He did. It's an understatement to call it cheating if its a criminal act, Norton replied. }] Mark Benavides (center) confers with defense attornies Monica E. Guerrero (right) and Liza Rodriguez (left) during his trial in the Wilson County District Court and Justice Center in Floresville on Thursday. Mark Henry Benavides was convicted Tuesday of continuous trafficking of persons for having sex with clients he represented on prostitution or drug cases. Six women he had represented in prostitution or drug cases testified he coerced them into having sex to keep them out of jail or lessen their legal troubles, and videotaped the encounters, which were shown to the jury. Youre hurting me. Its a very important function and a priority in our office, said District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales. Benavides sentenced to 80 years for coercing clients into . But he's a good person. I started caring for him as a person because I didnt have anybody at the time. They found him guilty of force, fraud and coercion, Norton said. The defense has already filed an appeal. The jury found Benavides guilty of all six counts and sentenced him to 80 years in prison. Defense expert Mark Steege, a sex therapist who testified he has treated hundreds of sex offenders in 35 years, said he evaluated Benavides in April 2017. Meredith Chacon prosecuting attorney in the Mark Benavides trial, talks to another attorney after a female juror fainted having just watched a sex tape of former San Antonio lawyer Benavides, in the Wilson County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Floresville, TX. Murder-suicide at upscale apartment complex:Tania Rendon-Santiago was killed at her apartment complex in the 1800 block of Broadway Street in an apparent murder-suicide on March 12. By Double murder-suicide:Hailey Reyes and her father (left) were gunned down by her estranged uncle, Elijah Jared Stone, on May 12 in an incident police called a "double murder-suicide." Even though her record has been expunged, shes still trying to get her drivers license back and pay off fines and fees associated with the original charge. More: Couple get $8 million for loss of daughters body from San Antonio funeral home. Linda Benavides said that although he was unfaithful, she didn't leave her husband of nearly 11 years after his arrest because she supports him. He also writes a weekly Spurs newsletter. S.A. animal sacrifice was Santera practice, but was it illegal? But hes a good person. Mark Henry Benavides will have to serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole. Anyone who feels they were forced to take a plea deal by Benavides is urged to contact the Bexar County Public Defenders Office at 210-504-6216. On Tuesday, prosecutors in a Texas court played footage of Benavides forcing one such client to have anal sex with him, KSAT reported. She was encouraged to answer: 'I'm going to [expletive] my lawyer.' Mott died Aug. 8, 2015 and was to be cremated Aug. 15, 2015. The Express-News generally does not identify victims of sexual assault. Women who employed him as their lawyer in prostitution cases told police that Benavides coerced them into having sex to help lessen their legal problems or to get their cases dismissed, an arrest warrant affidavit filed before the original indictments states. This is a carousel. The sentences will be served at the same time. Man cleared in River Walk death: A judge issued a ruling Thursday, March 8, 2018, that prevented a manslaughter trial of Mark Daniel Lewis (left), accused of causing transgender woman Kenne McFadden to drown along the River Walk last year. Prosecutor Meredith Chacon said although the state wanted for the judge to stack the sentences and have them run one right after the other, they decided to withdraw that motion at this time. The San Antonio attorney is accused of coercing clients into having sex with him in exchange for money or legal services. Marisol Morales, a case manager at the Public Defenders Office, has been working with the two women and others Benavides abused. Prosecutors said Benavides traded sex for legal services. When she had to see him, she would bring her mother along. Early life. Another victim, now 51, was arrested in 2013 for DWI. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. He wasnt playing around. Double murder-suicide:Hailey Reyes and her father (left) were gunned down by her estranged uncle, Elijah Jared Stone, on May 12 in an incident police called a "double murder-suicide." In her closing argument, defense attorney Liza Rodriguez said Benavides is not the person jurors saw only in the snippets of video the state put together for them to watch. } View Non-AMP Version Copyright 2017 JDJOURNAL, Disbarred San Antonio Attorney Mark Benavides Trial Delayed, San Antonio Lawyer Compelled Clients for Sex, Woman Says She Traded Sex for Legal Services, Disney Star, Caroline Sunshine, Joins White House as a Press Assistant , East Palestine Train Derailment Draws Lawyers: Information Sessions and Client Sign-Ups Increase, Prosecutors Highlight Ex-Lawyer Murdaughs Financial Misdeeds and Inconsistencies in Murder Trial Cross-Examination, Consovoys Boutique Law Firm Returns to Supreme Court in Student Loan Lawsuit. Woman held captive in Stone Oak home: What started as a theft investigation quickly became a violent sex assault case. Benavideswill get credit for the days he has already served. Benavides was convicted. Benavides will serve 80 years for each count but the time will. Benavides was convicted Tuesday of continuous trafficking of persons and faces 25 to 99 years or life in prison. AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow YouTube worksTest new. She said she knew Benavides cheated, but said the couple have two children and she still supported him. The victim in the video is a 29-year-old woman testifying for the state. Defense expert Mark Steege, a sex therapist who testified he has treated hundreds of sex offenders in 35 years, said he evaluated Mark Benavides in April 2017. The punishment phase is expected to begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Wilson County District Court in Floresville. Mark Benavides looks back at his wife and parents Friday as he is escorted out of the courtroom after being sentenced to 80 years for continuous trafficking of persons. iago physical appearance; renaissance musical instruments for sale; sarah marie johnson today; subaru temperature light flashing red and blue; how to use rear camera on face scan 2k22; philadelphia cheesecake crumble recipe; . Marvin Pfeiffer /For the San Antonio Express-News. A 51-year-old victim of now-disbarred Mark Benavides goes through paperwork at her San Antonio home on June 18, 2020. Its something that is very present for them.. I felt young and dumb and powerless. Charges against ten of eleven people arrested for animal cruelty in March, involving what one official described as some sort of unknown ritual involving dismembered goats and chickens, were later dropped. Jurors were shown a video recorded by one of Benavides alleged victims showing a violent sexual encounter. But I was thinking of freedom for my son, freedom for me. The jury entered deliberations at 1:18 p.m. Personal Life, Parents and Family Details : Your email address will not be published. I felt young and dumb and powerless. Its the reason she agreed to speak out about what happened, despite her continuing fear of Benavides. Mark Steege, a sex therapist, testifies Friday during the punishment phase of the trial of Mark Benavides in Floresville. The case was tried in Wilson County on a change of venue from Bexar County, with Senior District Judge Dick Alcala presiding. She was convicted of the DUI charge and was sentenced to two years probation, which she completed in 2016. As they were walking out, one woman fainted at the door. Benavides filmed videos of the violent sexual encounters, one of which was so graphic that a female juror fainted after viewing it in court. District Judge Dick Alcala noticed that the jurors were looking distraught so he ordered a break. Copyright 2018 by KSAT - All rights reserved. She said Benavides would pick her up from her home, take her to the River Inn Motel at Guadalupe and South Frio streets downtown, tell her what to do and which sexual positions he wanted, and use a handheld video recorder to capture the encounters from start to finish. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Murder-suicide at upscale apartment complex:Tania Rendon-Santiago was killed at her apartment complex in the 1800 block of Broadway Street in an apparent murder-suicide on March 12. FLORESVILLE The wife of a former San Antonio attorney convicted of having sex with clients in exchange for legal services asked jurors here who will decide his punishment to be fair, because he does not deserve this.. Mark Benavides leaves the courtroom as his trial recesses for lunch in the Wilson County District Court and Justice Center in Floresville on Thursday, April 5, 2018. Please be fair. Mark Benavides (left) sits beside defense attorney Liza Rodriguez during his trial in the Wilson County District Court and Justice Center in Floresville on Thursday. Defense attorney Monica E. Guerrero said Benavides admitted he lost his moral compass, and although he deserves to be punished, she asked for mercy. Jurors on Friday afternoon are deliberating the fate of former San Antonio attorney Mark Benavides. The sentences will be served at the same time. | [email protected] | @elizabeth2863, Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. This jury understood that.. "I'm so sorry. Menchaca was allegedly beaten with baseball bats, dismembered and grilled on a barbecue pit in 2014. Senior District Judge Dick Alcala confers with prosecuting and defense attorneys after watching sex tapes of former San Antonio lawyer Mark Benavides in the Wilson County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Floresville, TX. Mark Benavides, 48, is charged with continuous trafficking of persons, accused of having sex with clients in prostitution cases in exchange for legal services. The victim identified Benavides as the man and also identified him in photographs by this tattoos, which are Asian writings on each of his forearms and a large image of the scales of justice down his back. She said Benavides told her to say 'bye' to the camera after they finished. Prosecutor Jay Norton said this case was about forced sex, not just about legal services.. attorney mark benavides wife. I knew he was serious. 'You're hurting me Don't be so rough.'. Elizabeth Zavala is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Its worth life, ladies and gentlemen, Chacon said in her closing argument. Mark Howerton, the victims boyfriend of four weeks, was jailed on Feb. 28, 2018, facing charges of murder and sexual assault. When she asked why he was filming, he said it was just for him, she told the court. More: 'A classic sociopath: Abused victims of Stone Oak playboy speak out after years of violence. The woman in the video later explained to the court that she felt she had to sleep with her lawyer because 'he said he would help me get my son back.'. She has worked at five daily newspapers in Texas, including The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Denton Record-Chronicle. Benavides sentenced to 80 years for coercing clients into having sex - San Antonio Express-News. Benavides faces up to 99 years or life in prison. The women state they employed Benavides as their lawyer for their prostitution cases but that he would coerce them into having sex in exchange for their legal problems being lessened, including dismissal of their cases. 'Mark, it hurts!' Benavides had sex with women he represented in criminal cases, according to an arrest warrant affidavit following an investigation by the Bexar County District Attorney's Office and the San. Under cross-examination, Norton asked Steege whether he reviewed police reports and videos Benavides took of sexual encounters with his clients. Your email address will not be published. Mark Steege, a sex therapist, testifies Friday during the punishment phase of the trial of Mark Benavides in Floresville. The woman said a friend referred her to Benavides in 2008 for legal representation. The women said the alleged encounters took place at his law office, motels, his car and the courthouse, according to the affidavit. He also writes a weekly Spurs newsletter. Marvin Pfeiffer /For the San Antonio Express-News. On ExpressNews.com: Benavides sentenced to 80 years for coercing clients into having sex. "We know there are women we could never ID. Benavides was indicted earlier this month for continuous trafficking of women between 2012 and 2015. Officials said the women were extorted by Benavides to take plea deals for crimes they didnt commit. She was later excused and replaced with an alternate. FLORESVILLE A juror hearing a sex case against a former San Antonio attorney fainted after seeing video of a sexual encounter involving the defendant as his trial opened Tuesday. Defense attorney Monica E. Guerrero said Benavides admitted he lost his moral compass, and although he deserves to be punished, she asked for mercy. , updated Benavides, 50, was convicted in 2018 of six counts of human trafficking and coercing his clients to have sex with him. Benavides told her she had to plead guilty to stay out of prison. Its an understatement to call it cheating if its a criminal act, Norton said. Since then, the Conviction Integrity Unit reviewed evidence in the case and identified more than 50 women he represented and whose cases may have been tainted. Benavides, a former San Antonio lawyer, was convicted Tuesday of trafficking and having sex with clients in exchange for legal services. Uresti divorce: A week after state Sen. Carlos Urestis conviction in a salacious trial that included vivid testimony about him carrying on an extramarital relationship, his wife filed for divorce. His kids love him so much, she told the jury through tears. Prosecutor Meredith Chacon said although the state wanted for the judge to stack the sentences and have them run one right after the other, they decided to withdraw that motion at this time. 'It's an understatement to call it cheating if it's a criminal act,' Norton said. Mark Benavides, a powerful Democrat who ran for the 186th District Court in 2014 during the Obama administration, was accused by federal law enforcement of trading his legal services as an attorney for sex with . More: Jury deadlocks in murder case involving San Antonio man whose remains were grilled. More: S.A. animal sacrifice was Santera practice, but was it illegal? Benavides was found guilty Tuesday on six counts of continuous trafficking of persons. 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