HOUSTON — A man who sexually assaulted two girls and reportedly tried to kill them after they told their family was sentenced this week.
Jose Orbin Martinez-Lopez, 46, who was living in Houston, received a life sentence after pleading guilty in May to aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
In a release sent out on Friday, the DA’s office said he broke into a home in southwest Houston on Sept. 10, 2020, and attacked the girls, who were 11 and 12 years old at the time. Martinez-Lopez was able to get into the home through a small window.
The DA’s office said he knew the family and had been in the home multiple times. They also said he had sexually assaulted both girls before. The girls reportedly told their family about the sexual assaults and investigators say Martinez-Lopez broke into the house to try to kill them.
He reportedly slashed one girl’s throat and when her sister came to help, the DA’s office said he locked them both in a room and set a fire inside the house. He then took off.
First responders were able to find the girls and rescue them.
“I’ve been a prosecutor for 24 years, and this was one of the worst cases I’ve ever seen,” Denise Nichols, who heads the DA’s Crimes Against Children Division, said. “After knowing everything that these girls went through, it is just amazing to see how much courage they had — this was their moment to tell what happened and get justice and move forward.”
As for Martinez-Lopez, he was arrested trying to catch a flight out to his native Honduras.
The two victims testified before a judge in his sentencing on Tuesday. That’s when the judge handed down the sentence.
Martinez-Lopez will be eligible for parole in 30 years. He cannot appeal his conviction.
