Man who shot two police officers in Delafield sentenced for attempted murder while in jail
The man convicted of attempted murder after shooting two police officers in Delafield in November 2020 was found guilty again of attempted murder, this time for an incident while in the Waukesha County Jail.
Nathanael Benton, 25, of North Dakota was found guilty July 27 of felony first-degree attempted murder, felony assault by a prisoner and felony battery by a prisoner. A fourth charge for disorderly conduct was dismissed.
His latest trial, which started July 26, lasted a little more than a day, according to court records. The jury deliberated for a little more than an hour on Wednesday afternoon before returning guilty verdicts on all counts.
Benton was sentenced July 29 to a total of 55.5 years in prison, plus 25 years extended supervision. This comes after he was convicted in June of one count of first-degree attempted homicide, one felony count of recklessly endangering safety and one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He faces sentencing for those charges on Aug. 29. He could face up to 78.5 years of confinement for those charges.
Benton is also facing another felony charge, battery by a prisoner, accused of biting a bailiff before his June trial. A status hearing for that case is scheduled for Aug. 29.
More: The man convicted of shooting officers in Delafield has been charged with biting the bailiff
For the incident while in jail, the criminal complaint detailed multiple altercations with other inmates and correctional officers.
The first took place at about 10:16 p.m. Dec. 14, 2021, when a Waukesha County Sheriff's responded to the jail. There, the deputy discovered a blood-soaked floor after Benton stabbed an inmate in another cell while they were sleeping with a sharpened tooth brush, the complaint said.
The victim received 20 stitches and told investigators that he and Benton had not gotten along and that Benton had stabbed him and then choked him. A witness said he intervened, stopping Benton briefly before Benton started choking the victim again and slamming his head into the ground before a correctional officer removed Benton from the cell.
On Dec.23, 2021, Benton threw what was believed to be urine he put in a milk carton onto a correctional officer, according to the complaint. He attempted it again the next day. Additionally, Benton began to threaten correctional officers multiple times that day, at one point saying, "I could go for killing someone right now.”
Benton is scheduled to return to court Aug. 29 for his next hearing for his two remaining cases.
Drew Dawson can be reached at ddawson@jrn.com or 262-289-1324.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man who shot two cops convicted of attempted murder while in jail
