Dec 12, 2007 11:36 am US/Pacific
Forensic Evidence Helps Catch O.C. Rape Suspect
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CBS) ―
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San Juan Capistrano rape suspect Alejandro Martinez Leyva
CBS
A suspect was held without bail Wednesday in connection with the weekend rape of a woman, 24, near a freeway off-ramp in San Juan Capistrano, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Alejandro Martinez Leyva, 25, was arrested at the San Juan Capistrano home he shares with others near the location of the assault, according to the department's Jim Amormino.
His name had initially been withheld until the victim, who was attacked as she returned to her home in San Diego County, could be shown his photo to make an identification.
The victim identified the man as her alleged attacker, Amormino said.
The suspect, a gardener, was being held at the Orange County Jail, Amormino said, and an immigration hold was placed on him.
Leyva was eliminated as a suspect in the Oct. 8 rape of a 51-year-old woman who was walking to work in Los Rios Street in San Juan Capistrano, Amormino said.
In the weekend attack, detectives had a good description of the suspect's vehicle and, using physical and forensic evidence from the scene, were able to come up with a suspect, Amormino said.
Detectives "located the car and staked out the home before obtaining a search warrant," Amormino said. The detectives obtained additional evidence at the home. About 15 people described as friends and co-workers of the suspect live in the home and several people had access to the vehicle, Amormino said.
The woman was driving southbound when her car spun out of control. She was on a cell phone when the suspect pulled in front of her disabled car and offered help, but the victim said she did not need assistance, Amormino said.
He grabbed the phone and threw it, then forced her into the front seat of the car and raped her, Amormino said. After the suspect fled, the woman found her cell phone nearby and called 911.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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