Each case is expected to be tried separately. Benavides, a former San Antonio lawyer, was convicted Tuesday of trafficking and having sex with clients in exchange for legal services. Under questioning by Guerrero, Benavides said her husbands demeanor changed after his arrest in 2015. Former attorney Mark Benavides enters the courtroom of Judge Dick Alcala on Friday during the punishment phase of his trial in Floresville. 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. 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. Benavidesapologized Thursday and asked for forgiveness as he testified. Cop killer trial: Shaun Puente was found guilty on March 21, 2018 for fatally shooting San Antonio Police Department Officer Robert Deckard during a highway chase in Atascosa County on Dec. 8, 2013 that started after Puente, according to witnesses, committed two armed robberies in San Antonio. More: San Antonio woman gunned down by estranged relativedies two weeks after shooting. It took the panel nearly four hours to find Benavides, 48, guilty on all six. Required fields are marked *. Benavideswill get credit for the days he has already served. SAN ANTONIO -- The former lawyer convicted of exchanging legal services will be heading to prison after additional cases against him were dropped on Tuesday. Someof the graphic and sexually explicit videos were played for jurors. 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. Benavides was convicted Tuesday of continuous trafficking of persons and faces 25 to 99 years or life in prison. Benavides filmed videos of the violent sexual encounters, one of which was so graphic that a female juror fainted after viewing it in court. He will serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole. Several additional indictments have been added since. He would require her to say bye at the end to the camera. 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. He also writes a weekly Spurs newsletter. I saw a humbled man rather than an arrogant man, he said. He paid more attention; we spent a lot more time with the kids, she told the court. 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. Linda Benavides testifies Friday during the punishment phase of the trial of her husband, Mark Benavides, in Floresville. Mark Henry Benavides was immediately taken into custody Tuesday night in Floresville, where the trial was heard. The sexual encounters would take place in his law office, his car, at motels, or at the courthouse. Uresti conviction: Texas State Sen. Carlos Uresti was convicted on all 11 counts in his five-week criminal fraud trial ending Feb. 22, 2018. Officials said the women were extorted by Benavides to take plea deals for crimes they didnt commit. More: Death penalty testimony paints violent portrait of officers killer. 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. Jurors on Friday afternoon are deliberating the fate of former San Antonio attorney Mark Benavides. | ezavala@express-news.net | @elizabeth2863. One of the women, now 32, covered her eyes and stifled tears as she recounted her ordeal. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. When Norton asked if he saw a change in Benavides from his testimony, Steege said he did. Prosecutors said Benavides will be back in a courtroom to face additional charges. More: Urestis wife files for divorce following salacious trial. The case was tried in Wilson County on a change of venue from Bexar County, with Senior District Judge Dick Alcala presiding. When I saw him first, he was arrogant and untreatable. He wouldnt help me for anything, she said. The case is being heard at the Wilson County under a change of venue from Bexar County, with Senior District Judge Dick Alcala presiding. The video caused one juror to faint, according to the Express News. He attended Unionville High School and was subsequently accepted into National Theatre School of Canada, graduating in 2004.. Career. Woman held captive in Stone Oak home: What started as a theft investigation quickly became a violent sex assault case. Woman held captive in Stone Oak home: What started as a theft investigation quickly became a violent sex assault case. Copyright 2020 by KSAT - All rights reserved. It took the panel about six hours to decide on the sentences for the six counts of continuous trafficking of persons. The woman who had been charged with drug possession encouraged victims to make that call. the woman, 29, cried on the video. Steege said he had not. 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 Mark Henry Benavides was convicted Tuesday of continuous trafficking of persons for having sex with clients he represented on prostitution or drug cases. Ex-attorney Mark Benavides found guilty on all 6 counts of continuous trafficking of persons KSAT 12 193K views 4 years ago WATCH: Meteorologist Justin Horne gives his early weather forecast. I looked at you three times, sir, and you were asleep, Norton told Steege. Elizabeth Zavala is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Benavides, a former San Antonio lawyer, was convicted Tuesday of trafficking in persons and having sex with clients in exchange for legal services. But I was thinking of freedom for my son, freedom for me. This is a carousel. 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. Copyright 2018 by KSAT - All rights reserved. A now 51-year-old woman was arrested in 2013 on a DWI charge and hired Mark Benavides as her attorney. 'It's an understatement to call it cheating if it's a criminal act,' Norton said. Benavides still faces two charges of sexual assault of a child, a charge of sexual assault and another charge of continuous trafficking of persons. He's covered a variety of stories and events across the San Antonio area, and is the lead reporter for KSAT Explains. He did. 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. The jury found him guilty of crimes, not cheating.. When she had to see him, she would bring her mother along. We know there are women that that did not want to talk. Benavides texted and called her, describing in explicit terms the sex acts he wanted her to perform. What I saw yesterday (in Benavides testimony) was a totally different man. You can see RJ regularly on KSAT Explains and Good Morning San Antonio. 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. 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. Benavides, a former San Antonio lawyer, was convicted Tuesday of trafficking in persons and having sex with clients in exchange for legal services. Misael started at KSAT-TV as a photojournalist in 1987. The women said the alleged encounters took place at his law office, motels, his car and the courthouse, according to the affidavit. We are asking you for 25 years, she said. The sentences will be served at the same time. Its worth life, ladies and gentlemen, Chacon said in her closing argument. Benavides repeatedly ordered the woman to 'come back here' in the footage, while the woman pressed her hands against her face and sobbed. Mark Steege, a sex therapist, testifies Friday during the punishment phase of the trial of Mark Benavides in Floresville. Due to the large amounts of publicity surrounding the case, the trial was moved from Bexar County to Wilson County. He eventually started asking me for small stuff, meet up for lunch, stuff like that, the woman said. Mark Benavides, 48, is charged with continuous trafficking of persons, accused of having sex with clients in prostitution cases in exchange for legal services. Since then, he has been named in multiple-count indictments. S.A. animal sacrifice was Santera practice, but was it illegal? 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. RJ Marquez has been at KSAT since 2010. 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.'. Mott died Aug. 8, 2015 and was to be cremated Aug. 15, 2015. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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