Complex sentence: Benito de Soto was a Portuguese pirate, and captain of the "Black Joke" he was charged with horrendous cruelty in his trial, specifically, capturing an enemy crew and their captain, and locking them below decks, then scuttling it to hide the evidence.
Split into simpler sentences: Benito de Soto was a Portuguese pirate, and captain of the "Black Joke". He was charged with horrendous cruelty in his trial, specifically, capturing an enemy crew and their captain, and locking them below decks, then scuttling it to hide the evidence.