PRINCE GEORGE, Va. - A man charged in the killing of a missing Virginia woman was convicted of abducting and raping a 14-year-old girl in 2007, court records showed.
Benjamin Franklin Chiarky, 31, was charged Thursday with second-degree murder in the death of Corrine Lee Huddleston. The 20-year-old was last seen the first week of October leaving a Prince George home where she frequently stayed, Prince George County Police have said.
Last week, investigators located human remains in a wooded area in Surry County near where Chiarky lived. The state medical examiner’s office was continuing to work with police to identify the remains and determine a cause of death, but officials said they were believed to belong to Huddleston.
Police Chief Keith Early said last week that Chiarky and Huddleston “were familiar with each other,” but did not comment further, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. It was not immediately clear what motivated the killing.
More than 10 years before, Chiarky was sentenced to 25 years in prison with 17 years suspended for raping an underage girl at her friend's house when he was 18, the newspaper said.
He pleaded not guilty in 2008 trial but was convicted. Chiarky was supposed to serve eight years but was released after about six for good behavior, according to court documents.
He was arraigned Friday in Surry General District Court on the murder charge in Huddleston’s case. He was also charged with a felony drug charge and failure to comply with terms and conditions of probation. Chiarky was in jail without bond as of last Thursday. A preliminary hearing was set for Jan. 11.
It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
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