Man gets 15 years for fatally stabbing stepfather
Girlfriend with him at the time gets jail time too
Timothy Bene
CLEVELAND – The man who fatally stabbed his stepfather at their Sprague Road residence last February was sentenced to 15 years in prison Jan. 26.
Timothy Bene, 33, previously pleaded guilty in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony; felonious assault, a second-degree felony; and aggravated robbery; a first-degree felony. Involuntary manslaughter, under the Ohio Revised Code, is when someone causes the death of another while committing or attempting to commit a felony.
Bene’s girlfriend Courtney Heckman, 24, who was with him at the time of the stabbing and fled with him, pleaded no contest to attempted obstruction of justice, a first-degree misdemeanor, as part of a plea agreement. She was sentenced Jan. 26 to 15 days in jail just after changing her plea. Heckman spent about two weeks in jail after being arrested with Bene before making bail.
Police were called out to a domestic disturbance Feb. 3, 2017 at the residence of Dean Vastartis, 50, in the 13500 block of Sprague Road. When police arrived, they found Vastartis, Bene’s stepfather, with several stab wounds in his garage. He was taken to Southwest General Hospital, where he died.
Bene and Vastartis reportedly had a history of violence and arguments and there had been argument between the two when Vastartis was stabbed, court documents show.
Bene and Heckman fled the scene before Strongsville Police arrived and were arrested Feb. 7 at a residence in Ashland County.
Timothy Bene, 33, previously pleaded guilty in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony; felonious assault, a second-degree felony; and aggravated robbery; a first-degree felony. Involuntary manslaughter, under the Ohio Revised Code, is when someone causes the death of another while committing or attempting to commit a felony.
Bene’s girlfriend Courtney Heckman, 24, who was with him at the time of the stabbing and fled with him, pleaded no contest to attempted obstruction of justice, a first-degree misdemeanor, as part of a plea agreement. She was sentenced Jan. 26 to 15 days in jail just after changing her plea. Heckman spent about two weeks in jail after being arrested with Bene before making bail.
Police were called out to a domestic disturbance Feb. 3, 2017 at the residence of Dean Vastartis, 50, in the 13500 block of Sprague Road. When police arrived, they found Vastartis, Bene’s stepfather, with several stab wounds in his garage. He was taken to Southwest General Hospital, where he died.
Bene and Vastartis reportedly had a history of violence and arguments and there had been argument between the two when Vastartis was stabbed, court documents show.
Bene and Heckman fled the scene before Strongsville Police arrived and were arrested Feb. 7 at a residence in Ashland County.
