DELAWARE — A 25-year-old man who rented a room in a home in Georgetown was sentenced in Superior Court for beating and raping a woman who lived in the home, and for killing another man.
In October 2016, Juan Tovar Cruz returned to the house on Wilson Hill Road where he had just started living the week before. Tovar Cruz threatened the woman who lived there, then tied her up with an electrical cord and raped her multiple times. The victim’s 2-year-old daughter was present in the home during the assault. The victim was able to escape to a neighbor’s to call police, and when Delaware State Troopers arrived, they found a man who had been beaten to death with a hammer.
In January 2019, Tovar Cruz pleaded guilty to Murder Second Degree, Rape First Degree, Rape Second Degree, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and Assault Second Degree. A judge sentenced Tovar Cruz to 67 years in prison followed by 1 year of home confinement and 2 years of probation. Deputy Attorneys General Martin Cosgrove and Rebecca Anderson prosecuted the case and social worker Monserrat Matos assisted in the prosecution.
