When Norton asked if he saw a change in Benavides from his testimony, Steege said he did. | ezavala@express-news.net | @elizabeth2863, Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Copyright 2018 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Boshoy Mina Elkhaliny, was arrested on Jan. 8, 2018 for allegedly beating, raping and holding Kaila Kutzik captive for days. Benavides was convicted. But he's a good person. The jury found him guilty of crimes, not cheating.. The evidence against Benavides included portions of 246 videos the lawyer recorded of himself having sex with his clients. Benavides' wife, Linda, took the stand on Friday and asked the jury to "please be fair." She said she knew Benavides cheated, but said the couple have two children and she still supported. He will serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole. This is a carousel. At the time of Mark's court proceedings, Linda requested the jury to "please be fair as his kids love him so much." He is now treatable.. When prosecutor Jay Norton asked her if her husband committed a crime, Benavides said she couldnt say, because she was not allowed to hear testimony. The next day, employees discovered her body missing from a damaged casket. Benavides repeatedly ordered the woman to 'come back here' in the footage, while the woman pressed her hands against her face and sobbed. Woman held captive in Stone Oak home: What started as a theft investigation quickly became a violent sex assault case. RJ Marquez has been at KSAT since 2010. Elizabeth Zavala is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. This jury understood that.. You can see RJ regularly on KSAT Explains and Good Morning San Antonio. Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts on the Express-News Crime Team. It's an understatement to call it cheating if its a criminal act, Norton replied. 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. The victim in the video is a 29-year-old woman testifying for the state. 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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." The trial against former San Antonio attorney Mark Benavides began Tuesday with a graphic start. I felt like he wasnt even trying to help me anymore, but I already had given him $3,000 and I couldnt afford another lawyer, she said. She was later excused and replaced with an alternate. Prosecutors said rather than tack on more prison time for Benavides, who is eligible for parole in about 28 years, theyre more interested in making sure the clients he represented are receiving due justice for their cases. Everyone in the car was charged with drug possession. 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. On ExpressNews.com: Benavides sentenced to 80 years for coercing clients into having sex. Mark Henry Benavides will have to serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole. She has worked at five daily newspapers in Texas, including The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Denton Record-Chronicle. "I'm so sorry. 'It's an understatement to call it cheating if it's a criminal act,' Norton said. Before Benavides was taken away, the judge increased his bail to $150,000 on each of the remaining four cases pending against him. 2014 - 2023 Marathi.TV - All Rights Reserved. The 48-year-old former attorney is accused of continuous human trafficking and having sex with clients in prostitution cases in return for legal services. Benavides filmed videos of the violent sexual encounters, one of which was so graphic that a female juror fainted after viewing it in court. Uresti was found guilty of defrauding investors in the now-defunct company FourWinds Logistics, which bought and sold sand used in fracking for oil production before it collapsed in 2015. A Texas jury sentenced former San Antonio lawyer Mark Benavides to 80 years in prison April 6 for coercing clients to have sex with him in exchange for legal services. 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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. Reyes survived for two weeks before being pronounced dead. This month, Benavides was indicted again on a charge of continuous trafficking of persons in connection with alleged incidents that involved four women between 2012 and 2015. Do you think the charges should be lumped into one trial? His mother, Olga Benavides, defended her son on the witness stand, saying she didn't think he was guilty of trafficking charges. She hired attorney Mark Benavides, who she said began demanding sex, threatening that if she didn't "play with him" he would ensure she and her son, who had an unrelated case in another court, would be send to prison. She later was excused and an alternate was seated. One of thevideos was so graphic that a female juror fainted as the panel left the courtroom last week. She said Benavides flirted with her and offered to help her incarcerated son. He said he would help me get my son back.. There are women we did speak to that did not want to participate," said Meredith Chacon, a prosecutor. Investigators seized 246 mini DVDs that contained hundreds of videos of Benavides and the former clients engaged in various sex acts, in which he could be heard directing the women and telling them what to do and say. "" 11-23; 09-29; 09-29; 2021 09-17 "" . I am not aware of what has happened, except what I heard on the news, she said. The woman who had been charged with drug possession encouraged victims to make that call. Benavides gave her his card. FLORESVILLE, Texas UPDATE: Jurors on Friday sentenced convictedformer San Antonio attorney Mark Benavidesto 80 years in prison for each of his six counts of human trafficking. But why should I have to do that?. Several of clients claimed that Benavides promised them he'd help them, and even get the cases thrown out altogether if they slept with him, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Norton told the jury that this wasnt Benavides trial alone, that it was shared with every single person who took the stand and told their stories. Lopez was found guilty of the murder by the jury on June 5, 2018 and struggled against deputies moments after being convicted of the 2014 killing of Menchaca. Mark Steege, a sex therapist, testifies Friday during the punishment phase of the trial of Mark Benavides in Floresville. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Animal sacrifice unveiled at San Antonio home: Her parents, Abdulah Fahmi Kala Al Hishmawi, 34, and Hamdiyah Sabah Al Hishmawi, 33, were arrested on Friday, March 23, 2018. Benavides still faces two charges of sexual assault of a child, a charge of sexual assault and another charge of continuous trafficking of persons. Mark Henry Benavides, 48, broke down in tears on Friday as he heard the sentence and mouthed 'I love you' to his wife, who is still staying with him A former San Antonio attorney has been. When she had to see him, she would bring her mother along. Mark Benavides (right) and defense attorney Liza Rodriguez are in court Thursday during the punishment phase of his trial in Wilson County District Court and Justice Center in Floresville. He cheated. She agreed to tell her story on the condition that she not be . Benavides was convicted Tuesday of continuous trafficking of persons and faces 25 to 99 years or life in prison. Texas ranch that's half the size of Rhode Island still S.A. developer buys hotel property near Market Square, UTSA, TaskUs swings to profit as it continues growing globally, Murder charge dropped in S.A. toddlers drive-by death, Strong storms ahead of cold front to bring severe weather risk, As avian flu endures, Texas farmers try to protect flocks. He did. S.A. animal sacrifice was Santera practice, but was it illegal? Paul Venema (@PaulVenema12) March 27 . July 20, 2020As many as 500 women who were represented by a disgraced, now-imprisoned San Antonio attorney could have their convictions overturned as Bexar County prosecutors review their cases with the help of the public defenders office. More: Urestis wife files for divorce following salacious trial. FLORESVILLE A Wilson County jury on Friday sentenced a former San Antonio attorney to 80 years in prison on each of the six counts he faced for coercing clients into sex. Former clients who were victimized by him are asked to call Morales at 210-335-0701. Its worth life, ladies and gentlemen, Chacon said in her closing argument. She was charged with possession of marijuana when police found the drug in a car she was riding in but she didn't have it on her person. It was creepy, throwing advances like that, and he wants me to put out for him to help me. He threatened that if they did not, he would withhold legal services, sabotage their cases and make sure they went to prison. He isfacing the possibility of 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. W&P Porter bowl review: A container that makes office 10 beach essentials to pack for a spring break vacation, HOKA dropped a brand new version of their most popular shoe, You can still overpack the smaller Monos check-in suitcase. Animal sacrifice unveiled at San Antonio home: }] Dismemberment trial: The murder trial of Gabriel Moreno, accused of killing Jose Luis Menchaca, began on Feb. 26, 2018. SAN ANTONIO Former attorney Mark Benavides has been sentenced to 80 years for six counts of continuing trafficking of persons. He wanted to meet up.. She claims he forced her to have anal sex. Marisol Morales, a case manager at the Public Defenders Office, has been working with the two women and others Benavides abused. Marvin Pfeiffer /For the San Antonio Express-News. Benavides faces up to 99 years or life in prison. You can see RJ regularly on KSAT Explains and Good Morning San Antonio. Benavides was sentenced to 80 years in prison on each of the six counts of continuous trafficking of persons against him. She remembers thinking, If I dont go along with this dude, hes going to screw me in other ways. Benavides will serve 80 years for each count but the time will. Benavides told her she had to plead guilty to stay out of prison. Cayley Mandadi, a Trinity University cheerleader, died on Oct. 31, 2017 after falling unconscious in a car traveling to Houston. The woman said a friend referred her to Benavides in 2008 for legal representation. The jury found Benavides guilty of all six counts and sentenced him to 80 years in prison. Mott died Aug. 8, 2015 and was to be cremated Aug. 15, 2015. 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. 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. The punishment phase is expected to begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Wilson County District Court in Floresville. Under cross-examination, Norton asked Steege whether he reviewed police reports and videos Benavides took of sexual encounters with his clients. Alison Dahlberg, director of the DAs Conviction Integrity Unit, has worked with Michael Young, chief defender for the Bexar County Public Defenders Office, to identify potentially hundreds of victims of Benavides and re-evaluate their criminal cases. More: San Antonio woman gunned down by estranged relativedies two weeks after shooting. Taken advantage of, really, the woman recalled. He paid more attention; we spent a lot more time with the kids, she told the court. RELATED: New Braunfels man with history of 'deviant' sex acts with vegetables sentenced to life in prison. He said he would help me get my son back, the woman told the court. Prosecutor Michelle Chacon questioned the victim, who explained that she had sex with Benavides in July 2014 for her bond on the day he became her court-appointed attorney. I'm unaware, other than what's on the news.. 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.'. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Read more of her stories here. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. Each case will be tried separately. Due to the large amounts of publicity surrounding the case, the trial was moved from Bexar County to Wilson County. Linda Benavides, Mark's wife, testified on Friday morning and asked the jury to "please be fair." She said she knew Benavides cheated, but said the couple have two children and she still. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. She was granted probation and successfully completed it. "We know there are women we could never ID. Mark Henry Benavides was immediately taken into custody Tuesday night in Floresville, where the trial was heard. The case was later dismissed for a lack of evidence and Elkhaliny was set to be released from county jail without having to pay bail. For two weeks after shooting one trial drug possession we did speak that. Was immediately taken into custody Tuesday night in Floresville reports and videos Benavides of. 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