Chris Benoit Murder-Suicide

Chris Benoit made his professional wrestling debut with the organization Stampede in 1985. He quickly rose to stardom, garnering a huge fan base as he moved across various organizations for the next 22 years. Many consider Chris Benoit to be one of the best wrestlers ever to have graced the ring.

The numerous awards, honors, accolades, and mentions from fellow wrestlers and friends evince the impact Benoit made on the sport of wrestling.

Yet, fans often find talking about Chris Benoit difficult, bittersweet even.

Tragedy Strikes the Benoit Home

In June 2007, tragedy struck the Benoit household. Just five days after defeating Elijah Burke, putting him in line to compete for the ECW World Championship on June 24, Benoit murdered his wife, Nancy, and 7-year-old son in their Fayetteville, Georgia home. He then killed himself.

Police suspect Benoit murdered his family in an act of rage.

The incident occurred over a three-day period beginning on June 24. Benoit strangled Nancy then placed a Bible beside her body. Toxicology reports revealed Nancy had both Xanax and alcohol in her system.

On June 25, Chris smothered Daniel to death with a pillow after giving him Xanax. He then placed a Bible beside his body.

On June 26, Benoit walked downstairs to his basement which held the home gym. He tied a cable around his neck and hanged himself from the highest weight. The impact broke his neck and Benoit died instantly.

Internet search records revealed that Benoit may have attempted to resuscitate Daniel after murdering him. The two final searches on his computer were that of a bible passage referencing resurrection and the second a search for the least painful and fastest way to break your neck.

Why Did Chris Benoit Kill Himself & His Family?

Nearly 15 years have passed since the tragedy, yet no one really understands why Benoit murdered his wife and son or took his own life. Friends and family depict Benoit as a caring man and loving father.

Yet, Nancy filed for divorce from Benoit in 2003 and filed for a restraining order. She alleged “cruel treatment” from Benoit, saying he would get angry and break and throw furniture. Nancy eventually dropped both suits and the couple remained together until the tragic end.

Among the theories why Benoit committed this tragic incident:

• Steroids: Many people blame steroids and “steroid rage…aka ‘roid rage” for the murder/suicide, although wrestler Chris Jericho says in the documentary “no one has ‘roid rage over a three-day period.” Benoit had taken steroids for the entirety of his career, though after wrestling regulations stiffened policies on steroids in 2005, Jericho says Benoit stopped using them. Police recovered text messages from Nancy describing his ‘roid rages. Despite testing with 10x the amount of testosterone compared to the average man, Benoit passed all drug tests given.
• Brain Trauma: Christopher Nowinski, former WWE wrestler and Harvard graduate studied Benoit’s brain after his death, learning he had the mind of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient. A CT scan revealed CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) that's speculated to have resulted from the years of unprotected chair shots and concussions he sustained as a professional wrestler.
• Alcohol: Hardcore Holly, who frequently traveled with Benoit, suspects alcohol played a big role in the incident. He wrote in his autobiography how Benoit drank alcohol most of the time and increased his consumption when he and his wife argued. Police found several empty wine bottles at the scene.

What do you think happened that tragic night? Are steroids to blame? Could the alcohol be responsible? Was Chris Benoit, like so many killers we discuss her, leading a double life and really a monster behind closed doors?