Staunton man sentenced to life imprisonment for sexually abusing a teenager
STAUNTON – A jury found a Staunton man guilty Tuesday of molesting a young girl in her sleep last summer.
“This man was sexually obsessed with this child,” said Staunton Assistant District Attorney Joseph Perry.
Mark E. Bennett, 46, was found guilty of sexual penetration with an animate object at the end of a two-day trial in Staunton District Court.
Forensic evidence showed Bennett also photographed the teen while she was sleeping the night she was abused, Perry said. On another occasion, he licked and smelled her feet. The prosecutor said Bennett viewed the victim “as an object, a sex doll.”
Before the trial, Bennett had already pleaded guilty to numerous charges related to the case, including filming a nude minor without consent, possession of child pornography, child molestation, aggravated sexual assault, indecent acts with a child and distribution of marijuana to a child.
Bennett faces a life sentence in prison when his verdict is announced on December 5.
During closing arguments in court on Tuesday, Perry reminded the jury that Bennett had already confessed to police that he had groped the girl in her sleep on the night of June 9, 2023. In a video played to the jury, Bennett admitted to abusing the girl. “I knew she was unconscious,” he told police.
Perry said Bennett occasionally gave the girl marijuana and alcohol.
In his closing argument, Assistant Public Defender Duane Barron questioned the credibility of Bennett’s confession.
Police arrested Bennett, a former employee at Amazon’s Fishersville plant, in August 2023 after the girl suspected he had filmed and photographed her without her knowledge. Child Protective Services was called in and police were contacted. Images were found on his phone.
The Staunton grand jury indicted Bennett in January.
He remains in the Middle River Regional Jail in Verona awaiting sentencing.
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Brad Zinn is the police, courts and breaking news reporter for The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs to be investigated? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at [email protected]. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).
