Man Who Threatened Woman With Knife Before Sexually Assaulting Her Sentenced To Prison: Mosser

AURORA, IL — A Wood Dale man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman at an Aurora hotel after threatening her with a knife, Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser said.

Alexi Benitez Jacinto, 35, was convicted Oct. 30 of three counts of criminal sexual assault on Aug. 12, 2022.

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Before the assault, Benitez Jacinto threatened to harm the victim, a woman he knew, with a knife if she continued to refuse his advance, prosecutors said. A hotel employee called 911 after he saw the victim signal for help and overheard the man's threats to beat the woman while in the lobby, according to a news release.

Aurora police knocked on the hotel room door and the victim ran out, asking for help. Benitez Jacinto denied the assault, but a search warrant for his phone revealed he had recorded the incident, officials said.

Assistant State's Attorneys Amanda Busljeta and Nicholas Sciarrino prosecuted the case.

Benitez Jacinto is required to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence. He was credited for a total of 1,481 days served on electronic home monitoring and in custody. In addition to the prison term, he must also register as a sexual offender.

"Sexual assault is a violent and dehumanizing act," Busljeta said in a statement. "This defendant violated the victim in the worst possible way, and the physical and emotional pain he inflicted is unimaginable. It is my sincere hope that she will be able to move forward from this horrible experience. I commend the victim for her quick thinking in signaling to the hotel employee that she needed help, and I commend the employee for promptly calling 911."