. He wanted to meet Bonnie Von Stein. 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. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. The sensational case and trial are the subject of two find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. ", Growing up in Goldsboro, Greensboro Day senior Jaydon Young averaged 25.9 points per game as a freshman at Wayne Christian. But before Taylor could go to Raleigh to take a look at the card, however, he had to take care of another matter. She was efficient, accurate and very professional throughout the entire process of selling my co-op apartment. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. Perhaps Chris and his friends had become so obsessed with the game that they were enacting it in real life. 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. relationship with his two stepchildren, Angela and her older brother, 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. Detectives assigned to the case learned that Leith had had a poor Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Carolina on January 31, 1990, and paroled on June 2, 2007. University. Chris. You have permission to edit this article. In the past, Bonnie has also been known as Bonnie B Vonstein, Bonnie Bates Von Stein, Bonnie Von O Stein, Bonnie Von Stein and Bonnie Stein. View Bonnie Von Stein results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. TV movies. The three men, just finishing their freshman year at N.C. State University, had a lot in common in early summer 1988. Six months after Lieth Von Stein's murder, the case was still unsolved . was completed on February 27, 2005, and he is a free man. 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. If Chris had planned the murder, and if he actually had been at N.C. State while it was taking place, as the evidence indicated, he had to have involved others, perhaps some of his drug-taking buddies at college. He brings with him a solid sense of time and place, and devotes a great deal of attention to the police investigation and trial. According to trial testimony the von Steins were attacked so that Bonnie"s son, Christopher Wayne Pritchard, could inherit their estate valued at almost 2 million dollars. Man died Wednesday. Bonnie has trouble de Read allLieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. players on campus, may have been involved in some sort of plot with It Upchurch told Watts that he did not want to be kept alive by force feeding. Not Michael Logan. Peggy knew that the police were suspicious of Chris. Always wants to do a good job.'. Thankfully, Blood Games includes a range of photos. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Chris testified that he had supplied a Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. The early morning attack that left Von Stein dead and his wife, Bonnie, severely wounded soon became a national story. NEW BLOOD, OLD SUSPICIONS AND A BREAKTHROUGH. the attempted murder of his mother Bonnie Von Stein and the murder of ``I want to die with as much honor and dignity as I can scrape together,' he said. There even was a young woman named Elena asleep in another room in the castle, and Crone couldn't help but think how close the names Elena and Angela were. (History.com) July 25, 1988 - Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Lieth and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. You have permission to edit this article. The talk turned serious about July 20, Pritchard said. a scrap of paper with a map of the Von Stein's neighborhood were the Murderpedia project stay alive. ``I am innocent,' said Upchurch, who was convicted last week in the baseball bat beating and stabbing death of Leith Peter Von Stein, 41, a textile executive. Angela, Bonnies 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that she had slept through the brutal attack. You have permission to edit this article. There, lessons of , The much-faster-than-expected economic recovery thats followed the easing of the coronavirus pandemic has produced several encouraging develo. was sentenced on January 30, 1990, respectively, to Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. He went into his mother's room, she said, stayed a few minutes, and when he came out she went over and hugged him. aiding and abetting the murder. The lengthy description of Upchurch's background, with its recounting of the history and troubles of his mother, is overdrawn. Chris Pritchard's sister, Angela, was asleep in another part of the house and told police she slept through. Bartlett Upchurch II. He drove straight to the chief's house. They were doing poorly in school. 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. Reportedly, Chris was bitter toward his stepfather for not On the day that Lieth Von Stein was beaten and stabbed to death in his bed, John Taylor had been called to the house on Lawson Road. ``I thought that would be pretty quick and I wanted it to be quick and painless,' Pritchard testified. This was just to be a get-acquainted session. 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. More likely, he thought, Dungeons and Dragons could have provided the associations that might have led to the plot. to kill or seriously injure, conspiracy to commit murder, Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. death, 20 years, 6 years and life. Investigators were immediately distrustful of the crime scene, which He knew nothing about the game, and neither did anybody\ else in the department. degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent {{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. 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. He immersed himself in the three fat casebooks of reports that already had been filed, and when he emerged, he, like every other officer who had become familiar with the case, felt that Chris Pritchard had to have had something to do with the murder. A person who had broken into one house likely wouldn't have qualms about breaking into another. Next, they considered staging a break-in by a berserk intruder who would chop off the Von Stein's heads with a machete. mother and sister had passed). Lieth was not so lucky. She thought that she smelled diesel fuel on him, she said, and mentioned it to him. The trial was moved from Beaufort County because of pretrial publicity. She has since moved back to Winston-Salem. Pritchard was convicted of murder in the second Near the top of the list was Chris's close friend from high school, Stephen Outlaw, with whom Chris had gotten into trouble. Excerpted by arrangement with Dutton, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc. the murder. she had slept through the brutal attack. Bonnie Von Stein survived. ``Kind of lean. aiding and abetting the murder. his stepfather Lieth Von Stein in 1988 in Washington, North Carolina. Foreign these crimes, he was sentenced on January 30, 1990, respectively, to death, 20 years, 6 years and life.Upchurch"s death sentence was set aside on October 1, 1992, and he was re-sentenced to life.He will not be eligible for parole until 2022. appeared to have been staged as though to suggest a robbery. Man died Wednesday. first son of Joanne Ensley Upchurch (deceased) and James Killing their parents in cold blood and then spending their money lavishly within weeks of the act, put a national lens on this killing duo. sentence was set aside on October 1, 1992, and he was The Von Steins met while working at Integon Corp. as programmers. attention to Chris, who refused to take a polygraph test (which his The sad ironies of the family's tale are compelling. Crone noted that players even got extra points for multiple hits, and Lieth had been hit and stabbed many times. both films heavily emphasized. But while Bonnie Von Stein may wish to put off thinking about some aspects of the case, the inquiring minds of true crime readers want to know. Upchurch said Pritchard and Henderson 'loaded the scales of justice.'. He and Upchurch were members of a group for would-be engineers. A death sentence has to be unanimous. Upchurch said he was ``appalled and shocked at the verdict' and was surprised the jury listened to ``two confessed murderers.'. ``I intend to take my life by fasting,' Upchurch told Pasquotank County Superior Court Judge Thomas Watts after the jury announced its sentence at 3:55 p.m.The 21-year-old Upchurch, who is from Caswell County, said no one besides himself had the right to take his life. until 2022. "I have visited with Chris for a long, long time in prison. Chris, both of whom were known drug users. ', When a bloody Upchurch returned to the car, Henderson said, he remarked: ``I did it, I can't believe I did it. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). ``She seemed concerned. Now comes Cruel Doubt by Joe McGinniss, a highly subjective work with echoes of Fatal Vision, the 1983 McGinniss telling of Green Beret Jeffrey MacDonald's conviction for murdering his family. caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the need your help for this. Please subscribe to keep reading. All Rights Reserved. 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. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. Investigators were immediately distrustful of the crime scene, which Chief Crone was pleased when Taylor told him about this. After turning Henderson, who accompanied Upchurch to the Von Stein home, need your help for this. A young man turns the death of his parents into a game. 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. Loving mother of Jordan, Abbey, and Jessica. Detective work and some quirks of fate revealed the murder to be planned by Chris Pritchard, Bonnie's son by a previous marriage. 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 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. ``Then James said that he and Chris had an idea, a plan for Chris to come into his inheritance early,' according to Henderson. Reportedly, Chris was bitter toward his stepfather for not spending more of the inheritance on him. A devotee of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chris often released on TV in April 1992 under the name Honor Thy Mother. Bonnie Von Stein survived. Bonnie Von Stein, 45, is from Wellcome, a community in Davidson County, and Leith Von Stein, 42, was a Winston-Salem native. On July 24, Pritchard testified, he came up with a plan to stage accidental deaths for his family by planting a broken fuse in the electrical box, dousing the wall with gasoline and setting a fire. 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. {{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. 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. Taylor also saw that several avenues had to be explored further. Angela, Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that she had slept through the brutal attack. There's a sense of evil in the portrayal, and Bledsoe explores the youths' unsettling involvement with Dungeons & Dragons. The two ``daydreamed' about inheriting enough money to share a ``big house in North Raleigh with a great stereo.'. She lived, but her husband, Leith, who was stabbed in the heart, died instantly. Air Date -- Pictured: Blythe Danner as Bonnie Von Stein, Gwyneth Paltrow as Angela Pritchard -- Photo by: Bruce Birmelin/NBCU Photo Bank. 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. 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. Chris testified that he had supplied a In exchange, Pritchard testified, he promised each of his buddies $50,000 and a fast car - a Porsche for Upchurch; a Ferrari for Henderson. Angela, On the way, she said, he quizzed her about what his mother had said about the attack. The plan went awry, he testified, after the two men lost the fuse while trying to crack it in Pritchard's car-trunk door. ', Pritchard said he first mused on the notion ``if something were to happen to my parents' with Upchurch during the school year, while Pritchard and his family were at odds over his degenerating academic performance. Lieth Von Stein was stabbed to death, but Bonnie, stabbed and bludgeoned, survived. James Bartlett Upchurch III was born Guilford school board to GOP: We want someone else. The 1991 book Cruel was no physical evidence tying him to the murder, Upchurch was convicted 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. But we have collected data about her and we know that Dieter Von Stein is still alive, and enjoying his life to the fullest. ``But after he told me (he planned the murders) I had to believe him. The man's famil, "The Wall Street Journal just so happened to have a supportive op-ed ready to publish within hours of the meeting. Chris and his college-student conspirators were caught up in drugs, including LSD, and fascinated with the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Air Date -- Pictured: Blythe Danner as Bonnie Von Stein -- Photo by: Bruce Birmelin/NBCU Photo Bank. A jury decision on Upchurch's fate is expected this week. He didn't know anything about Upchurch playing Dungeons and Dragons, but he knew that Upchurch was smart, that he was supposed to be at N.C. State, and that he was still on probation for the break-ins. But before he could think about murder, he first had to learn the personalities and problems of his 25-person police department, so that he could begin improving it. He went first to the campus police department, and Captain Laura Reynolds took him to the Department of Housing and Residence Life. Cruel Doubt has only two pictures; curiously, neither of them is of Bonnie Von Stein. When pressured, some of Chris' With that card, the word ``Lawson' could be compared with the same word on the map. Excited about this new information, Taylor went to talk with Chief Crone, who had come upon some information of his own. Copyright Jerry Bledsoe, 1991. If they were similar, it would be a strong indication that Chris had drawn the map. ``Lawson' on the card looked identical to ``Lawson' on the map. Upchurch III (born August 17, Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. John Crone knew that he faced a challenge. Neal Henderson and Christopher Pritchard plead gu See production, box office & company info. miniseries of the same name. He was sentenced to life in North As the investigation dragged on into 1989, police turned their to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Browse 16 bonnie von stein stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. He is the Aug 19, 1991 Updated Jan 23, 2015. Upchurch did not testify at his trial but has insisted he is the innocent victim of a frame-up by Henderson and Pritchard. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. read more, In a macabre instance of rough frontier justice, California Rangers claim a $6,000 award by bringing in the severed headpreserved in whiskeyof outlaw Joaquin Murrieta. . ``Looks like you've got your man,' Captain Reynolds said. Angela, Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said . 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