31-01-2025
Man sentenced to 16 years in prison for assault of fellow Woodbury County inmate
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — A Woodbury County jail inmate accused of a prolonged assault of a fellow inmate has received his prison sentence for the crime.
According to court documents, Bengerman Housh, 32, of Sioux City, was sentenced on Friday to 16 years in prison. He had pleaded guilty in Dec. 2024 to two counts of willful injury and one count of fourth-degree criminal mischief.
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One of the counts of willful injury was previously one count of attempted murder before it was downgraded as part of the plea agreement.
Housh was accused of trying to kill a fellow inmate in a racist assault that lasted more than 10 minutes, per court documents. He had been put in jail earlier that evening after allegedly throwing a brick through a car window.
Court documents state that Housh repeatedly punched, kneed, and stomped on the victim. At one point, he allegedly held the victim in a chokehold for about 45 seconds.
According to a witness, Housh, who is white, had mentioned how the victim was Native American. He said that the victim was 'not a man' and said several times that he 'did not deserve to live.'
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The victim was taken to a hospital with a hematoma on the back of his head and serious facial injuries, including a cut on the left side. He needed plastic surgery to repair the damage, court documents say.
Housh originally pleaded not guilty on Aug. 27, 2024.
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