German Mathews, 40, an illegal immigrant who has been deported from the U.S. five times, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison. He pleaded guilty in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court to charges of rape, felonious assault, and kidnapping. Mathews was found on top of the victim by police, who were responding to a 911 call. He attempted to flee the scene but was promptly arrested. The victim, a developmentally disabled woman, endured head injuries and multiple facial fractures.
Police Sgt. Jackie Dreyer described the attack as one of the most brutal crimes she has investigated during her over 20-year career. The assault occurred on April 29, while the victim was on her way to a bus stop in Forest Park. Lawyer James Bogen reported that Mathews, intoxicated from stolen liquor, has no memory of the incident and felt “possessed by a demon” at the time of the attack, as told to authorities.
Mathews, also known as Hernan Mateos, first entered the U.S. illegally in 2005 and has been arrested multiple times since then. His convictions include driving without a valid license, disorderly intoxication, sexual battery, and false imprisonment. After a criminal complaint in July 2017, Mathews admitted to illegally crossing the Rio Grande into Texas and was fined $10. Bogen indicated that Mathews repeatedly returned to the U.S. to escape poverty.
