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Inside the remarkable, tragic life of Texas prosecutor accused of cheating with Eva Longoria’s NBA husband
Erin Benavides, a Texas prosecutor and child welfare advocate, has died by suicide at 54. Her life had drawn tabloid attention after Eva Longoria alleged in 2010 that Benavides had an emotional affair with Longoria’s then-husband, Tony Parker; people who worked with her say her lasting legacy is her work for vulnerable children.
Benavides denied the affair and said the publicity distracted from her advocacy. She left the Bexar County Child Welfare Board during her divorce from former NBA player Brent Barry and while caring for their two sons, but continued working with at-risk youth. She represented a child welfare task force at the Texas House in 2005, received the Angels in Adoption award in 2007, earned a law degree in 2013, and later prosecuted cases in Texas.
In short
- Erin Benavides died by suicide aged 54.
- Colleagues remember her child welfare advocacy.
- She later worked as a Texas prosecutor.
Explained simply
Erin Benavides worked in child welfare and later as a prosecutor in Texas. The Bexar County Child Welfare Board, where she served, focuses on the needs of children involved with the state’s child protection system.
Benavides’s public profile was shaped in part by allegations made by actor Eva Longoria in 2010 about Longoria’s then-husband, basketball player Tony Parker. Benavides denied having an affair, and said the attention diverted focus from her work.
She continued working with young people at risk, represented a child welfare task force before Texas lawmakers and received a national adoption advocacy award. She later earned a law degree and prosecuted cases; people who worked with her have pointed to her service to vulnerable children as central to her legacy.