The mother of Chris Benoit mother said she wonders whether her son would still be alive if federal agents had been more aggressive when they discovered the professional wrestler was buying large quantities of steroids.
The Drug Enforcement Administration acknowledged this week that Benoit's name surfaced in an investigation before he killed his wife, son and himself. But Benoit wasn't charged, and his supply continued until at least May, a month before the murder-suicide, according to a review of records by The Associated Press.
DEA spokesman Rusty Payne said "it's ridiculous for anyone to think we could have known that anything like that could have happened."
But Benoit's mother said she is also concerned by another disclosure that police were previously aware Benoit's doctor, Phil Astin, may have been improperly prescribing medications.
Asked if quicker action by authorities could have helped her son, Margaret Benoit said in a telephone interview from her home in Alberta, Canada: "We would certainly hope so. We just don't know. We're dealing with so many things. It's incredible."
The case highlights the DEA's focus on drug traffickers rather than individual users, even when those users are star athletes and celebrities. The targets of the BALCO investigation in San Francisco, for instance, weren't the baseball players and runners who allegedly bought steroids but the distribution network that sold them.
Building those types of cases can take years.
"We can arrest and prosecute users, but they are not the target or focus of most investigations," Payne said.
Astin was charged Monday, more than a week after the killings, with improperly prescribing medications to two patients, but not this WWE star. More charges are possible later.
"You don't run out and arrest a doctor for making one prescription that is questionable," Payne said. "There's just not enough evidence to arrest or bring charges. We want to bring charges that are legitimate. Cases take time."
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13 Comments
July 22nd, 2007 8:36 PM
I feel the same way maybe if the DEA had arrested Chris than maybe he would be alive today and so would his wife and son
July 24th, 2007 8:34 AM
See I don't even think Benoit did this. If he loved his son so much, why would he have hurt him in the first place. Is the same thing about his wife. Steroids do make you violent but not up to the point that you will kill the people that you love the most.
July 25th, 2007 6:36 PM
I THINK IF PEOPLE WOULD QUIT MAKING BAD COMMENTS AS IF NO ONE ELSE HAS ANYTHING THAT GOES ON IF THERE LIFE AS IF THEY ARE PERFECT THEY NEED NOT LEAVE ANY COMMENTS.AS FOR VINCE MCMACHON I THINK THAT CHRIS HAS MAD HIM A MUCH RICHER PERSON AND PUT HIM IN THE WWE. HALL OF FAME
July 26th, 2007 7:39 PM
why is the mother saying these things like she know her son is a murder can someone stand up and say he did not do this,not enough evidence, this is not the chris, i know he loved his family......vince i can't believe you called him a monster you are just trying to cover your butt because you don't want no one to know you give them steroids.....you just don't want to be investigated. i believe chris did not do this and mom you need to stand up for your child and tell them to investigate more and stop just pointing the finger at your son....... if the investigators think about some of the things they could probably pin point this on someone else..........just think about it
July 29th, 2007 6:44 PM
I agree with Honey. A lot of the stuff in this case just doesnt add up. I heard that the reason why chris left one of the matches the weekend he killed his family was because of a supposed food poisoning incident on behalf of his wife and kid. Did the police even bother to check the history of his phone calls to make sure someone called him to tell him that? And what about the WWE when they made that statement about Daniel having that Fragile X syndrome? Everyone else claims the child was normal. I think that statement was meant to get the focus off of the WWE. I personally think that the WWE had something to do with these murders. Does anyone know if the head of the WWE had any certain connections to that DR. Astin guy, and if so, how? And why was it that the WWE were the ones that had the police go and see if everything was okay at the Benoit home. And what about that whole WIKIPEDIA thing? Someone posted something about the deaths almost 14 hours before the bodies were even discovered. This all sounds very peculiar to me.
If you think so too, email me at cryptonite2008@yahoo.com
July 29th, 2007 6:57 PM
It's a sad shame we will never know what really happened....Never. For all we know umm,Kevin Sullivan could've been involved..Yet,nobodys still looking into that ! Pin the blame on the only man that was in the house...Kevin Sullivan can go around "threatening",and gets away with it...Seems to me that he has gotten away with M U R D E R ! I do not,and will not believe that Chris Benoit did this...And whoever has anything bad to type,,,keep it to yourself...The mans not here to defend himself anymore ! And also,Nancy Benoit was NO saint ! She was a dang devil worshiper! Wth? Like I stated in the beggining,,NOBODY will ever know what happened in the Benoit house.. I will ALWAYS remember Chris Benoit as the GREAT WRESTLER that he was !And to Michael Benoit and his wife,,I hope you will get through this horrible tragedy...Just remember your son as the loving father he was and the wonderful wrestler he was ! To heck with all the others and their negative comments ! I believe the lazy cops just went after the least little thing they could go on to get the case closed...These police now a days dont get into their work like they should ! I'm in Ny,,they have on the sides of the cop cars here " TO SERVE AND PROTECT".. haha,,to serve and protect their precious donuts and little girls they flirt with...People here get shot and killed left and right because you try to get the cops help,,,and they dont help. I still believe that there was someone that covered their tracks pretty well in this one ! I don't see nor will I ever see Chris Benoit as a murderer ! He had too much going for him !!! You are sadly missed Chris ! : (
July 29th, 2007 7:06 PM
Why don't you people just leave Chris's mother alone...Don't you think she's going through enough without your negative comments??!
Anyways,,Maybe these lazy donut eating,girl watching cops should get more involved into their work then we would know what really happened ! And hmm,looks like Kevin Sullivan,Nancy's ex,has gotten away with M U R D E R ! He was making alot of threats,,and hasn't been looked into...Wow,,what a job these cops have...To just automatically put the blame on something that makes not much sense just to get the case closed as fast as they can ! Aren't we just so protected by our police officers? JOKE! And i thought they were just lazy here,ha,they are EVERYWHERE !!!!! As Far as Chris's mother,give her a break,,she doesnt know which way to turn or what to think..She wasnt there,,and you people are blaming her and crap...Leave the poor woman alone and let her grieve in peace !
July 29th, 2007 7:11 PM
Kelly,,I guess we will never know....I can't even watch WWE anymore since this has happened.
I agree with what you're saying..Theres too much more that should have been looked into,,but never will be...Sad Shame !
August 9th, 2007 1:59 AM
I think its all because Chris was gay and he got married to a woman... Gay men married to women feel depressed and do crazy things... I'm a 30 year old man and I know how it feels to be imprisoned like this... We miss you Chris...
September 5th, 2007 7:18 PM
I agree with Brady I think that some else was in the house or some else know want happened and I also think that they should look at Kevin Nancy ex husband.