CLEVELAND — Just a few weeks after a jury found him guilty in the death of 18-year-old Audreona Barnes in Cleveland, a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge has sentenced 40-year-old Bennie Washington to serve 38 years to life in prison.
Before the judge handed down his punishment at Monday's hearing, Barnes' mother addressed the court.
"I hope every time you close your eyes, you see her. Every time it’s quiet, you hear crying," Akua Avegnon said. "You deserve everything that you’re gonna get. You are disgusting. You helped me look for her. You called every day. ‘Just checking on you. Making sure you’re OK. We’re going to find her.’ When all the while you knew what you did to her. You knew! But you just kept calling me. You kept saying, ‘Oh, she’s coming home' when you knew she wasn’t. You’re disgusting.”
We streamed the sentencing hearing, which you can watch in full below:
Monday's sentencing comes after Washington was previously found guilty of the following charges back on May 24:
- Two counts of murder
- Two counts of felonious assault
- One count of gross abuse of a corpse
The judge also found him guilty on one count of having weapons under disability.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office says Washington was arrested on March 19, 2022, after the victim’s severely decomposed body was found on the second-floor balcony of his apartment near Warner Road and Laumar Avenue.
Here’s a timeline as outlined by the prosecutor’s office:
- March 11, 2022: Washington was evicted from his apartment.
- March 17, 2022: An apartment manager entered the apartment “and noticed garbage bags and blankets on the balcony and believed a body was under there.” The manager called police.
- March 19, 2022: Washington was arrested.
