A former Texas district attorney who was married to NBA player and commentator Brent Barry died by suicide inside her home, police say.
Erin Marie Benavides, 54, who captured headlines in 2010 after allegedly having an 'emotional affair' with Eva Longoria's NBA player husband, died in her home in Port Aransas on October 14.
The Port Aransas Police Department said officers responded to a welfare concern at Benavides's home at 7:34pm local time, and said she appeared to suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Details of her death are still unfolding, and an investigation into Benavides's passing has been launched.
Benavides served as assistant district attorney in the 48th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Uvalde and Real counties from January 2023 to August 2026, primarily working on human smuggling cases with the Border Protection Unit, the office said.
She also fell under the national spotlight in 2010 when she was divorced by her NBA player husband Brent Barry, following allegations she had an 'emotional affair' with his ex-teammate Tony Parker.
Barry claimed in divorce records that his wife had exchanged hundreds of text messages with Parker, who at the time was married to actress Eva Longoria.
The two couples were said to have been close friends while Barry and Parker were star players with the San Antonio Spurs.
Erin Marie Benavides, 54, a former Texas district attorney who was married to NBA player and commentator Brent Barry was found dead by suicide in her home, police say
Benavides captured headlines in 2010 after allegedly having an 'emotional affair' on her husband Brent Barry with Eva Longoria's NBA player husband Tony Parker, leading to the divorce of both couples
The divorce between Benavides and Barry captured national headlines after Longoria also filed for divorce from Parker, as the prosecutor was accused of carrying out an emotional affair behind the actress's back.
When Parker and Barry were playing for the San Antonio Spurs from 2004 to 2008, sources told People that Benavides and Longoria became close friends, and bonded over being 'Spurs wives.'
The Barrys attended Longoria's lavish France wedding in 2007, and at the time Parker told ESPN after the ceremony: 'We're like family.'
The dynamic blew up in public after Longoria allegedly discovered hundreds of 'flirtatious' text messages between Benavides and her husband on his phone, which a source said at the time was 'devastating.'
The insider told People that the messages were intimate, but the affair never developed into a physical relationship.
Benavides served as assistant district attorney in the 48th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Uvalde and Real counties from January 2023 to August 2026, primarily working on human smuggling cases with the Border Protection Unit, the office said
Benavides's husband Brent Barry was a star player for the San Antonio Spurs
Actress Eva Longoria said in her divorce filing that her husband Tony Parker had exchanges hundreds of intimate messages with Benavides
Brent Barry filed for divorce from his wife in October of 2010, citing a 'conflict of personalities' as the reason for the separation.
Longoria filed for divorce three weeks later, as reports of infidelity by Parker made national news.
The actress told Extra in an interview that not only had she found the text messages, but also claimed Parker cheated on her earlier in the marriage.
Benavides's death was announced on social media by her former employer, which said her time as a district attorney was marked by 'earnestness and hard work.'
'Erin brought much joy, laughter, and mirth to the office,' the post read. 'She would recognize when levity was needed, especially when dealing with difficult situations or a long workday.
'Her boisterous laugh throughout the office will be greatly missed. Erin loved her boys and always shared, with such pride, their accomplishments.
'Erin will be remembered for the time and attention she gave to her work as a Texas prosecutor, her dedication to the BPU and the 38th District Attorney's office and for her commitment to making Uvalde and Real counties safer communities.'
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