In the coming days I’m going to take my reporting notes on the Benoit case into new territory. Before doing so, here are some housecleaning and further information on previous items.
I earlier posted photos of the fence enclosing the backyard pool area of the Benoit home and questioned whether the two German shepherd guard dogs could have escaped. (During their response to the 911 call, sheriff’s officers would confront the dogs right at the front gate.) A lot of people, including German shepherd owners, said the dogs couldn’t have gotten out on their own. But others, including a canine expert, told me they could. So I no longer consider that an angle worth pursuing, absent new information.
I also want to discuss a bit more what the sheriff’s report had to say — and didn’t have to say — about the role of World Wrestling Entertainment’s private security consultant, Dennis Fagan of Andrews International.
As I’ve reported, Andrews International is a Top Ten firm in its field with a long list of entertainment industry clients. I have not yet reported what I asked Detective Ethon Harper about Andrews last month, and Harper’s response.
My question: “The phone log shows a call from Andrews International …; also, the 911 call was placed by Andrews International’s Dennis Fagan. I do not believe Fagan or anyone else from Andrews is referenced in your report except for those two places. Were Andrews agents interviewed in the course of the sheriff’s investigation?”
Harper: “I spoke with someone at Andrews International to see what type of business they were. I also wanted to confirm that the number on the phone records [a single call to the Benoit home phone on Monday morning, June 25] was one of their phone numbers. It was.”
It is a fair criticism to wonder why the sheriff devoted dozens of report pages and person-hours to slam-dunking the refutation of two already debunked Internet hoaxes, yet asked no substantial questions of WWE’s security people. I would be very surprised if Andrews International justified their hefty invoice to WWE that month on the basis of one phone call to the Benoit home hours after the wrestler missed a pay-per-view at which he was supposed to win the ECW championship, plus a couple of calls to 911 on Monday afternoon.
Irv Muchnick