A previously deported Houston man has admitted to a violent crime spree that started in a grocery store and ended inside a family’s home. On Friday, 35-year-old Jose Luis Reyes-Martinez pleaded guilty to robbery, carjacking, brandishing a firearm and illegal reentry for a series of attacks on Sept. 9, 2023, that left supermarket workers threatened at gunpoint and a nearby family traumatized. Federal authorities say DNA evidence tied him to a sexual assault during the home invasion.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, Reyes-Martinez first forced his way into a Fiesta Supermarket in the 11000 block of Airline Drive. Prosecutors say he pulled a handgun on two employees, ordered one into a frozen meat locker, and demanded cash before taking off on a bicycle. Investigators say he then moved to a nearby residence, where he broke in, held a family hostage for hours, tied up one family member, sexually assaulted a woman while again brandishing the firearm, and stole the family’s car and valuables before leaving. The FBI and Houston Police Department handled the investigation, and forensic testing on a condom recovered at the scene allegedly matched Reyes-Martinez’s DNA…