State v. Joseph John Bonaiuto, Jr., C-08-CR-24-000064
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, August 22, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Donine Carrington Martin sentenced Joseph John Bonaiuto, Jr., 56, of Waldorf, to 8 years in prison for First-Degree Assault and Fourth-Degree Sexual Offense. Bonaiuto will be on supervised probation for five years upon release. Upon his release, he is also required to register as a Tier I sex offender for 15 years.
On June 24, 2024, Bonaiuto pleaded guilty to the aforementioned charges.
On December 26, 2023, officers responded to Bonaiuto’s residence in Waldorf for a welfare check after receiving a call from Bonaiuto’s brother stating that he was holding the victim hostage. The victim, who was Bonaiuto’s significant other, opened the door when the officers arrived and appeared to have been crying before their arrival. Officers also made contact with Bonaiuto, who stated that he pointed a firearm at his head and the victim’s head.
An investigation revealed that during the evening hours of December 25, 2023, Bonaiuto and the victim were located inside their residence when Bonaiuto became frustrated with the victim. After taking a walk, Bonaiuto went to his bedroom to retrieve his firearm. Bonaiuto unloaded the firearm, put it to his head, and pulled the trigger. He then went downstairs with the unloaded firearm and ordered the victim to get on her knees. Bonaiuto asked the victim if she was scared of him; the victim replied yes. He then put the firearm to the victim’s head and pulled the trigger. Bonaiuto dropped the firearm after the victim flinched. Shortly after, he forced the victim to perform a sexual act on him. During the assault, Bonaiuto let the victim have breaks to cry, blow her nose, and get a drink. After the assault, Bonaiuto and the victim eventually went to sleep. Bonaiuto slept in his bed while the victim slept on the couch.
The next day, Bonaiuto drove to the courthouse to obtain divorce paperwork. He also drove to his daughter’s residence and told her some of the details of the assault. The daughter reported the assault to Bonaiuto’s brother, who called the police.
Bonaiuto admitted to officers that he assaulted the victim over the course of hours and told them that he was being a “disgusting degenerate to her” and treated her “as badly as she deserved to be treated in that moment”.
During sentencing, the Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to the case asked that Bonaiuto be sentenced to 20 years in prison with an additional 6 years suspended due to “the gravity of the offense.” She told the judge that Bonaiuto “needs to be held accountable for his actions” and that the victim did not deserve to be treated in the “inhuman, cruel, violent, self-serving manner” that Bonaiuto treated her.
Before sentencing Bonaiuto, the Honorable Judge Carrington Martin told him, “For hours upon hours, [the victim] was abused by you.” She furthered that “the consequences of your actions, regardless of the sentence, is you hurt her.”
Sentence
Count 3
- First-Degree Assault
- 20 years with all but 7 years suspended
Count 5
- Fourth-Degree Sexual Offense
- 1 Year
- Consecutive to Count 3
5 Years of Supervised Probation
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