Man serving time in Carson escape faces sentencing in Douglas thefts

A man serving an 11-29-year prison term after he escaped from Carson City custody in June 2021 was in East Fork Justice Court on Wednesday.

Matthew Raymond Martin Marizza, 30, waived a preliminary hearing on four felonies involving two thefts from the Topsy Walmart amounting to $2,380.

According to court documents, Marizza was identified as the user of a credit card believed to have been stolen at a ski resort in the winter of 2021. The card was used on Feb. 7, 2021, to purchase $1,370 in merchandise and again on Feb. 8, 2021, to buy two $500 gift cards.

Defense attorney Brian Filter told Justice of the Peace Paul Gilbert that his client planned to admit to all four counts in exchange for a 19-48-month sentence concurrent to his present prison term.

Marizza is scheduled to appear in Douglas County District Court on June 3.

Investigators were able to identify Marizza by his tattoos.

He has a long criminal history including burglary, grand larceny, possession of other people’s credit cards and burglary of a business dating back to 2016.

Marizza and Cody Abernathy escaped from an inmate work program at the Carson City Jail on June 26, 2021. He was the subject of news stories across the country.

He was recaptured on June 27, 2021, after a high-speed chase in Sacramento and sentenced to 3-8 years in prison.

Abernathy, 31, remains incarcerated in connection with the escape as does Austin Wayne Rivers, 32, who helped the pair escape.