The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:42 PM
Juror Faints During Trial Of San Antonio Attorney Charged With Sexually Trafficking Clients In Exchange For Legal Services
The first day of the trial of Mark Benavides – who is also charged with continuous trafficking of persons – started with a woman testifying Benavides forced her to have anal sex with him, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Benavides had sex with the 29-year-old woman and recorded the encounter, according to the Express-News. The woman sat with her hands over her face and sobbed as the video played.
“Mark, it hurts! You’re hurting me…Don't be so rough,” the woman said in the recorded video played for jurors. Benavides could reportedly be heard yelling at the woman to “come back here.”
The graphic nature of the video and the jurors’ reaction forced District Judge Dick Alcala to give jurors a break, according to the newspaper. As the jurors exited the courtroom, one woman fainted and was later replaced by an alternate.
Zack Hedrick
@zhedrickTV
Earlier today, the jury was viewing tapes showimg sex acts between Benavides and an alleged victim.
About 3 minutes into the video Judge Dick Alcala stopped the video to give jurors a break.
While the jury was filing out, a female juror fainted.
The woman testified she had sex with Benavides on the same day he was appointed to be her attorney, according to the Express-News. She said that she and Benavides went to a San Antonio motel for the sexual encounter.
The former attorney was arrested in November 2015 for allegedly using “force, fraud and coercion” on nine female clients for prostitution, according to KSAT-TV. He allegedly forced some of the women to have sex with him in exchange for the legal services.
Benavides could face up to 99 years in prison if he’s convicted, the Express-News reported.
Intense local media coverage of the trial forced the location to be moved from Bexar County to Wilson County. Attorneys said the location was moved because some of Benavides’ accusers claim some of the sexual acts took place at the Bexar County Justice Center, according to Fox San Antonio.
Ryan Gaydos is an editor for Fox News. Follow him on Twitter @RyanGaydos.
