The more she read the more excited Crone became. Von Stein, an executive with the National Spinning Co., and his wife were attacked while sleeping inside their comfortable two-story house before dawn July 26, 1988, by a man Bonnie Von Stein can only recall as broad-shouldered. 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. 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. Jerry Bledsoe. Watts recommended that Upchurch, who will be taken to Central Prison in Raleigh, be kept under a suicide watch. John Crone knew that he faced a challenge. of the conspirators in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, which Guilford school board to GOP: We want someone else. 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. sisters, Carrie and Alexandra. Based on the book "Blood Games" by Jerry Bledsoe. Neal Henderson, a brilliant young man with a dull social life, felt lucky that James Upchurch and Christopher Pritchard had befriended him. Mussolini responded to it all with an uncharacteristic meekness. ``The son-of-bitch drew the map,' Taylor said to himself in amazement. Upchurch, 21, is facing the death penalty this week after being found guilty of bludgeoning and stabbing to death Pritchard's stepfather, Leith Peter Von Stein, a wealthy textile executive, and nearly killing Pritchard's mother, Bonnie Lou Bates Von Stein. Pritchard was convicted of murder in the second Got a confidential news tip? A devotee of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chris often We have many Lieth was not so lucky. You can cancel at any time. Six months after Lieth Von Stein's murder, the case was still unsolved. 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. The talk turned serious about July 20, Pritchard said. Upchurch's death Now he had to undergo a crash course to determine what had, and, more importantly, what had not been done, so that he would know where to begin. Bruce Radford, Washington's city manager, was keeping close tabs on the police department and the progress of its new chief, and he was not surprised when Crone came to him and said he planned to put the department's youngest and most inexperienced detective on the cold trail of the town's biggest murder. Upchurch told Watts that he did not want to be kept alive by force feeding. A hunting knife, some clothing, and a scrap of paper with a map of the Von Steins neighborhood were recovered from the remains of the fire. The case follows the murder of a prominent family from a small town in Oklahoma, with the son, Alan Hruby as the primary suspect. Upchurch said Pritchard and Henderson 'loaded the scales of justice.'. recovered from the remains of the fire. {{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. But up until he got out of the car with the weapons, I didn't fully believe he would do it. ``He drew the damn map.'. 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. Chris. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. intent to kill or do serious injury. Please subscribe to keep reading. SON WANTED INHERITANCE STUDENTS ACT OUT FANTASY GAME SCENARIO IN REAL-LIFE MURDER. He was sentenced to life in North 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. She has since moved back to Winston-Salem. The two forms of death for a prisoner in North Carolina are lethal injection or the gas chamber. Neal Henderson and Christopher Pritchard plead gu Read all. key and the map to the house where Upchurch had killed Leith Von Stein. Browse 16 bonnie von stein stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. 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. she had slept through the brutal attack. Bonnie's son, Chris Pritchard, had refused to take the test. Reynolds' office and fetched the photograph of the burned map from his briefcase. Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Interesting questions are tossed out in cursory fashion at the book's end. The adaptation of Bledsoe"s book, Honor Thy Mother, aired in April 1992. After talking with Newsom, he called back the detective in Caswell County to tell him about the warrants. Man died Wednesday. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. McGinniss tells a gripping yarn, assuredly whisking the reader from scene to scene, creating a sense of the world-ripped-from-under-you feelings that Bonnie experienced. players on campus, may have been involved in some sort of plot with Pritchard and Henderson are free on bond pending their sentencings. ``He was and is the brightest star of the young people in the department,' Radford said of Taylor after Radford had left the job of city manager. vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State The family would perish in their beds, according to the plan. Upchurch was found guilty of first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, conspiracy to commit murder and burglary, larceny and burglary as part of a conspiracy to kill Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Lou Bates Von Stein, to gain part of Von Stein's $2 million estate. But the case never broke until Henderson, then out of N.C. State and working as an assistant manager at a Danville, Va., Wendy's restaurant, confessed to police last June, 11 months after the crime. They face life imprisonment plus 20 years, instead of death. Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that spending more of the inheritance on him. Excerpted by arrangement with Dutton, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc. the murder. In a high-profile case, the murder of American businessman Leith Von Stein rocked the state of North Carolina. Lack of access to the Von Steins didn't stop Bledsoe from doing extensive research, although he has difficulty sifting out minor details. On the way, she said, he quizzed her about what his mother had said about the attack. In his youth, Crone had been fascinated by strategy games, especially military games that he played with his father. Reviewed By Ken Berg Of The Sentinel Staff. Carolina on January 31, 1990, and paroled on June 2, 2007. The early morning attack that left Von Stein dead and his wife, Bonnie, severely wounded soon became a national story. '. 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. Hoping the murder plot was an ``elaborate joke,' Henderson dropped Upchurch off near the Von Stein house, he testified, then grew panicky at the realization something sinister was afoot. People have spread rumors of her death. of the conspirators in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, which ``Yeah, the plan was there for someone to get hurt. degree (aiding and abetting) and assault with a deadly weapon with The only person surprised by the assignment was the one chosen. ``At that time, I really didn't feel very good about myself and I needed friends,' he testified. He will not be eligible for parole until 2022. James B. Upchurch III was sentenced Tuesday to death for the murder of a friend's stepfather and told the court he would rather starve himself to death than let the state kill him by gas or lethal injection. 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. Angela, 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. Crone quickly saw that the initial months of the investigation had passed without anything of substance happening, and nothing at all had been done since Bonnie and Angela had passed lie detector tests in early January. View FREE Public Profile & Reputation for Bonnie Vonstein in Shippensburg, PA - See Court Records | Photos | Address, Emails & Phone Number | 2 Personal Reviews | Income & Net Worth North Carolina reporter Jerry Bledsoe takes a more traditional approach to the case with Blood Games. mother and sister had passed). The police also found out The 1991 book Cruel to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really It was speculated at trial that the von Stein's were attacked so that Bonnie's son, Christopher Wayne Pritchard, could inherit their estate valued at almost 2 million dollars. Air Date -- Pictured: Blythe Danner as Bonnie Von Stein, Adam Baldwin as Det. Both attended Bartlett Yancey High School. ', Henderson says he replied: ``Isn't that a little extreme? Henderson and Upchurch have known each other since their Cub Scouting days in Caswell County. 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. When he asked Upchurch in a restaurant one night for his thoughts on patricide, Upchurch responded: ``Well, you better not believe in God,' according to Pritchard. Reportedly, Chris was bitter toward his stepfather for not They used drugs. ``She seemed like a nice, sweet lady,' he said later. 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. ``I remarked, 'Oh, you're going to rob the place? Peggy knew that the police were suspicious of Chris. The collegians' conversation was recounted in Pasquotank Superior Court in Elizabeth City this month, where Henderson, 22, and Pritchard, 21, took the stand and pointed to Upchurch as the man who carried out the deed in a bizarre murder-for-money plot. relationship with his two stepchildren, Angela and her older brother, This was just to be a get-acquainted session. ``She seemed concerned. Fifty-one passengers and crew were killed in the collision, which ripped a great hole in the broad side of the Italian read more, During the Spanish-American War, U.S. forces launch their invasion of Puerto Rico, the approximately 110-mile-long, 35-mile-wideisland that was one of Spains two principal possessions in the Caribbean. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help The 1992 book Blood Games by Jerry Bledsoe was Bonnie Von Stein survived. his stepfather Lieth Von Stein in 1988 in Washington, North Carolina. On July 25, 1992, the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXV Olympiad are held in Barcelona, Spain. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, Leith need your help for this. woods around the time of the murder. ", Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. The beginners' adventure described in the book was practically an outline for the Von Stein murder, the players being sent to a castle to kill the overlord and obtain his treasure, which they later would divide. Man died Wednesday. A devotee of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chris often vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State University. {{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. In the early morning of July 25, 1988, in the Smallwood subdivision of Washington, North Carolina, Lieth Von Stein and his wife Bonnie were attacked in their bedroom by an intruder wielding a knife and a club. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. released in May 1992. Thankfully, Blood Games includes a range of photos. In exchange, Pritchard testified, he promised each of his buddies $50,000 and a fast car - a Porsche for Upchurch; a Ferrari for Henderson. 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