A Las Vegas student who violently assaulted his teacher in 2022 was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years in prison.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, 17-year-old Jonathan Eluterio Martinez Garcia pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted murder, attempted sexual assault, and battery with the use of a deadly weapon causing significant bodily harm.
During Sentencing, Martinez-Garcia, 17, reportedly sneered while the court heard chilling details of how he meticulously planned an attack on his teacher at El Dorado High School in April 2022.
According to testimony, the defendant approached the teacher after class, pretending to discuss his grades. When she turned her back, Martinez-Garcia attempted to strangle her with a “rope or string,” DailyMail reports. He then forcefully slammed her head against a table, rendering her unconscious.
When the victim regained consciousness, she discovered her pants and underwear had been forcibly removed. Martinez-Garcia then poured a substance over her, threatening to set her on fire, before pushing a bookshelf onto her and sitting on it.
The victim shared an impact statement in court, telling the judge that she thought death was imminent while being attacked. She described the ordeal as leaving her mentally and physically “imprisoned,” with visible bruises covering her body.
“It only makes sense that he too should be in prison for as long as possible,” the teacher, who only identified herself as “Sade,” said in court.
According to CBS 8, the defendant’s lawyer, Tyler Gaston, informed the judge that his client’s conduct resulted from the side effects of an asthma medication he had taken. The medication led to mood swings, night terrors, and hallucinations, the attorney said.
“There’s no behavior we’re trying to alter or correct here because the issue is resolved. He’s off Montelukast,” Gaston said. “So to dress up a prison sentence as punishment is just vengeance; it doesn’t change a thing for anybody.”
The judge said there is “no excuse” to attack an educator before handing down sentencing.
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[Feature Photo: CBS 8 via YouTube]
