In 2007, former world champion wrestler Chris Benoit committed one of the most shocking crimes in WWE history, killing his wife and son before taking his own life. The 40-year-old Canadian was found dead in his Georgia home alongside the bodies of his wife Nancy, 43, and seven-year-old son Daniel, with a bible placed next to both victims in a twisted final act.
Police were alerted to the scene after Benoit sent strange text messages to friends. Upon arriving at the Atlanta mansion, officers discovered Nancy's body wrapped in a blanket, alongside a Bible. An examination revealed she had been strangled, with Benoit having pressed his knee into her back while pulling a cord around her neck. There were no signs of an immediate struggle.
Daniel was found in his bedroom, having been smothered. An autopsy showed internal injuries to his throat without bruises, suggesting he was unconscious at the time of death, likely drugged with Xanax. His body had just begun to show signs of decomposition, while Nancy's was further along, indicating she died earlier.
It was later alleged that Daniel suffered from fragile X syndrome, which may have contributed to domestic problems in the Benoit household. Track marks on the boy's arms also suggested his father had been administering human growth hormone, believing his son was too small.
Chris Jericho, Benoit's close friend and colleague, initially said the symptoms of fragile X 'fit Daniel to a tee' based on his own research. However, Jericho later corrected himself in his 2011 book, writing: 'It turned out that Daniel didn't have fragile X, but at the time it made sense because I was grasping at straws.'
