FLORESVILLE, Texas – For the second time in the trial of former attorney Mark Benavides, jurors Wednesday viewed graphic sex videos of the defendant having sex with female clients.
Jurors viewed the videos the first time during the guilt-innocence phase of the trial, which resulted in a guilty verdict Tuesday for Benavides on six counts of continuous trafficking of persons.
Benavides recorded the videos of himself having sex with female clients in exchange for his legal services, prosecutors said.
On Wednesday, an admitted prostitute who said that she was Benavides' former client, testified that she and Benavides had sex at a downtown motel many times over several years while he was her attorney.
She said that they also had sex at his house, her apartment, in her backyard and in a jury room at the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center.
"We went to the back and I took off my clothes and he took off his," she testified.
She said that as they were having sex, they got a surprise.
"The lady walked in," she testified. "I'm not sure who she was, I believe she was like, 'Oops.' She said something like that."
The woman was court clerk Janet Villarreal, who testified that Benavides told her that the woman was having sex with her boyfriend and not him.
The victim testified that Benavides told her to write the explanation in a letter of apology to the judge.
Her account of sex for services tracked the testimony of six women who were named in the indictment and who testified earlier in the trial.
"There was really no money involved. It was just he was on my case, and I guess that in return I would pay him with sex," the victim said.
Benavides is facing up to life in prison on each of the six counts. The minimum punishment is 25 years in prison.
The defendant's lawyer told the jury that Benavides will testify and that he will ask them for mercy.
Testimony is expected to resume Thursday before State District Court Judge Dick Alcala.