A man who allegedly raped a woman on her own front lawn has been arrested, police said.
What to Know
- A man has pleaded guilty in the brutal September 2018 attack of a woman who was knocked out, then raped on her own Long Island lawn
- Ever Martinez Reyes, 25, of Roosevelt, is expected to be sentenced to 20 years in prison and 20 years of post-release supervision in Nov.
- He allegedly followed the woman, then knocked her unconscious and sexually assaulted her for at least an hour outside her Freeport home
A 25-year-old man has pleaded guilty in the brutal attack of a woman who was beaten unconscious and then raped on her own Long Island front lawn last year.
The Nassau County prosecutor's office announced late last week that Ever Martinez-Reyes, of Roosevelt, pleaded to multiple counts of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree assault, all felonies, in the 2 a.m. attack in Freeport on Sept. 28, 2018.
Prosecutors say Martinez-Reyes followed the 36-year-old victim down a street and hit her in the face, knocking her out. He then dragged her to the side of her lawn and repeatedly punched and kicked her about her face, then raped her as she was blacked out. Eventually, the woman regained consciousness and threw a rock at the front window of her house in an attempt to seek help during the attack, which lasted an hour, according to police. She somehow managed to fight him off, prosecutors have said. Martinez-Reyes was arrested about a week later after police received a tip that he was preparing to flee to El Salvador.
He had come to the U.S. from El Salvador in 2010, crossing the Texas border, police previously said. Martinez-Reyes then returned to El Salvador, but crossed the border illegally again in 2014 and took up residence in Freeport, Ryder said.
Martinez-Reyes had been working in landscaping as a day laborer, and had no prior arrests or known gang affiliation.
At a news conference after the attack, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas called the attack "one of the most brutal rapes that [she has] ever seen."
In a statement after Martinez-Reyes pleaded guilty, Singas praised the survivor.
"The defendant ruthlessly preyed upon a woman walking home at night and sexually assaulted her," she said. "Today, this incredibly brave survivor heard her defendant admit in open court to this brutal assault. Her courage to not only fend off her attacker but to also face her accuser in court cannot be understated."
Martinez-Reyes is expected to be sentenced to 20 years in prison and 20 years of post-release supervision at a hearing in November. He must also register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.
