Chris Benoit, Professional Wrestler, Allegedly Kills Family, Self
June 26th, 2007 by Levi MatthewsThe life of professional wrestler Chris Benoit came to a tragic end over the weekend.
The WWE superstar reportedly killed his wife and seven-year old son over the weekend before taking his own life on Monday. The three bodies were discovered around 4 p.m. yesterday in the family’s suburban Atlanta home.
“I’m comfortable with our belief that this is a murder-suicide,” Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said Tuesday.
The bodies were found in three rooms, reports The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Autopsies were planned for Tuesday.
“The details, when they come out,” said Ballard, “are going to prove a little bizarre.”
Benoit’s employer, World Wrestling Entertainment, said on its Website Tuesday that Benoit had sent “several curious text messages” to friends, but police on Tuesday said they had identified only one.
Fayette Sheriff’s Lt. Tommy Pope confirmed a text message had been sent from Benoit’s cellphone at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, but he declined to disclose the message’s content or recipient.
Authorities initially had trouble getting to the home because of two large German shepherds on the property, WWE said. Sheriff’s deputies were standing guard at the home on Tuesday morning, keeping back the media and the onlookers.
Benoit was found in the home’s weight room, his wife in an office and his son in an upstairs bedroom.
Benoit failed to appear at Saturday’s live wrestling event in Beaumont, Texas., and at WWE’s “Vengeance: Night of Champions” in Houston Sunday night. WWE said Benoit had a “family emergency.”
The WWE issued a statement Monday night:
“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 Benoit family and loved ones in this time of tragedy.”
