Leith Von Stein
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leith Von Stein was an American man murdered in 1987 in what later became a well-known trial in North Carolina.
An executive at National Spinning, a textile factory in Washington, North Carolina, Von Stein was brutally murdered by James Bartlett Upchurch III as the result of a plot masterminded by his stepson Chris Pritchard, with whom Von Stein had had an antagonistic relationship. The attempt to murder Pritchard's mother did not succeed. The subsequent trial revealed that Pritchard was motivated by the potential of inheriting his stepfather's fortune which was derived from his family's dry cleaning chain, Camel City Dry Cleaners in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The case and ensuing trial were the subject of the 1992 film Cruel Doubt. Pritchard was sentenced to life in prison; Upchurch, to death, a sentence that was later commuted to life. Both are still in prison. A second acquaintance, Neil Henderson, admitted to driving the car the night of the murder and confessed to police. He received a lighter sentence.
 |
This crime-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
