More evidence may be presented next week at a hearing for a deaf and mute man accused of raping and killing a James City teenager more than 11 years ago. Oswaldo Elias Martinez, a 45-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, is accused of beating, raping and strangling Brittany Binger, 16, on Jan. 2, 2005, according to documents from Williamsburg/James City County Circuit Court.
Binger's body was found near the entrance to Whispering Pines Mobile Home Court on Jan. 3, 2005, court documents state. Martinez was arrested on May 19, 2005 after police connected his DNA with evidence found at the crime scene, according to a Gazette article published in August 2007.
Martinez could not speak or write at the time of the crime. He had no formal language training in English, Spanish or American Sign Language, according to court documents. Experts spent about eight years trying to teach Martinez ASL before doctors reported that he would probably never be competent to assist his own defense and stand trial in July 2013, according to an article published in the Daily Press on Sept. 21, 2013.