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Jury convicts man of child sex abuse in less than half-hour
PRINCETON, W.Va. – A jury took less than 30 minutes to convict a West Virginia man who told police he sexually abused a 3-year-old girl by accident.
Mercer County prosecutor George Sitler tells news outlets that 26-year-old Henry Vincent Bennett was found guilty Thursday of first-degree sexual assault and other charges.
Prosecutors say Bennett told detectives that he twice mistook the toddler for his wife after she climbed into his bed.
Bennett’s lawyers said his admission to Bluefield police in February was coerced.
The prosecutor says Bennett faces 80 to 270 years in prison at his sentencing in March.
His wife, April Bennett, pleaded guilty to child neglect, provided testimony and will be sentenced this month.
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