Tobacco Heir Convicted of 2 Bomb Deaths

Tobacco heir Steven Wayne Benson was convicted of murder today in the bombing deaths of his mother and adopted brother--allegedly to protect his share of the family’s $10-million inheritance.

The jury of 10 women and two men returned with the verdict after deliberating nearly 11 hours over two days. After further deliberation, they could recommend the death penalty or life in prison to Circuit Judge Hugh Hayes.

Benson, 35, was convicted of planting two pipe bombs in the family’s Chevrolet van that exploded last July in the driveway of their $300,000 mansion in Naples, Fla.

The bombs killed his mother, Margaret Benson, 63, heiress to the Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Co. fortune, and her adopted son, Scott, 21.

Sister Badly Injured

Benson’s sister Carol Lynn Benson Kendall, 41, was seriously injured in the blast.

Investigations into the bombing revealed that Scott, an aspiring tennis pro who had recently been invited to the U.S. Open, actually was Kendall’s illegitimate son and that Margaret Benson adopted him to protect the family.

Prosecutors said Benson planned the scheme because his mother had caught him embezzling money from businesses she had financed for him and threatened to take him out of her will.