A Lifetime of Accountability: Offender to Serve 75-Year Day-for-Day Sentence

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- On December 10, 2025, a Montgomery County jury convicted Walter Hernandez-Martinez, 43, of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child Under 14. Judge Patty Maginnis sentenced Hernandez-Martinez to 75 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, a day-for-day sentence with no possibility of parole under Texas law. Assistant District Attorneys Criss Cole and Clay Casey prosecuted the case, and Judge Maginnis imposed the sentence after considering the punishment-phase evidence.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Hernandez-Martinez traveled from Maryland to Montgomery County on several occasions beginning in 2023. Testimony established that during two of those visits, in February 2024 and May 2024, he sexually abused a 13-year-old child inside a residence while a younger child was asleep nearby. Communications recovered from his phone showed that he solicited nude images from the child, sent sexually explicit videos of himself, discussed plans to engage in sexual activity, and purchased emergency contraception and other contraceptives, which he directed the child to take following the abuse.

The May 2024 offense came to light when an adult entered the room and found Hernandez-Martinez and the child undressed. The child was immediately transported for a forensic medical examination, which documented injuries consistent with sexual abuse. DNA testing confirmed the defendant’s involvement, and disclosures made during the forensic interview at Children’s Safe Harbor aligned with the medical and digital findings.

Digital forensic analysts from MCDAO conducted a full extraction of the defendant’s phone. Jeff Chappell, who leads the MCDAO Digital Forensics Lab, testified regarding the results of the analysis, including the defendant’s search history related to emergency contraception, pornographic material involving seemingly juvenile individuals, and videos stored on the device. Chappell also presented GPS data recovered from the phone, confirming that Hernandez-Martinez was in the Conroe area during the February 2024 and May 2024 dates of the offenses, consistent with the timeline established at trial.

Hernandez-Martinez testified during the trial and admitted to one instance of sexual abuse but denied the second allegation. He claimed that a “witch” in Mexico compelled him to commit the offense and had hacked his phone to send messages and conduct search activity reflected in the forensic evidence. The jury rejected these explanations.

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office commends the work of the Conroe Police Department, Children’s Safe Harbor, and the MCDAO Digital Forensics Lab for their role in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

Assistant District Attorney Criss Cole said, “This defendant crossed the country to abuse a vulnerable child and thought distance would protect him. He was wrong. This verdict makes clear that abusers cannot hide from accountability in Montgomery County.”

District Attorney Michael Holley said, “In Montgomery County, those who target and exploit children will face the full, unwavering strength of this office. A day-for-day sentence ensures this offender will never again have access to a child — and that is the justice this child and our community deserves.”