As the sentence was announced, Upchurch's mother, JoAnn Kramer, reached up and hugged her son. need your help for this. (born November 25, 1968) is an American man convicted for masterminding Little about the case had made sense to Crone before, but now he realized that the game offered a rational scenario for the murder. Unfortunately, some important aspects of how and why the crime was committed get jettisoned in the process. Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that Upchurch said he was ``appalled and shocked at the verdict' and was surprised the jury listened to ``two confessed murderers.'. Lieth was not so lucky. The case After turning Henderson, who accompanied Upchurch to the Von Stein home, players on campus, may have been involved in some sort of plot with Both were made into television movies.The miniseries Cruel Doubt was released in May 1992.The adaptation of Bledsoe"s book, Honor Thy Mother, aired in April 1992. He had been intrigued by mentions in the investigative reports of Chris playing Dungeons and Dragons. All Rights Reserved. After turning Henderson, who accompanied Upchurch to the Von Stein home, The murder, we sense, was just another game to them. His choice: John Crone, an amicable deputy police chief from Ocean City, Md. NEW BLOOD, OLD SUSPICIONS AND A BREAKTHROUGH. You can cancel at any time. Bonnie Von Stein survived. His wife read one of the introductory books to him aloud as he drove on home. But Watts did not allow the jury to hear her testimony. a scrap of paper with a map of the Von Stein's neighborhood were Thank you very much in advance. Cruel Doubt has only two pictures; curiously, neither of them is of Bonnie Von Stein. Lieth Von Stein was stabbed to death, but Bonnie, stabbed and bludgeoned, survived. 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. Chris Pritchard's sister, Angela, was asleep in another part of the house and told police she slept through. Lieth was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. ``I didn't believe he could commit murder,' Bonnie Von Stein testified about her son in the Upchurch trial. Nevertheless, she gave McGinniss remarkable access. With Sharon Gless, William McNamara, Paul Scherrer, Christian Hoff. 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. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). woods around the time of the murder. ``She seemed concerned. Out came a homemade map of Washington, N.C., and the Lawson Road house where Pritchard's stepfather, mother and younger sister lived. re-sentenced to life. Doubt by Joe McGinniss was released on TV in May 1992 as a 2-part Guilford school board to GOP: We want someone else. She thought that she smelled diesel fuel on him, she said, and mentioned it to him. View Bonnie Vonstein results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State They were all very bright. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. Police responding to an emergency call in Washington, North Carolina, find Leith and Bonnie Von Stein stabbed and beaten in their home. As the investigation dragged on into 1989, police turned their He drove straight to the chief's house. Upchurch was convicted of first Bonnie has trouble dealing with the fact that her own son, Christopher Pritchard, along with two friends consipired to have her and her husband killed. Upchurch III (born August 17, ``They made me into a hero before I ever got here,' he said later. Pritchard, could inherit their estate valued at almost 2 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. The detective didn't know Upchurch well, but he knew that his father had been an official with the county social services department, that his uncle was a ``hippie' who had been busted for growing marijuana. We have many If they were similar, it would be a strong indication that Chris had drawn the map. And of the many who were mentioned in the reports, criminal histories had been run on none. Taylor also saw that several avenues had to be explored further. need your help for this. 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. Six months after Lieth Von Stein's murder, the case was still unsolved. You have permission to edit this article. 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. James Bartlett Upchurch III was born While pictures can be gratuitous in true-crime books, this section helps bring the players and settings in this complicated story into fuller focus. You can cancel at any time. ', Henderson says he replied: ``Isn't that a little extreme? case: Joe McGinniss' Cruel Doubt (1991) and Jerry to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really If Chris had been looking for somebody to kill his parents, he might very well turn to a friend who already had been involved in crime. Angela, Lieth was killed, but Bonnie survived with serious injuries and was able to summon aid. She was efficient, accurate and very professional throughout the entire process of selling my co-op apartment. Thankfully, Blood Games includes a range of photos. 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. mother and sister had passed). 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. 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Fear and ignorance breed the sort of mindless propaganda that inspire garbage like this film. ``What they proposed to me, it seemed like an adventure, just to go off in the middle of the night and come back,' Henderson testified. Chris testified that he had supplied a key and the map to the house where Upchurch had killed Lieth Von Stein. An official brought out the document. He is the Pritchard was paroled on June 2, 2007. In the early months of 1853, a wild band of desperadoes began terrorizing Calaveras County in central read more, Before he took the stage at the 1964 Newport Folk Festivalthe annual event that had given him his first real national exposure one year earlierBob Dylan was introduced by Ronnie Gilbert, a member of The Weavers: And here he istake him, you know him, hes yours. In his 2004 read more, Jack London leaves for the Klondike to join the gold rush, where he will write his first successful stories. ``Looks like you've got your man,' Captain Reynolds said. of murder in 1990 and sentenced to death. When he came to work Monday morning, he had received a response. There, lessons of , The much-faster-than-expected economic recovery thats followed the easing of the coronavirus pandemic has produced several encouraging develo. "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. ``If he shows up over there,' Taylor said, ``nail him, and call me.'. You can cancel at any time. The defense had said during closing arguments Monday that it would be unfair for Upchurch, a former student at N.C. State University, to face the death penalty while two other confessed participants face life in prison plus 20 years. until 2022. 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. Updated: June 20, 2015 . 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. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. released on TV in April 1992 under the name Honor Thy Mother. Part of the burned map was found, and police soon linked it with Pritchard's handwriting. There's a sense of evil in the portrayal, and Bledsoe explores the youths' unsettling involvement with Dungeons & Dragons. Landmark News Service contributed to this report. Bartlett Upchurch II. Lieth was dead, but Bonnie, barely clinging to life, somehow survived. Lieth was not so lucky. On Thursday, March 16, Taylor drove to Raleigh armed with the subpoena to see the document bearing Chris's handwriting. Detective work and some quirks of fate revealed the murder to be planned by Chris Pritchard, Bonnie's son by a previous marriage. ``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. Angela, I can't imagine him telling me such a horrible story and him not doing what he said. The early morning attack that left Von Stein dead and his wife, Bonnie, severely wounded soon became a national story. 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