Delaware News

Man Sentenced for 2016 Georgetown Murder and Rape

Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Friday, June 21, 2019



Attempted rape and child pornography charges also lead to prison

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.

Buel Mutter, a 55-year-old Newark man who pleaded guilty in February to Attempted Rape First Degree, Sexual Exploitation of a Child, and Possession of Child Pornography, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison. An investigation by the New Castle County Police Department in March of 2018 uncovered over 200,000 child exploitation files on Mutter’s digital devices, including images and videos of sexual abuse produced by the defendant. A Superior Court judge sentenced Mutter to 27 years in prison, followed by 2 years of probation. He must also register as a Tier 3 sex offender. The Child Predator Task Force, with the assistance of DOJ Social Worker Claudia Melton, prosecuted the case which was investigated by Delaware State Police Detective Jonathan Adams and Detective Darryl Santry.

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Man Sentenced for 2016 Georgetown Murder and Rape

Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Friday, June 21, 2019



Attempted rape and child pornography charges also lead to prison

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.

Buel Mutter, a 55-year-old Newark man who pleaded guilty in February to Attempted Rape First Degree, Sexual Exploitation of a Child, and Possession of Child Pornography, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison. An investigation by the New Castle County Police Department in March of 2018 uncovered over 200,000 child exploitation files on Mutter’s digital devices, including images and videos of sexual abuse produced by the defendant. A Superior Court judge sentenced Mutter to 27 years in prison, followed by 2 years of probation. He must also register as a Tier 3 sex offender. The Child Predator Task Force, with the assistance of DOJ Social Worker Claudia Melton, prosecuted the case which was investigated by Delaware State Police Detective Jonathan Adams and Detective Darryl Santry.

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.