Barry Bennett’s son fled to Mexico after double slaying
The 22-year-old son of former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Barry Bennett has been arrested in Cancun, Mexico, where authorities say he fled after killing his father and mother in Minnesota.
Dylan Bennett was taken into custody before noon Saturday at a Cancun hotel, said the sheriff’s office in Todd County, Minnesota.
The sheriff’s office said Bennett had contacted them Saturday to say he intended to surrender to the FBI, but he was arrested before Minnesota investigators could communicate that information to Mexican authorities.
The sheriff’s office said an international extradition was being arranged.
Bennett is accused of shooting his parents multiple times last Monday at the home they shared in Long Prairie, midway between Minneapolis and Fargo, North Dakota. He then drove out of state and boarding a flight to Mexico, according to criminal charges filed Friday in Todd County District Court.
Bennett is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, without premeditation, in connection with the deaths of Barry and Carol Bennett, both 63.
The complaint said Carol Bennett was shot multiple times in the back and torso and Barry Bennett multiple times in the torso and head.
According to the criminal complaint, Barry Bennett told the Todd County sheriff’s office in December that Dylan had expressed thoughts about killing his parents while he was in a mental health treatment facility.
The criminal complaint outlines how authorities tracked Dylan Bennett’s movements in recent days.
Barry Bennett was seen Monday in Long Prairie at about noon; earlier that day, Dylan Bennett was seen driving his car during a bank transaction in which a large sum of cash was withdrawn from the Bennetts’ account, the complaint said.
Bennett’s credit and debit cards were used in Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Her car was found in Columbus, Ohio; Dylan Bennett had a plane ticket for a flight from Columbus to Cancun.
Authorities believe Dylan Bennett was in Mexico on Thursday, based on phone, credit card and ATM use.
Barry Bennett, who was raised in St. Paul and attended Concordia College in Moorhead, played 11 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, the New York Jets and the Vikings.
He had retired from teaching physical education in Long Prairie, a town of about 3,500 people.
Jim Christopherson, Bennett’s coach at Concordia from 1974 to 1978, said the Bennetts raised six children, the youngest two — including Dylan — adopted. He said Dylan had just graduated from Bemidji State University and had found a job in China.