Murder Charge Filed in Attack That Killed Fetus
A murder charge was filed Tuesday against a man accused of raping a pregnant woman on a Long Beach street, stabbing her and killing her fetus. Benny Lee Hendrix, 38, was also charged with attempted murder, three counts of rape, two kidnaping counts, robbery, rape by a foreign object and forced oral copulation, Los Angeles County prosecutors said.
The 23-year-old pregnant victim was dragged behind an apartment building on Walnut Avenue east of downtown on July 11, raped and stabbed twice in the abdomen. Her 6-month-old fetus died in surgery at St. Mary Medical Center. The charges also include a sexual assault the day before involving a woman who was dragged from a telephone booth to the same location.
Hendrix was arrested on July 11 for investigation of giving false information to police and violating parole. The district attorney’s office said the investigation of the two attacks then led detectives to Hendrix.
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