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NewsCrimeBenoit strangled unconscious son - doc

Benoit strangled unconscious son - doc

Wednesday, July 18th 2007, 9:01 AM

Pro wrestler Chris Benoit drugged his 7-year-old son, Daniel, before he choked the little boy to death.
Pro wrestler Chris Benoit drugged his 7-year-old son, Daniel, before he choked the little boy to death.

Pro wrestler Chris Benoit drugged his 7-year-old son, Daniel, before he choked the little boy to death, Georgia's top medical examiner revealed yesterday.

An autopsy indicated Daniel was given the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and was unconscious when his father murdered him last month, according to Kris Sperry, the chief medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Benoit had elevated levels of testosterone in his urine when he killed his wife and young son and hanged himself in the family's home, Sperry said. But it's not clear whether steroids played a direct role in the weekend-long rampage, authorities said.

Toxicology tests showed Benoit had 207 micrograms of testosterone per liter in his urine. Less than 150 is considered normal.

The testosterone found in Benoit's body came from a synthetic version of the male sex hormone and is considered an anabolic steroid.

"There is conflicting scientific data as to whether or not testosterone creates mental disorders or leads to outbursts of rage," Sperry said during a news conference in Decatur, Ga. "There's data that suggest it and other data that refute it."

But steroid expert Gary Wadler, a Long Island internist who advises the World Anti-Doping Agency, scoffed at Sperry's conclusion.

"With that amount of testosterone, you are more likely to see violent behavior," Wadler said. "This doesn't make sense."

Xanax and the painkiller hydrocodone were found in Benoit's body, and his wife, Nancy, tested positive for Xanax and painkillers, Sperry said. But the drugs were not found in toxic levels.

The test results could shed more light on the gruesome murder-suicide. Authorities said Benoit killed his wife and son, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then hanged himself on the cable of a weight machine.

Speculation has centered on several theories, including domestic unrest and "roid rage."

A stockpile of steroids was found in Benoit's suburban Atlanta home after the three bodies were discovered.

The Daily News has reported that Benoit also was a past abuser of the "date-rape" drug GHB. GHB users can experience depression and psychotic reactions.

Federal authorities have charged Benoit's personal physician, Phil Astin, with improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit. Astin has pleaded not guilty.

World Wrestling Entertainment said Benoit tested negative for steroids in April and his testosterone level was within the normal range.
cred@nydailynews.com

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