RJ Marquez has been at KSAT since 2010. A witness described the crime scene as a "horror move" in testimony. A 51-year-old victim of now-disbarred Mark Benavides goes through paperwork at her San Antonio home on June 18, 2020. Benavides, a former San Antonio lawyer, was convicted Tuesday of trafficking in persons and having sex with clients in exchange for legal services. The case was tried in Wilson County on a change of venue from Bexar County, with Senior District Judge Dick Alcala presiding. Please be fair. 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. Benavides admitted that he had sex with all of the women named in the indictment and recorded their motel sexual sessions. Texas Democrat, Attorney Mark Benavides, has been found guilty on six counts of sex trafficking and torture by a judge in San Antonio. The father-of-two was convicted on all six counts he faced of continuous trafficking of persons and the panel took six hours to decide his sentences. 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. But the experience left her deeply scarred. Former clients who were victimized by him are asked to call Morales at 210-335-0701. Mark married Olivia Perez on month day 2001, at age 30 at marriage place, Texas. More: Jury find woman who killed nephew guilty of murder, Ronald Cortes, for the San Antonio Express News, Marvin Pfeiffer, Staff / San Antonio Express-News, More: Jury'sguilty verdict sends convicted killer into frenzy in San Antonio courtroom, William Luther, Staff / San Antonio Express-News, psychologist at upscale apartment complex near downtown, Kin Man Hui, Staff / San Antonio Express-News. the woman, 29, cried on the video. When she pushed back, he was true to his word. The Express-News generally does not identify victims of sexual assault. The jury found him guilty of crimes, not cheating.. 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. He is accused of having sex with his clients in exchange for legal services. More: Death penalty testimony paints violent portrait of officers killer. A 29-year-old woman who testified for the state that Benavides forced her to have anal sex and recorded the encounters sat with her hands over her face and cried as the jury heard her plead for Benavides to stop. But why should I have to do that?. Since then, he has been named in multiple-count indictments. }] Benavides attorneys declined to comment on the verdict or sentencing. More: Jury deadlocks in murder case involving San Antonio man whose remains were grilled. Read more of her stories here. Ex-SA lawyer's mother defends convicted son on witness stand. Read more of her stories here. San Antonio defense attorney Mark Benavides was running for a local judge's seat in 2015 when he was arrested and charged with coercing women to have sex with him as "payment" for his legal services. 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 San Antonio attorney is accused of coercing clients into having sex with him in exchange for money or legal services. Mark Henry Benavides will have to serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole. Copyright 2018 by KSAT - All rights reserved. More: Jury deadlocks in murder case involving San Antonio man whose remains were grilled. (Josie Norris /Staff Photographer |. 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 its a criminal act, Norton replied. | ezavala@express-news.net | @elizabeth2863, Benavides sentenced to 80 years for coercing clients into having sex, Man dies following hit-and-run on San Antonio's Westside, Canyon Lake animal shelter faces claims of neglect, abuse. Early life. The video caused one juror to faint, according to the Express News. It's an understatement to call it cheating if its a criminal act, Norton replied. I looked at you three times, sir, and you were asleep, Norton told Steege. Steege said he saw a dramatic change in Benavides, from arrogant and entitled when they first met, to humble and treatable. Linda Benavides, who is the wife of Mark Benavides, receives his belt and necktie Friday from a sheriffs deputy after he was sentenced to 80 years as punishment after being convicted for continuous trafficking of persons. More: S.A. animal sacrifice was Santera practice, but was it illegal? 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. A member of the jury collapsed after watching some of the images on the first day of the trial. Benavides forced six women he had represented in prostitution or drug cases to have sex with him in return for legal help. More: Couple get $8 million for loss of daughters body from San Antonio funeral home. Menchaca was allegedly beaten with baseball bats, dismembered and grilled on a barbecue pit in 2014. Elizabeth Zavala is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. 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. she testified. At the end, she said, he would ask her to say bye to the camera. It dragged on for nearly four years. Mark Benavides Mechanical Engineer at Consulting Engineering Services San Antonio, Texas, United States 233 followers 232 connections Join to connect Consulting Engineering Services (CES) Texas. Benavides is accused of having sex with his clients in exchange for legal services. The sentences will be served at the same time. Cayley Mandadi, a Trinity University cheerleader, died on Oct. 31, 2017 after falling unconscious in a car traveling to Houston. He also writes a weekly Spurs newsletter. This is a carousel. Officials have not mentioned Santera, but those arrested were reportedly practitioners of that religion. Paul Venema is a courthouse reporter for KSAT with more than 25 years experience in the role. Its rattlesnake season in Texas. Marisol Morales is a case manager with the Bexar County Public Defender's Office working with victims of now-disbarred attorney Mark Benavides. Linda Benavides, wife of ex-SA attorney Mark Benavides, asks jury to please be fair. But I was thinking of freedom for my son, freedom for me. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. A witness described the crime scene as a "horror move" in testimony. Both sides rested their cases and are expected to begin closing arguments this afternoon. Mark Benavides was scheduled to appear . The sentences will be served at the same time. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. The victim in the video is a 29-year-old woman testifying for the state. "" 11-23; 09-29; 09-29; 2021 09-17 "" . Mark Henry Benavides was immediately taken into custody Tuesday night in Floresville, where the trial was heard. "I'm so sorry. Each case will be tried separately. Its a very important function and a priority in our office, said District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales. Rodriguez MARVIN PFEIFFER/mpfeiffer@express-news.net, Marvin Pfeiffer, Staff / San Antonio Express-News, More: Jury find woman who killed nephew guilty of murder, Ronald Cortes, for the San Antonio Express News, More: Jury'sguilty verdict sends convicted killer into frenzy in San Antonio courtroom, William Luther, Staff / San Antonio Express-News, psychologist at upscale apartment complex near downtown, Kin Man Hui, Staff / San Antonio Express-News, Texas chain with San Antonio bakeries files for bankruptcy, How a viral chicken fried steak briefly closed down Mr. Juicy, Puerto Rican restaurant finds new life in former Rosario's spot, Report: San Antonio Rep. Joaquin Castro diagnosed with cancer, 'Spreading the love': Buc-ee's begins plans for world domination, Massive pirate-themed San Antonio park delays opening date, TX DPS duped into shipping at least 3,000 Texas drivers license, Spoon, Billy Currington, and more set for New Braunfels shows, Jury deadlocks in murder case involving San Antonio man whose remains were grilled, San Antonio woman gunned down by estranged, Details emerge in murder-suicide involving, Suspect in death of Trinity University cheerleader arrested on charges of murder, sexual assault, S.A. teen who refused arranged marriage suffered 6 months of beatings, search warrant shows. I looked at you three times, sir, and you were asleep, Norton told Steege. She was incredulous. 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. 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.. At first, Benavides would text or call her when he was lonely or bored, she said. Both told their stories to the Express-News, on condition their names not be published. } 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. He paid more attention, we spent a lot more time with the kids, Benavides said. 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. 2014 - 2023 Marathi.TV - All Rights Reserved. It took the panel nearly four hours to find Benavides, 48, guilty on all six counts. Apparently, this has been going on for virtually his entire legal career, here. The next day, employees discovered her body missing from a damaged casket. Cayley Mandadi, a Trinity University cheerleader, died on Oct. 31, 2017 after falling unconscious in a car traveling to Houston. On ExpressNews.com: Jury being picked to hear S.A. ex-lawyers sex case. RELATED:Expert: Guilty ex-S.A. attorney displayed arousal to violent sex. It was a case that rattled San Antonio. ', Norton said: 'They found him guilty of force, fraud and coercion.'. When I saw him first, he was arrogant and untreatable. Born and reared in San Antonio, she graduated from Fox Tech High School in 1981 and has been a newspaper journalist since she graduated from Texas Woman's University at Denton in 1985. 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. Dont be so rough. Benavides can also be heard in the video making sexually explicit commands and telling her to Come back here.. Benavides told her she had to plead guilty to stay out of prison. According to court documents, the district attorney's office cited insufficient evidence in dropping the charges. By A recent review off the case showed the arrest wasn't supported by evidence and her conviction has been overturned based on Benavides' ineffectual counsel. mark benavides wife. Benavides is accused of having sex with his clients in exchange for legal services. The jurors looked so uncomfortable that District Judge Dick Alcala sent them out for a break, and as they exited, a woman on the jury fainted at the door. Her parents, Abdulah Fahmi Kala Al Hishmawi, 34, and Hamdiyah Sabah Al Hishmawi, 33, were arrested on Friday, March 23, 2018. Benavides is being tried in Wilson County on a change of venue from Bexar County because of intense media coverage. 1.1 Mark R. Benavides lawyer profile in Plano, Texas - Law.net; 1.2 Wife of Mark Benavides testifies - Twitter; 1.3 'I thought I was alone' victims of disgraced - Alton Telegraph; 1.4 Prosecutors: "Pornographic" DVDs show former lawyer with 1.5 Lawyer cries as he is sentenced to 80 years - Express Digest Six accusers testified he forced them to have sex, making them believe it would keep them out of jail or lessen their legal problems. We are asking you for 25 years, she said. 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