An El Paso man was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty in the vicious attack, beating, rape and robbery of a smoke shop employee as part of an "exceptionally dangerous and escalating pattern of violence," authorities said.
Hekter Enrique Carreto, now 22, pleaded guilty to multiple charges of sexual violence and other crimes that occurred over five months from November 2024 to March 2025, El Paso District Attorney James Montoya announced in a news release.
Carreto, of Northeast El Paso, was sentenced on Friday, July 31, before Judge Monique Velarde Reyes in the 327th District Court.
"This defendant caused profound trauma to multiple victims and demonstrated an exceptionally dangerous and escalating pattern of violence,” Montoya
said in a statement. “We are proud of the swift work of our team to bring this case to resolution. El Paso is safer with this defendant removed from our community."
Extremely violent sexual attack at smoke shop
Carreto was convicted in the vicious, bloody assault of a store employee on March 28, 2025, at the Lava Rock Smoke Shop, 9155 Dyer St., in a retail strip near Hondo Pass Drive in Northeast El Paso.
The woman was beaten unconscious, repeatedly raped and dragged to a back space behind the shop before Carreto left with stolen cash, complaint affidavits filed by El Paso police detectives stated.
The vicious assault was recorded on store security camera video. The U.S. Marshal's Lone Star Fugitive Task Force arrested Carreto on March 30. When questioned by detectives, Carreto admitted to sexually assaulting the shop clerk and taking the money, the affidavits stated.
After his arrest in the smoke shop robbery and sexual assault, Carreto was "conclusively identified" as a suspect and pleaded guilty in other cases, the news release states. Those cases were:
- Carreto was convicted of sexually assaulting a teen girl in her apartment in November 2024.
- Carreto was convicted of burglarizing a Northeast home January 2025.
At the time of the smoke shop robbery, Carreto was out of jail on bond for spitting on El Paso police officers after an arrest for public intoxication in January 2025, the news release states.
Carreto was sentenced on Friday in connection with the smoke shop assault to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of aggravated kidnapping with intent to violate or abuse sexually, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated robbery.
He also received 20-year sentences each for burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a felony and sexual assault of a child for the November 2024 case and the home burglary in January 2025, as well as a 10-year sentence for harassment of a public servant for spitting at police.
All the sentences will run concurrently, meaning at the same time.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso man sentenced in vicious smoke shop sex assault, other crimes
