48 Hours: John and Ann Bender
Did you catch the intriguing mystery on 48 Hours this week? It’s the story of genius John Bender and his wife, Ann, who moved to the rain forests of Costa Rica to live an eccentric life perched in a 50,000 square foot wall-and-window-free home on top a mountain.
It tragically didn’t end well. John allegedly committed suicide.
What do you think happened? Share your vote.
I will share my opinion later this week.
[polldaddy poll=8339421]
Killed for money i bet
I was really torn between Ann killing him and that it was an accident. They both suffered from mental illnesses and on a lot of medications so I’m not sure she could tell reality from the truth of what happened. I thought I saw real emotion of losing her husband but then also deceit. Only motive I could think of for her killing him was he kept her isolated because of his depression. I was hoping to see what you thought Eyes on this case.
I don’t have the time right now to watch the whole thing, but I do believe she loved him. However, she is bipolar and on a lot of medication (or was she? did they do a toxicology report?) At one time I was involved with a man who was bipolar. Nicest man on the planet on his medication. Threatened to kill me off his medication. I think he would have killed me had he not been arrested prior coming to find me. Also, there was a lot of lying and cover up with his illness. He was arrested, then put in a hospital to get his lithium levels balanced. He called me a week later, as though nothing had happened. I told him to never call me again. He asked why. Did he really not remember? It seemed to me he did not. So I am inclined to not believe her story, based on the fact John was left handed. I just can’t figure out how he could have “committed suicide” with his left hand, when the bullet hole was on the right lower side of his head. Just that alone makes me think no way. Very sad, and maybe in her emaciated state, not keeping up with her medication, lost weight, low blood sugar, I can see a whole lot of crazy happening.
John was amsterdextrious….I don’t think I spelled that right at all but yes.
I voted undecided, at this point. I have, only, watched the first segment. I will try to finish the others tonight. I am not sure Ann was mentally alert enough to know what was going on, but her story was very strange. Most of the story, she was crying or had a trembling voice. but every once in awhile, she spoke very clearly and in a strong matter-of fact way. It was a little surprising, because most of the time, she seemed very helpless over her husband’s mental health. I, also thought it was odd the way she said she suddenly woke up and saw the ring around the trigger of a gun. Everything about her story was odd. She said that she didn’t think anyone pulled the trigger, and the gun was dropped. I can’t see how the gun could fire , hitting him behind the ear, on it’s way down.
At, times, she seemed to be clear about the things that happened, but then, she would have blank spots about some of the facts. That could have been her medication or mental condition, but I sense a strength in her, at times, that she doesn’t want us to see.
I couldn’t help, but wonder if other people thought he was as depressed as Ann did. One big thing she had going for her was the fact that John’s family was so certain that Ann had nothing to do with his death.
If Ann did this, I think it might be her love for the mansion they built together. If she thoughtKKK she couldn’t handle anymore of John but wanted to keep the money and the mansion, that could be her motive. There are many twists in this story, and I want to hear more, before I decide for sure.
After watching the rest of the segment, I believe Ann killed him. However, if I were on the jury, I don’t know that I could vote guilty. I believe that there were some illegal dealings going on, hinted at by the police concerning all of the valuable jewels found in the house. Ann was accustomed to a life of great wealth, and she wasn’t going to give up her fortune and her bird sanctuary. With all of the mental health problems, there had to be a lot of volatility in this relationship, especially, the way they were always together and shut away from the world. Her refusal to leave that country,even though, she didn’t come from there shows me that something there meant enough to her that she would risk going to prison for the rest of her life to keep it.
I believe the whole marriage had become so sick and troubled that one of them was going to die, and Ann realized this. I think she chose to help her husband out on his death wish. I, also, think the boyfriend could have been in the picture for awhile(only speculation).
I noticed how Ann’s shakiness could come and go, as in the strong remark about the strangeness of having all of those jewels in the house. She said,”So what? Being strange doesn’t mean you are guilty of murder.” There was strength and sharpness in her whole manner, not a hint of the weak Ann that she showed us throughout this show. She, also, showed a lot of clarity and strength when speaking of John wanting to die. At several points, she showed a different side of herself. I don’t think we have heard the end of this case, yet.
My only reason for ambivalence is the testimony from the experts, and the way in which the struggle could have led to it going off in the ‘back’ of his head.
The prosecutor’s overly cocky self-assuredness while describing the “only way suicide could have happened”, “like this, like this, or like this” convinced me he was totally dismissive or blind to the evidence of the husband wearing the gun on his right hip.
Her oddes so what strange doesn’t mean you’re a criminal
Closed her eyes while describing “lunging” and “” towards him reminded me of Jodi Arias crouched on the floor of the interrogation room, weaving a tale about intruders.
John’s family must have known how suicidal John was to be standing by Ann in such a staunch way. Either they were expecting the suicide, or they are being bought off by Ann. I would hate to believe they had something to gain, but people do awful things for money. It was mentioned how Ann ducked her head when they walked by, that could possibly be that she didn’t want to appear too connected to them(Just an odd speculation to an odd story. speculation.) I am not buying all of the suicide story, and the way Ann is saying it happened, but I am still a little hesitant to say she did it on purpose.
At the end, her brother said Ann was a strong girl(not weak, as she is trying to relate during the trial.) Her brother says she will find a way to beat this, and I think she just might do it.
I apologize to this lady if I am wrong, but I think she is a liar. It’s not just about the implausible story, or the immediate dropping of sadness to be haughty over her jewel collection followed a second later by an unnecessary defensiveness, or the weird pauses and closing her eyes, or how she’d say something and then get a flash of an expression as if she were really trying to gauge out if she was being believed or not. When traumatic things happen time dilates, she has the reversal……apparently we are to believe that it takes her longer to describe how she could see the trigger of the gun in the dark than the whole incident took to happen. I didn’t like how she said no matter what he was going to die that night. WHAT? Don’t people that have loved ones that commit suicide come up with 1000 scenarios where they could have maybe done something different to save the person? No stress in her forehead and no expression of fear when describing how she was frightened for her life. When she spoke about her love for her husband she had to include how much he loved her, and how he had love at first sight also, and how she also completed his life blah blah, I also find that a bit unusual (unless she has a touch of the narcissist in her.) She should have come up with a better story because it is very hard to shoot yourself in the back of your own head, and guns do not go off by themselves in mid air when they are dropped.
Another thing I noticed was her answer if she and John were happy at their reserve. She said she was, then she answered that John was happy. She then self-corrected and said, “As happy as John could be.” She was thinking on her feet with that correction, because when she first answered that he was happy, she had a smile and seemed to be remembering his happiness. The smile left her face in a hurry and was replaced with a frown.
John had an extreme amount of physiological issues ever since he was a child. Its so sad when you know someone has never felt like they belong in this world all of their life. She doesn’t want to remember the bad times of how he was feeling. His parents even knew he was sucidial. Even when his parents got the phone call he was dead the first words from his parents were… “I knew he’d do it.” He didn’t talk too much. But when he did he had a lot of interesting things to say. One of the most intelligent people I have ever came across.
There is a gofundme page that tells what actually did happen in the court room. The first trial she was innocent and then they decided to put her on retrial and alverez the guy that took all of her money and that has fled hired a guy to tesity against her with a completely different alimony. And she wasn’t able to leave the country……they took her passport as well as almost all of her possessions. Her gaurd pizzaro was the head force of police also said that he knows for a fact she did not do it. He use to specialize in crime scenes. Some ppl refuse to leave their own home if they know a hurricane is coming and might destroy their home and kill them…..just because she didn’t want to give up all of her possessions and still made a fight doesnt mean that she killed him….ppl become in shock things all the sudden happen so suddenly. When the chaos happened that night she almost died in the hospital that first week….refusing to eat food….weak with limes disease. And to tip it off the evidence was completely tampered with and the police enforcement bagged his body on the side of the house and just dropped his body like it was nothing while putting on her sunglasses she had taking pictures…..so please someone tell me that’s not fucked up?
I do not believe ANN killed her Husband John..they were very dependant on each other, he had expressed wanting to kill himself, in that e-mail, she was 68 lbs. and I dont think wanted to face the life they had, all alone…and lose all the money..Im very saddened by this story and will pray, she will win her appeal…this is such a sad story…May God…shine his light on her…she seems to be a lovely lady..my heart breaks, in this horrible story…I will Pray for this story, to bring the truth to light..PEACE TO ANN…Amen