'You're hurting me Don't be so rough.'. On ExpressNews.com: Jury being picked to hear S.A. ex-lawyers sex case. Benavides faces up to 99 years or life in prison. Who does that? she asked. Mark Howerton, the victims boyfriend of four weeks, was jailed on Feb. 28, 2018, facing charges of murder and sexual assault. When questioned by prosecutor Jay Norton about whether she thought her husband had committed a crime she replied: 'I am not aware of what has happened, except what I heard on the news. Officials said the women were extorted by Benavides to take plea deals for crimes they didnt commit. He wouldnt help me for anything, she said. Six women he had represented in prostitution or drug cases testified he coerced. Don't be so rough, as Benavides made sexually explicit commands and repeatedly told her, Come back here, as the woman sobbed. When Norton asked her if her husband committed a crime, Benavides said she was not allowed to hear the testimony, so I am not aware of what has happened, except what I heard on the news.. A 32-year-old woman victimized by a San Antonio attorney said she was 20 when she was arrested on a marijuana possession charge as a result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Benavides texted and called her, describing in explicit terms the sex acts he wanted her to perform. He did. Read more of her stories here. I knew he was serious. Under questioning by Guerrero, Benavides said her husbands demeanor changed after his arrest in 2015. she testified. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Summary: After watching a graphic video of a sexual encounter between a former San Antonio attorney and one of his victims, a juror passed out. Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. Benavides was sentenced to 80 years in prison on each of the six counts of continuous trafficking of persons against him. 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. The 48-year-old, who has since been disbarred, was first arrested in November 2015 accused of using force or coercing at least nine female clients into prostitution. Her parents, Abdulah Fahmi Kala Al Hishmawi, 34, and Hamdiyah Sabah Al Hishmawi, 33, were arrested on Friday, March 23, 2018. Benavides was convicted Tuesday of continuous trafficking of persons and faces 25 to 99 years or life in prison. Many of the acts were recorded, and now, upon further review of the case, prosecutors said they found more victims in need of justice. 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. Mark Steege, a sex therapist, testifies Friday during the punishment phase of the trial of Mark Benavides in Floresville. The victim in the video is a 29-year-old woman testifying for the state. Benavides was convicted of having sex with female clients in exchange for his legal services. He is a calculating and manipulating liar, she told the jury. 'Sometimes he would ask me my name, how old I was, and ask, 'What are you going to do?' I felt young and dumb and powerless. The jury found him guilty of crimes, not cheating.. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Due to the large amounts of publicity surrounding the case, the trial was moved from Bexar County to Wilson County. A Wilson County jury found Benavides guilty on Tuesday. More: Death penalty testimony paints violent portrait of officers killer. Mark Henry Benavides will have to serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole. Benavides was sentenced to 80 years in prison on each of the six counts of continuous trafficking of persons against him. Prosecutor Jay Norton said this case was about forced sex, not just about legal services.. He has applied for probation, according to court records. She said Benavides told her to say 'bye' to the camera after they finished. Menchaca was allegedly beaten with baseball bats, dismembered and grilled on a barbecue pit in 2014. Benavides repeatedly ordered the woman to 'come back here' in the footage, while the woman pressed her hands against her face and sobbed. mark benavides wife. Prosecutors said Benavides will be back in a courtroom to face additional charges. When I saw him first, he was arrogant and untreatable. The sexual encounters would take place in his law office, his car, at motels, or at the courthouse. At first, Benavides would text or call her when he was lonely or bored, she said. His mother, Olga Benavides, defended her son on the witness stand, saying she didn't think he was guilty of trafficking charges. 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. When Norton asked her if her husband committed a crime, Benavides said she was not allowed to hear the testimony, so I am not aware of what has happened, except what I heard on the news.. } 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. She agreed to tell her story on the condition that she not be . The women said the alleged encounters took place at his law office, motels, his car and the courthouse, according to the affidavit. 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. More: S.A. animal sacrifice was Santera practice, but was it illegal? Its not fair for them to live in any kind of guilt. ', Norton said: 'They found him guilty of force, fraud and coercion.'. But hes a good person. Benavides is accused of having sex with his clients in exchange for legal services. Another victim, now 51, was arrested in 2013 for DWI. This is a carousel. The intense media coverage prompted a change of venue to Floresville in Wilson County, where a jury heard testimony from six women Benavides had represented in prostitution or drug cases. Rodriguez argued that Benavides did not kill someone and should not be sent away for life. S.A. animal sacrifice was Santera practice, but was it illegal? 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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. Michelle Fair Hilliker, seated at center, consoles a victim testifying in the Mark Benavides trial. I am not aware of what has happened, except what I heard on the news, she said. SAN ANTONIO - Though former attorney Mark Benavides is serving an 80-year prison term for trading his legal services for sex, his case is still under review by the Bexar County District. Mark A. Cantu, III v. Commission for Lawyer Discipline . Benavides, a former San Antonio lawyer, was convicted Tuesday of trafficking and having sex with clients in exchange for legal services. She said they'd first had sex in July 2014 - on the same day that he was appointed by the court to work as her attorney. More: Uresti, Cain found guilty on all charges in end to salacious month-long fraud trial. SAN ANTONIO Former attorney Mark Benavides has been sentenced to 80 years for six counts of continuing trafficking of persons. He was in the wrong no matter what people did, said a 32-year-old woman who was one of Benavides' victims. Please be fair. Benavides' wife of 11 years, Linda, appeared at the trial's sentencing phase to urge the jury to 'please be fair' as she announced she was staying with him, reported Express News. After the judge ruled the evidence was insufficient, the victims mother collapsed in the courtroom. Mark Henry Benavides was convicted Tuesday of continuous trafficking of persons for having sex with clients he represented on prostitution or drug cases. Salacious Uresti testimony: Denise Cantu, a Harlingen woman whom Uresti helped obtain a $2.5 million legal settlement over the deaths of two of her children in a 2010 vehicle wreck, told jurors that the lawmaker became her financial adviser, confidante, friend and eventually lover. Benavides, a former San Antonio lawyer, was convicted Tuesday of trafficking in persons and having sex with clients in exchange for legal services. Paul Venema (@PaulVenema12) March 27 . Steege said he had not. Lleanna Uresti cited adultery among the reasons for seeking to end the couples nearly six-year union, according to the petition filed March 2, 2018. Read more of her stories here. You can see RJ regularly on KSAT Explains and Good Morning San Antonio. Benavides was indicted earlier this month for continuous trafficking of women between 2012 and 2015. Texas Democrat, Attorney Mark Benavides, has been found guilty on six counts of sex trafficking and torture by a judge in San Antonio. Animal sacrifice unveiled at San Antonio home: RELATED: New Braunfels man with history of 'deviant' sex acts with vegetables sentenced to life in prison. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); For requests, complaints, suggestions or queries, contact us via E-mail below, Diane McIver Wikipedia Biography Family, Wedding, Age, Funeral, Dolores Avery Age, Death Dead or Alive 2023 Wikipedia, Young, Bio, RachelJeffs Husband, Net worth, Age, Children Kids Wiki Biography , Eddie Ray Routh Now 2023, Wikipedia, Die, Mother, Death, Age, PTSD, Dalia Dippolito Age, Wiki, Husband, Teeth, Family Son, Mom, Bio Now, Teresa Halbach Wiki, Family Tree, Brother, Bio Steven Avery Case , Elizabeth Yardley Wiki, Age, Birthday, Married, Family (Personal Life) Bio, Tex McIver Age, Wife Wikipedia Bio Appeal Updates, Ranch. A 51-year-old victim of now-disbarred Mark Benavides goes through paperwork at her San Antonio home on June 18, 2020. 'Mark, it hurts!' Its the reason she agreed to speak out about what happened, despite her continuing fear of Benavides. His kids love him so much, she told the jury through tears. He did. Their accounts paint a harrowing picture of how the justice system went awry in their cases. He said he knew police and judges and I didnt know who to try to ask for help, she said. Jurors also viewed a separate DVD of Benavides trying to get his brother to destroy sex videos at his home as the investigation was underway. The case is being heard at the Wilson County under a change of venue from Bexar County, with Senior District Judge Dick Alcala presiding. Fridays ruling came amid a highly publicized trial that had to be moved to Floresville at the request of Benavides attorneys, who claimed that the case received too much publicity in San Antonio for him to get a fair trial. He faces 25 to 99 years or life in prison. Detectives recovered 246 mini DVDs containing hundreds of videos in which he was seen directing the women during often violent sex. The cases stretch back to 2000. Read more of her stories here. 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. His kids love him so much,' she told the jury while crying. 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. The punishment phase is expected to begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Wilson County District Court in Floresville. Sometimes he would ask me my name, how old I was, and ask, What are you going to do? She would reply, I'm going to (expletive) my lawyer.. They are urging other victims to come forward to keep him in prison for good. Rodriguez argued that Benavides did not kill someone and should not be sent away for life. Linda Benavides, wife of ex-SA attorney Mark Benavides, asks jury to please be fair. On ExpressNews.com: Four pending sex cases against convicted ex-San Antonio attorney dismissed. According to a criminal complaint, authorities alleged Mark Benavides pressured his victims everywhere from courtroom conference rooms to his office and hotels between 2009 and 2015. Linda Benavides, Marks wife, testified on Friday morning and asked the jury to please be fair.. Julie Mott trail: A jury awarded Sharlotte and Timothy Mott $8 million on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 after they found Mission Park Funeral Chapels and Cemeteries negligent in the loss of their daughters body. Jury deliberations begin in Mark Benavides trial. Benavides sentenced to 80 years for coercing clients into having sex - San Antonio Express-News. 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