Hell in Heaven - 6: The Folly of Two

Summary

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Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise

Episode 6: The Folly of Two
Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Becky Milligan (Exactly Right & iHeartPodcasts)

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Main Theme / Purpose

In this pivotal episode, journalist Becky Milligan delves into the aftermath of John Bender’s mysterious death in Costa Rica and the worldwide intrigue surrounding his wife, Ann Bender, the prime suspect. The episode focuses on the fevered gossip, medical revelations, and psychological unravelling that defined the Benders’ downfall, culminating in Anne’s first trial for murder. A major thread is the revelation of “folie à deux”—shared psychosis—which throws new light on their relationship and the tragedy. The story is not just about a murder, but about mental illness, isolation, obsession, and the ways in which wealth and paranoia can turn paradise into a prison.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Global Sensation and Local Scandal (02:19–04:49)

• John’s death and the suspicion cast on Ann became instant tabloid fodder, both in Costa Rica and internationally.
• Cocktail parties and detective magazines buzzed with opinions on Ann’s guilt and the fate of the couple’s fortune, especially their jewels.
  • Carol Vaughan: “Americans would have cocktail parties and argue over whether they thought she was guilty or not...Everyone commented freely.” (02:46)
• In the Diamante Valley, neighbors reflected on the Benders' isolation and strain:
  • John Corvick: “No matter how big the house is, you’re losing your mind...up on top of that hill by themselves, watching it rain with monkeys screaming for days and days.” (03:27)

2. The Bender Jewels and Rumors of Paranoia (04:05–04:51)

• 16 suitcases full of precious stones discovered in the couple’s bedroom fueled rumors.
  • Some speculated the jewels were for money laundering or for easy transfer of wealth.
• Whispers about underground bunkers and gun-filled tunnels enhanced the mythology surrounding the Benders.
  • “One thing I had heard, that he had a tunnel going to an underground...” (04:42)

3. Anne Bender’s Health and Psychiatric Insights (05:12–11:49)

• After John’s death, Ann was found in a terrible state—physically emaciated, mentally vacant, with bumps and infected sores on her arms.
• Dr. Lozano, Ann’s long-time psychiatrist, describes his shock and pity upon seeing her:
  • Dr. Lozano: “I felt sorry for her...poor thing. Not only her husband just passed away, she’s full of bumps. She’s just psychotic. Jeez. I mean, terrible.” (10:08)
• She was immediately hospitalized and medicated.

4. The Dichotomy of Anne: Cosmopolitan Heiress vs. Jungle Recluse (11:49–13:04, 15:45–17:08)

• Anne’s background: international upbringing, cosmopolitan lifestyle, and deep affinity for animals.
• Her old friends noted that after marrying John, she gradually cut off all other ties—a clue to the couple’s insularity.
  • “We were really good friends...Then she cut off all ties with everyone, including me. Everyone except her family.” (16:44)

5. Startling Revelations: Folie à Deux and the Injections (17:42–21:01)

• Dr. Lozano reveals Ann told him John was injecting her with “clear spring water” under her skin, purporting to cure her bipolarity—none of which was medically sanctioned.
  • Anne (via Dr. Lozano): “He was giving me clear spring water injections under my skin to heal me.” (18:06)
  • Dr. Lozano: “That main conversation gave me the impression that she was not in her right state of mind...John must have been psychotic too.” (18:37–18:59)
• Dr. Lozano diagnoses the couple with folie à deux (shared psychotic disorder), where their isolated, codependent dynamic deepened their mental instability.
  • Carol Vaughan: “They had what her therapists called folie à deux, where you exacerbate the other person’s craziness. And it was just doomed, just doomed.” (20:41)

6. Theories of Motive and Mental State (21:01–22:59)

• Carol Vaughan posits that John’s escalating behavior might have made Anne’s actions—if she did kill him—acts of self-preservation, not cold-blooded murder.
  • Carol Vaughan: “If he didn’t kill her, then she had to kill him. I think she saved her life.” (21:41)

7. Legal Battles and Anne’s Ordeal (24:36–32:55)

• Anne was hospitalized for six months under observation and police guard while becoming the prime suspect. The loss of their property, jewels, and even control of their trust fund compounded her distress.
  • Dr. Lozano: “She had a one policeman all the time sitting at the door of her room. That was disgusting. I thought it was absolutely unnecessary, but here’s the law.” (25:27)
• The messy legal aftermath included alleged missing jewels and the couple’s fortune effectively controlled by their lawyer, Juan Alvarez.

8. First Trial: Charges, Family, and Verdict (30:35–36:50)

• Anne’s trial began January 14, 2013, with her family and friends present. John’s parents chose not to attend, feeling helpless but supportive.
• The prosecution argued the crime scene evidence ruled out suicide; the defense pointed to John’s suicidal tendencies and years of planning.
• Anne testified in fluent Spanish and won sympathy.
  • Anne (statement, voiced): “It’s been three years of hell and I feel listened to and protected by the justice system and I would like to thank you.” (36:45)
• Verdict: Acquitted—Not Guilty.

9. The Nightmare Continues (36:50–38:03)

• The acquittal was not the end—in Costa Rica, unlimited retrials are possible. Prosecutors demanded a new trial.

  • Carol Vaughan: “People, yeah, gasped. They thought, this rich American is never going to jail...Costa Rica wouldn’t do that to a woman. Costa Rica wouldn’t do that to an American. They dropped the bomb on her.” (37:48)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “No matter how big the house is, you’re losing your mind...those two were up on top of that hill by themselves, watching it rain with monkeys screaming for days and days.”
  — John Corvick, neighbor (03:27)
• “There was nothing non intense about John's and my relationship. The saddest part is Anne's bumps were infected. Far from saving her, they were making her sicker.”
  — Anne Bender (reported) (19:17)
• “They had what her therapists called ‘folie à deux’, where you exacerbate the other person’s craziness. And it was just doomed, just doomed.”
  — Carol Vaughan, authority and writer (20:41)
• “If he didn't kill her, then she had to kill him. I think she saved her life. Frankly, I don't think that she killed him. I think she saved her own life.”
  — Carol Vaughan (21:41)
• “She had a one policeman all the time sitting at the door of her room. That was disgusting. I thought it was absolutely unnecessary, but here’s the law.”
  — Dr. Lozano (25:27)
• “Based on the evidence presented, we have unanimously decided the defendant is acquitted. Not guilty. Anne must have felt huge relief. She could now get on with her life and grieve her husband in peace. Except that's not how this story ends.”
  — Becky Milligan (36:50)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Global & Local Sensation: 02:19–04:49
• Jewels, Rumors, and Bunker Myths: 04:05–04:51
• Dr. Lozano on Anne’s Medical State: 08:43–11:49
• Anne’s Background & Isolation: 15:45–17:08
• Injections & Shared Psychosis: 17:42–21:01
• Speculation on Motive & Self-Defense: 21:01–22:59
• Hospitalization & Losses: 24:36–27:40
• Preparation for Trial: 30:35
• Trial, Testimony, and Verdict: 33:39–36:50
• Announcement of Retrial: 37:48–38:03

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Conclusion

This episode of Hell in Heaven exposes the psychological unraveling within John and Anne Bender’s jungle fortress, the international media frenzy, and the legal trial that followed John’s bloody death. Through first-hand accounts and new perspectives—especially from Anne’s psychiatrist—the story evolves from a simple “did she or didn’t she?” into a cautionary tale of wealth, mental illness, isolation, and codependency. The episode closes with Anne’s acquittal, but ominously signals that the ordeal is far from over as Costa Rican prosecutors seek a retrial, prolonging the agony and uncertainty in a case that has become a “tropical gothic tragedy.”

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Transcript

[Narrator/Host]

This is exactly right.

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[Narrator/Host]

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[Becky Milligan]

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[Narrator/Host]

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[Paper Ghosts Podcast Narrator]

Along the central Texas plains, teens are dying. Suicides that don't make sense. Strange accidents and brutal murders in what seems to be a plot ripped straight out of Breaking Bad.

[Becky Milligan]

Drugs, alcohol, trafficking of people.

[Narrator/Host]

There are people out there that absolutely know what happened.

[Paper Ghosts Podcast Narrator]

Listen to paper ghosts. The Texas teen murders on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Becky Milligan]

The news of John Bender's death spread like wildfire around Costa Rica. So did the revelation that Anne was the prime suspect in his assumed murder. The couple who seemingly had it good looks, love and money had lost everything. The question of what had happened and whether Anne had pulled the trigger became a national pastime. Author Carol Vaughan.

[Carol Vaughan]

Americans would have cocktail parties and argue over whether they thought she was guilty or not. And what really happened there. What happened to her jewels. And it was hot.

[Becky Milligan]

It wasn't just hot in Costa Rica. The story went global and There were.

[Carol Vaughan]

Whole detective magazines that devoted issues to her, saying she did it. And oh, poor thing, I don't think she did it. I mean, everyone had an opinion and everyone commented freely.

[Becky Milligan]

And in Diamante Valley itself, where the Benders had built their enormous house, everyone was talking about it. Jesse, their neighbor.

[Paul Bender]

It was obviously the biggest news in.

[Becky Milligan]

The valley, and it got around fast. John Corvick, whose place was nearby, said it was all so predictable. No matter how big the house is, you're losing your mind. Those two were up on top of that hill by themselves, watching it rain with monkeys screaming for days and days and days and days. Suspicions, theories, told you so's, and plain old tittle tattle erupted. Everyone had an opinion about what really happened on the fourth floor of that huge house, made more fevered by the discovery of hordes of precious stones. Carol Vaughan.

[Carol Vaughan]

They packed up 16 suitcases full of loose jewels that the Benners had just sitting around their bedroom.

[Becky Milligan]

Diamonds, opals, rubies. Were they the trinkets of multimillionaires or did they serve some other more nefarious purposes? John Corvick had a theory. So say I wanted to fly from here to there and bring a couple million bucks. It'd be a hell of a lot easier to bring a couple stones than it is to bring a suitcase full of cash. And there were other stories, incredible and unfounded stories. Doing the rounds.

[Guardian Bikes Advertiser]

One thing I had heard, that he had a tunnel going to an underground.

[Paul Bender]

Bunker full of guns and things.

[Becky Milligan]

I don't know if that's true, but.

[Paul Bender]

That was the story.

[Becky Milligan]

But at the heart of it all was Anne. Had this fragile, beautiful, but desperately ill woman really murdered her husband? Would she have been capable of carrying out such a crime? And supposing she had, why? What would have been her motive? Nicole Korvik.

[Carol Vaughan]

I don't know the truth of the matter.

[Becky Milligan]

What really happened.

[Carol Vaughan]

I heard that she was sick and that he was trying to make some sort of concoction to cure her with various medicinal plants. So if she had any motive, that may have had something to do with it, mind you. But on the flip side of that.

[Narrator/Host]

Anyone who does that's a little bit nuts.

[Carol Vaughan]

And I'm sure he's capable of killing himself. So, you know, who knows what happened out there?

[Becky Milligan]

While every angle and aspect of the story was chewed over, the the Costa Rican police, convinced they had their culprit, were putting together a case. And Anne, the woman at the heart of it all, was in hospital, very sick from exactly right media. And IHEART Podcasts produced by Blanchard House. This is Helen Heaven. I'm Becky Milligan. Chapter 6 the Folly of Two we're in a brightly lit corridor. A few people wait on plastic chairs. Poppy, my producer, tells the receptionist, we're here. At the time of the murder, Anne was a patient of psychiatrist Dr. Lizano, one of Costa Rica's top experts on bipolar disorder. He also treated the symptoms of Lyme's disease, which can cause brain fog and increased anxiety and depression. For Anne, it wasn't just a physical disease. The day after John's death in January 2010, Jose Pizarro, the Bender's head of security, rushed down to the privately run Sema Hospital in San Jose to be seen by Dr. Lozano. She was in a terrible state. It's rare that doctors talk about their patients, but Dr. Lozano agreed to speak to us in his private clinic. What he had to tell us about Anne would throw a completely new light on her relationship with John. He was running a bit late, but we were eventually shown into his consulting room late in the afternoon.

[Narrator/Host]

Buena.

[Becky Milligan]

Hello. We have been in touch, had a busy day and had a somewhat long suffering expression on his face, but still he welcomed us with a wave of his hand. His gray hair was slicked back, he had a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, and despite being weary, he had a friendly bedside manner about him. I got a sense that Anne would have been reassured by his presence.

[Dr. Lozano]

You're English?

[Becky Milligan]

Yes.

[Dr. Lozano]

My mother was British.

[Becky Milligan]

Really?

[Dr. Lozano]

Yeah. Suffolk. From Haverhill. Suffolk.

[Becky Milligan]

I asked him to tell me about the day Jose rushed Anne into hospital after John's death.

[Dr. Lozano]

I was in my office and I was told that she was on her way. Pizarro was bringing her and I went to emergency ward and she was sitting on a wheelchair. Very, very thin. I had not seen her in several months. She was very, very thin. Flaquita, we say in Spanish. Very, very thin.

[Becky Milligan]

Frail.

[Dr. Lozano]

Fragile.

[Becky Milligan]

Yeah, fragile.

[Dr. Lozano]

I admitted her because she was in shock and I was told that her husband had died. And that was as far as. That was all information I got at that moment.

[Becky Milligan]

But he did notice something, something very strange.

[Dr. Lozano]

She was with a sweater on and to the cardigan on. But what I could see of her arms were bumps.

[Becky Milligan]

All over her arms were bumps and sores and some were infected badly. He couldn't work out what could have caused them. It crossed his mind that she might have been bitten by some kind of insect in the jungle. Whatever the cause, he was horrified by Anne's appearance. Emaciated and in a kind of Flat state, just staring blankly into space. What did you actually think when you saw her looking like that?

[Dr. Lozano]

Coming from a psychiatrist, what I'm going to say is deep. I felt sorry for her. I felt. I said, poor thing. I mean, poor, poor girl. I mean, what has happened? Not only her husband just passed away, she's full of bombs. She's just psychotic. Jeez. I mean, terrible.

[Becky Milligan]

Before he could find out what had caused all the bumps and sores, she needed treatment straight away for her most acute symptoms. What do you do as her psychiatrist.

[Dr. Lozano]

To help her in that case? I tried to comfort her, which was just me trying to be nice.

[Becky Milligan]

What did you do?

[Dr. Lozano]

I put her on the medication immediately.

[Becky Milligan]

But what had caused those bumps? Dr. Lozano would make sure to find out later. She was put on a cocktail of medications. She was in a very bad way. She hardly spoke. Dr. Lozano barely recognized her. Hearing all this, I can't help but think back to that comment Osvaldo Rojas, the head of staff, made about Anne. That the vibrant woman he first met in 2000 slowly vanished. Ten years in the jungle with John had taken such a toll on her. Physically, she'd declined. But also mentally, I wondered what she'd been like when Dr. Lozano first met her compared to his desperately sick patient in the wheelchair.

[Dr. Lozano]

She was a nice, pretty young woman.

[Becky Milligan]

Very pretty, matter of fact, pretty, and had two sides to her. On the one hand, there was Anne in tattered work clothes in the jungle, looking after the animal sanctuary. Then there was Anne, the urban sophisticate in designer clothes, every bit the cosmopolitan daughter of an international financier.

[Dr. Lozano]

She was taking care of the animals in the South. And then she would come back. She would come to San Jose, and they used to travel a lot. The employees told me that she used to go around with mood and jeans and, you know, very into the farm life. But then here she would be a very elegant, fancy lady, very nice person, a little silent, I would say. She was not a big talker. She was like, you know, careful with the conversations.

[Becky Milligan]

Here we were speaking to Anne's psychiatrist of many years. And yet pinning down the real Anne has proved difficult. So we've waded through articles and interviews and spoke to old friends. Who is Ann Bender? And could her background provide a clue to whether she would ever be capable of murder?

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[Narrator/Host]

Bargain detergent jug is 80% water, right? It doesn't clean as well. 80% water. I thought I was getting a better deal because it's so big. If you want a better clean, Tide pods are only 12% water. The rest is pure, concentrated cleaning ingredients. Oh, let me make an announcement.

[Becky Milligan]

Attention shoppers.

[Narrator/Host]

If you want a real deal, try Tide Pods. Stop paying for watered down detergents. Pay for clean. If it's gotta be clean, it's gotta be Tide pods. Water content based on the leading bargain liquid detergent. She said Johnny, the kids didn't come home last night.

[Paper Ghosts Podcast Narrator]

Along the Central Texas plains, teens are dying, suicides that don't make sense, strange accidents and brutal murders in what seems to be a plot ripped straight out of Breaking Bad. Drugs, alcohol, trafficking of people.

[Narrator/Host]

There are people out there that absolutely know what happened.

[Paper Ghosts Podcast Narrator]

Listen to paper ghosts, the Texas teen murders on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Becky Milligan]

In an interview for cnn, Ken Paton, Anne's brother, reflected on a younger Anne, saying she'd always had a very strong bond with animals. They both grew up in Rio de Janeiro and Anne was very popular and outgoing at school. He said she hung out with the cool crowd. Anne says that it was in her preteens that things changed. Something was weird, something was different. She said as we know later, she would be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition which can cause huge mood swings with episodes of extreme highs and extreme lows. She said that it could make her rather impulsive and might explain decisions like moving to Virginia from the city at the drop of a hat. We did manage to contact one old friend who didn't want to do an interview, but gave us the following information which we've had voiced up by an actor.

[Narrator/Host]

Ian attended the American International School in Lisbon. She attended Ithaca University with at least a year on their London campus. She lived and worked in Baltimore post graduation. We were really good friends and we kept in touch until she met John and got married. Then she cut off all ties with everyone, including me. Everyone except her family.

[Becky Milligan]

We asked Dr. Lozano about his sessions with Anne prior to John's death. Did the relationship seem happy? He thought so.

[Dr. Lozano]

She was very proud of John.

[Becky Milligan]

Did you get the feeling that John was the love of her life?

[Dr. Lozano]

Yes. Yes. Matter of fact, like at that time, they were like very close together. When I say at that time because I was helping her for years.

[Becky Milligan]

But what really worried Dr. Lozano was those bumps on Anne's arms. What had caused them? Eventually she opened up and told him it would be a startling revelation.

[Dr. Lozano]

I asked her, what are these bumps? And he said, well, John was injecting me.

[Becky Milligan]

Yes, John was injecting Anne.

[Dr. Lozano]

I said, oh, what was he injecting you? The medication. Because I had not prescribed injectable medication. He was trying to help me with my bipolarity. And he was giving me clear spring water injections under my skin to heal me.

[Becky Milligan]

This admission would shock her psychiatrist, Dr. Lozano, and change how he saw the dynamic of the couple.

[Dr. Lozano]

I said, ann, are you serious? Yes, why not? I remember that main conversation gave me the impression that she was not in her right state of mind.

[Becky Milligan]

Did it also make you wonder what state of mind John was in when he was injecting her and what he was trying to do?

[Dr. Lozano]

I. I wrote and in the. The file, in the emergency file, that Ann was psychotic at that moment and that John must have been psychotic too.

[Becky Milligan]

We asked Osvaldo about the injections. I never saw him do it. And I never saw Anna with any punctures in her skin. Never at all. Was this why only John and Anne were allowed on the fourth floor? Was this one of their secrets? Anne would later say in interviews that she allowed John to inject her. She told Outside magazine that he was experimenting on her. She added, there was nothing non intense about John's and my relationship. The saddest part is Anne's bumps were infected. Far from saving her, they were making her sicker. What had started as a pursuit to learn about natural medicines in the jungle had become a dangerous delusion about river water and its healing powers. And perhaps John's ability to find a cure where modern medicine had failed. Discovering this revealed something to Dr. Lozano. He diagnosed Anne with a rare disorder called folie a deux. Folly of two, also known as shared psychotic disorder, a condition in which two people with mental illnesses reinforced each other's psychosis. They become more extreme together.

[Carol Vaughan]

They alienated the professionals that they dealt with. They didn't have strong friendships. They only had each other. They had what her therapists called folie a deux, where you exacerbate the other person's craziness. And it was just doomed, just doomed.

[Becky Milligan]

We spoke to authority Carol Vaughan about the injections.

[Carol Vaughan]

She was sick, sick, sick. When she was admitted to the hospital after he died, she was barely alive. She was just hanging on by a thread. So putting myself in that situation, I would have killed him.

[Becky Milligan]

Ann continues to deny any involvement in her husband's death. Some people, including Carol, started to wonder, could suicide and cold blooded murder both be wrong? Was John's death in fact a form of self defense?

[Carol Vaughan]

If he didn't kill her, then she had to kill him. I think that she saved her life. Frankly, I don't think that she killed him. I think she saved her own life.

[Guardian Bikes Advertiser]

Attention parents and grandparents. If you're looking for a gift that's more than just a toy, give them something that inspires confidence and adventure all year long. Give them a Guardian bike, the easiest bike to learn on, safest to ride, and the number one kids bike on the market. With USA made Kids specific frames and patented safety technology, kids are learning to ride in just one day. No training wheels needed. It's why Guardian is America's favorite kids bike and the New York Times and Wirecutter's top pick three years in a row. This holiday season, Guardian is offering their biggest deal of the year. Over 40% in savings on all bikes plus $100 in free accessories. Each bike arrives 99% assembled, so setup takes minutes, not hours. Whether it's their very first ride or their next big upgrade, Guardian makes every pedal feel safe, smooth and fun. Join over 500 happy families who've discovered the magic of guardian. Visit guardianbikes.com to shop. Now that's guardianbikes.com she said Johnny.

[Narrator/Host]

The kids didn't come home last night.

[Paper Ghosts Podcast Narrator]

Along the Central Texas plains, teens are dying. Suicides that don't make sense, strange accidents and brutal murders in what seems to be a plot ripped straight out of Breaking Bad. Drugs, alcohol, trafficking of people.

[Narrator/Host]

There are people out there that absolutely know what happened.

[Paper Ghosts Podcast Narrator]

Listen to Paper Ghosts, the Texas Teen murders on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Narrator/Host]

Think back to the early 2000s you're flipping through TV channels and then you hear this.

[Becky Milligan]

I was rooting for you. We were all rooting for you. How dare you learn something from this?

[Narrator/Host]

But looking back 20 years later, that iconic show so many of us love is horrifying.

[Becky Milligan]

Robyn, first of all, is too old to be starting model.

[Narrator/Host]

She's huge. I talked to cast, crew and producers who were there for some of the show's most shocking moments.

[Becky Milligan]

If you were so rooting for her.

[Narrator/Host]

Why don't you help her with Never before for Herd interviews? The Curse of America's Next Top Model examines why this show was so popular and where it all went wrong.

[Becky Milligan]

We basically sold our souls and they got rich.

[Narrator/Host]

Listen to the Curse of America's Next Top model on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Becky Milligan]

Self defence was never considered in court. Anne always stuck to her story. She did not kill her husband. Over the six months Anne was in hospital, Dr. Lozano kept a close eye on his patient.

[Dr. Lozano]

I visited her and sat with her to talk for about an hour daily for the six months, trying to help her overcome the grief of losing John and going through all of that, because I felt terrible for her. I mean, such a nice person. I mean, a young woman, my Latino side came out and said, pobrecita. I mean, it was something. I felt it was unfair.

[Becky Milligan]

Pobrecita. That means poor little thing.

[Dr. Lozano]

I remember how uncomfortable it was that she had a one policeman all the time sitting at the door of her room. That was disgusting. I thought it was absolutely unnecessary, but here's the law.

[Becky Milligan]

But however sick Anne was, she was the police's prime suspect in her husband's murder. They posted an officer outside her Hospital, room 24 7. What did you talk about all those times? Do you remember any one particular conversation?

[Dr. Lozano]

A lot about John. He used to ride his four wheeler and go to see the sunset from the. From the hill and then come back. It was more that kind of conversation.

[Becky Milligan]

Dr. Lozano noticed after a few months, Anne was improving.

[Dr. Lozano]

She was more relaxed and she had more friends. And she was not a party girl, but she was more social and still always talking about John.

[Becky Milligan]

And when she talked about him, did she tell you that she had a feeling he might do this or that there were any hints or that he.

[Dr. Lozano]

Might take his life?

[Becky Milligan]

Yes.

[Dr. Lozano]

She was always concerned about John taking his life.

[Becky Milligan]

At the end of six months, Anne's health had improved. She was able to walk. She gained weight. Her bipolar disorder had stabilized. She also had the support of her brother Ken, who was renting an apartment in San Jose. But Bora Kayan was not. As she'd left it, the police had emptied her beloved home. Everything was was gone. No Tiffany lamps, no tv, no microwave and no staff. Anne told us, Waldo, she'd never stay in the house ever again. Then there were rumors about the gems. They'd all gone too. The story went that the police had collected them all and packed them into suitcases.

[Carol Vaughan]

Someone else will tell you the story that a lot of that didn't.

[Becky Milligan]

Into the suitcase, in other words. There were rumors of people helping themselves to Anne's gems. At the crime scene, Anne also had another problem. Money and her lawyer, Juan Alvarez. John and anne had put $90 million in a trust and given Alvarez power of attorney, which means he effectively controlled their fortune. It's reported he'd stopped Anne's credit cards and payments and hadn't paid the staff at the house. It became legally very messy and complicated. Alvarez has denied all the allegations against him, telling CBS that they were bogus. He didn't respond to our requests for an interview. And despite the huge sums involved, the situation with the trust would soon be the least of Anne's problems, because more than a year after John's death, the police had finally concluded their investigation. On August 24, 2011, Anne was arrested and charged with first degree murder for killing her husband, John Felix Bender. A Costa Rican English newspaper said the case had all the makings of a tropical gothic tragedy. Stress do you think she was under when she was suddenly arrested for the murder of her husband? I mean, what did you.

[Dr. Lozano]

It must have been terrible for her.

[Becky Milligan]

Did you talk to her about it?

[Dr. Lozano]

Yes, we talked and she was at the beginning, silent, very silent in a way that I once asked her. And she didn't want to hurt nobody.

[Becky Milligan]

It would be a further year before Anne would be in court. With the help of her family and a few friends, she assembled her defence team. She was also supported by their loyal former head of security, Jose Pizarro, the colonel, as John used to call him. He saw it as his duty to protect Anne now that John was dead. He was devoted to her. We used to talk and she always asked for my opinion what she could do about the accusation and what. Why she was accused. And she talked about it with me every single day. The whole process had been unorthodox. I thought this couldn't happen, but it did. She was always worried about what might happen next. She was worried, angry and frightened of being involved in the death of her husband. It was very Hard for her. She couldn't understand how they could accuse.

[Paul Bender]

Her of killing her husband.

[Becky Milligan]

She got very sad from then on.

[Paul Bender]

She struggled with all of this.

[Becky Milligan]

As for the workers in the house, everything changed after John's death. Osvaldo Rojas, their maintenance man, had worked for the benders for 10 years. It was a good job. Many of the other staff had also been there for five years or more. They had become part of the benders dream. But the dream was over and the future looked very uncertain. Bora Khayyam, the house on the hill, which had been alive with activity, fell silent. Gone were the guards and the gardeners who helped create the nature reserve. Gone too. The vets who looked after the sick animals and John's orchids were left to wither and die. All was quiet, apart from the sounds of the jungle. Anne's trial began on January 14, 2013 in the courthouse in Perez Zeladon. It would be heard by three judges. They don't have jury trials in Costa Rica. Anne was accompanied by her family and a few friends. John's parents, Paul and Margie, didn't go.

[Paul Bender]

No, we thought about it, but it's probably my fault for not going. I didn't know what the hell I could do there. What purpose could I serve? I didn't know what happened. He was gone. She had family who can take care of her. So I did hire a lawyer there to try to tell me what was going on.

[Becky Milligan]

Their son's death had been devastating at the time. They felt it was the right decision not to attend the trial. They stayed in touch with Anne throughout and gave her their full support. I think they felt a sense of helplessness. Their son was dead. Nothing they did now would bring him back. But now Paul wonders if they made the right decision.

[Paul Bender]

And I probably should have worked harder with that. And it probably would have been better for me to go down and get to know the people and talk to them, figure out what was going on. But what difference would it have made? Nothing I could do about it. It just happened.

[Becky Milligan]

And it's such a difficult thing as well. I mean, it would take a lot of breaking.

[Paul Bender]

I think the main thing that I should say about that is we really were very supportive of Ann because we wanted her to stay in control of the property and we didn't blame her for anything. So we did everything we could to help her.

[Becky Milligan]

Paul and Margie talk easily about most things. Laugh too. But when the subject of John comes up, especially talking about when and how he died, their voices become so quiet and I notice they reach for each other's hands and hold on tight.

[Paul Bender]

You can't do anything about it, he said. What would be the point of going and fighting down in Costa Rica about thinking what good would that thing do? He said. What cause misery? We couldn't help him anymore. Ann seemed to know what she was doing.

[Becky Milligan]

News broke that a millionaire heiress was being tried for the murder of her husband and camera crews moved in. Three years after John's death, Anne was in the dock in a Costa Rican cross court being tried for first degree murder. The case was heard almost entirely in Spanish. The prosecution didn't offer a theory about motive. Reportedly, the court recorded that she acted without any apparent motive but clear intent to end the life of the victim, John Felix Bender. The prosecution's focus was on the crime scene. Remember the earplugs? Prosecutors asked why John would go to bed with those earplugs in if he was intending to kill himself. Then there was the gunshot wound that was on the back of John's head on the right hand side, whereas John was left handed. None of this added up to suicide, the prosecution claimed. How did a left handed person and take that shot? And how did the bullet casing end up in those positions? The defense, on the other hand, argued this was all a horrible mistake. John was suicidal and this was the result of years of planning. Friends confirmed this and so did emails John sent. The defense claimed Anne tried to stop him but couldn't. They said Anne's testimony lasted 70 minutes. She spoke with passion about her life with John, their loving relationship. She told the court why they had come to Costa Rica and what they had hoped to achieve. And all of this she delivered in fluent Spanish. She spoke from the heart, winning over the press and many who hadn't heard her speak before in the media. There was sympathy for her and what she'd been through. Why was our government taking this poor woman to court? They asked. All the Benders wanted was to help Costa Rica. The prosecution and defense rested. The judges retired to consider the evidence. The case had lasted six days, from January 14 to January 21, 2013. Just before the verdict, Anne addressed the court one more time. An actor is reading her statement. It's been three years of hell and.

[Narrator/Host]

I feel listened to and protected by the justice system and I would like to thank you.

[Becky Milligan]

The verdict was read out in front of a packed courthouse full of TV cameras and spectators fascinated by the case. Based on the evidence presented, we have unanimously decided the defendant is acquitted. Not guilty. Anne must have felt huge relief. She could now get on with her life and grieve her husband in peace. Except that's not how this story ends. In Costa Rica, there is no limit to the amount of times you can be tried for the same crime. Prosecutors wanted a retrial, and that's what they got. Anne would be back in court for a second time on trial for murder.

[Carol Vaughan]

People, yeah, gasped they thought, this rich American is never going to jail. It just won't happen here. Costa Rica wouldn't do that to a woman. Costa Rica wouldn't do that to an American. They dropped the bomb on her.

[Becky Milligan]

That's next time on Hell in Heaven. You've been listening to Hell in Heaven from Exactly Right Media and I Heart Podcasts produced by Blanchard House. Hosted, written and produced by me, Becky Milligan. The producer and co writer is Poppy Damon. Music is by Daniel Lloyd Evans, Louis Nankmanel and Toby Matamol. The sound recordist and head of sound and music is Daniel Lloyd Evans. The lead sound designer is Volkan Kizletug. The artwork is by Vanessa Lilac for Exactly Right Media. The executive producers are Karen Kilgarraff, Georgia Hardstark and Danielle Kramer with consulting producer Lily Ladawig and associate producer Jay Elias. The creative director of Blanchard House is Rosie Pye. The executive director, executive producer and head of content at Blanchard House is Lawrence Grisel. Listen to Hell in Heaven on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Narrator/Host]

She said, Johnny, the kids didn't come home last night.

[Paper Ghosts Podcast Narrator]

Along the Central Texas plains, teens are dying. Suicides that don't make sense. Strange accidents and brutal murders in what seems to be a plot ripped straight out of Breaking Bad. Drugs, alcohol, trafficking of people.

[Narrator/Host]

There are people out there that absolutely know what happened.

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Listen to paper ghosts. The Texas teen murders on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Becky Milligan]

Chicago, a white woman's murder. A black man behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. 90 years for killing somebody I have never seen. The Crying Wolf podcast is the story of a corrupt detective. Two men bound by injustice and the quest for redemption. No matter the price. Listen to the Crying Wolf podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.