Long but very insightful and interesting interview. Two parts.
Benoit Family Tragedy 6 Years Later: Interview with Sandra Toffoloni
On June 25, 2007 6 years ago already the lifeless bodies of former WCW and WWE superstar Chris Benoit, 40, his wife Nancy (aka former WCW star Woman), 43, and their son Daniel, 7, were recovered from their Atlanta suburb home. Investigators concluded this was a case of double murder by strangulation followed by suicide that took place over the course of 3 days. Chris autopsy report revealed an elevated amount of testosterone level in his blood. This was apparently common treatment for testosterone replacement in people who had suffered testicular atrophy following past steroid abuse. There are many theories out there as to how and why Benoit could have committed such horrible actions to the people he loved the most. Nonetheless, this heartbreaking tragedy shook the world of professional sports and entertainment and awoke the debate about steroid use and abuse in athletes.
Where WWE made the decision to literally kill Chris Benoits legacy following his unforgiving actions, Nancy Benoits sister Sandra Toffoloni went on a mission to keep Nancy and little Daniels memory alive by launching the Nancy and Daniel Benoit Foundation. 6 years later, the foundation is still going strong and educating youngsters and raising awareness about the dangers of steroid use and abuse.
I had the opportunity to interview Sandra in order to shed some light on Chris and Nancys relationship, on the events leading up to that fateful weekend when they lost their lives, and to learn more about the foundation. I want to thank Sandra for her time and patience. She answered each and every question I had to ask with tremendous honesty. I have to say for myself that this interview was not easy to conduct due to the grim content. It opened up sad memories for me as Im sure it will for all of you readers out there. It also obviously brought back extremely painful memories for Sandra since the Toffoloni family have turned down almost every request for an interview for the past 6 years. Chris Benoit was one of my heroes and Nancy was a role model. To me, their tragic death ties Owen Harts deadly accident as number one in pro wrestlings darkest incidents.
Without any further ado, here is the transcript of my interview with Sandra Toffoloni, sister of Nancy Benoit and sister-in-law of Chris Benoit. Enjoy!
First off, I want to thank you Sandra for taking the time to speak with us today and answer some questions. We truly appreciate it.
To begin, tell us a little about yourself.
There is not much to tell! My sister and I were born in South Boston, MA. I was raised around and in the wrestling business because of her. We were 10 years apart on age. I am a training manager for Apple, a freelance comedy writer and pretty much a loner nerd.
How would you describe your relationship with your sister Nancy? How close were the two of you?
Looking back, I think we had only 3 maybe 4 fights in all our lives and it was mostly about her trying to keep me from making poor decisions. Polar opposite of Nancy. My ex brother-in-law Kevin Sullivan said to her once Your sisters so smart, she scares the shyt out of me. Lets hope she uses it for good and not evil. We were extraordinarily close. She raised me, for the most part. Our parents were business owners and my first word was Nance. I took my first steps in her dance class, because she was on the other side of the room and I wanted to be by her so badly.
Polar opposites, really? How would you describe Nancy as a person?
Brutally honest. Hilarious. Generous to a fault. Incredibly affectionate and nurturing. Driven.
While in WCW, Nancy and Chris got together, both on-screen as in real life. This was going to lead to Nancys 3rd marriage. How did you and your family react to their relationship?
My parents mostly stayed out of Nancys personal life as best they could. I, on the other hand, was not as lucky. Bash at the Beach in Daytona that year was a huge turning point in my relationship with my sister and the first time I officially met Christopher.
How was it a turning point?
Well, I had loved and known Kevin a very long time. My sister was not at the show. When it was time to leave their was a non-scripted physical altercation backstage between Kevin and Christopher and when Chris phoned my sister afterward, I was told to come home with him and not to go home with Kevin, she said we need to talk, you can trust him.
I assume you did as you were told by your sister?
Of course. I left the Ocean Center on a silent ride with a stranger, completely confused. Until, obviously, my sister and I talked.
How did your relationship develop with your brother-in-law Chris?
We bonded instantly, which wasnt easy with Christopher. I dont know if it is the difference of being Canadian or that almost all he knew in life was wrestling; but when we would talk, as young as I was, it was like student and teacher. Books he should get, bands he would love, movies and TV that were a must watch! It was crazy how much of the same things we liked and enjoyed! We got along instantly like peas and carrots. The fact that he loved my sister SO desperately was the first thing, obviously, that we had in common.
He did seem to love Nancy very dearly. We know that, unfortunately, their relationship started to get rocky at some point. When did you first get wind that things were turning complicated between them?
I lived in Atlanta and my sister asked me home almost every one of my days off. I want to be clear: Chris was not an abusive husband. But there were, what we call in the industry, though dont often talk about, high spots. She had been there, in that position before, and refused to put up with it at all, especially with Daniel in their home. So I went with her after one of these incidents to file an order of protection.
What do you mean by high spots?
Yelling, screaming, name calling, shoving, pushing, breaking stuff.
Did Nancy ever mention anything about fearing for her or Daniels safety?
Yes, when she first filed for divorce.
In 2003, Nancy filed for divorce citing cruel treatment and an irrevocably broken marriage. She also filed a restraining order against Chris. She later dropped the proceedings as well as the restraining order. Why did she do that?
Because, like with any marriage where there are issues, they made up and wanted to reconcile, especially for Daniel.
It was reported that Daniel suffered from Fragile X syndrome and that he was being given human growth hormones. Was Daniels health an issue in Nancy and Chris disagreements?
Daniel did not have Fragile X. I have his medical records. He was NOT sick.
Is it true that track marks were found on Daniels arms during the autopsy?
When my sister filed for divorce, we had a legal document created that gave me custody of Daniel if anything happened to Nancy and Chris simultaneously. So when Daniel died, I was his custodian. He did not have track marks on his arms and the District Attorney made a public statement apologizing for the mistake. As his custodian, I obtained his medical records and our lawyer, Rick Decker, made a statement to the public the only one made letting them know that that was 100% false information.
When was your last conversation with your sister Nancy and what was it about?
I spoke to Nancy on Thursday June 21, 2007, the day before she passed. I used to visit with my sister on Sundays and Mondays, which were basically the days that Chris was away. I had told her that, this particular week, my schedule would not allow me to visit with her before Monday. I lived in North Carolina at the time. We were both concerned about my best friends friends grandmother who had become very ill in Florida. I was trying to figure out a way to get to Florida and visit with Nana, as we used to call her, and support my friend. Nancy told me that she would take care of flying me down there and she also said that I was very tired and stressed out and needed to unwind and do something for myself. We talked about mascaras and she told me that I needed to get a good quality mascara for myself. We also talked about Daniel and how he was graduating from horse camp. We talked about David (Chris older son) and how he was growing. Nancy also spoke to me about her home improvement plans for the upcoming summer. Chris and Nancy were considering having another baby but Nancy had said that she wouldnt have one until I moved closer to them. They then suggested that a house be built for me on the acreage right by their own home. Chris was actually stoked about it. Nancy was hoping to travel with Chris on occasion if they could have someone close by to take care of the children. Once we hung up, Nancy called me back a little later to tell me that she had put some money in my bank account so I could do something for myself that upcoming Monday: get a massage, a pedicure, buy some mascara. This is how generous my sister was and that was the last time I ever spoke to her. She had no clue as to what was about to happen.
Following the tragedy, it was reported that, sometime in 2006, Chris stopped attending church due to a hatred of religion, that he wouldnt let Nancy out past 6 pm, and that he wouldnt let Daniel out of the house because he felt that someone was stalking him and his family. Chris had allegedly developed symptoms of paranoia due to undiagnosed Late-Onset Schizophrenia. Can you confirm that?
This turn of events was not sudden. Early in 2006, they were looking into putting Daniel in a private Christian school, the best school in the area. Many athletes children attended this particular school and the high level of security was related to the caliber of the families of the children that went there. In order to get Daniel in that school, Chris and Nancy had to attend church service regularly. Although my sister and I were raised strictly Catholic, Chris did not subscribe to any one particular religion. He developed an interest in Eastern religion and philosophy while wrestling in Japan. This interest got stronger when it was time to get Daniel into private school. When my brother-in-law wanted to do something or learn of something, he fully invested himself into it. His dedication to his career and his relationship with my sister are proof of this. I used to tell him where to look and what books to read that may be of some interest to him.
Before all that, Chris had suffered multiple losses of friends. Eddie Guerreros death in 2005 shocked us all, no one was prepared for that. It was devastating for Nancy but it was devastating for Chris on a whole other level. Eddies passing came after a long line of huge losses and Chris was in a state of perpetual bereavement. His as well as Nancys closest friends passed away and it always seemed to be drug or steroid-related.
After Eddie passed away, Chris and Nancy discussed the possibility of Chris leaving the WWE and starting his own wrestling school. As a matter of fact, it had become more than a possibility. A business plan had been developed and merchandise had been designed. However, the WWE was prepared to give Chris a big push and put him into another championship match so Chris began training harder and pushing his body further. Chris did a lot of self-medicating. My brother-in-law made every show, he went to every production meeting, never missed a call, never missed a flight and always drove himself or made travel arrangements. Chris wasnt schizophrenic. Someone with schizophrenia wouldnt be able to do all that. He had a serious drug problem, used a lot of steroids and was certainly not alone in that at the time. The paranoia was a direct result of the abuse of steroids. The last 2 weeks I spent with Chris, we used to go to the gym and go tanning together. At some point, he began acting weird and I wondered what was wrong with him. He would find 30 different routes to drive to the gym which he never did before. This is not schizophrenia! This was a result of combining steroids with pain medication and, later on, alcohol. I had never seen him like this before. The final blow came in mid-June 2007, just a few days before everything happened, when Sherri Martel passed away. That devastated Nancy just as much as Eddies death had devastated Chris. I remember my sister telling me I dont know how much more of this I can take and I dont know how much more of this Chris can take.
