Erin Marie Benavides died at 54 after being found dead on October 14, 2026, at a home in Port Aransas, Texas. The Nueces County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a suicide caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Her name drew fresh attention because Benavides had once been known as Erin Barry, the former wife of Brent Barry, a former San Antonio Spurs player and teammate of Tony Parker. She had worked as an assistant district attorney in Texas until August 2026, and her death quickly pulled an old celebrity scandal back into view.
That earlier episode began in November 2010, when reports identified Benavides as the woman allegedly exchanging inappropriate messages with Tony Parker as Eva Longoria filed for divorce from him after three years of marriage. Benavides and Brent Barry were separating at the time, and their divorce was finalized on January 5, 2011, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Benavides repeatedly denied that she had an affair with Parker or caused the collapse of either marriage. In a statement published by TMZ on November 25, 2010, she said, “I DID NOT HAVE AN AFFAIR WITH TONY PARKER, nor did I 'pursue' Tony Parker.” She also acknowledged that she and Parker had been friends.
The circumstances of her death remain under review even after the suicide ruling. Police entered the Port Aransas residence after a welfare-check request triggered by an alarming text message reportedly sent to a friend of her husband, and authorities initially said there were no signs of foul play. The full autopsy report was still pending at the time of publication, leaving the official finding firm but the broader case still unfinished.
What is clear is that Benavides's death has reopened interest in a decade-old story that had long been treated as settled. The cause of death has been ruled, but the final medical examiner's report has not yet been released, and that is the piece still waiting to be read.
