Convicted felon admits guilt in brutal beating, rape

Arthur Martinez

JEFFERSON COUNTY – A seven-time felon Wednesday admitted he is the man who brutally beat and raped a 29-year-old Lakewood woman near her home on Green Mountain in 2009.

Arthur Louis Martinez, 44, could face another 45 years in prison for the July 24, 2009 attack when he is sentenced Dec. 8 in Jefferson County District Court.

The victim was walking in her neighborhood about 9:30 p.m. when Martinez jumped out from behind a bush and attacked her, dragging her back into the bushes. Martinez admitted he repeatedly punched the victim in the face during the sexual assault. After the assault, Martinez took the victim’s MP3 player before fleeing on foot.

The victim, terrified and bruised, ran naked to a nearby home where she pounded on the front door until the homeowner brought her inside and called police. She later was taken to a local hospital where a sexual assault examination was conducted.

Swabs containing the rapists’ DNA were submitted to the CBI.

After submitting swabs containing the rapist’s DNA to the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), investigators scored a match that identified Martinez, who was a state custody, as the rapist four months after the crime.

Martinez was listed as an escapee from parole at the time of the 2009 attack and has seven prior felony convictions.

CODIS is a computer software program that operates local, state, and national databases of DNA profiles from convicted offenders and from unsolved crime scenes.

Martinez was required to submit his DNA sample to CODIS after his arrest on an unrelated felony warrant and a parole violation, according to prosecutors.

Investigators then took more recent samples of the suspect’s DNA, which also matched samples taken from the victim. Martinez, who already was in state custody, was arrested in February 2010.

Martinez Wednesday pleaded guilty to second degree kidnapping and sexual assault, robbery and attempted sexual assault, all felony offenses.