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Police: Revenge Among Motives In St. Pete Attack

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 22, 2008

Updated: 08/22/2008 06:09 pm

  Rigoberto Morón Martinez

  Vincente Reyes-Carbajal

  Jose Walle

ST. PETERSBURG - Rigoberto Moron Martinez had worked at one of the restaurants where he is accused of raping an employee during a robbery, and investigators believe he did so, at least in part, because of a dispute over money he had had with the owner.

"Revenge appears to be part of the motivation," St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill Proffitt said.

Martinez, 20, and two others – Vincente Reyes-Carbajal, 20, of Ruskin, and Jose Walle, 13, of Wimauma – were arrested Wednesday in a crime spree across the Tampa Bay area which one lawman described as a "reign of terror."

They were charged in connection with a robbery Saturday at The Docks restaurant in Apollo Beach after which two female employees were taken to a remote location and were raped by all three.

Martinez has also been linked to an attack on two teens July 19 on U.S. 41 and Elsberry Road and to a July 3 home invasion in Gibsonton. In the home invasion, two Hispanic males, one of them Martinez, duct-taped a man's hands and feet before Martinez raped a 23-year-old woman who had been taking a shower, Hillsborough authorities say.

A St. Petersburg sex crimes detective was working today with the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office to craft warrants charging the trio in an Aug. 3 robbery and rape at The Table restaurant, 535 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg, where Martinez worked in early July, Proffitt said.

In this case, Martinez, Reyes-Carbajal, and Walle, all of whom were wearing masks, entered the restaurant through a rear entrance as employees were cleaning up about 3 a.m., and Martinez raped one of the employees, Proffitt said.

All three are expected to be charged with robbery, with Martinez also charged with sexual battery, Proffitt said.

Joe Moledo, manager of the restaurant, told investigators Martinez had been hired as a cleaner, even though he was an illegal immigrant. Martinez lasted about a week, Proffitt said. He and Moledo had a dispute over pay, Martinez was fired, and then Martinez made several threats, Proffitt said.

Moledo said Martinez was hired to clean the restaurant's kitchen from midnight to 3 a.m. six days a week. Staffers didn't know Martinez because he worked such a late shift, Moledo said.

"I don't look for character, I don't look for charisma," Moledo said of the late-night shift. "I look for come in, clean up and go home."

Moledo said he had a gut feeling Martinez was involved in the rape based on his employee's description to police of the attacker.

Moledo had Martinez's name, but he did not have the name of another man who briefly worked at the restaurant at the same time; investigators were trying to determine whether that man was Reyes-Carbajal, Proffitt said.

Neither the pay dispute nor the fact that Martinez worked at The Table was enough to arrest him, Proffitt said. Furthermore, the culprits were masked, and the employees present during the robbery and rape had never met Martinez, Proffitt said.

So investigators with St. Petersburg's special investigative unit – who have jurisdiction statewide – decided to put Martinez under surveillance. Soon after, detectives arrested Martinez on a warrant accusing him of violating a domestic violence restraining order.

The point of the Aug. 5 arrest was to surreptitiously obtain a DNA sample from Martinez to compare with DNA evidence collected after the St. Petersburg rape, and that is what the detectives did, Proffitt said.

Martinez was released after spending one night in jail, and he later returned to The Table saying he was broke and needed the $100 he said was owed him, Moledo said.

Moledo said Martinez told him he had just spent four nights in jail. Moledo knew Martinez only had spent a night behind bars.

Moledo said he thinks Martinez lied to him that so he wouldn't be considered a suspect in the Aug. 3 rape.

"Why would he lie to me?" Moledo said. "He doesn't even know me."

Later Martinez and two accomplices raped the two employees in Apollo Beach, authorities said. He was identified from a video surveillance camera image after he used the credit card of one of the rape victims, authorities said.

St. Petersburg investigators recognized Martinez, and they gave his name to Hillsborough authorities, Proffitt said.

Reporter Josh Poltilove contributed to this report. Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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