Ann Patton Bender Faces Difficult Life in Costa Rica Prison
Posted: 22 May 2019 02:24 PM PDT
American citizen, Ann Patton Bender, who was accused of murdering her husband, John Felix Bender, in Costa Rica in 2010, has been moved out of the ICU, and into the women’s prison, El Buen Pastor, located in San Rafael Arriba de Desamparados, in San Jose.
Ms. Bender has been sentenced to 22 years for first-degree murder, following an initial acquittal of the charges in January 2013, of killing John Bender on August 8, 2010, in the bedroom of their 5,000 acre estate, which they called Boracayan, in Perez Zeledon. In Costa Rica, both the convicted and prosecutors are able to file appeals to court decisions, which led to the retrial and conviction of Ann Bender in May.
Ms. Bender now shares a module with forty other inmates at Buen Pastor. She sleeps in a bunk bed, is allowed family visitation four hours per week, has no access to the internet, and shares a public phone with her cell mates which only allows phone calls within Costa Rica. Like other such facilities in the country, the prison has no hot water. Meals are basic, and those who are able, usually prefer to have family or friends deliver their food. Bender’s family reports that the physician who attends to inmates has been as kind and helpful as can be expected for a doctor who is responsible for some 800-inmates at a time.
Ms. Bender’s brother, Kenneth Patton, credits a fellow American named Gregory Fischer for putting his own life on hold to be her advocate here in Costa Rica. He brings her food, clothing, medication, books, and helps facilitate Bender’s limited contact with the outside world.
Mr. Fischer reports that Ms. Bender has a heart condition which requires her to have a heart port for the injection of daily medications into her heart. That port is currently infected, he states. Ms. Bender also suffers from Lyme disease which causes her to have challenges with mobility, and she walks with a cane.
It has been reported that Ms. Bender has accused the trustee of her estate who was granted a general power of attorney, Juan de Dios Alvarez, Esq., of mismanaging funds belonging to the trust, and absconding with almost 70 million dollars leaving her with limited funds with which to mount her defence. Does it possibly serve Juan de Dios Alvares’s best interest for Ms Bender to be in jail?
The U.S. Embassy has visited Ms. Bender several times, and her brother, Kenneth Patton, reports having spoken for several hours with an Embassy official. Ms. Bender’s family told Inside Costa Rica (Now owned by The Costa Rica Star) that they are hoping for an appeal of Bender’s sentence. They said that she has co-operated fully with authorities, and continues to have faith in the Costa Rican judicial system.
A CBS “48 Hours” television show which aired on September 27th, questions Ms. Bender’s conviction, including the forensic evidence which was presented against her. The program also claims that Ms. Bender seemed to lack a motive for murdering her husband.
The Bender family and her supporters have created a petition calling for her release.
Carol Blair Vaughn
Ms. Bender has been sentenced to 22 years for first-degree murder, following an initial acquittal of the charges in January 2013, of killing John Bender on August 8, 2010, in the bedroom of their 5,000 acre estate, which they called Boracayan, in Perez Zeledon. In Costa Rica, both the convicted and prosecutors are able to file appeals to court decisions, which led to the retrial and conviction of Ann Bender in May.
Ms. Bender now shares a module with forty other inmates at Buen Pastor. She sleeps in a bunk bed, is allowed family visitation four hours per week, has no access to the internet, and shares a public phone with her cell mates which only allows phone calls within Costa Rica. Like other such facilities in the country, the prison has no hot water. Meals are basic, and those who are able, usually prefer to have family or friends deliver their food. Bender’s family reports that the physician who attends to inmates has been as kind and helpful as can be expected for a doctor who is responsible for some 800-inmates at a time.
Ms. Bender’s brother, Kenneth Patton, credits a fellow American named Gregory Fischer for putting his own life on hold to be her advocate here in Costa Rica. He brings her food, clothing, medication, books, and helps facilitate Bender’s limited contact with the outside world.
Mr. Fischer reports that Ms. Bender has a heart condition which requires her to have a heart port for the injection of daily medications into her heart. That port is currently infected, he states. Ms. Bender also suffers from Lyme disease which causes her to have challenges with mobility, and she walks with a cane.
It has been reported that Ms. Bender has accused the trustee of her estate who was granted a general power of attorney, Juan de Dios Alvarez, Esq., of mismanaging funds belonging to the trust, and absconding with almost 70 million dollars leaving her with limited funds with which to mount her defence. Does it possibly serve Juan de Dios Alvares’s best interest for Ms Bender to be in jail?
The U.S. Embassy has visited Ms. Bender several times, and her brother, Kenneth Patton, reports having spoken for several hours with an Embassy official. Ms. Bender’s family told Inside Costa Rica (Now owned by The Costa Rica Star) that they are hoping for an appeal of Bender’s sentence. They said that she has co-operated fully with authorities, and continues to have faith in the Costa Rican judicial system.
A CBS “48 Hours” television show which aired on September 27th, questions Ms. Bender’s conviction, including the forensic evidence which was presented against her. The program also claims that Ms. Bender seemed to lack a motive for murdering her husband.
The Bender family and her supporters have created a petition calling for her release.
Carol Blair Vaughn
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