Manuel Benavente Gets 35 Years To Life For Assaulting Riverside Woman, Developmentally Disabled Daughter
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) — A man who broke into a Riverside home and sexually assaulted a woman and her developmentally disabled daughter was sentenced Friday to 35 years to life in state prison.
Back in March, 35-year-old Manuel Paul Benavente of Riverside pleaded guilty to two counts of forcible rape and one count of assault with intent to commit rape along with a sentence-enhancing allegation of committing a sexual offense during a burglary.
In exchange, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office dropped several other charges, including rape of an impaired victim.
According to the Riverside Police Department, Benavente stripped naked and popped out the screen on a window leading to a home on Hayes Street, near Arlington Park, then forcibly accessed a bedroom last August at about 2:20 p.m.
He then confronted the property owner, ordered her to undress and then sexually assaulted her before turning his attention to the woman's 30-year-old developmentally disabled daughter who was still in bed, authorities said.
While Benavente assaulted the second victim, her mother called police. When officers arrived on scene, authorities said they saw Benavente "on top of the woman" through the bedroom window and immediately entered the residence and detained him.
Authorities said both victims suffered minor injuries, though it was not immediately clear if Benavente had been stalking the victims or if they were targeted at random.
Superior Court Judge O.G. Magno certified the terms of the plea agreement and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.
According to court records, Benavente had a prior conviction for felony burglary.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
