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St. Pete Attack Had Air Of Revenge, Police Say

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 23, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Rigoberto Morón 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 - Vicente Reyes-Carbajal, 20, of Ruskin, and Jose Walle, 13, of Wimauma - were arrested Wednesday in a crime spree across the Tampa Bay area that 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 raped by three men, authorities said.

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, Martinez is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman who had been taking a shower, Hillsborough authorities say.

A St. Petersburg sex crimes detective was working Friday 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.

Martinez Hired To Clean Restaurant

In this case, Martinez, Reyes-Carbajal and Walle are accused of entering the restaurant through a rear entrance as employees were cleaning up about 3 a.m. Martinez is accused of raping 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's job was 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.

Police: DNA Links Suspect To Crime

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.

One reason for the Aug. 5 arrest was to obtain a DNA sample from Martinez to compare with DNA evidence collected after the St. Petersburg rape, Proffitt said.

Martinez was released after a night in jail. He 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 so the cleaner 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 became a suspect in the attack on the two employees in Apollo Beach, authorities said. He was identified from a 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 spthompson@tampatrib.com or (727) 451-2336.

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