June marks the anniversary of world champion wrestler Chris Benoit’s double murder and suicide and two years after the tragedy, a document resurfaces that may shed light to the wrestler’s mindset before he committed those atrocities. A new lawsuit against Dr. Phil Astin, the doctor that liberally prescribed a host of drugs to Benoit, reveals documents and letters that add to the clues of this puzzling crime. The parents of Nancy Benoit, Chris Benoit’s wife whom the wrestler allegedly strangled and killed together with their son and later his self, filed a lawsuit against Astin, blaming the doctor for the tragedy.

The lawsuit claims that Astin failed to properly diagnose Benoit as well as monitor or treat the combined effects and interactions of the drugs that he prescribed including opiods, CNS depressants, and anabolic steroids, alleging that this negligence directly contributed to Christopher Michael Benoit’s emotional, mental, and physical behavior and caused his health to deteriorate to the extent that he killed his wife and son and later committed suicide. Aside from Astin, the lawsuit also names numerous drug retailers and manufacturers as responsible. It contains documents that have never been before seen by the public, one of which is a letter to Fayette County deputies, dated June 26, 2007, a day after the bodies were found, and signed by Dr. Phil Astin.

In the letter, Astin reveals that Benoit had no outstanding complaints other than his usual muscular spasms and pain. He told Astin, however, that he wanted to restart Zoloft, an anti-depressant which he had already taken in the past. The letter also claims that Chris did not appear anxious or depressed but he did tell Astin, that his wife, Nancy, had been very moody lately and that he asked if Astin about hormonal and pre-menopausal changes in women her age.

Benoit’s best friend, Jamie Robinson, still can’t believe that the tragedy happened, that Benoit and his family are now gone. He said that the drugs prescribed by Astin may have contributed to Benoit’s rage. He said that what transpired the weekend of the murder and suicide, nobody will ever know but what he knows in his mind is that the person who committed that crime was not the Chris he became friends with and grew to know, like and love.

The Benoit home, located in Fayetteville, Georgia, is still for sale and is the very last asset that has not been sold. The price of the mansion, where the murders and suicide took place, has been dropped significantly.

In police reports, Astin initially told investigators that he prescribed Zoloft to Benoit but it was later found out that he failed to mention that he also prescribed a muscle relaxer, a pain killer, and steroids.

Dr. Astin is Dr. Phillippe C. Astin, III, a resident of Carrolton, Georgia. He has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegal distribution of prescription drugs outside the usual scope of medical practice. These drugs include Adderall, Percocet, Xanax, and Lorcet. He started serving his ten-year sentence early this week and if this new lawsuit succeeds in proving him guilty, he just might find himself locked up in prison far longer.

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