Dungeons, Dragons, and Murder: North Carolina
Don’t try this at home.
Narrator: Good evening and welcome to Friday Night Crimes. Today’s story comes out of North Carolina. While most true crime fans know the story of ‘The Staircase,’ not as many know about the 1985 murder associated with Dungeons & Dragons, a roleplaying game for medieval history geeks.
Christopher Pritchard was a student at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He and two of his friends, Neal Henderson and James “Bart” Upchurch were known to get high and use real weapons to make situations from Dungeons and Dragons into reality.
The Timeline: 1988–1990
Chronological Events of the Case:
Summer 1988: Pritchard learned that his stepfather, Leith Von Stein, would have a sizable amount of money for Chris to inherit upon Von Stein’s death.
Motivated by greed, Pritchard convinced Henderson and Upchurch to help him kill Von Stein and Christopher’s mother Bonnie. He promised to share the money with them if they went through with the plan.
July 25, 1988: Neal Henderson drives Upchurch to Washington, North Carolina from Raleigh, a distance of about 108 miles. Upchurch then entered the Von Stein home and attacked Bonnie and Leith…
