No need to resurrect the he'll-get-out-in-[blank]-number-of-years-with-good-behavior joke (since I can't count), but Carlos Alberto Martinez, 26, of Santa Ana, was sentenced to 117 years to life in state prison today for stealing a key from under a welcome mat, entering a Santa Ana home that was not his own and robbing a mother, daughter, and grandmother at gunpoint after duct taping two to chairs and assaulting them with a firearm.
A “Santa Ana criminal street gang member,” Martinez had been found
guilty by a jury last month on three felony counts of first degree
robbery, two felony counts of false imprisonment by violence, and one
felony count each of false imprisonment by violence of an elder, first
degree residential burglary, aggravated assault, assault with a
firearm, elder abuse, street terrorism, and sentencing enhancements and
allegations for criminal street gang activity, causing great bodily
injury, and the personal use of a firearm. He has a prior strike
conviction from 2000 for robbery. And bad tattoos.
More from the Orange County District Attorney, in English and Spanish, after the jump …
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December 18, 2009
GANG MEMBER SENTENCED TO 117 YEARS TO LIFE FOR ASSAULTING AND ROBBING MOTHER, DAUGHTER, AND GRANDMOTHER DURING HOME INVASION USING STOLEN KEY FROM UNDER WELCOME MAT
WESTMINSTER – A Santa Ana criminal street gang member was sentenced today to 117 years to life in state prison for entering a home using a key stolen from under the welcome mat and robbing a mother, daughter, and grandmother at gunpoint after duct taping two to chairs and assaulting them with a firearm. Carlos Alberto Martinez, 26, Santa Ana, was found guilty by a jury Nov. 24, 2009, of three felony counts of first degree robbery, two felony counts of false imprisonment by violence, and one felony count each of false imprisonment by violence of an elder, first degree residential burglary, aggravated assault, assault with a firearm, elder abuse, street terrorism, and sentencing enhancements and allegations for criminal street gang activity, causing great bodily injury, and the personal use of a firearm. He has a prior strike conviction from 2000 for robbery.
At approximately 5:45 a.m. on Dec. 18, 2007, Martinez and an unidentified accomplice entered a Santa Ana home using a key, which one of the defendants had stolen a few days prior after seeing Jane Doe #3, a 78-year-old grandmother, hide it under the front door mat. Wearing ski masks and armed with firearms, the defendants entered the kitchen and attacked Jane Doe #3 and her 54-year-old daughter, Jane Doe #1. Martinez and his accomplice duct taped the two victims to chairs by binding their wrists, ankles, bodies, and faces.
One of the defendants went into a bathroom, where 17-year-old Jane Doe #2 was showering. He ordered her at gunpoint to get out of the shower and forced her into the kitchen, where her mother and grandmother were being held.
As the three victims screamed in terror, the two defendants repeatedly hit Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #3 in the face with their firearms as they demanded cash and jewelry. Martinez and his accomplice stole $64 in cash and $150 in jewelry items and then fled the scene on foot. A neighbor testified during the trial that she called 9-1-1 after being awoken by the sound of the victims screaming.
The victims were transported to the hospital to be treated for their injuries. Jane Doe #3 was hospitalized for several days and continues to suffer from chronic headaches and vision problems as a result of the attack. Evidence was collected from the scene of the crime, including DNA from an interior door handle.
In April 2008, Martinez was convicted in an unrelated gang case for street terrorism and the unlawful taking of a vehicle in Orange County. He was sentenced to four years in state prison. The defendant was ordered to submit his DNA as a result of the conviction.
In June 2008, the DNA collected from the home in Santa Ana was matched to Martinez's DNA from his April 2008 conviction. The defendant was transported from state prison to Orange County to face charges.
All three victims testified during the trial. Jane Doe #1 testified that she was unable to sleep and was traumatized for months after the attack. When shown a crime scene photograph of herself with duct tape still in her hair and a bloody, swollen lip for the first time, Jane Doe #1 was overcome with emotion and broke down in tears on the stand.
Jane Doe #1 submitted a written victim impact statement to the court for sentencing today describing the helplessness she felt as she was duct taped to a chair and her screaming mother was repeatedly hit with the guns. Jane Doe #1 also wrote about her fear that these men would assault her terrified daughter, who was wearing only a towel after being ordered from the shower by two unknown men.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Paul Chrisopoulos of the TARGET Unit prosecuted this case.
18 de diciembre, 2009
PANDILLERO FUE SENTENCIADO A 117 AÑOS HASTA CADENA PERPETUA POR ABUSAR Y ROBAR UNA MADRE, HIJA, Y ABUELA DURANTE UN ATRACO USANDO LLAVE DEBAJO DE LA ALFOMBRILLA
WESTMINSTER – Hoy, un pandillero de Santa Ana fue sentenciado a 117 años hasta cadena perpetua en prisión estatal por haber usado una llave que hurto bajo la alfombrilla y entrar a la residencia de una madre, hija, y abuela, y atracar la residencia despuNs de que amarró a dos de las víctimas usando cinta adhesiva y golpeándolas con la pistola. Carlos Alberto Martinez, 26, fue encontrado culpable por un jurado el 24 de noviembre del 2009, de tres cargos graves de robo de primer grado, dos cargos graves de encarcelamiento falso usando violencia, y un cargo grave por cada delito de encarcelamiento falso de un mayor usando violencia, atraco residencial de primer grado, asalto agravado, asalto con un arma, abuso de mayores, terrorismo público, y alegaciones adicionales por actividad criminal de pandilla, causar gran daño corporal, y el uso personal de un arma. El tambiNn tiene una convicción previa del 2000 por robo.
Alrededor de las 5:45 de la mañana, el 18 de diciembre del 2007, Martinez y un cómplice desconocido entraron a una casa en la ciudad de Santa Ana usando una llave que uno de los demandados robo unos días antes, despuNs de ver a la víctima #3, la abuela de 78 años de edad, esconder la llave debajo de la alfombrilla enfrente de la puerta de la casa. Los demandados, con pistolas y puestos gorras de esquiar, entraron la cocina y atacaron a la víctima #3 y su hija de 54 años de edad, la víctima #1. Martinez y su cómplice amarraron con cinta adhesiva sus muñecas, tobillos, el cuerpo entero, y caras de las dos víctimas a unas sillas.
Uno de los demandados entró el salón de baño donde la víctima #2, de 17 años de edad, se estaba bañando. Le ordeno a punta de pistola a que saliera de la ducha, y le forzó a la cocina, donde su madre y abuela estaban captivas.
Mientras las tres víctimas gritaban en terror, los dos demandados repetidamente le pegaron en la cara con sus pistolas a la víctima #1 y la víctima #3 mientras exigiendo dinero y joyas. Martinez y su cómplice robaron $64 en efectivo y $150 en joyas, y huyeron la escena a pie. Una vecina dio testimonio durante el juicio que llamo al número 9-1-1 despuNs de que los gritos de las víctimas la despertaron.
Las víctimas fueron trasladadas al hospital para ser tratadas por sus heridas. La víctima #3 se quedo en el hospital por varios días y continúa de sufrir dolores de cabeza crónicos y problemas de la visión a causa del ataque. Se coleccionó evidencia de la escena del crimen, incluyendo ADN de la parte interior del llavero.
En abril del 2008, Martinez fue condenado en un caso sin relación a este, de pandilla, por terrorismo público e ilegalmente usar un vehículo en el Condado de Orange. El fue sentenciado a cuatro años en prisión estatal. El acusado fue ordenado a donar su ADN gracias a la convicción.
En junio del 2008, ADN que encontraron en la casa de Santa Ana fue emparejada con el ADN de Martinez que obtuvieren gracias a su convicción en abril. El acusado fue trasladado de la prisión estatal hacia el Condado de Orange para ser procesado de los cargos.
Las tres víctimas dieron testimonio durante el juicio. La víctima #1 testifico que no pudo dormir y que estuvo traumatizada por meses despuNs del ataque. Cuando le enseñaron una foto de la escena del crimen mostrándola a ella con cinta adhesiva en su cabello y su labio partido e hinchado, por la primera vez, la víctima #1 sucumbió al dolor y comenzó a llorar mientras testificaba.
Hoy, la víctima #1 entrego a la corte una declaración de impacto detallando la impotencia que sintió mientras la amarraron a una silla con cinta adhesiva y su madre fue atacada con pistolas sin parar porque no paraba de gritar. La víctima #1 tambiNn escribió que tenía miedo de que los acusados iban a abusar a su hija, quien estaba envuelta en una toalla cuando los dos hombres la ordenaron del baño.
El caso fue procesado por el fiscal asistente mayor Paul Chrisopoulos de la Unidad TARGET.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.