It was the summer of 1985; people all across the

counrry were fascinated and disturbed by the July

9th Benson murders: two pipe bombs planted in

the family ear exploded and killed muhimillion-

airess Margaret Benson and her adopted son,

Scott--an up-and-coming tennis star about to

make his debut at the U.S. Open. Margaret s

beautiful Boston socialite daughter, Carol Lynn,

was severely burned, but her other soil, Steven,

who had left the car only seconds before, was

unscathed. Little more than a year later, he barely

escaped the death penalty and was sentenced to

life in prison for trying to murder the other three.

Weekly magazines, grocery store tabloids, local

and national news programs, and some of the

most prestigious daily newspapers covered the

Florida trial in all its seamy and sordid detail.

Here was the "heir to the Benson & Hedges for-

tune" (estimated at $400 million) and here was

the story: Steven had caused his mother to fear for

her life; he had embezzled more than $2 million

from her; upon learning that he was to be disin-

herited from his portion of the $400 million, he

cold-bloodedly plotted the demise of his entire

family; and, finally, he simply stood and watched

the sole survivor, Carol Lynn, writhe and burn

in agony, all the while staring blankly without

coming to her rescue, and at one point turning

his back on her screams.

Here was a story of greed and folly, obsession

and fear. Here were the facts that pointed to cleat-

cut guilt--facts that spelled out a life sentence at