Serial Rapist Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- On Monday, April 26, 2021, a jury sentenced Jorge Arturo Mar Jr., 26, to 45 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice — Institutional Division charges of Aggravated Sexual Assault involving a Montgomery County woman. The same jury found Mar guilty on Friday on both charges. Assistant District Attorneys Joel Daniels and Michael Ghutzman tried this case in the 359th District Court, the Honorable Kathleen Hamilton presiding. Mar will not be eligible for parole until the year 2041.

During trial, the State presented evidence that on August 1, 2018, Mar raped a Montgomery County woman at knifepoint in his vehicle in Spring. After the rape, Mar stole the woman's phone and left her stranded. The woman was eventually able to call 911, and deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office quickly responded. The deputies collected multiple items of physical evidence on scene that connected Mar to the sexual assault. Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Detective Anthony Frisina significantly furthered the investigation by locating a number of similar cases involving Mar under investigation by the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff's Office, and the Harris County District Attorney's Office. After coordinating with those agencies, prosecutors presented evidence of four other rapes of Harris county women, all using a knife. Mar still faces additional felony charges in Harris County.

Prosecutor Michael Ghutzman: Prosecutor Michael Ghutzman. 'Mr. Daniels and I want to personally thank all of the professionals from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff's Office, and the Harris County District Attorney's Office for their assistance in investigating and trying this important case. We also want to thank these brave women for coming forward and facing Mar in court. Without their courage, Mar would be free to continue his life of sexual violence.'

District Attorney Brett Ligon: 'When a man commits a series of violent crimes against women in multiple counties, he's telling you exactly what he thinks about others. On Monday, a Montgomery County jury told Mar exactly what we think about him.'