Former Prosecutor Found Dead in Port Aransas
Erin Benavides, 54, a former assistant district attorney in Uvalde, Texas, was found dead at a Port Aransas home on Oct. 14 after police received a request for a wellness check. Authorities believe her death was a suicide. Port Aransas Police Department Lieutenant Joseph Rivas said officers made a forced entry and found her inside. Rivas said she was found with a single gunshot wound. He said Benavides appeared to be living alone and unemployed at the time, while journals officers found indicated she was looking for work in Port Aransas. She had recently moved, and the house appeared mostly empty.
Years of Public Service
Benavides served as an assistant district attorney from Jan. 17, 2023, through Aug. 31, 2026. She worked in a state grant-funded position with the Anti-Gang and Border Prosecution Unit, handling work tied to anti-gang efforts and border protection. Her earlier career included work as a child abuse advocate and caseworker. She also served as CEO of the Youth Center of South Texas and as a member of the Bexar County Child Welfare Board. Benavides graduated from St. Mary’s Law in San Antonio and later worked on prosecutions involving border crimes and human smuggling. Her legal and child-welfare work represented a professional life far broader than the old sports headlines connected to her name.
Life Before the Courtroom
Before her legal career in South Texas, Benavides was married to former San Antonio Spurs player Brent Barry. The couple divorced in 2011. She was also previously accused of having an “emotional affair” with NBA star Tony Parker, an allegation tied to Spurs-related tabloid coverage from that period. That history placed her in national sports coverage years ago, but her later work gave her a different professional identity as a prosecutor and child advocate. The old allegation does not explain her death, and it should not overshadow the public-service career she built afterward. The focus now remains on the known timeline and the pending investigation.
Police Investigation Remained Pending
A friend of Benavides’ current husband, attorney Pablo “Paul” Benavides, contacted police on the evening of Oct. 14. The friend relayed an alarming text Erin Benavides had sent to her husband roughly 15 minutes earlier. By the time officers arrived and made a forced entry into the home, she was dead. Rivas said there did not seem to be anything indicating another cause or circumstance beyond suicide. Even so, the investigation was still pending as of Oct. 28. A colleague’s Facebook post also confirmed the death, while a SpursReporter social-media post shared the news.
Tragic news out of South Texas: Erin Marie Benavides, former wife of a Spurs player and current assistant district attorney for Uvalde and Real counties, has died at 54 in Port Aransas from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police confirmed.
Many in the basketball world… pic.twitter.com/IDBHngFxeA
— SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) October 31, 2026