A man who dragged a 13-year-old girl by her ankles, bound her wrists and sexually assaulted her on a West Palm Beach bike trail will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Jurors convicted Santo Omar Martinez Varela, 36, of sexual battery, molestation and false imprisonment in May. He returned to court Friday to ask for a reduced sentence, pointing in part to his impoverished childhood in Honduras and the burden a lengthy prison term would place on taxpayers.
Circuit Judge Sarah Willis sentenced him to 75 years instead, with credit for the one year and four months he spent in jail since his arrest.
Prosecutors said Martinez Varela attacked the girl in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, 2025, on the Pinehurst Bike Trail, south of Forest Hill Boulevard. The teen had walked alone from her home at about 9:30 p.m. the night before and settled on a spot along the trail to sit and use her phone.
She told jurors Martinez Varela attacked her hours later. According to Assistant State Attorney Victoria Thacker, he pushed her down and violated her “in every way possible.”
The girl said Martinez Varela raped her as she struggled against him, stopping only after she landed a kick to his chest about 30 minutes later. He ran away, and she called 911.
A medical exam later found dirt, wood chips and debris inside her body.
Surveillance footage, DNA evidence led to arrest for child’s assault
Detectives with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office used surveillance-camera footage and DNA evidence, collected from the girl, to identify Martinez Varela as a suspect. He told deputies he’d smoked marijuana and drank alcohol on the night of the attack.
Martinez Varela had no prior criminal record. He immigrated to Palm Beach County from Comayagua, Honduras, to join his sister in Loxahatchee and worked as a ranch hand at a polo farm before his arrest. He was undocumented.
Before trial, Assistant Public Defender Shelby Smith sought to introduce testimony from the girl’s guardian about her history of auditory and visual hallucinations. The girl denied experiencing hallucinations during a deposition in May.
Smith later recommended a 25-year prison sentence followed by lifetime probation, arguing the taxpayer cost of a longer penalty was unjustifiable for a man who faces deportation to Honduras regardless.
The judge disagreed.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. Reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Man gets 75 years for raping girl, 13, on West Palm Beach bike trail
Reporting by Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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By Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
