The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle: A Documentary Unraveling a Man’s Mysterious Past Shannon and Eric Evangelista, the husband-and-wife documentarians behind The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, spent over a decade filming what would become The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle, a documentary that delves into the enigmatic life of a man claiming to have lived multiple lives while suffering from amnesia. The series, which aired on Investigation Discovery and is available on HBO Max, has sparked intrigue not only for its subject but also for the challenges the filmmakers faced in uncovering the truth. Benjaman Kyle, now 77, is a man who claims to have lost all memories from 1983 to 2004, a period he describes as erased by a head injury. His story, however, quickly unraveled as the Evangelistas and their team of investigators, including retired FBI agent Ken Maxwell, uncovered layers of deception. The documentary reveals that Kyle is, in fact, William Powell, a man with a violent and shady past tied to a powerful Midwestern crime family. Powell’s history includes a 2004 incident in which he was found naked behind a Burger King in rural Georgia, an event that drew media attention but failed to connect him to his previous identity. The Evangelistas’ investigation took a dramatic turn when they discovered Powell’s criminal ties. Threats against the filmmakers followed, prompting them to hire Maxwell for personal security. The team’s efforts to expose Powell’s past led to the discovery of evidence suggesting Kyle had intentionally erased his own identity. A computer used by Kyle contained searches for his real name and attempts to reclaim Social Security benefits, indicating he was aware of his true identity but chose to live as Benjaman Kyle.#benjaman_kyle #shannon_evangelista #eric_evangelista #william_powell #burger_king_georgia
A man woke up outside a Burger King and claimed to have ‘amnesia’. A new documentary reveals he may be tied to cold cases A man found naked and unconscious behind a Burger King in rural Georgia in 2004 claimed to have no memory of his identity, sparking a decades-long mystery. Known as “Benjamin Kyle,” the man wandered through life without a social security number or government ID, relying on strangers, doctors, and filmmakers to piece together fragments of his past. A new two-night, four-part docuseries by Investigation Discovery delves into the case, suggesting the man may be linked to multiple cold cases and a powerful Midwestern crime family. The documentary, titled The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle, follows filmmakers Shannon and Eric Evangelista, founders of Hot Snakes Media, who initially aimed to help the man recover his identity. Instead, they uncovered inconsistencies in his story and witness accounts pointing to a darker truth. In 2015, genetic genealogists identified the man as William Burgess Powell, an Indiana resident who disappeared in 1976. Powell, now 77, had lived in obscurity for nearly 30 years, struggling to navigate daily life without legal documents. Powell’s disappearance in 1976 remains unsolved. His car was found abandoned in Indiana, and his family believed he had died. When he was finally identified in 2015, he was 67 years old and able to obtain legal ID and access government assistance. However, the documentary suggests his past may be far more complex. Evangelista claims Powell may never have suffered from amnesia and could have ties to a notorious crime family in Lafayette, Indiana, and to George Keck, a suspect in the 1977 murder of Purdue University student Kristine Kozik.#burger_king #benjaman_kyle #shannon_evangelista #eric_evangelista #lafayette_indiana
