Justin Levens Suspected of Killing Wife and Himself

Wrestling is a sport that has brutal action, and often an even more brutal aftermath for fighters. Mixed martial arts, which is becoming a powerful alternative to wrestling, appears to be no different. Drugs, steroids and a bad mental state outside the ring may be just as prominent in mixed martial arts. That may have been the case for former competitor Justin Levens, who is suspected to have killed himself after killing his wife.

According to UPI.com, the murdered bodies of Justin Levens and his wife, Sarah McLean Levens, were found by Sarah's mother at their California home. Police are investigating that the likely cause of death was a murder-suicide committed by Justin Levens.

Levens was a competitor in the UFC and the International Fight League, although his career was on hold. Levens, after going 9-8 in his mixed martial art fighting career, was suspended from competition after testing positive for drugs in July.

Levens tested positive for oxymorphone, which has up to eight times the potency of morphine. He was suspended for six months and fined $1,000, but he was eligible to return to mixed martial arts in January 2009.

It is unclear if Levens, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and a Ruas Vale Tudo black belt holder, continued to use drugs and performance enhancements leading up to his death. But Levens has fallen into a huge stereotype of being a wrestler and martial arts performer who died of violent causes outside the ring.

Levens himself had a teammate named Jeremy Williams, who died of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound in May 2007.

One of the most famous recent examples of a wrestler in a murder-suicide is Chris Benoit. In 2007, Benoit killed himself after killing his wife and son. Benoit was a former WWE wrestler who had brain damage after leaving the ring, and was suspected to be on steroids during the murders.

This only fueled the stereotype that wrestling, and other competitions like it, cause mental damage that can destroy the rest of a competitor's life, either through brain damage or the use of drugs and steroids to get ahead. It destroyed Benoit and Williams, and time will tell how much of a role, if any, it had in the death of Justin Levens and his wife.

Even if it didn't, mixed martial arts is now officially as suspect in the treatment and performances of its stars as wrestling is, which is never a good place to be.

Sources

UPI.com- "MMA fighter Levens, wife shot to death" www.upi.com/Sports_News/2008/12/18/MMA_fighter_Levens_wife_shot_to_death/UPI-23991229616017/

MMA Junkie.com- "Justin Levens, wife found dead in possible murder-suicide" mmajunkie.com/news/13508/justin-levens-wife-found-dead-in-alleged-murder-suicide.mma

Wikipedia- "Chris Benoit double murder and suicide" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Benoit_double_murder_and_suicide