Litany of torture, abuse preceded death of Henderson man’s 3-year-old daughter, prosecutor says

Justin Bennett (Henderson police)

A Henderson man’s vicious torture and abuse of two young daughters over 18 months culminated in the death of a 3-year-old, who died from a crushing blow to the chest so severe that it damaged her heart, prosecutors said Thursday.

Justin Tom Bennett, 23, was indicted by a grand jury on murder and dozens of child abuse charges added after family members described the ongoing abuse.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacqueline Bluth said Abygaile suffered a broken back and three broken ribs in the 36 hours leading up to her death on July 1. An autopsy determined that the girl had suffered blunt-force trauma to the chest, and the right atrium of her heart had been torn, according to Bluth.

Her older sister, who was 4 at the time, survived.

Bluth described Abygaile as a victim of “chronic physical abuse.” In a previous court appearance, she called the torture “one of the worst cases of physical abuse I have ever seen.”

The prosecutor said Bennett viciously abused the oldest two of his three children for many months before Abygaile died.

Child Protective Services had previously investigated Bennett and his wife, Korie Morimoto, early last year when the parents accused one another of disciplining the children too severely, Bennett’s parents told police. According to the Department of Child and Family Services, the agency received information about Abygaile and her family on Jan. 8, 2016.

The child abuse investigation revealed Bennett had forced mustard into his daughters’ mouths when they lied and made them take cold showers as punishment, police wrote in a report at the time of his arrest. But the agency found there was no present or impending danger to the girls and recommended both parents take parenting classes.

Since Bennett’s arrest, his surviving children, including a girl who was 2 when Abygaile died, and their mother, Korie Morimoto, came forward with details of the abuse.

‘WALL SITS’ AND ICE BATHS

They said he forced the older girls to endure “wall sits,” in which he made them keep their backs and bottoms against the wall.

“When their legs would become fatigued and they would fall, the defendant would beat them,” Bluth said. “That wasn’t enough, so he would then move to what was referred to as cold baths.”

He made the girls stand naked in a tub, or sit against the wall, while he repeatedly poured buckets of ice water over their heads, the prosecutor said.

“If they would fall,” she continued, “or if they cried, he would beat them.”

He also pinned the girls down by their arms and legs and force fed them white habanero peppers.

“These were so hot it would cause the children to foam at the mouth,” the prosecutor said. “Their eyes would be bleeding with tears, and he would cover their mouths until they would swallow.”

Morimoto, who has since been charged with one felony count of allowing child abuse or neglect with substantially bodily harm and one gross misdemeanor count of allowing child abuse or neglect, surreptitiously recorded the abuse on video, apparently intending to seek help from authorities.

Prosecutors collected 22 videos documenting the abuse, according to Bluth.

After hearing Bluth’s account, District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez stopped the prosecutor short and ordered Bennett to remain in custody in the Clark County Detention Center without bail.

Bennett is being represented by the Clark County Public Defender’s Office, but it was not clear Thursday which attorney was handling his case.

Along with the murder charge, Bennett, faces 28 counts of child abuse, neglect or endangerment, two counts of child abuse, neglect or endangerment with substantial bodily harm and one count of child abuse, neglect or endangerment with use of a deadly weapon.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.