‘Grim reaper rapist’ cases went cold after years. Man now arrested, Texas police say
A man accused of being the “grim reaper rapist” is in custody after DNA evidence connected him to three rapes in Texas, police say.
The arrest of 38-year-old Adrian Martinez (also known as Edwardo Pena) comes years after the first case, in 2013, went cold. Aransas Pass police told McClatchy News he has been charged with sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault.
The department first made the public aware of an unsolved, brutal rape in October 2013. Aransas Pass police said a female victim was walking north toward Rockport at about 12:30 a.m. Oct. 2 when a man ran across the road and began walking beside her, asking questions.
“The victim said when they got around the 1000 Block of N. Commercial, the suspect assaulted her and tried to knock her out,” police said. “He then brutalized and raped her.”
She recalled the man having a grim reaper tattoo, police said.
“Police had little to go on but did recover DNA evidence from the scene and victim,” officials said.
About a year later, the Aransas Pass Police Department said it learned of a second rape in the Houston area involving the same suspect. And a few years after the original case, police say he raped another female victim in Aransas Pass.
“Capt. Kyle Rhodes remained vigilant in investigating this case and managed to identify the rapist as Adrian Martinez,” police said in a March 25 news release. “After tracking him down and taking him into custody, a confirmed DNA specimen was collected from him and submitted to the lab.”
Authorities say Martinez is linked to both rapes in Aransas Pass and the Houston-area rape. Police are investigating if he is a suspect in any other cases.
Photos of Martinez confirm he has a grim reaper tattoo.
Police ask anyone with information to call Rhodes at 361-758-5224 or Tri-County Crimestoppers at 361-758-8477.
Aransas Pass is about 20 miles northeast of Corpus Christi on Texas’ coastal border and about 200 miles southwest of Houston.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 9:16 AM with the headline "‘Grim reaper rapist’ cases went cold after years. Man now arrested, Texas police say."