.
Feedback

'Serial Rapist' May Have 3 More Victims

Northampton County DA John Morganelli is seeking victims of a 'serial rapist'

A Bethlehem man who allegedly blamed his sex addiction for the rape of two teens he met on Facebook may be implicated in three more cases, according to a WFMZ report.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said this week that David Martinez, 20, may have more victims, based on police interviews with Martinez.

Since Morganelli's announcement, at least three girls have come forward. Their claims are being investigated.

He asked anyone who thinks they were victimized by Martinez to call Bethlehem Police Det. Moses Miller at 610-997-7674 or the DA's office at 610-559-3020.

"We do consider him [Martinez] a person of danger and a serial rapist," Morganelli said in a news conference Wednesday.

Martinez -- who is in Northampton County Prison on $100,000 bail -- allegedly raped one of the girls last February and the other last September. He raped the girls – one was 14, the other 17 -- on the couch inside his home at 421 Maple St., court records say.

Martinez was charged this week with rape and rape by forcible compulsion, three counts of indecent assault, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, two counts of sexual assault and one count of statutory sexual assault.

He met both girls on Facebook, Morganelli said, and added that Martinez also befriended other women "daily" using the social networking site.

His statements to police have led investigators to believe he targeted other young women in the same manner as the two girls, Morganelli said.

And although the two girls lived fairly close to Martinez -- one in Bethlehem, the other in Catasauqua -- Morganelli said there's no reason to assume his victims were only local women.

"We feel this man is a danger to the community," Morganelli said, adding that he and police don't want to ignore other cases.

According to court records, Martinez met the girls on Facebook, started exchanging text messages with them, then arranged to actually meet them. Once at his home, he would sit with them on the couch, make sexual advances, and when they resisted, he would pin them to the couch and rape them.

In the case of the first girl -- who was 14 when Martinez allegedly raped her in February 2012 -- he pinned her on the couch and forced sex on her.

The teen started crying and telling him to stop, and he slapped her in the mouth, causing a bruised lip. He went to an upstairs bathroom and when he came down, she told him she was leaving. After she left, he texted her to “delete my number.”

Police say the second girl told essentially the same story. When interviewed, Martinez allegedly apologized for what he had done and said he was trying to become a "follower of Christ." 

Morganelli said Martinez told investigators he was a sex addict, and unable to control himself.

"When he was in the presence of a woman, he felt compelled to have sex with her," Morganelli said. "He felt sorry, but he couldn't control it."

But Morganelli dismissed the notion that some sort of pscyhological issue led Martinez to commit the crimes he's accused of. He said he's more interested in prosecuting the case.

"I guess anything's possible," he said. "I see him as a serial rapist. What his motive is, that's not my concern."

Keith February 9, 2013 at 07:23 pm
Rapists should be castratrated.
Rachel Thompson February 10, 2013 at 02:07 pm
cereal rapists love captain crunch and tony the tiger.
Kim February 13, 2013 at 04:11 pm
Hey Rachel, sounds like a joke to you huh? Would you feel the same way if you were raped? Hmmmmmm, let's hope it never happens to ya!
Brooke February 13, 2013 at 04:22 pm
I agree with Keith and Kim! Rachel, people like you need to learn to shut your mouths. How insensitive are you? I've seen some of your other ignorant posts. Go away already!
Rosemary B February 13, 2013 at 05:15 pm
We all have self control. This guys defense is a crock! Gotta be careful who you meet with. Must caution our daughters about creeps like him! Group dates are best.

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from Bethlehem Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
An interested bystander May 6, 2013 at 05:29 pm
Just pointing out facts. You are also forgetting that money withdrawn from an IRA or 401k (exceptRead More Roth IRAs) are taxed at withdrawal. I prefer my government not punish good financial actions. Sorry it's a quirk of mine, I think we should reward those who make good decisions, not punish them.
Tony Simek May 6, 2013 at 06:35 pm
I agree with you Interested Bystander. Problem is that if you punish the ones making the badRead More decisions, the Federal government will be punished all the time. In the current climate, poor decision making gets rewarded by voters. The middle class doesn't have a chance.
Bill May 9, 2013 at 05:11 am
Naziti and Caroline Johnson so sorry to take so long to get back to you from your comments onRead More Sunday, May 5th, I didn't think I would have to respond. I re-posted Ken's comment because the REAL issue is "AARP selling out it's faithful supporters for BIG MONEY. So let me break it down so even the Soros trolls understand. ObamaCare guts SS and medicare reserve money by 750 Billion. Which ends these programs as we know them. AARP publicly backs ObamaCare. Seniors confused about OCare but trust AARP and their massive ad campaign for OCare. AARP contributes to re-election AARP becomes insurance provided for OCare. Unleashes host of insurance options that Seniors will be needing to make decisions about in next 2-3 years. Complicate the choices for Seniors so they fall back on who they have trusted in the past. Still unaware of the great deception perpetrated by AARP. OCARE fully enacted 2014. AARP gets steady $$$ insurance income now (not $16 membership fees for whoever posted that line above). SS and MediCare bankrupt (3/4 trillion $ stolen to fund OCare) Result for SENIORS. NO SS or MEDicare it's dissolved or becomes something less. Free OCare that sucks. Pay AARP for supplemental Ins. Prescriptions too expensive to purchase so go without or pay AARP for better plan. AARP richer and more powerful represents Gvmt Seniors - Self rule lost You see they screwed the very people that paid dues for their protection!