Suspect in Silver Spring trail rape case is in US illegally: ICE

Hyattsville man accused in two rape cases in U.S. illegally

New details in the case of a man accused of raping a teenager and a woman in the same park that spans Montgomery and Prince George's County. According to court documents FOX 5 has obtained, 20-year-old Jose Hernandez-Espinal is accused of approaching a teenage girl and her boyfriend back on May 10 at the Northwest Branch Trail. He allegedly followed the couple before threatening them with a large knife and forcing the 15-year-old into the woods nearby.

WASHINGTON - The suspect accused of raping a 15-year-old girl and a woman days later on a Maryland hiking trail is in the U.S. illegally, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Jose Roberto Hernandez-Espinal, 20, was arrested and charged with raping a woman and robbing her friend Tuesday at Burnt Mills East Special Park.

Court documents revealed Hernandez-Espinal walked up to the woman and her friend who was having lunch in the park, threatened them with a machete and demanded their phones. Then, police said he pointed the machete at one of the women’s backs, walked her to a secluded part of the trail, raped her, stole her jewelry then ran away.

According to an ICE spokesperson, Hernandez-Espinal is a national of El Salvador and unlawfully entered the U.S. in May 2013.