ATLANTA - A lawyer for Chris Benoit's personal doctor suggested in court papers the former pro wrestler had a hormone disorder that permitted the amount of steroids he was prescribed before killing his wife, son and himself in June.

In a motion to suppress evidence filed Monday, Dr. Phil Astin's attorney, Manny Arora, said a federal agent failed to tell a judge who issued search warrants in the case about the legitimate uses of steroids.

Arora wrote that if the government had consulted a hormone disorder specialist, it would have learned that "the amount of medication in question was not excessive and would be medically appropriate based on the medical condition of Mr. Benoit."

The court filing did not elaborate on Benoit's condition. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office declined to comment.

Authorities have said Astin prescribed a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids to Benoit every three to four weeks between May 2006 and May 2007.

Anabolic steroids were found in Benoit's home, and tests showed Benoit had roughly 10 times the normal level of testosterone in his system when he died. Investigators have not given a motive for the killings, but the question of whether steroids played a role has lingered.

Testosterone can be used as part of hormone replacement therapy. Some athletes also have been known to use steroids to enhance their performance.

Astin has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit. Federal prosecutors plan a superseding indictment with new charges, but haven't said when they will act.

The district attorney overseeing the death investigation has said Benoit strangled his wife with a cord, used a choke hold to strangle his 7-year-old son, then placed Bibles next to the bodies and hanged himself on a piece of exercise equipment in his Fayetteville home the weekend of June 22.

Astin is free on bail, but must remain in his home except under limited circumstances. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Sept. 18.

Michael Benoit, the father of the late Chris Benoit, will be revealing the findings of a neurological post-mortem examination of Chris tomorrow in a series of major media appearances. He is expected to announce that Benoit had a condition called "frontal lobe syndromes," a result of repeated head trauma that can cause "emotional and/or social withdrawal" and "aggression, outbursts of rage, and violent behavior."

Doctor describes Benoit brain injury By HARRY R. WEBER, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 5 minutes ago



ATLANTA - Pro wrestler Chris Benoit suffered brain damage from his years in the ring that could help explain why he killed his wife, son and himself, a doctor who studied Benoit's brain said Wednesday.

The analysis by doctors affiliated with the Sports Legacy Institute suggests repeated concussions could have contributed to the killings at Benoit's suburban Atlanta home.

The wrestler's father, Michael Benoit, told reporters Wednesday that he knows his son had concussions because his son told him so. But he also said he knows of no medical records or records kept by the wrestling league to support the diagnosis.

Steroid use also has lingered as a theory behind the killings, since anabolic steroids were found in Chris Benoit's home and tests conducted by authorities showed Benoit had roughly 10 times the normal level of testosterone in his system when he died.

The institute, which researches the long-term effects of concussions, coordinated the testing using samples of Benoit's brain tissue provided by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The Waltham, Mass.-based institute's president is former pro wrestler Christopher Nowinski, who has said he had to quit the ring after a kick to the head. Nowinski still has ties with World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., which runs the league he and Benoit were in.

A lawyer for Stamford, Conn.-based WWE did not immediately return a call Wednesday seeking comment. The company has maintained steroid use did not cause Benoit to snap.

Despite the results of the institute's tests, there was no way to know if Benoit's concussions contributed to the murder-suicide, said Dr. Robert Cantu, a member of the institute who also is chief of neurosurgery service at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass.

"Whether it is the sole factor I believe is speculation and I will not go there," Cantu said by phone.

The level of brain damage Benoit had can cause depression and irrational behavior, Cantu said.

Benoit's brain showed the same degenerative processes that doctors working for the institute found in the brains of three men who had played pro football and committed suicide, Cantu said. There were abnormal protein deposits caused by trauma to Benoit's brain, Cantu said.

There's no evidence that steroid use causes such protein deposits, Cantu said, though he noted the issue has not been exhaustively studied.

Investigators allowed the institute to test Benoit's brain tissue with the permission of his father, who lives near Edmonton in Ardrossan, Alberta.

Michael Benoit said Wednesday that he agreed to the testing because murder-suicide was out of character for his son. He also disclosed that after the killings, he discovered a diary written by his son that showed his son was having problems.

"After reading the diary, I would have thought it was written by someone who was extremely disturbed at the time," Michael Benoit said.

He did not elaborate, but he did say a friend told him that prior to the murder-suicide, Chris Benoit had been wearing a rosary, which he said was also out of character.

"I think it's the extreme that is in the wrestling industry today," he told reporters. "The human skull is not built to get hit by a chair or something."

The father said he has not discussed with his attorney whether to take any legal action against the WWE or anyone else in the case. His attorney, Cary Ichter, said that at a later time he "will give thoughtful consideration" to appropriate steps to take in the "legal arena."

Nowinski said concussions can happen in pro wrestling even though many of the moves are staged.

"I got four concussions in three years as a professional wrestler," said Nowinski, who works for the WWE on its initiative to encourage young people to vote. "A lot of concussions happen from mistakes."

Prosecutors have said Benoit, 40, strangled his wife with a cord, used a choke hold to strangle his 7-year-old son, placed Bibles next to the bodies and hanged himself on a piece of exercise equipment the weekend of June 22.

Authorities have said Benoit's personal doctor, Phil Astin, prescribed a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids to Benoit every three to four weeks between May 2006 and May 2007. Astin has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit.