Avreaunte Emmanuel Bennett, 26, of Vancouver appears March 21, 2022, in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of second-degree domestic violence murder. He was sentenced Friday to more than 20 years after pleading guilty on the eve of trial. (Jessica Prokop/The Columbian)
Avreaunte Emmanuel Bennett’s brother and mother were quickly escorted from the courtroom by Clark County corrections deputies. They could be heard yelling from the hallway while the judge finished reading Bennett his appeal rights. One member of Bennett’s family shouted a promise to appeal.
Bennett, 26, had pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to second-degree domestic violence murder. A charge of unlawful possession of a firearm and a firearm aggravator that would’ve added five years to Bennett’s sentence were dismissed as a part of the plea agreement. His trial was scheduled to start Monday, and Bennett’s defense attorney had filed a notice that he intended to claim self-defense, court records show.
Several family members of the victim, 21-year-old Stephanie Celeste Jones of Vancouver, gave tearful statements to the court about the pain of her loss. They told Bennett their faith encouraged them to extend him forgiveness and grace.
Editor's note: This video from Clark County Superior Court contains profanity that some readers may find disturbing and that may not be suitable for younger viewers.
Video
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Luka Vitasovic called this a “very hard case.” He asked the judge to grant an agreed-upon mid-range sentence, and he said going to trial was risky for both sides because of evidence challenges.
“I don’t think (any sentence) will ever suffice from the perspective of a parent or loved one. It’ll never be justice,” Vitasovic said. “If I were in their shoes, no amount of time would ever feel like justice, but from the hat that I wear as a prosecutor, I think this is an appropriate result with the evidence and the negotiations that took place.”
Bennett’s defense attorney said Bennett has been remorseful and that he thinks about Jones often.
When it was his chance to speak, Bennett apologized to Jones’ family.
“There’s really not a lot I can say to change what happened or to pay the family back, but Stephanie was a beautiful person, and she didn’t deserve for that to happen,” he said.
Judge Suzan Clark called the case “unbelievably horrible,” and she said Jones’ death was made worse by Bennett’s choice to dump her body “like it was garbage.” Jones’ body was found about a week after she was killed at Rooster Rock State Park. Clark declined to grant the sentencing recommendation, and she instead ordered Bennett to serve the top of his sentencing range.
Moments after Clark announced Bennett’s 244-month sentence, several members of Bennett’s family stood from their seats in the gallery and shouted their outrage. Clark held Bennett’s brother in contempt of court but later decided against sending him to jail after he agreed to apologize.
Couple had been arguing
On the evening of Aug. 7, 2021, Bennett and Jones attended a party at Bennett’s sister’s residence in central Vancouver. Jones spoke with her best friend, Symone Embaye, via video shortly before midnight. The call lasted about an hour, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Embaye later told detectives that both Jones and Bennett were highly intoxicated and arguing while on the video call. At one point, she saw Jones seated in a vehicle, she said. Bennett then told Embaye that Jones would have to call her back later that morning, Embaye said, and hung up, the affidavit states.
Investigators say that was the last time Jones was seen alive by anyone cooperating in the investigation.
Nearly a week later, on Aug. 13, 2021, Jones’ body was found near the westbound ramp to Interstate 84 from Rooster Rock State Park, east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge, according to court records.
An autopsy found she had been shot in the head with a .40 caliber pistol.
Cell tower data shows Bennett was at his sister’s residence until at least 1:17 a.m. Aug. 8, 2021, when his phone turned off, the affidavit states.
At 1:53 a.m., a Toyota Prius that appeared to match Bennett’s was captured on Rooster Rock State Park’s toll booth cameras, according to the affidavit.
When Jones’ homicide was reported in the news, Bennett reportedly fled to Tucson, Ariz., court records state.
Embaye told detectives that in the weeks before Jones’ death, Jones had talked about leaving Bennett and moving away. She said Jones had told Bennett multiple times she was going to leave him. Embaye also described a history of domestic violence between the couple, court documents say.
Jones had recently told Embaye that Bennett threatened multiple times to kill her if she left him, according to court records.
Several of Bennett’s friends later told investigators that he’d told them about killing Jones in a vehicle after an argument. They said Bennett had claimed Jones tried to grab the gun, and they’d tussled over it, according to court records.
Vitasovic, the prosecutor, previously said Bennett disposed of the firearm and his vehicle after the shooting. Investigators located the car but found the passenger’s side, where Jones was seated, was ripped out, he said.
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