A man will spend eight years in prison after forcing his spouse to perform a sexual act on him and holding an unloaded firearm to her head on Christmas last year.
The state’s attorney for Charles County announced on Aug. 22 that Joseph John Bonaiuto Jr., 56, of Waldorf was sentenced for first-degree assault and fourth-degree sexual offense.
Upon his release, he is also required to register as a tier I sex offender for 15 years and will be on supervised probation for five years upon release.
On June 24, Bonaiuto pleaded guilty to the aforementioned charges.
On Dec. 26, 2023, officers responded to Bonaiuto’s residence in Waldorf for a welfare check after receiving a call from the man's brother stating Bonaiuto was holding his wife hostage, a release from the state’s attorney said.
Bonaiuto wife 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 own head and his then-wife’s head, charging documents say.
An investigation revealed that during the evening hours of Dec. 25, 2023, Bonaiuto and his wife were located inside their residence when Bonaiuto became frustrated with her.
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, according to charging documents.
He then went downstairs with the unloaded firearm and ordered his wife to get on her knees. Bonaiuto asked her if she was scared of him to which she replied "yes," the release said.
According to charging documents, Bonaiuto reportedly said, “Good, I want you scared of me right now.”
He then put the firearm to her head and pulled the trigger. Bonaiuto dropped the firearm after she flinched.
The gun used was reportedly a Beretta M9, which Bonaiuto was “extensively trained with” as it was his former duty weapon, according to charging documents.
Shortly after, he forced her to perform a sexual act on him for approximately an hour, charging documents say.
During the assault, Bonaiuto let her have breaks to cry, blow her nose and get a drink. After the assault, Bonaiuto slept in his bed while his wife slept on the couch, the release said.
The next day, Bonaiuto drove to the courthouse allegedly 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, the release said.
Bonaiuto and his wife do not share any children together, according to charging documents.
Bonaiuto admitted to officers that he assaulted her 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,” according to the release.
During sentencing, the assistant state’s attorney assigned to the case asked that Bonaiuto be sentenced to 20 years in prison with an additional six 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, Judge Donine 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.”
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