A Life of Isolation in a Luxurious Mansion Turned into a Purgatory for John and Ann Bender: What Led to the Mysterious Death of John Bender? Suicide or Cold-Blooded Murder?

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Fifteen years ago, the mysterious death of prodigal Wall Street genius and millionaire John Felix Bender shocked the world. He had everything that a common man can only imagine — a luxurious, quiet life away from the hectic chaos of everyday routine, and a house that was nothing less than a ‘paradise’ in the Costa Rican rainforest.

For many, their lifestyle was a dream, but soon their paradise turned into a purgatory for both John Bender and his wife, Ann Bender. Hell broke loose on January 8, 2010, when death knocked on the door of the Bender house. John Bender died of a gunshot in his dreamy home in Costa Rica, USA. One gunshot, one dead, one suspect — his wife, Ann Bender.

From a Dream to a Nightmare—-How did it all begin?

Millionaire John Bender and his wife, Ann Bender, left Wall Street in pursuit of a life that aimed to protect the rainforest from destruction and poaching. In an effort to achieve this, they created a 5,000-acre nature reserve and placed US$70 million in a trust to ensure that the reserve would remain forever. The beneficiaries of the trust were the nature reserve and John’s beloved Ann.

The Benders left everything behind and moved to the Costa Rican jungle to live a life of isolation in 2000. Their 50,000-square-foot house, also known as Boracayan (the Benderdome), had four floors, was entirely made of granite, and had no walls or windows.

In a candid conversation with American television reporter Susan Spencer, Ann talked about her relationship with her late husband, John Bender. “It was love at first sight for both of us,” said Ann Bender.

They both had various interests, and many of them had a factor of commonality. One such ubiquitous element for the couple was their trouble with mental health and depression.

Ann had previously mentioned that she was bipolar, while her late husband suffered from depression. According to a common friend of the Benders, John did not like consulting doctors for his troubles and preferred dealing with his problems on his own.

By the age of 25, John had proven his calibre as a trader. His genius led him to become a millionaire, reportedly racking up nearly $80 million. At the peak of his career, John Bender walked away from everything. But he had a purpose in his life.

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His and Ann’s love and obsession with animals resulted in their quiet life in their dream mansion. But how did their peaceful life in Boracayan, which was supposed to be serene, turn into a chaotic nightmare? Who led to the death of John Bender?

The Benders were disliked by the locals — some resented them because the guards of the reserve chased them away, while others despised the couple for not offering local jobs.

Their dream mansion suddenly turned into a self-made purgatory when they left Costa Rica for a brief period of time. They went to Canada and later returned, hiring heavily armed guards for their security at home.

Ann was already suffering from anxiety and depression at the time and later needed a hysterectomy — a surgical procedure for the removal of the uterus.

Her condition worsened in 2002, when an intruder approached their home and the armed guards exchanged gunfire. This incident affected both Ann and John.

It not only worsened Ann’s condition but also took a toll on John’s mental health. John became paranoid, and his paranoia consumed him entirely. Even after leaving Costa Rica again, the couple returned after a few months. Did the couple’s love for their home turn into an obsession?

Who Killed John Bender?

Ann’s testimony states that John Bender always had suicidal thoughts due to his mental distress and paranoia. One night, on January 8, 2010, John Bender allegedly shot himself in the head. One argument suggests that he shot himself in the head, but another claims that he was shot at the back of the head while sleeping.

This narrative put his wife, Ann, at the centre of suspicion, with many theories suggesting that Ann Bender murdered her husband in cold blood while he slept.

According to Ann, John shot himself even though she tried to stop him. Despite her claims, the local district attorney charged her with murder, and her trial was set for January 2013.

On the night of John Bender’s alleged murder, Ann was found holding her dead husband’s hand. She reportedly said, “I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t.” She insisted that John acted out of his long history of suicidal tendencies.

However, many investigators doubted her story because the forensic evidence did not fully match her account. The next chapter in the Benders’ story was Ann waiting for a murder trial that could have put her behind bars for 22 years.

The story does not end there. The untimely death of John Bender unravelled a series of scams linked to his $70 million trust fund. In 2012, it was discovered that around $40 million had vanished from the trust fund created by John and Ann Bender. The trust was managed by lawyer Juan de Dios Alvarez.

A year later, Ann was found innocent in her first trial but was subjected to multiple trials because Costa Rica has no double jeopardy law. The second trial, held on May 28, 2014, found Ann Bender guilty of murdering her millionaire husband. She was sentenced to 22 years in El Buen Pastor prison in Desamparados, where she spent nearly nine months.

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Due to her fragile mental state and suicidal tendencies, Ann was placed in a psychiatric ward. During the second trial, key witnesses changed their testimonies. “Not guilty” was rewritten as “guilty as charged.”

One witness was even paid off by the managing lawyer of the trust fund, Alvarez, in 2010 to write a report on John’s death. The motive was reportedly to claim John Bender’s missing life insurance money.

However, on September 7, 2015, a three-judge panel unanimously acquitted her.

Ann Bender’s life of turmoil did not end with the third trial. In 2017, she faced a fourth trial for the alleged intentional murder of her husband. The question of whether it was a murder or a suicide remained a mystery for years.

Two forensic experts for CBS’s 48 Hours later claimed that Costa Rican authorities had a “preconceived idea” that Ann Bender had murdered her husband. So, was Ann Bender charged on the basis of a preconceived idea, or did she really shoot her husband? The only life present that night was John Bender’s. [Rh/VS]

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