HOUSTON, Texas – A Honduran man living in Houston was sentenced to life in prison this week for repeatedly sexually abusing two children before attempting to kill them and burn down their home in 2020, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
“We have to protect our community, our children, from monsters like this,” Ogg told the crowd. “Not only did he sexually attack two young girls, but he also attempted to kill them and burn down their home to conceal his tracks. “He’s a predator.”
Jose Orbin Martinez-Lopez, 46, received a life sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of fourteen. Martinez-Lopez cannot challenge his conviction.
On September 10, 2020, Martinez-Lopez stormed into the sisters’ southwest Houston house and attacked them. Martinez-Lopez, who is 5 feet 3 inches tall, managed to slip in via a tiny window. He sliced one girl’s neck with a box cutter, and when her sister arrived to aid, he locked them both in a room and set fire to the home. He then escaped.
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First responders were able to assist the girls, and both lived. Investigators with the Houston Police Department discovered that Martinez-Lopez knew the girls’ family and had previously visited their home. He sexually molested both young girls several times before the fire. After they told family members what he had done, he broke in and attempted to murder them.
Martinez-Lopez intended to return to Honduras but reportedly missed his flight. He was caught while trying to board another aircraft out of Houston and is being jailed on a $1 million bail. In May, he admitted to sexually assaulting a youngster. A court sentenced him on Tuesday after hearing testimony from both girls against their attacker.
The case was prosecuted by Division Chief Denise Nichols, who oversees the District Attorney’s Crimes Against Children Division, and Katlin Robinson, a trial bureau chief. “I’ve been a prosecutor for 24 years, and this was one of the worst cases I’ve ever seen,” Nichols told the crowd.
“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.”
Martinez-Lopez must serve at least 30 years in jail before being eligible for release.