District Man Pleads Guilty To Sexually Assaulting Woman After Entering Her Apartment-Cellphone And Other Evidence Tied Him To The Crime-

            WASHINGTON – Domingo Martinez, 26, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from a recent home invasion in which he sexually assaulted a woman who had been asleep in her apartment, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

            Martinez pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count each of second-degree burglary and assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse.  The Honorable John Ramsey Johnson scheduled sentencing for Sept. 20, 2013. Each of the charges carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, at about 2:30 a.m. on May 16, 2013, Martinez appeared inside a woman’s apartment in the 6700 block of 14th Street NW. The woman woke up to see him, wearing a shirt wrapped around his head that served as a mask. He held what at first appeared to be a gun and sexually accosted her.

            Once Martinez was close enough to touch her, the victim realized that the object in his hand was a cellphone, not a gun. At this point, she decided to fight back and she bit him on the shoulder during a struggle. He pushed her, causing her to fall, and then ran away.

            The victim pursued Martinez through a hallway and grabbed the shirt from his head. As he continued fleeing, he dropped the cellphone, which the victim also picked up. She then ran back to her apartment, locked the door behind her, and called 911 for help.

            Based upon the telephone records for the abandoned cellphone, and its contents, including time-stamped photographs and video, police identified Martinez as a suspect and arrested him on May 21, 2013. He lived in the building where the attack took place. At the time of his arrest, Martinez had a bite mark, not yet fully healed, on his left shoulder.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also praised the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigator John Marsh, Victim/Witness Advocate Melissa Milam, and Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key. Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Heide L. Herrmann, who is prosecuting the matter.