Suspect in sexual assaults dies

Self-proclaimed prophet Benito Catello, charged last month with 29 counts of felony sexual misconduct with two juvenile members of his church, died Monday in hospice care.

His attorney, Mace Yampolsky, said Catello, 76, died at 1:48 p.m. at his home. He had been free on bail while awaiting trial but was very frail, Yampolsky said.

The Clark County coroner's office ruled Catello's death as "end-stage debility," which is natural of the aging process.

Catello was accused of sexually assaulting two underage members of his church multiple times between 2007 and 2008 during private "counseling" sessions. The victims are now ages 14 and 17.

Both victims said they were conditioned to never question Catello or doubt his motives.

They told police that Catello threatened to excommunicate their families from the church if they spoke of the assaults.

After being arrested, Catello never denied the allegations. He told police he couldn't remember anything, but "if the girls said he did it, he must have," the arrest report said.

He also told police he was a prophet and God spoke to the girls through him.

"Anything that happened while he was in the company of the girls is God's doing and he can't be held responsible," police summarized in the report.

Lt. John Bradshaw of the Metropolitan Police Department's Sexual Assault Detail said Catello wished the girls would have been able to "get their day in court."

But Bradshaw said it may have worked out for the best: There won't be the time and expense used for a criminal trial.

"When we put this kind of work in a case, we like to see it through to the end, but I guess it is (done) now," Bradshaw said. "He'll face a judgment by a higher authority."

Yampolsky said he wished that Catello could have gotten his day in court.

"He was accused of lots of awful things. ... We never will know what a jury would have said," he said.

He added that Catello was very frail at the time of his initial interview.

"I question as to what exactly went on (during police questioning)," Yampolsky said. "Based on his condition, I don't know if he fully understood what was going on."

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.