Former Miami-Dade transit worker sentenced to life in prison for 2009 rape and attempted murder
A Miami-Dade judge on Friday sentenced a former transit worker to life in prison plus 60 years for the 2009 rape and attempted murder of an 18-year-old woman.
Gregory Martin, 56, was sentenced for the brutal attack that occurred in July 2009. During the hearing, prosecutors detailed the violence of the crime, noting that the victim pleaded for her life.
"She described to him that she was pregnant during the first rape," a prosecutor said. "It made no difference to him. It had no consequence and no impact on him because he is a conscienceless individual."
Seventeen years after being raped, left for dead, and pregnant at the time of the attack, the survivor faced Martin in court and offered forgiveness.
"I really don't hate you. I actually love you because my heart is not made for that," the woman said. "My heart is made to forgive."
The survivor told the court that while she struggled in the aftermath of the assault, her thoughts are now with Martin's other alleged victims. "I feel their pain," she said. "The pain that was not only for me but for them."
Investigators connected Martin to the crime after his DNA matched samples collected in the case. Martin was initially arrested in December 2009 for the attempted murder of an ex-girlfriend, which led to the discovery of his DNA profile.
Martin remains in custody as he awaits trial for the 2000 rape and murder of 13-year-old Cynteria Phillips. Phillips' body was discovered in a grassy area near Miami Edison Senior High School. Authorities have linked Martin to that case through DNA evidence.
Before Martin stands trial for the first-degree murder charge in the Phillips case, the judge issued a life sentence, along with a separate 15-year sentence, regarding the 2009 attack.
The judge directed prosecutors and defense attorneys to prepare for the Phillips murder case to go to trial in early 2027, noting it remains one of the oldest open cases pending at the courthouse.