HOUSTON – A man was arrested in connection to a home invasion where a woman was sexually assaulted and an aggravated robbery in the Houston area in September, according to court documents.
The suspect, who went on a violent crime spree on Sept. 9, 2023, has been identified as 33-year-old Jose Luis Reyes-Martinez, a Mexican citizen.
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A federal indictment has been filed against Reyes-Martinez, which includes another sexual assault case of another woman in 2022. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was able to link the 2022 sex assault case with DNA obtained from the September 2023 sexual assault case.
He was arrested by the FBI on Oct. 20, 2023.
Details of September’s crime spree
According to the Houston Police Department, the suspect broke into a Fiesta Mart grocery store, located in the 11000 block of Airline Drive, around 4:45 a.m.
Two employees inside, who were stocking shelves overnight, were held at gunpoint by the suspect.
Surveillance video shows Reyes-Martinez attempting to move packs of produce around to get access to the money inside a safe, according to police.
HPD said the suspect tripped the alarm system while rummaging for cash, sending several police units to the area.
When he noticed police closing in on his location, he was able to slip out the back of the store, according to Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, and move on to his next crime location.
According to court records, Reyes-Martinez then broke into a family’s home near the grocery store and sexually assaulted a 42-year-old woman at gunpoint. He then fled the scene with her vehicle, money and jewelry.
The Houston Police Department and the FBI were able to review surveillance video of the suspect and obtain DNA from the sexual assault case. The DNA was sent to an FBI laboratory for analysis.
Suspect tied to another sexual assault case
On Oct. 17, the FBI received a positive match to an HPD sexual assault case in 2022, meaning the same suspect committed both sexual assaults.
When HPD looked into the 2022 sexual assault case, investigators found that the suspect had sexually assaulted a 37-year-old woman.
According to court records, the woman identified the suspect as Reyes-Martinez, stating that she had known him for a year and had been friends with him for three months.
Suspect’s criminal record
During the investigation, HPD found that Reyes-Martinez had been previously removed from the United States.
On Oct. 18, HPD searched the immigration database and found the following:
- He is a citizen and national of Mexico.
- He was arrested by Border Patrol on April 6, 2012 in Tucson, Arizona after illegally entering the United States.
- He was processed for violating the Immigration Nationalities Act and given an Expedited Removal.
- He was removed from the U.S. back to Mexico on April 7, 2012, via Nogales, Arizona.
- He has never requested or obtained permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
KPRC 2 has reached out the Houston Police Department on the status of the 2022 sex assault case but was told they were not able to look up the case based on the suspect’s name.