
Parent(s)	Margaret Benson (Deceased) Edward Benson (Deceased)
Conviction(s)	First degree murder, attempted first degree murder, arson of a dwelling
Criminal penalty	Two life sentences
Details
Victims	3
Date	July 9, 1985 Between 9:17 and 9:20 a.m.
Country	United States
State(s)	Florida
Location(s)	Quail Creek, Naples
Target(s)	Margaret Benson (mother)
Killed	2
Injured	Carol Lynn Benson Kendall
Weapons	Pipe bombs
Date apprehended	August 22, 1985
Imprisoned at	Taylor Correctional Institution

On July 9, 1985 Benson placed a car bomb in the family car, in which Margaret, Scott, and Steven's sister, Carol Lynn Benson Kendall (a former Miss Florida runner-up), were waiting for Benson to join them in the vehicle when the Chevrolet Suburban exploded.[4] Kendall survived but was badly burned; Margaret and Scott died instantly from the bomb impact. Represented by attorney Michael McDonnell, Steven Benson was ultimately convicted of first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, and arson of a dwelling.[5] He avoided the death penalty, and was sentenced to two life terms in prison.[6][7] Over the course of his sentence, Benson was transferred to various prisons because of constant threats and abuse from other inmates.[8]

Benson died at Taylor Correctional Institution in Perry, Florida of a stab wound to the right side of the head with a homemade knife on July 3, 2015.[9][10] Benson was in a long running feud with Cordell Washington, another inmate at the facility. The feud went back to at least 2012 after a series of assaults by Washington. Inmates told investigators that Washington planned to extort $1,000 from Benson within days after arriving at Taylor Correctional Institution. When Benson refused to pay, Washington and another man, identified as Marvin Taylor, ambushed and shanked Benson.[11]