"The death of John Bender mystified the world. A handsome American millionaire, Bender moved to Costa Rica with his wife, Ann, two years after they married, and set about building a 2,000-hectare nature reserve, centred on a mountaintop mansion that had neither walls nor windows. But despite moving to this vision of paradise, the couple's mental health fell into sharp decline and in January 2010, Bender died of a gunshot wound to the head."
"Serendipity steps in when you're on the ground. With some of the interviews, we didn't know them before we got there, then it just flowered. In situations like that, you have to have your wits about you. We understood the story a lot more once we'd gone there, adds Damon. When we went into the jungle, the audio of all the different creatures and birds was so rich. It was like nothing I'd ever heard. My ears couldn't really process the amount of sound."
John Bender, a wealthy American, relocated to Costa Rica with his wife Ann and established a 2,000-hectare nature reserve centered on a mountaintop mansion without walls or windows. Both spouses experienced sharp mental health decline after moving. In January 2010 Bender died from a gunshot wound to the head. Forensic work by local authorities was unscientific, leaving the perpetrator unknown. Suicide is plausible because John had emailed about wanting to die, but the shot struck the back of his head while he lay in bed wearing earplugs, a scenario that implicates Ann. The Costa Rican justice system tried Ann three times, producing one conviction and two acquittals.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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