Fatal stabbing leads to lifetime imprisonment for Superior man

Feb. 10—SUPERIOR — A Superior man who fatally stabbed his mother in 2020 was sentenced in Douglas County Circuit Court on Friday, Feb. 10 to life imprisonment with no possibility of release.

A jury found Robert Lee Bennett III, 42, was both guilty of first-degree intentional homicide for the death of Cindy Bennett and responsible for his criminal conduct at the time during a two-phase trial in December.

Circuit Court Judge Kelly Thimm had three sentencing options — to allow extended release for Bennett after 20 years in prison, allow extended release after more than 20 years of prison, or not allow extended release. He said the seriousness of the crime, which he described as one of the most brutal homicides to happen in Douglas County, factored into his decision.

"There's just no other option," Thimm told the court. "In my opinion, when you look at the need to protect the public, Mr. Bennett needs to be locked up and never get out."

Bennett stabbed his mother repeatedly in the face, neck, back and head with three separate implements, District Attorney Mark Fruehauf told the court. He said each time one broke the Superior man took the time to stop, go get a new one and continue stabbing the helpless victim.

Lack of remorse was another factor the judge considered.

"Mr. Bennett hasn't accepted any responsibility, none," Thimm said.

Fruehauf said he had a hard time keeping track of the various lies and falsehoods Bennett has told about the incident. He did not call 911 following the stabbing; initially told police his brother did it; showed no remorse while in custody; and currently maintains that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security are on the case looking for the real killer, Fruehauf said.

"These statements show that he still has a significant, I guess what I would argue (is) a mental illness," said Bennett's attorney Michael Hoffman. "I don't think these are attempts to lie, rather these are the way that he perceives the world. This is a deeply disturbed person."

When asked if he wanted to make a statement to the court, Bennett babbled a quick string of unintelligible words before declining.

Any untreated mental illness Bennett may have is not a mitigating factor, Thimm said, because there is no way to ensure he gets the treatment he needs while in prison.

"How can you deter somebody who doesn't think they did anything wrong, they're not acknowledging their behavior?" Thimm asked.

Family members have been present for every one of Bennett's court hearings.

"We've had 20-some hearings on this case and it's 10 people, 12 people at the low end that come to these. They were there with us every step of the way," Fruehauf said.

Many spoke through tears at the sentencing, describing Cindy Bennett as a kind, caring, loving mother, sister, grandmother and friend. She taught her grandchildren how to bake, was a dedicated health care worker and "gave the best hugs," they said.

"The last thing she did before she died is what she always did," Fruehauf said. "She tried to help her son."

They testified that they also lost Bennett, a brother, uncle and father, that day.

Following the stabbing, a family member testified, one of Cindy Bennett's grandchildren made it a habit to shove all their toys under the bed to keep the monsters from hiding under there.

"What if the monster's already in the house?" the family member asked the court.

It was a phrase Thimm repeated a number of times during sentencing.

"Mr. Bennett was that monster," the judge said. "And in order to protect the public, we need to have that monster locked away so he can never commit another crime again for the rest of his life. And hopefully people in this community, including the victim's families, can sleep a little bit better knowing there's no possibility Mr. Bennett will ever, ever get out and be able to do anything to anybody."

When asked about the resolution to the case, Fruehauf said it was the product of a lot of hard work.

"The police did their jobs. The EMTs and doctors did their jobs as best they could. The system did its job. He got his fair trial, he got his day in court," Fruehauf said.