Suspect Held in Rape of Pregnant Woman

A Long Beach man suspected of raping a pregnant woman, stabbing her and killing her 6-month-old fetus has been arrested, police said Friday.

Benny Lee Hendrix, 38, was booked on suspicion of murder, rape and attempted murder after he was identified by the 23-year-old victim, said Long Beach Police Lt. Steve McAndrew. He was being held without bail at the Long Beach Jail.

The rape occurred shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday. Later that same day, Hendrix was taken into custody on unrelated charges of giving false information to police and violating parole, according to McAndrew.

While he was in custody, said McAndrew, officers began “gleaning information he might have been the rape suspect.” By Friday afternoon, the rape victim, who is still hospitalized, had identified Hendrix as her attacker.

He was booked on the murder charge pending a coroner’s determination of whether the fetus was stabbed in the attack.

Hendrix is also suspected of raping another 23-year-old woman about 24 hours before the 12:45 a.m. attack on the pregnant woman, and in the same place, said McAndrew.

Both women were alone in the same neighborhood east of downtown Long Beach when they were assaulted, said McAndrew.

The first victim was grabbed out of a phone booth and dragged behind an apartment building in the 600 block of Walnut Avenue and raped.

A day later, the pregnant woman was walking home when she too was grabbed and threatened at knifepoint, said McAndrew. She was taken to the same spot, and raped and stabbed twice in the abdomen.

Neighbors, hearing her screams, called police. She was taken to St. Mary Medical Center where her fetus died during surgery, said McAndrew. The woman is still hospitalized.