DENVER (KDVR) — A man accused of violating a protection order to hold his wife and daughter at knifepoint for 11 hours was sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Victor Benavente, 39, pleaded guilty on Feb. 1 through a plea agreement to one count of first-degree burglary, a class three felony. On Feb. 16, he was sentenced to serve 15 years in the Department of Corrections for the crime.
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The charge stems from a Sept. 24, 2022, incident where Benavente allegedly violated a protection order, broke into his wife and daughter’s apartment, and held them at knifepoint for 11 hours. According to the DA’s Office, this was the culmination of years of abuse against his wife and children.
FOX31 reported in July 2021 that Benavente and his wife were arrested after five children, ranging in age from 4 to 16 years old, were found alone in a hotel.
At that time, both were jailed on charges of child abuse . Benavente was also charged with violating a restraining order at that time that prevented him from being around his wife.