'Serial Rapist' Pleads No Contest in 5 Attacks

By Jack Tobias

A 21-year-old Bethlehem man described by the district attorney as a "serial rapist" has pleaded "no contest" in cases involving five different teenage girls, according to online court records and a published report.

Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano said Thursday he would "accept ... with trepidation" the pleas from David Martinez, according to a story in the Express-Times.

Four of the pleas were for aggravated indecent assault and one was for attempted indecent assault, the story said.

Court records say sentencing has been set for 10:30 a.m. March 13 before Giordano. The case was prosecuted by assistant district attorney Patricia Broscius. Representing Martinez was attorney Matthew C. Potts, the records say.

According to a previous Patch story, Martinez would "friend" the girls via Facebook, then arrange to meet with them. The meetings would start out like dates but suddenly would turn ugly when Martinez would become aggressive and force himself on the girls.

The incidents for which Martinez, of 421 Maple St., was charged occurred Dec. 1, 2011, Feb. 1, 2012, June 19, 2012, Sept. 22, 2012 and Jan. 3, 2013, the records say. Four of the five victims were 17 at the time of the attacks and one was 14. Two were pregnant.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli called Martinez a “serial rapist” during a news conference in February 2013. At the time, Martinez had been charged with two rapes, but police believed there were other victims and were asking them to step forward.

Within three days of that news conference, three more of Martinez’s alleged victims had told their stories to police.