Erin Marie Benavides, a former Texas assistant district attorney and the ex-wife of NBA player and broadcaster Brent Barry, died by suicide at her Port Aransas home, police said.
Benavides, 54, was found dead on October 14. She gained national attention in 2010 after reports alleged she had an “emotional affair” with Tony Parker, then married to actress Eva Longoria.
The Port Aransas Police Department said officers were sent to her home at 7:34 p.m. local time following a welfare concern. Police said she appeared to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities said the circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation.
According to the 48th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Benavides worked as an assistant district attorney in Uvalde and Real counties from January 2023 through August 2026. Her work primarily focused on human smuggling cases through the Border Protection Unit.
She first came into the national spotlight in 2010, when Brent Barry filed for divorce amid allegations that she had become emotionally involved with his former San Antonio Spurs teammate Tony Parker.
In divorce documents, Barry alleged that Benavides and Parker had exchanged hundreds of text messages. Parker was married to Longoria at the time.
The two couples had reportedly been close friends while Barry and Parker played together for the Spurs.
Erin Marie Benavides, 54, a former Texas assistant district attorney who was married to NBA player and commentator Brent Barry, was found dead at her home in what police described as a suicide
Benavides made headlines in 2010 after she was alleged to have had an “emotional affair” with Tony Parker, Eva Longoria’s then-husband, contributing to the breakdown of both marriages
The split between Benavides and Barry drew widespread attention after Longoria also filed for divorce from Parker, amid allegations that the actress’s husband had been involved in an emotional relationship with Benavides.
While Parker and Barry were teammates with the San Antonio Spurs from 2004 to 2008, sources told People that Benavides and Longoria had grown close and connected over their shared lives as “Spurs wives.”
The Barrys attended Longoria and Parker’s lavish wedding in France in 2007. Afterward, Parker told ESPN: “We’re like family.”
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The friendship became strained after Longoria reportedly discovered hundreds of “flirtatious” messages between Benavides and Parker on her husband’s phone. At the time, one source described the discovery as “devastating.”
The source told People that the messages were intimate, but said the relationship never became physical.
Benavides worked as an assistant district attorney in the 48th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Uvalde and Real counties from January 2023 to August 2026, focusing mainly on human smuggling cases with the Border Protection Unit
Benavides’s former husband, Brent Barry, was a standout player for the San Antonio Spurs
Eva Longoria said in her divorce filing that Tony Parker had exchanged hundreds of intimate messages with Benavides
Barry filed for divorce in October 2010, listing “conflict of personalities” as the reason for the separation.
Three weeks later, Longoria filed for divorce from Parker as reports about alleged infidelity became national news.
In an interview with Extra, Longoria said she had discovered the messages and alleged that Parker had also been unfaithful earlier in their marriage.
Benavides’s death was also acknowledged on social media by her former employer, which remembered her for her “earnestness and hard work.”
“Erin brought much joy, laughter and mirth to the office,” the post said. “She knew when levity was needed, particularly during difficult situations or after a long workday.”
“Her boisterous laugh throughout the office will be greatly missed. Erin loved her boys and spoke with immense pride about their accomplishments.”
“Erin will be remembered for the time and attention she devoted to her work as a Texas prosecutor, her dedication to the BPU and the 38th District Attorney’s Office, and her commitment to making Uvalde and Real counties safer communities.”
