Jose Roberto Hernandez-Espinal Identified As Maryland Rape Suspect, Threatened Victim with Machete

A man accused of raping a teenage girl and threatening another woman with a machete before sexually assaulting her in Maryland was found to be residing in the United States illegally on Friday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed that the suspect, identified as 20-year-old Jose Roberto Hernandez-Espinal, is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who entered the United States in 2013.

According to reports, Hernandez-Espinal allegedly committed two separate crimes at a park in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The first incident involved the rape of a 15-year-old, while the second involved the rape of a woman. During the second incident, Hernandez-Espinal is said to have threatened the alleged victim and her friend with a machete.

I is alleged that Hernandez-Espinal brandished a machete at one of the victims and then proceeded to take her to a secluded area where he reportedly raped her and stole her jewelry before making a getaway.

Hernandez-Espinal was arrested on Tuesday and charged with alleged rape and alleged robbery of the victim’s friend.

According to reports, he purportedly brandished a machete and made threats towards the two individuals, while also attempting to take possession of their mobile phones. He faces charges of first-degree rape, kidnapping, and armed robbery.

In recent years, record highs have been reached in illegal immigration. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there were over 2.3 million migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border during fiscal year 2022.

There were over 1.4 million migrant encounters recorded between October 2022 and April. In April, there were 211,401 migrant encounters reported.