Authorities found elevated level of steroid in Benoit

<p>Pro wrestler Chris Benoit had an elevated level of a steroid in his system when he took his life after killing his wife and 7-year-old son, but it was impossible to say whether that played a role in the killings, Georgia's top medical examiner said Tuesday.</p><p>Dr. Kris Sperry said tests found 10 times the normal level of testosterone, indicating that Benoit likely injected the substance shortly before he died. But he said there was no evidence of any other anabolic steroids in the wrestler's system.</p><p>Sperry said the boy appeared to have been sedated when he was asphyxiated, and Benoit's wife, Nancy, had a "therapeutic" level of sedatives in her body.</p><p>The medical examiner said too much should not be read into the testosterone results.</p><p>"How much, how frequently, how often and how long could not be determined today," Sperry said at a news conference to announce the results of tests.</p><p>"This level of testosterone indicates that he had been using testosterone at least within some reasonably short period of time prior to the time that he died, depending on how it was injected, the form that it was used."</p><p>He added, "The long and the short of it is ... an elevation of that ratio does not translate into something abnormal in a person's thought process or behavior."</p><p>Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said "Everything still leads us to believe it was a murder-suicide."</p><p>Also found in Chris Benoit were the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and the painkiller hydrocodone in a therapeutic level, according to the test results. Benoit was negative for blood alcohol.</p><p>The statement said Nancy Benoit had Xanax, hydrocodone and another painkilled, hydromporphone, in her body.</p><p>The son, Daniel, had Xanax in his system, the statement said. The GBI said it could not perform tests for steroids or human growth hormones on the son because of lack of adequate amount of urine.</p><p>Sperry said the tests shed no light on what happened in the house.</p><p>"I would say these results give answers as far as drug and medication usage," he said. "Now specifically, I think they do show that Daniel Benoit was sedated at the time that he was murdered. Beyond that, I don't think they reveal anything at all."</p><p>The test results were expected to shed more light on Benoit's last moments. Authorities said Benoit killed his wife and boy in their metro Atlanta home last month, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then hanged himself on the cable of a weight machine.</p><p>Anabolic steroids were found in the Benoits' gated home, leading officials to wonder if the drugs played a role in the killings. Some experts believe steroids can cause paranoia, depression and violent outbursts known as "roid rage."</p><p>"With respect to the testosterone, this a question that basically no one knows the answer to," Sperry said. "There is conflicting scientific data as to whether or not testosterone creates mental disorders or leads to oubursts of rage. There's data that suggests it and other data that refute it. Esssentially, I think it's an unanswerable question."</p><p>Federal authorities have charged Benoit's personal physician, Dr. Phil Astin, with improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit. He has pleaded not guilty.</p><p>Investigators office has also been raided Astin's office several times since the deaths, seizing prescription records and other medical documents.</p><p>Before he was charged, Astin told the AP he prescribed testosterone for Benoit, a longtime friend, in the past. He would not say what, if any, medications he prescribed when Benoit visited his office June 22, the day authorities believe Benoit killed his wife.</p>

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