Rapist who acted as own lawyer gets life plus 30 years in prison

Nathan Martinez, who chose to represent himself in court on trial for rape, burglary, kidnapping and more, was found guilty Friday and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.

In March 2014, Martinez entered a Forest Acres home early in the morning and raped a mother at gunpoint after locking her two school-aged children in a bathroom.

He then robbed the victim of cash, her debit card and jewelry, including her husband’s wedding band, according to 5th Circuit Solicitor Dan Johnson in a news release Saturday.

During the trial, Martinez, 37, argued that he suffered from mental health issues and that he had been implanted with microchips by police in Utah, Johnson said.

A forensic psychologist testified that Martinez has an antisocial personality disorder. But, the psychologist testified, Martinez had malingered and feigned symptoms of mental health issues.

When the case first went to trial in September, Martinez fired his fifth court-appointed attorney and was allowed to act as his own lawyer, questioning his victims directly.

A mistrial resulted before the jury got the case, although the judge would not say why, and the Martinez case returned to court in early December.

The jury was allowed to decide between four verdicts. They could find Martinez either: guilty, guilty but mentally ill, not guilty by reason of insanity or not guilty. The jury found him guilty of all charges against him, Johnson said.

Circuit Court Judge Knox McMahon handed down the maximum sentence for each crime, resulting in life in prison, followed by a consecutive sentence of 30 years.

This story was originally published December 10, 2016 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Rapist who acted as own lawyer gets life plus 30 years in prison."