Man sentenced to 35 years for restaurant rapes

November 2, 11:46 PMTampa Crime ExaminerCharisse Van Horn

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Tampa Crime Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

On August 21, 2008 Rigoberto Moron Martinez, Vicente Reyes-Carbajal, and Jose Walle were arrested for what became known as the restaurant rapes. Today, a Pinellas-Pasco County Judge sentenced Martinez to 35 years in prison. At the time of the attacks, Rigoberto Martinez was 20 years old, as was Vicente Reyes-Carbajal. The third participant in the attack, Jose Walle, was 13 years old.

The three led a crime spree for approximately seven weeks terrorizing women and citizens from the Tampa Bay area into St. Petersburg. It was believed that the first attack occurred on July 3, 2008 when the trio broke into a residence in Gibsonton, Florida and terrorized a husband and wife.

It is alleged that they after bounding the husband, they raped the wife in what has been described as three different ways. They stole computers valued at approximately $3,000. Though one of the suspects had left a fingerprint on a door, an arrest was not imminent, nor would it come before further attacks were executed.

The next known attack occurred on July 19, 2008 when the trio approached two 17 year old girls as they walked along U.S. 41. According to the victims, they were approached by a male in a vehicle who offered them a ride. They said no and continued walking. Though the vehicle drove off, at some point the man got out. He approached the girls on foot and was carrying a gun. The assailant forced the girls to lie on the ground. When the girls screamed, the man ran run. It was later determined that Rigoberto Moron Martinez was the man who approached the girls.

Sometime during the middle of July, Rigoberto Martinez landed a job at the Table, a restaurant in St. Petersburg. Martinez was only employed for seven days. On the night of August 3, 2008, Martinez is accused of returning to the restaurant where he was once employed, this time his accomplices, Jose Walle and Vicente Reyes-Carbijal accompanied him. When an employee opened the door to take out trash, the trio broke in. They tied up one of the employees and then, authorities say, Martinez raped another. The trio also stole approximately $2,000 in cash and a TV. Though the manager of the restaurant, Joe Moledo, told authorities that he suspected Martinez, he wasn’t arrested for the crime.

He was however arrested the following day, August 4, 2008 for domestic violence.

Continue to Part 2