270:. He then drove to an abandoned house, tore off her clothes, and raped her before leaving. After the assault, the woman hailed a taxi cab and was returned home, whereupon she informed the police. On October 14, Benson picked up 44-year-old Karen Jane Campbell off a street and negotiated a price for sex, but became angry when she asked for more money. He then attacked and killed her, leaving her body in a side street and attempting to speed away, accidentally running over her body as he did so. Her nude body was found ten days later, but police were unable to determine how exactly she had been killed. His final known attack took place on November 4, when Benson abducted a 35-year-old woman from
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DNA. This came about when they collected a used cigarette and compared the DNA on it with that of the perpetrator, finding them to be an exact match. Because of this, Benson was arrested on May 14, 2008, and charged with two counts of murder, sexual assault, and kidnapping. The arrest came as a shock both to his neighbors in Mesa and his family and friends back in
Fosston, all of whom considered him incapable of committing such horrific acts. His ex-wife was interviewed in the aftermath of this announcement, and while she claimed that he was emotionally abusive, Tohonnie claimed to be as shocked of this revelation as others were.
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denials that he was responsible, Benson was found guilty on all counts. The jury found no mitigating circumstances in his case, recommending that he be sentenced to death for the murders. Subsequently, Benson was sentenced to death for the murders and 135 years imprisonment for the sexual assaults. As of April 2022, he is still alive and remains on
Arizona's death row.
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the interrogations, Benson admitted to having sex with and assaulting the murdered women but claimed that he had blacked out and could not remember what exactly happened after that. According to authorities, he had an accomplice in at least one of the attacks, but this individual has never been identified or located.
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Initially, the crimes were considered unrelated until DNA evidence linked them to a single perpetrator. Benson was considered a suspect in the crimes due to previous arrests for soliciting prostitutes in 1997 and 2001, and authorities started conducting surveillance on him for a chance to obtain his
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Shortly after his arrest, representatives from the Mesa Police
Department stated that they believed Benson might have been involved in further rapes and possible murders, with a potential case being the murder of Elisa Dewakuku, who was found strangled in an irrigation canal on November 1, 2007. In
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After graduating from university, Benson found work as a salesman at a used car dealership, initially working in
Minnesota before moving to Mesa, Arizona in 1996. There, he continued with his job at a local dealership and eventually married a woman named Merchelle Tohonnie, with whom he had a son.
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Benson's trial took place three years after his arrest, with one factor for the delay being his lawyer's collection of information about his early life in South Korea to identify potential mitigating circumstances. He pleaded not guilty to all charges at his murder trial, but regardless of his
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On
November 1, 2004, Benson left a local strip club, and on his way back home, he picked up 21-year-old Alisa Marie Beck. After paying her for sex, he became enraged when she complained about his performance, causing him to hit her head on the steering wheel and choke her until she lost
233:, but it is unknown if he served time for this offense. While he was well-liked by most of his fellow students, some alleged that he was overtly persistent in his attempts to court several girls and showed indications that there was a darker side to his personality.
221:, singing in the school choir, and eventually becoming captain of the swimming team. He was considered an amicable and likable person by everyone around him and is not known to have exhibited any indecent behavior. After graduating, Benson went to study at
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in an affluent neighborhood in Mesa, where Benson moved in shortly afterward. He quickly gained respect amongst his neighbors, who considered him a pillar of the community who helped out his neighbors and frequently attended meetings of the
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Their marriage lasted for several years before they eventually divorced, with Benson citing
Tohonnie's supposed alcoholism as the main factor for this decision. In 2000, his parents bought a
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who already had several other adopted children. According to relatives and friends, the
Bensons were described as a loving and caring couple who took good care of all their children.
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consciousness. He then left her partially-clothed body in an alleyway less than a mile away from his house, and drove away. Beck's body was found later that day.
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from the fall of 1990 to the spring of 1992, and during this period, his only notable infraction was an arrest for shoplifting from a
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and took her to an abandoned house, where he raped and beat her. The victim survived the assault and was later found by a passerby.
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and soon started a business named "Lindsay Water and Ice", where he sold ice cream, candy, water, and ice.
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from 2004 to 2007, two of which resulted in death. Benson was subsequently convicted and
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Benson attended the local
Fosston High School, where he was noted for his skills in
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429:"Former Fosston resident's attorney tries to uncover past as murder trial nears"
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woman from Horne and Main Street and pulled her inside his white
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Katie McDevitt, Gary Grado and Nick R. Martin (May 16, 2008).
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American murderer, serial rapist and suspected serial killer
406:"Fosston community still baffled by assault, murder case"
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Trent
Christopher Benson was born on October 7, 1971, in
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for these crimes in 2011, and is awaiting execution on
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553:"Mesa man found guilty of murdering prostitutes"
532:Senta Scarborough and Jim Walsh (May 16, 2008).
457:"Accused predator's arrest shocks his son's mom"
367:"Mesa man gets death in killings of prostitutes"
262:On August 16, 2007, he kidnapped a 47-year-old
487:"DNA Ties 'Serial Predator' to Rapes, Murders"
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408:. DL-Online. December 6, 2008. Archived from
331:"Information for Inmate 266710 BENSONTRENT C"
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1008:South Korean emigrants to the United States
509:"'Ideal father' held in rape-murder string"
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1023:South Korean prisoners sentenced to death
907:Child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome
534:"Man held in killings entrenched in Mesa"
1013:South Korean people convicted of murder
998:Prisoners sentenced to death by Arizona
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912:False allegation of child sexual abuse
555:. The Arizona Republic. Archived from
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1018:South Korean people convicted of rape
993:People convicted of murder by Arizona
983:American prisoners sentenced to death
551:Michael Kiefer (September 13, 2011).
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306:List of death row inmates in Arizona
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671:Genital modification and mutilation
373:from the original on April 22, 2022
223:Minnesota State University Moorhead
182:evidence to at least four rapes in
365:Michael Kiefer (October 8, 2011).
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978:American people convicted of rape
881:Laws regarding child sexual abuse
768:in education in the United States
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860:Sociobiological theories of rape
435:. April 29, 2009. Archived from
963:21st-century American criminals
958:20th-century American criminals
278:Arrest, trial, and imprisonment
891:Sexually violent predator laws
485:David Schoetz (July 2, 2008).
86:135 years imprisonment (rapes)
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835:Effects and aftermath of rape
301:Capital punishment in Arizona
166:(born October 7, 1971) is a
540:– via Newspapers.com.
455:Gary Grado (May 28, 2008).
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489:. ABC News. Archived from
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830:Causes of sexual violence
170:-born American murderer,
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1028:Suspected serial killers
369:. The Arizona Republic.
164:Trent Christopher Benson
33:Trent Christopher Benson
968:American male criminals
244:homeowner's association
574:State v. Benson (2013)
311:List of serial rapists
1003:South Korean adoptees
148:Florence State Prison
855:Rape trauma syndrome
661:Cybersex trafficking
538:The Arizona Republic
886:Laws regarding rape
666:Forced prostitution
461:East Valley Tribune
231:Fargo, North Dakota
178:who was linked via
105:Span of crimes
649:Child prostitution
639:Child exploitation
559:on April 22, 2022.
521:on April 22, 2022.
514:Arizona Daily Star
493:on April 22, 2022.
467:on April 22, 2022.
439:on April 22, 2022.
433:Grand Forks Herald
412:on April 22, 2022.
212:Fosston, Minnesota
192:sentenced to death
144:Imprisoned at
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780:Sexual misconduct
758:Sexual harassment
654:Child sex tourism
644:Child pornography
335:azcorrections.gov
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610:Sexual abuse
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375:. Retrieved
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168:South Korean
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139:May 14, 2008
23:Trent Benson
953:1971 births
239:condominium
208:South Korea
50:South Korea
947:Categories
825:Aggression
800:Statistics
317:References
248:strip mall
202:Early life
39:1971-10-07
716:Statutory
377:April 23,
345:April 23,
229:store in
196:death row
109:2004–2007
84:(murders)
845:Misogyny
840:Misandry
818:theories
721:Of males
711:By proxy
371:Archived
295:See also
264:Hispanic
123:State(s)
701:Marital
272:Phoenix
254:Murders
128:Arizona
114:Country
96:Victims
91:Details
73:Rape x4
728:Raptio
706:Prison
686:Campus
227:Macy's
69:Murder
629:Child
617:Forms
268:Sedan
82:Death
874:Laws
696:Gray
691:Date
681:Rape
379:2022
347:2022
186:and
184:Mesa
29:Born
805:War
180:DNA
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