A Chattanooga man accused of killing his estranged wife and her mother in a waiting room at Hutcheson at Erlanger hospital in January pleaded guilty today to two counts of malice murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
James Benson, 59, admitted to killing Mary Sue Benson, 56, and Charlotte Johnson, 77, on Jan. 6 with a .38-caliber revolver in Hutcheson’s intensive care unit’s waiting room.
He entered his plea and was sentenced in Walker County Superior Court by Judge Ralph Van Pelt, who said Benson could be considered for parole after serving 30 years behind bars.
After the shooting, Benson turned himself in at the nearby Fort Oglethorpe police station.
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Joy Lukachick is a crime reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Since 2009, she's covered breaking news, high-profile trials, stories of lost lives and of regained hope and done investigative work. Raised near the Bayou, Joy’s hometown is along the outskirts of Baton Rouge, La. She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University. While at LSU, Joy was a staff writer for the Daily Reveille. When Joy isn't chasing down ...
