Cirilo Martinez, 62, of Goleta, was sentenced to 300 years to life after being convicted on 12 counts stemming from the sexual abuse of two young girls between 2015 and 2019. According to a statement from Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch, Martinez’s sister was babysitting the two victims in the same home where he resided, and over the course of four years, Martinez “took advantage of his position of trust to groom and molest the young girls.”
At the time of the abuse, the two victims were between the ages of 4 and 9 years old. According to investigators, the abuse came to light years later when the youngest of the two victims — by then 9 years old — disclosed “numerous acts of abuse that she and her sister suffered at the hands of the defendant.”
The allegations were reported to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, and the investigation was led by detectives Nicholas Adomaitis and Martha Sosa, who “were able to build the necessary rapport with the young girls and their families,” Savrnoch said. Ultimately, the detectives were able to get Martinez to confess to the abuse.
“During the trial, two courageous young women, now aged 12 and 14, confronted their abuser with remarkable strength,” Savrnoch said.
On September 13, a Santa Barbara jury found Martinez guilty on two counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10, and 10 counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. He was also given the special allegation of committing crimes against multiple victims. This week, Judge Von Deroian officially sentenced Martinez to 300 years to life.
Savrnoch highlighted the work of District Attorney Victim Advocate Heatherlynn Lemus, who worked with the victims’ family throughout the trial, and of the prosecution team, led by Senior Deputy District Attorney Megan Chanda, whose dedication and skill, Savrnoch said, “were instrumental in holding the defendant accountable for his heinous actions.”
“As a result, he will never have the opportunity to harm another child again,” Savrnoch said.
