Trial Date Set for Dr. Phil Astin III (Benoit)
Trial Date Set for Dr. Phil Astin III
Posted by Larry Csonka on 12.29.2008
The Benoit family doctor goes on trial in March…
Dr. Phil Astin III, who was the Benoit family physician at the time of the Benoit double murder/suicide, will finally go to trial in Newnan, Georgia on Monday March 16th, 2009. The trial was to begin in January of 2009, but Dr. Astin requested a 90-day continuance from District Judge Jack T. Camp, and has received it.
Dr. Astin was originally indicted in July of 2007, and then more charges were brought against him in May of 2008. Dr. Astin will face 175 federal counts of illegal prescription abuse. Those charges are made up of 150 counts of illegal prescription abuse, involving 17 patients. Two of these patients are believed to be wrestlers who were working for WWE at the time the illegal prescriptions were given out. Dr. Astin has denied all of the charges. At the time of the indictment, back in 2007, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the patients allegedly received illegal prescriptions for the following drugs: Percocet, Oxycontin, Demerol, Lorcet, Ritalin, Vicodin, Xanax, Adderall and Soma.
The prosecution is also claiming that Dr. Astin's prescriptions led to the death of a patient, likely former ECW and WCW Tag Team Champion Mike "Johnny Grunge" Durham. Dr. Astin was the primary physician of Durham, and he wrote 32 of the 36 prescriptions written for Durham during the last year of his life.
Astin was investigated after the death of Chris, Nancy and Daniel Benoit due to a few reasons. First of all he was the Benoit family doctor, secondly Chris Benoit had visited Dr. Astin's office prior to the double murder/suicide, and finally because the toxicology report on Chris Benoit showed that he had a testosterone level which was 10-times above the normal level.
Since being indicted in 2007, Dr. Astin has fallen into financial distress. Manubir S. Arora, Astin's original attorney, quit the case due to the fact that Astin could no longer pay him. This led to a public defender being assigned to Astin. At one time Astin was under house arrest, but was later granted the ability to work for a local towing company
The family of the late Nancy Benoit formed a foundation in the memory of Nancy and Daniel Benoit earlier this year. Donations can be sent to:
The Nancy and Daniel Benoit Foundation for Battered Women and Abused Children
c/o Decker, Hallman, Barber and Briggs
260 Peachtree St. Suite 1700
Atlanta, GA 30303
Credit: Pwinsider.com
