Chris Pritchard

Christopher "Chris" W. Pritchard (born November 25, 1968) is an American man convicted for masterminding the attempted murder of his mother Bonnie Von Stein and the murder of his stepfather Lieth Von Stein in 1988 in Washington, North Carolina. Enlisting the help of friends James Bartlett Upchurch III and Gerald Neal Henderson, Pritchard spearheaded the murder of Von Stein in hopes of winning a US$2 million inheritance.

Dungeons & Dragons

During the investigation, Pritchard told police he and his friends occasionally entered the steam tunnels of North Carolina State University to map them out for the purposes of incorporating them into their Dungeons & Dragons game. In a later police interview, he claimed he and his friends once got high and played D&D in the steam tunnels with martial-arts style wooden weapons. Several ex-roommates and members of his gaming group, including James Upchurch, also confirmed Chris's account in police interviews, putting the number of sessions at perhaps a half dozen. The weapons involved were variously described as darts, knives, torches, fake samurai swords, rattan sticks and clubs. Drugs and alcohol were said to be involved. Police investigators found the letters "CWP" spray-painted in the tunnels.^[1]

Conviction and sentence

Pritchard was convicted of murder in the second degree (aiding and abetting) and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or do serious injury. He was sentenced to life in North Carolina on January 31, 1990, and paroled on June 2, 2007.^[2]

In the media

The sensational case and trial are the subject of two books, each of which was adapted into a TV movie. The 1991 book Cruel Doubt by Joe McGinniss was released on TV in May 1992 as a 2-part miniseries of the same name. The 1992 book Blood Games by Jerry Bledsoe was adapted for TV in April 1992 under the title Honor Thy Mother. Both films heavily emphasized the involvement of the conspirators in the Dungeons & Dragons game.^[3][4]

See also

• Dungeons & Dragons controversies

References

1. ^ McGinniss, Joe (1991), Cruel Doubt, Simon& Schuster, ISBN 0671679473 
2. ^ Myers, Caron. "Dungeons & Dragons' Murder Mastermind Out of Prison." Fox8 News.
3. ^ Cruel Doubt on The Escapist's FAQ
4. ^ The Attacks on Role-Playing Games, by Paul Cardwell, Jr., originally published in Skeptical Inquirer, 18:2, 1994 (157-165).

Sources

• Cruel Doubt IMDb Entry, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104031/, retrieved 2007-06-17 
• Honor Thy Mother IMDb Entry, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104441/, retrieved 2007-06-17 
• McGinnis, Joe (1991), Cruel Doubt, USA: Pocket Star Books, ISBN 0671775391 
• "Pritchard, Christopher W." North Carolina Department of Correction Public Access Information System, http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/apps/offender/offend1?DOCNUM=0331540&SENTENCEINFO=yes&SHOWPHOTO=yes&numtimesin=2, retrieved 2007-06-17 

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Name	Pritchard, Chris
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Date of birth	November 25, 1968
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