Former Seaside resident pleads guilty to raping underage relative in middle of jury trial
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A former Seaside resident has pleaded guilty to multiple forcible rape and sexual assault charges, according to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.
They said 45-year-old Luis Felipe Gomez-Martinez pleaded guilty to the charges in the middle of a jury trial while the victim, a relative of his, was testifying. The charges include seven counts of forcible rape of a minor aged 14 or older, forcible oral copulation of a minor aged 14 or older and forcible sexual penetration of a minor aged 14 or older.
In January 2018, the 20-year-old victim told her family that Gomez-Martinez sexually abused her. During an investigation, she said the abuse started when she was 13 and got worse when she was 14. She said Gomez-Martinez raped her 3 to 5 times when she was a teenager and forcefully committed other acts 100 to 200 times when she was between the ages of 14 and 16. She said he also raped her when she was an adult in Los Angeles.
The victim told investigators that she tried to fight back, but it did not work. After the incidents, she said he would apologize and promise not to do it again, but continued to sexually abuse her over the course of multiple years.
In August 2018, the victim recorded calls to Gomez-Martinez, in which the DA's Office said he repeatedly apologized for what he did, saying he wished he could erase the things he did to her from her mind and that he wished he could take her to a psychologist who would not go to the police. According to the DA's Office, he said at one point that he did not want to go to jail because of what happens to rapists in jail.
The victim testified about the abuse Tuesday, but when she asked for a break, the DA's Office said Gomez-Martinez decided to plead guilty to all charges without any offer of a plea deal.
When he is sentenced in April, Gomez-Martinez is expected to get 41 to 70 years in prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
