Wrestler's Diary Reveals Grief, Depression

Chris Benoit Was Despondent Since Death Of Best Friend, Writings Show

(AP)  Journal entries written by wrestler Chris Benoit show he was wracked with grief and preoccupied with death after his best friend died in 2005, according to a lawyer representing Benoit's father.

Benoit, who killed his wife and 7-year-old son and committed suicide in June, wrote the diary as a series of letters to the friend, fellow wrestler Eddie Guerrero, according to lawyer Cary Ichter, who represents the wrestler's father in estate litigation.
Benoit's father, Michael Benoit, referred to the diary earlier this month, saying it was "written by someone who was extremely disturbed at the time." The father has said murder-suicide was out of character for his son and supported medical tests that recently showed Chris Benoit suffered brain damage that could have caused depression and irrational behavior.

Authorities say anabolic steroids were found in the home and Chris Benoit had a high amount of synthetic testosterone in his body when he died, leading to some speculation that steroid-induced rage sparked the killings.

Ichter, who said he knew Benoit for years, described what he said were Benoit's writings but he did not make copies of the journal available for review.

Ichter noted that at one point Benoit wrote to his friend, "I will be with you soon," an apparent nod to his own mortality.

"It showed that he was very depressed," Ichter said of the entries.

Benoit also wrote warmly about his son, Daniel, and his wife, Nancy, who had given him the journal as a way to cope with Guerrero's death, the lawyer said.

Prosecutors have said Benoit, 40, strangled his wife with a cord, used a choke hold to strangle his son, placed Bibles next to the bodies, and hanged himself on exercise equipment the weekend of June 22.

Ichter said a neighbor of the Benoits found the journal in the trash after the police and family had left the Benoits' house, and the neighbor gave it to Michael Benoit. He is permanent administrator to Chris Benoit's estate, and Ichter said the journal could become evidence in the estate litigation.

Authorities have said it could be months before the court determines the heirs, since neither Chris nor Nancy Benoit had a will. Whether Nancy Benoit died before Daniel will determine whether control of millions of dollars goes to Chris Benoit's two children from a previous marriage or to relatives on Nancy Benoit's side.

[bostonbred11]

Maybe Benoit and Guerrero were lovers. It happens. Maybe losing Guerrero was worth killing the family for since he wrote (I''ll be with you soon")

[Krazcarl]

If you murder a woman and a child yes your brain damaged don''t care if he was depressed it''s still cold blooded murder and no one had the balls to stand up to him and are trying to soft peddle it. Be honest it sounds like him and his bud were more than friends.

[slim1h2o]

. best way to stay
in shape is either to dig ditches or shovel
horse manure.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by snidegrass at 04:52 PM : Sep 14, 2007

That''s a good way to get a bad back,...And it makes a young man,....old!

[tnt1954]

in our fine country, d and f students are often
better paid than the a students. stupidity pays
better than intelligence. hence mick jaggers''
poignant song, street fighting man, what can a moron do ''cept to sing for a rock n roll band? i made
more money shoveling horse manure for retired thorobred horses than i did with my degree in
accounting. i regret having left my horse manure
shoveling job. it was much healthier for me.
going to the gym is for sissies. best way to stay
in shape is either to dig ditches or shovel
horse manure.

[surfkat19]

as a recovering xanax and hydrocodone addict, it''s clear to me that these two medications could clearly have played a role. they are both highly addictive and do alter one''s mental state considerably. in my case, the xanax alone can render my personality and state of mind unrecognizable in a matter of days. under the influence and abuse of these two medications (both of which benoit was using) i became severely depressed and attempted suicide also. his father says this was "uncharacteristic," ... well that''s what either or both of these medications can do if abused. i''m not an expert, just someone who worked very hard to put this addiction behind me. this poor guy may very well be the victim of a careless doctor, and he''s definitely the victim of what happens when perfectly good medications end up in the physiology of someone who cannot tolerate them.

[rushlimpdrug]

it''s all about the money.