Mexican authorities have arrested Dylan Bennett, the 22-year-old man charged with murdering his parents in their Long Prairie, Minn., home, after a four-day manhunt led them to his hotel in Cancun.
Bennett withdrew a large sum of cash from the couple's bank account Monday morning and fled the country, investigators say. He was charged in Todd County District Court with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Barry Bennett, 63, a former NFL player and Long Prairie physical-education teacher, and his wife, Carol, 66.
"It's incomprehensible," said Dave Gibson, Barry's longtime friend and former high school teammate. "I don't know what the demons were stirring around in his mind and heart that would drive him to this point."
Barry and Carol, who were devout Christians, raised four biological children before adopting two young brothers from difficult backgrounds. Those close to the Bennetts say they admired them for taking on the challenge.
"You've gotta be pretty motivated by love, care and compassion for kids," said Gibson, who was tapped to write the couple's eulogy. "They were trying to salvage a couple of lives."
Dylan Bennett appeared to struggle with his self-confidence throughout his teenage years, Gibson said, but the extent of his mental health issues weren't clear until years later.
Although he has no criminal history, family members raised red flags about Bennett's violent ideations last December.
Barry Bennett reported to the Todd County Sheriff's Office that Dylan, who had been in a mental health treatment facility, had expressed thoughts about killing his parents.
