On Thursday of last week, an Orange County judge ordered Brian Benedict to pay more in child support for his son. He was very angered by the $500 increase in child support he had to pay. On Sunday, Rebecca Benedict, Brian’s ex-wife, went to go pick up her 4-year-old son from Brian’s on-campus apartment at University of California, Irvine as Brian’s weekend custody had terminated. The couple argued before he gave her the child. As Rebecca was leaving, Brian Benedict walked up behind Rebecca and shot her in the head, near their son. She fell to the ground and after being taken to the hospital, was pronounced dead. Police and campus security immediately detained Brian on suspicion of murder.
In his past, Brian studied at the U.S. Naval Academy and when he graduated, he was assigned to U.S. Air Force Space Command. After the Air Force he went to UCI to earn his graduate degree in physics. There, he met Rebecca and they were married soon after. In October of 2004, the couple had a soon together but in 2006, the couple split.
It was assumed that the bitter divorce and custody dispute along with the child support issues affected Brian so much that he acted on rage and anger when he committed this heinous crime. He will now be charged with the murder of his ex-wife. If convicted, he will likely face years in prison.
Whether you live in Tustin, Laguna Hills or Brea, if you are charged with murder, call an experienced attorney to assist you.
If you want to know more about murder or your own charges, call Orange County criminal defense attorney William Weinberg @ 949.474.8008 in his Irvine office.