Undocumented Mexican immigrant found not guilty of rape by Madison County jury

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – An undocumented Mexican immigrant accused of raping at 12 year old undocumented immigrant girl was found not guilty by a Madison County jury Wednesday.

Adrian Hernandez Martinez, 26, languished for two years in the Madison County Jail due to immigration policy while awaiting trial. He basically served two years for a crime he didn’t commit.

Martinez will now be deported to Mexico.

The case began when the victim, who was 12, bragged to a priest she had a boyfriend and she had sex with him. The priest, required by law to report the allegation of underaged sex, followed the law. What the priest did not know was the girl had a history of schizophrenic delusions and had an infatuation with Martinez. Martinez did not return her affections and repeatedly told the girl to obey her mother and leave him alone.

Madison County authorities adopted a “believe the victim” approach to the case, despite a complete lack of forensic evidence and clear evidence that the alleged victim had mental health issues.

Further, there was a complete breakdown in investigative procedure when items alleged to be evidence were either never tested or not tested until two years after the alleged incident.

Had they been tested, defense attorney Patrick “Buddy” Hill told the jury, Martinez would have been exonerated two years ago.

While prosecutor Robin Drake told the jury the state had proved its case, Hill laid out a convincing case for Martinez innocence. He told the jury that in 21 years of practicing law, it was rare to tell a jury that a client was completely innocent of a charge.

Circuit Judge Karen K. Hall presided over the trial.