In the summer of 2003, in the small Virginia town of Craigsville, an 18 year old boy shot and killed the man the town knew as a former rescue squad captain and a pillar of the community. Christopher Bennett never denied it. He confessed, took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, and was handed three consecutive life sentences totalling 1,800 years.
But behind that front door, Chris and his siblings say, was a man the town never saw. Years of abuse. Children told to pray for help that never came. And a report of what was happening to his little sisters, made just one day before the shooting.
Over this series, Jack chats with Chris from inside Buckingham Correctional Center about his childhood, that night, the sentence designed to outlive him, and a family still fighting to bring him home.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This series contains discussion of child sexual abuse, physical abuse and domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs support, help is available.
Australia
1800RESPECT (sexual assault and domestic violence, 24/7): 1800 737 732
Blue Knot Foundation (adult survivors of childhood trauma): 1300 657 380
Bravehearts (child sexual abuse support): 1800 272 831
Kids Helpline (ages 5 to 25, 24/7): 1800 55 1800
Lifeline (crisis support, 24/7): 13 11 14
United States
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (24/7): 1-800-422-4453
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline (24/7): 1-800-656-4673
National Domestic Violence Hotline (24/7): 1-800-799-7233
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (24/7): call or text 988
United Kingdom
NSPCC Helpline (adults concerned about a child): 0808 800 5000
Childline (for anyone under 19, 24/7): 0800 1111
NAPAC (adult survivors of childhood abuse): 0808 801 0331
Rape Crisis England and Wales (24/7): 0808 500 2222
Samaritans (24/7): 116 123
International For domestic violence services in other countries, visit hotpeachpages.net for a directory of helplines and agencies worldwide.
If a child is in immediate danger, call emergency services: 000 in Australia, 911 in the US, 999 in the UK.
","author_name":"Jack Laurence"}