The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1211carjack-ON.html
Victims still haunted by bloody carjacking spree
Jahna Berry
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 11, 2006 07:01 PM
Ramon Hernandez-Martinez will probably die prison, but his victims say that his bloody crime spree continues to haunt them.
On Monday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Brian Ishikawa sentenced Hernandez-Martinez to 127 years in prison for a string of crimes including, robbery, carjacking and assault, which led police on a chase through the West Valley in January.
In a separate case, Ishikawa sentenced Hernandez-Martinez to a life sentence for repeatedly stabbing a sheriff's deputy in a courthouse elevator.
Before Hernandez-Martinez was sentenced, several victims urged the judge to be tough.
Home no longer feels safe for two young boys who managed to escape when Hernandez-Martinez broke in their house with a gun, said a woman who lives with the boys and their father.
The deputy who was attacked says he breaks into a cold sweat in elevators.
"I will have physical scars for the rest of my life," said the deputy Rick Lopez, who says he always carries a gun now. "I will have him with me for the rest of my life," Lopez said, referring to the defendant.
Because Hernandez-Martinez had attacked a deputy, court security was tight. Six deputies guarded the courtroom, including four officers from the Special Response Team.
The 39-year-old spoke out on his behalf and blamed his court record on his drug addiction, running afoul of immigration laws and his desperate urge to escape jail. He also argued that he couldn't get a fair trial in Maricopa County because the stabbing involved a deputy who worked in the same court complex.
"You know, I need to defend my self here," Hernandez-Martinez said. "I am not the devil. I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe in God . . . When you are treated like an animal, that's what they act like."
Hernandez's three children, mother and a cousin were present in the courtroom but did not speak on his behalf.
Before he was arrested in the carjacking case, Hernandez Martinez, an undocumented immigrant, was a career criminal with cases dating back to 1988.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said that he was pleased with the outcome of the case.
"I am very happy with the sentence," Arpaio said. "People don't mess with my deputies and get away with it."
Victims still haunted by bloody carjacking spree
Jahna Berry
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 11, 2006 07:01 PM
Ramon Hernandez-Martinez will probably die prison, but his victims say that his bloody crime spree continues to haunt them.
On Monday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Brian Ishikawa sentenced Hernandez-Martinez to 127 years in prison for a string of crimes including, robbery, carjacking and assault, which led police on a chase through the West Valley in January.
In a separate case, Ishikawa sentenced Hernandez-Martinez to a life sentence for repeatedly stabbing a sheriff's deputy in a courthouse elevator.
Before Hernandez-Martinez was sentenced, several victims urged the judge to be tough.
Home no longer feels safe for two young boys who managed to escape when Hernandez-Martinez broke in their house with a gun, said a woman who lives with the boys and their father.
The deputy who was attacked says he breaks into a cold sweat in elevators.
"I will have physical scars for the rest of my life," said the deputy Rick Lopez, who says he always carries a gun now. "I will have him with me for the rest of my life," Lopez said, referring to the defendant.
Because Hernandez-Martinez had attacked a deputy, court security was tight. Six deputies guarded the courtroom, including four officers from the Special Response Team.
The 39-year-old spoke out on his behalf and blamed his court record on his drug addiction, running afoul of immigration laws and his desperate urge to escape jail. He also argued that he couldn't get a fair trial in Maricopa County because the stabbing involved a deputy who worked in the same court complex.
"You know, I need to defend my self here," Hernandez-Martinez said. "I am not the devil. I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe in God . . . When you are treated like an animal, that's what they act like."
Hernandez's three children, mother and a cousin were present in the courtroom but did not speak on his behalf.
Before he was arrested in the carjacking case, Hernandez Martinez, an undocumented immigrant, was a career criminal with cases dating back to 1988.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said that he was pleased with the outcome of the case.
"I am very happy with the sentence," Arpaio said. "People don't mess with my deputies and get away with it."