Man Accused of Killing His Five Family Members

By Dave Franzman, Reporter & Cheri Strutt, Producer

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By Cheri Strutt

Story Created: Oct 14, 2006 at 10:34 AM CST

Story Updated: Oct 16, 2006 at 5:18 PM CST

BONAPARTE - The southeast Iowa man now accused of killing his parents and three younger sisters could be back in Iowa Monday.

He is being held on a $2.5 million bond at the Adams County jail in Quincy, Ill.

Adams county officials say some forms have to be filled out and Bentler is expected to sign.

Bentler's extradition hearing was at 10 a.m. Monday morning at the Adams' County courthouse.

Authorities charged Bentler with shooting five people to death early Saturday morning in Bonaparte. Police arrested him at his Quincy home just six hours later.

Investigators released some details from a 911 call that came in just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

A dispatcher heard a voice say, "No, Shawn, don't do it." Then there was the sound of a single gunshot.

Patrol cars still guard the entrance to the Michael Bentler home above the Des Moines River. That's where deputies rushed early Saturday morning in response to a frantic 911 call from Shayne Bentler, 14. When officers arrived, they found five bodies.

"Whenever you have a situation like this, it just takes time for everything to be evaluted, we're not going to rush into. This anything is just a tragic event," says Jim Saunders of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.

Investigators say Michael Bentler and his wife Sandra, as well as their three girls, Sheena, Shelby and Shayne, were all shot to death.

But authorities still aren't talking about why it happened.

People in the tiny town had heard rumblings of drug problems and some heard reports the family had cut off financial support to Shawn who was living in Quincy.

"I don't know for sure what was behind it. I do know Shawn was having troubles at home. Right after high school he went to college, didn't know what to do with himself. I kind of lost track of him," says Lee Pieper, a former family employee.

Investigators are not ready to discuss many details of this mass murder. But they did emphasize there's no evidence any other person is invovled.

Shawn Bentler was arrested Saturday on an outstanding Illinois drug warrent and then charged Sunday with five counts of murder.

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