Before a Lancaster County judge sent a Texas man to prison Thursday for filming sex with a Lincoln teenager in 2022, a prosecutor chastised the 21-year-old for his "lies, deceit and manipulation" that hung over the case before and after he filmed the girl.
In front of a crowded court gallery Thursday afternoon, Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Julie Mruz described an escalating series of lies that took Jose L. Martinez from a then-17-year-old girl's social media inbox to a local motel room last April, where the Laredo man repeatedly filmed sexual acts with the teen.
Mruz said Martinez initially lied about his real name and how old he was when the two began an online relationship and later, after the girl ended things with the 21-year-old, he used fake phone numbers to harass her.
At times, Mruz said, Martinez demanded the girl not shower without FaceTiming him and required her to send nude photos of herself.
He would become enraged, the prosecutor said, if the girl didn't answer his phone calls — even when she was at school or work.
"(The girl) was subject to brainwashing by Mr. Martinez and his manipulation," Mruz said. "She not only consistently was sending him money, but was also convinced by him to self-harm."
Mruz said the girl finally escaped the "nightmare" in April 2022, ending her relationship with Martinez after he'd spent two weeks at a local motel, where he took explicit photos and videos of the girl — adding to a collection of hundreds of nude images he'd compiled of the teen.
But after she ended her relationship with Martinez, he threatened to "expose" the teen by sharing the images online.
Eventually, Martinez followed through, sending a photo of the girl he had taken in the motel to one of the girl's classmates while continuing to send harassing texts to the 17-year-old, Lincoln Police Investigator Ben Pflanz said in the affidavit for Martinez's arrest.
But even after Martinez was arrested in Iowa that month and charged in Lancaster County with generation of child pornography, Mruz said Martinez has continued to reach out to the girl.
"It is crystal clear to the state ... that he still has zero remorse for his actions, despite his words in court today," Mruz said. "His behavior has affected (the girl) and her family. And he just simply doesn't care."
Martinez pleaded guilty in March to attempted generation of child pornography as part of a plea deal.
Martinez's attorney, Darik Von Loh, said little at the 21-year-old's sentencing hearing Thursday, instead pointing to a letter he penned to Judge John A. Colborn in defense of his client.
"I just would ask that Mr. Martinez be given a lenient sentence," Von Loh said. "I believe that the circumstances surrounding this case do not warrant any kind of lengthy jail sentence, judge."
Martinez, too, was brief when given a chance to speak at the hearing.
"I apologize to the victim and her mother," he said, "and everything else is in the letter, your honor."
In her comments, Mruz indicated that Martinez had asked for a five-year prison term in his letter to the court. The prosecutor asked for a "lengthy" sentence and a no-contact order preventing Martinez from communicating further with the teen.
Colborn ultimately sided with the state, sentencing Martinez to 20 to 30 years in prison — an order that drew muted celebration and some tears from supporters of the victim in the courtroom.
Martinez, who was given credit for 233 days served, will be eligible for parole in 2032.
Four years ago: Photos, videos from catastrophic flooding in Nebraska
Flooding in Nickerson, 3.13
Flooding in Wahoo, 3.13
Flooding in Nickerson, 3.13
Flooding in Ashland Area, 3.14
Flooding in Ashland Area, 3.14
Flooding, Ashland
Flooding, Hooper
Flooding, 3.14
Flooding, 3.14
Flooding, 3.14
Flooding, 3.14
Fremont flooding
Rescued in boat
Spencer Dam
Highway flooding
Genoa bridge
Stranded cattle
Flooding, 3.15
Flooding, 3.15
Tuxedo Park in Crete
Platte River flooding at I-80
Flooding near Plattsmouth, 3.16
Peru flooding, 3.17
Peru flooding, 3.17
Peru flooding, 3.17
Peru flooding, 3.17
Peru flooding, 3.17
Peru flooding, 3.17
Peru flooding, 3.17
Peru flooding, 3.17
Rescuing calf in Fullerton
Nebraska City flooding
Cooper plant
Water flowing over levee L575 across the river from Nebraska City in Percival, Iowa