released in May 1992. Lieth was not so lucky. Bonnie Von Stein survived. The sad ironies of the familys tale are compelling. . High on drugs and deeply into the fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons, Pritchard, a failing student at North Carolina State, believed that if they were dead, he alone would receive money that his stepfather had recently inherited. re-sentenced to life. Lieth Von Stein and his wife, Bonnie Von Stein are attacked while sleeping in their Smallwood home in North Carolina. (In Central Florida, it can be seen on WESH-Channel 2). Pritchard to be paroled - Washington Daily News Murdered for money - CNBC His sister said she slept through it all, and until six weeks before Pritchard was sentenced to serve a more-than-life term, his mother believed he was innocent. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. In their bedroom asleep one night, Bonnie and Lieth Von Stein are violently attacked and stabbed by home intruders. His co-conspirators, Chris Pritchard Bonnie's son, Chris Pritchard, had refused to take the test. "I was pretty reclusive. While the break-in looked like a robbery gone wrong, detectives find clues that suggest t. Read all Directors Jane Manning Lieth was not so lucky. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. There is a problem with your email/password. A devotee of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Chris often vented his frustration to his fellow players at North Carolina State University. first son of Joanne Ensley Upchurch (deceased) and James Top Deals This Week: Save on Paramount+, Showtime, HBO Max, Fire TV, and Roku, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Is Now Available to Stream on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Slashed Prices on all Sorts of Fire TV Stick Models, Amazon Fire Tablets on Sale: Save up to 45%, The Ultimate Guide to What to Watch on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, and More in April 2023, New Netflix Shows and Movies in April 2023, Everything New on HBO and HBO Max in April 2023, Amazon Prime Video's New Shows and Movies in April, 8 Shows Like The Last of Us to Watch While You Wait for the Next Episode, 9 Shows Like Ginny & Georgia to Watch After You Finish Season 2, 12 Intense Thriller Shows and Movies to Watch If You Like Squid Game, 9 Shows Like Fringe to Watch If You Like Fringe, Here's When Yellowstone Will Return for Season 5 Part 2, Pedro Pascal Has an Update for Last of Us Season 2 Filming, Everything to Know About The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2, Amazon Exec Teases a Release Date for Reacher Season 2, Everything You Need to Know About Euphoria Season 3. After a yearlong investigation, police arrested Bonnie Von Stein's son, Chris Pritchard, and two of his college buddies, Neal Henderson and Bart Upchurch, in connection with the murder. She may not like that scene -- she's a stickler for accuracy. While most true crime fans know the story of The Staircase, not as many know about the 1985 murder associated with Dungeons & Dragons, a roleplaying game for medieval history geeks. Both were made into For these crimes, he Chris testified that he had supplied a key and the map to the house where Upchurch had killed Lieth Von Stein. This was a very stressful shoot. Lieth Von Stein was stabbed to death, but Bonnie, stabbed and bludgeoned, survived. Damn you!," is very much unlike Bonnie, whom he described as "inaccessible emotionally. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. NBC will air a miniseries about the case at 9 tonight and Tuesday night. Watchlist. Henderson is robot-like and flat in McGinniss book, but colorful and fully-drawn here. . Their pattern of withholding emotion was compounded by earlier physical and emotional deprivation that the miniseries ignores. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? ", Neal Henderson (Neal McDonough), who laid out the crime for the district attorney, claimed he was enlisted only to drive Pritchard's car. A Story He Couldn'T Pass Up\ in Race to Write, Author Soaked Up Sights The miniseries Cruel Doubt was Bonnie Von Stein survived. Cruel Doubt (TV Mini Series 1992) - IMDb He drew a map for two friends who drove to his parents' house in Washington, N.C., to carry out the plan, which turned out to be only partly successful: His stepfather was brutally stabbed to death in his bed, but his mother, both clubbed and stabbed, recovered from her injuries. Leith Von Stein, a Winston-Salem native, was stabbed and bludgeoned to death by an intruder at his Lawson Road home in Washington before dawn July 25, 1988. He was the stepfather of Bonnie's 2 children, Chris & Angela Pritchard. The story behind the Von Stein murder is largely one persons word against anothers, and much is left unanswered. why would the ancient Greeks have Worshipped Demeter. Danner, who grew up in a Philadelphia Main Line family, studied drama at Bard College and won the Tony for "Butterflies Are Free," talked with Bonnie by phone and studied McGinniss' book, looking for clues to her personality. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Bonnie Von Stein had read "Fatal Vision" on the advice of her lawyer, Wade Smith, who had defended MacDonald in 1979. Angela, Bonnie's 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that she had slept through the brutal. You get up close, in their pores. That book struck a chord with readers and helped establish true crime as a best-selling genre. CRUEL DOUBT -- Air Date 05/17/1992 -- Pictured: (l-r) Blythe Danner as Bonnie Von Stein, Gwyneth Paltrow as Angela Pritchard -- Photo by: Bruce Birmelin/NBCU Photo Bank Both Chris and Angela were known drug users, and both had a difficult relationship with their stepfather. Bonnie will not express her feelings loudly. CREATIVE. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Chris Pritchard's sister, Angela, was asleep in another part of the house and told police she slept. Sometimes they stayed with her parents, George and Polly Bates. Resend Activation Email. But in this case, I had to almost work against that. (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. The story behind the Von Stein murder is largely one word against another, with much left unsolved. Blythe Danner said that she took some artistic license, giving Bonnie a bit more warmth than in McGinniss' portrayal. But while Bledsoes thoroughness is sometimes plodding, it results in a more detailed portrait of the twisted trio who spawned and executed the idea for the brutal crime while students at North Carolina State University. His mother, who McGinniss said kept his voice on her answering machine for three years, visits him often. Try again later. Regulators seize First Republic Bank, sell to JPMorgan Chase. sentence was set aside on October 1, 1992, and he was Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. He drew a map for two friends who drove to his parents house in Washington, N.C., to carry out the plan, which was to be only partly successful. Upchurch then entered the Von Stein home and attacked Bonnie and Leith while they slept. Detectives caught a lucky break when a hog farmer happened to spot a fire in the woods around the time of the murder. Search above to list available cemeteries. McGinniss also wrote Blind Faith, about a husband who killed his wife, the mother of their three sons, and Fatal Vision, about ex-Green Beret doctor Jeffrey MacDonald, who blamed the 1969 murders of his wife and two daughters on drug-crazed hippies. You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. ", He also said the house the producers chose to represent the Von Steins' is far more upscale than the family's real home. Enter a date in the format M/D (e.g., 1/1), A young man turns the death of his parents into a game, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-young-man-turns-the-death-of-his-parents-into-a-game, Dancer and spy Mata Hari sentenced to die, Truman drops hint to Stalin about a "terrible" new weapon, Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk Festival, Concorde jet crashes, killing everyone onboard, Henry Ford writes fan letter to Mahatma Gandhi. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. I thought she would wish that she could do that. Angela, Bonnies 18-year-old daughter, was found in the next room; she said that she had slept through the brutal attack. in the second degree (aiding and abetting) and assault There's a real breakdown.". 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. Select from premium Bonnie Von Stein of the highest quality. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. He is imprisoned at the Davidson Correctional Center near Lexington. 16 Bonnie Von Stein Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images Add to your scrapbook. Add it to your Watchlist to receive updates and availability notifications. "The one exception to her emotional control was her relationship with her husband. Bledsoe's Blood Games (1992). Lieth married Bonnie Lou Bates Pritchard in August 1979. Despite a plea-bargain agreement, Pritchard (Matt McGrath) was given the maximum sentence: life plus 20 years, of which he will probably serve at least 20 years. Honor Thy Mother (TV Movie 1992) - IMDb Then Bonnie married Lieth Von Stein, who became director of internal audits for a textile company in Washington, N.C. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. The police also found out that Lieth had inherited over a million dollars shortly before he was killed. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. They settled out of court. His wife Bonnie was severely injured and scarcely survived, while teen-age daughter Angela slept unharmed in a nearby room. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. 0 cemeteries found in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina, USA. Two books were written about this Learn the puzzling details of both solved and unsolved crimes, and remember, every state has a story. attacked so that Bonnie's son, Christopher Wayne He has one brother, Emory, and two (They owned the Camel City Dry Cleaners chain.) case: Joe McGinniss' Cruel Doubt (1991) and Jerry We felt ever so slightly estranged on the set because of that ambiguity in the story. An executive at National Spinning, a textile factory in Washington, North Carolina, Von Stein was stabbed and bludgeoned to death in his home as the result of a plot devised by his stepson, Christopher Wayne Pritchard. Crime Drama A college student and two friends are accused of murdering one's stepfather and injuring his mother whom refuses to believe her son had anything to do with the attack. It was speculated at trial that the von Stein's were At times, she could not provide for them adequately. In July 1988, 19-year-old Christopher Pritchard planned the murders of his stepfather, mother and sister. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. And as they did with the other two, executive producer Susan Baerwald and writer John Gay turned this story into a four-hour, two-night miniseries for NBC.