BBC - Great Crimes and Trials Series 3 Set 1 (1995) Part 9 DeFeo and Benson Inheritance Killers

Stabbings, shootings, genocide, torture, abduction, robbery, serial killing and mass suicide are just a few of the horrific crimes explored in Great Crimes and Trials. True stories carefully researched and reconstructed with actual archive footage. Cases which have become almost legendary in the annals of crime and detection. Serial killers, gangsters, assassins and war criminals - Great Crimes and Trials sheds light on crimes that shocked the world, bringing back memories of some of the most notorious cases of the twentieth century. The murders of John Lennon and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, the unsolved Zodiac murders and the treasonous crimes of Lord Haw-Haw are all covered here in exacting detail, alongside other shocking stories of murder and mayhem. From the violent mob rule of the thirties to the fairly recent phenomenon of the serial killer, the motives, behavior patterns and killing techniques of some of the world's most evil felons are explored. Their detection, capture and trials are examined to give a complete picture of how crine and justice have evolved through the twentieth century. Narrated by Robert Powell, Great Crimes and Trials combines new and archive interviews to reconstruct each story, analysing the individual and his motive, explaining how the crime was committed and showing breakthroughs in investigations alongside details of the trial. With its researchers gaining unprecedented access to picture libraries and over 250,000 hours of archive footage, these are the definitive accounts of these appalling murders.

Part 9 DeFeo and Benson Inheritance Killers

The true story of the crime which sparked off the original 'Amityville Horror'. On November 13, 1974, horror descended upon the DeFeo family as Ronald “Butch” DeFeo, Jr. murdered his parents and siblings in an apparently senseless killing. His motives have never been completely ascertained some think he intended to collect on his inheritance, others that he was mentally ill. What lies behind the disturbances at Amityville's famous haunted house? Could the mass murder which took place here have left a sufficiently violent psychic imprint? Extensive media interest in the DeFeo family's bloody execution produced abundant video footage of the house, family and investigation. These images are used here to illustrate the real story of a young man who gunned down his parents, brothers and sisters in his haste to get at the family fortune. Another stone cold inheritance murder is also examined Florida's Steven Benson case, which began with a spectacular car bombing in a suburban driveway. Explosion killed his mother and brother with a bomb placed in his brother's car. It would soon be quite clear that he had much to gain from their untimely demises, but his sister's lucky survival was what helped seal the case against him.

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