Suspect accused of sexual attack due in court Feb. 10

A Santa Ana man accused of raping and trying to kill a prostitute in Costa Mesa and kidnapping and assaulting another woman in Santa Ana pleaded not guilty Friday in Orange County Superior Court.

Juan Carlos Martinez, 28, faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

In May, police said Martinez picked up a 25-year-old prostitute on Harbor Boulevard and McFadden Avenue and headed toward the Motel 6 off Gisler Avenue in Costa Mesa.

Instead of going there though, police said, Martinez pulled into a secluded parking lot off Harbor and MacArthur boulevards.

There, Martinez is accused of pulling out a knife and demanding the woman either have sex with him or hand over her money. She resisted, and he stabbed her several times, including in the head and abdomen, before driving off, police said.

Police said he committed a similar act in August in Santa Ana. Martinez is accused of forcing a woman at a bus stop into his car and sexually assaulting her before she was able to get away. Martinez was arrested a week after that alleged attack.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have placed a detainer on Martinez for possible immigration violations.

He is due back in court Feb. 10 for a pretrial hearing.

— Joseph Serna