Editing Chris Benoit (section)

===Motive speculations===
Benoit's exact motive for committing the murders remains a mystery. Many who were close to Benoit, both inside and outside the wrestling business, were at a loss to explain Benoit's actions and still are to this day.

Autopsy revealed that Benoit's brain was in catastrophically bad condition, and that it resembled the brain of an 85-year old Alzheimer's patient. This has been explained as due to being from multiple untreated concussions suffered during his wrestling career, as he was known frequently take unprotected chair shots to the head, which is considered very unwise in professional wrestling.<ref>[https://www.statesboroherald.com/local/doctor-pro-wrestler-benoits-concussions-may-have-contributed-to-killings-of-wife-son/ Doctor: Pro wrestler Benoits concussions may have contributed to killings of wife, son], ''Statesboro Herald''</ref> In addition, one of Benoit's signature moves was a diving headbutt, which has been known to cause brain and spinal damage. Other tests conducted on Benoit's brain tissue revealed severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and damage to all four lobes of the brain and brain stem. Benoit's father said that brain damage may have been the leading cause of the double murder-suicide.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3560015 Benoit's Brain Showed Severe Damage From Multiple Concussions, Doctor and Dad Say], ''ABC News''</ref>

Two years previously, fellow professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, who was Benoit's best friend in the wrestling business, suddenly passed away due to heart failure caused by undiagnosed heart disease. Benoit was deeply affected by Guerrero's passing (most notably openly weeping on camera during WWE's tribute show to Guerrero on ''Raw'' in November 2005 - something that he rarely, if ever, did) and reportedly fell into a deep depression afterwards, with many people saying that he was so destroyed by Guerrero's death that he was never quite the same. Many people both inside and outside the wrestling business have stated that, if Eddie Guerrero hadn't passed away, the whole incident would most likely have never happened.<ref>[https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/nation-world/2007/09/15/lawyer-benoit-s-diary-shows/52793295007/ Lawyer: Benoit's diary shows wrestler grieved friend, was depressed before killing wife, son], ''South Coast Today''</ref>

Nancy Benoit had filed for divorce in May 2003, allegedly after [[Domestic Abuse|domestic abuse]] from Chris, but had withdrawn it in August 2003.<ref>[https://www.tmz.com/2007/06/26/benoits-history-of-domestic-violence-exposed/ Benoit's History of Domestic Violence Exposed], ''TMZ''</ref> In February 2008, ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (AJC) reported that Nancy may have suspected her husband of having an affair with a female WWE wrestler, and that they may have also argued over a life insurance policy. The AJC claimed the source was a recently released report from the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.

Some have claimed that the incident was a result of a steroid-induced rage, as some doctors have linked steroid use to uncontrollable anger, among other psychological issues which include paranoia; some unconfirmed reports have suggested that Benoit had been acting paranoid during the last few months of his life. Even though steroids were found in the Benoit home, this is not likely, as "roid-rage" typically does not last for any longer than a few minutes, though in an appearance on ''Live with Dan Abrams'' on July 17, 2007, WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt
said that Benoit was prescribed testosterone as part of a treatment for testosterone replacement therapy, which McDevitt said was a common medical practice for people who had used steroids in the past, and had suffered testicular damage as a result.<ref>[https://mndaily.com/224607/not-using/world/testosterone-contributed-roid-rage-benoit-murders/ Testosterone contributed to ‘roid rage’ in Benoit murders], ''The Minnesota Daily''</ref>

During an appearance on an episode of ''Larry King Live'', former pro wrestler-turned evangelical minister Ted DiBiase (known by his in-ring persona "The Million Dollar Man") speculated the possibility that Chris might have killed Nancy in a fit of rage during an argument, then afterwards, out of guilt, killed Daniel in a mercy killing before committing suicide, theorizing that a mercy killing, the suicide, as well as the bibles that were placed by the bodies of all three Benoits, were acts of contrition on Chris' part.