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The families of both Ertman and Pea strongly favored the execution(s). As a general rule, immediate family members, grandparents, and other close family members can request and will be transferred management of the memorial. 8 years. I hope his life is, was and remains a misery. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. I wondered that too. [47] Medellin is scheduled to be released in 2034. The two Houston girls, returning from a friend's house, took a shortcut home along some railroad tracks and stumbled on a group of teenagers drinking beer after initiating a new gang member. 1993 - Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena Murder.The rape and murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena rocks Houston. I wish to hell he could have died the way she died. I need not go further. It worked. They were forced to perform oral sex. /Type /Page "Hopefully they'll find some peace. << "He never should have been breathing in the first place.". Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. After several minutes, 14-year-old Jennifer Louise Ertman became limp and sank to the ground. "I don't mean this in a gruesome Very well done. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2008, file photo, Adolfo Pena, from right, father of victim Elizabeth Pena, Randy Ertman, father of victim Jennifer Ertman, and Christina Alamaraz, friend of Jennifer Ertman, speak to the media after the execution of Mexican-born death row inmate Jose Medellin in Huntsville, Texas. Realizing that the girls would be capable of identifying them, Peter Cantu, the leader of the gang, ordered the members to kill the girls. at the time, got a 40-year sentence. The State of Texas prosecuted Cantu and his four fellow gang members simultaneously but in separate trials. Peter Cantu, Derrick Sean O'Brien, and Medellin's older brother Jose Medellin were sentenced to death and executed. I was 15. He was the ringleader in a crime that struck a raw nerve for its sheer brutality: the repeated gang rape, torture and murder of 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena in 1993. /CS1 [ /Pattern /DeviceGray ] /CS2 [ /Pattern /DeviceRGB ] >> /Font << /F9 That guy was a fucking monster. DOES SHE HAVE BLOND HAIR?!!?". "Nothing he would say to me would make any difference," he said. 73 0 obj "[43], Randy Ertman, the father of Jennifer Ertman, died of lung cancer on August 18, 2014. One of them, Peter Cantu, was tried in 1994. She then attempted to flee. Raul was an acquaintance of Efrain and was not known to the other gang members. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Randy commandeered the news van and went to the scene that was now bustling with police activity. /Pages 63 0 R The scheduled execution of Medellin has attracted international attention after the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, said the Mexican-born Medellin and some 50 other Mexicans on death rows around the nation should have new hearings in U.S. courts to determine whether a 1963 treaty was violated with their arrests. Their deaths resulted in an outpouring of grief in the local community and spurred changes in criminal legislation in the state of Texas, which enabled the families of crime victims to speak to the defendant at trial and witness the execution of said defendant. This account has been disabled. [7], Villarreal had not been a member of the Black and White gang or any gang but had engaged in this initiation ceremony whereby he had been forced to fight several gang members for five minutes successively before they judged whether to accept him. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Elizabeth's father said he was not surprised. After Ws wimping out on this issue, I have lost all respect for the man as a leader. enlisted personnel selected for officer candidate school attend officer indoctrination training Ertman, however, doesn't agree with that viewpoint. [3], When the pair realized they were going to be late returning home, they decided to leave the party to conform to the curfew both had promised their parents. Venancio Medelln did rape Ertman on one occasion. GREAT NEWS! posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its The break in solving the case came from, of course, the 911 call. In response, Cantu repeatedly kicked the girl in her face and body, dislodging three of her teeth and fracturing several ribs. O'Brien (the only non-Hispanic, Black person in the gang) and Villarreal strangled Ertman with O'Brien's red nylon belt before breaking the belt. /O 74 On June 24, 1993, the girls spent the day together.and then died together. Ertman rejected an invitation from Cantu's lawyer to come to his office and read a letter of apology from Cantu. [16], Realizing that the girls would be capable of identifying them, Cantu[17] ordered the members to kill the girls. Dad is very angry because when President Bush was Governor he shook this mans hand and said these whatever in the hell these creatures are would be executed. The details in this description of the girls last moments are brutal. One of the gang members grabbed Pena. Both girls were strangled to death. The girls were walking along the White Oak Bayou when they encountered six "Black and White" gang members drinking beer shortly after holding the gang initiation ceremony of 17-year-old Raul Omar Villarreal. Jester as the community gathers at the same time of Cantu's execution. 0000009909 00000 n x^WnF0q$E"6'fgu#0`'3gf(0;7LqX&SP!iE47]Fqfno()~?;W N(W18U&EM CS P0c7[ Yz $,2[4iV lV6+J#(i6 hP"+7e(X Ertman will stand a few feet away, watching again through the window. xref I saw hardened, lifelong cops get tears in their eyes when talking about the scene more than a year later. FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1908103/posts, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1907918/posts, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1907733/posts, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1907715/posts. Clerk's Record at 15. The murder of Ertman and Pena made headlines all over Texas due to the heinous nature of the crime along with the new law that was put in place that allowed the families of the victims to view the execution of the murderers. 0000000017 00000 n This had not previously been done in Texas courts and now is done as a matter of routine. Living in Houston meant constant reminders of their daughter's murder. HUNTSVILLE, Texas (CBS/AP/KHOU) Tonight, Peter Anthony Cantu will be executed for two of the most notorious deaths in Houston history, the 1993 rapes and murders of 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena and. 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, To get these special tacos, drive out to the Houston Ship Channel, MLB legend makes surprise appearance at Astros' Spring Training, 'This is about profit': Houston leaders condemn HISD takeover, Oops! Resend Activation Email. The State of Texas, represented by Solicitor General Ted Cruz, challenged Bush's order, and the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that only the Congress of the United States has the right to order hearings to be held. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. O'Brien was sentenced to die for murder of Randy adn Sandra's daughter Jennifer Ertman, 15, and Elizabeth Pea, 16, in 1993. Two brothers who had been with them but testified that they were not in the gang left first and passed Jenny and Elizabeth, who were unknowingly walking towards their deaths. The girls' families came to witness the execution and were met by supporters and applause when they walked out of the Walls Unit. Both girls where beautiful high school students at Waltrip High. 0000001187 00000 n /Parent 64 0 R He hurt my friends and I didn't know and I cry a lot about not knowing. Because of efforts by Ertman's father along with victims advocate Andy Kahan and others, victim's . Since joining the Houston Chronicle staff in 1998, she has covered various beats, including criminal courts and transportation. Following Cantu's initial instruction, Villarreal first shouted "Get on your knees, bitch!" Both girls were sexually assaulted by all but one of the gang members, 14-year-old Venancio "Yuni" Medelln, on a minimum of four occasions. The families filed missing persons reports with the Houston Police Department and continued to look for the girls on their own. O'Brien, one of six gang members, was convicted of the slayings of high school students Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena in Houston almost 13 years ago. [4], Ertman and Pea decided to take a 10-minute shortcut to Pea's residence in Oak Forest by following the railroad tracks and passing through T.C. Jester Park.[43]. TDCJ refused to permit Kahan to witness the execution. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, she holds a Master?s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a Master?s in sociology from Michigan State University. Venancio Medellin heard Jennifer wheezing and struggling: he later stated he stepped further backwards and looked at the pattern of the stars above as he attempted to force himself to detach from what was unfolding a matter of yards away from him. 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[34] In 2004, the International Court of Justice responded to a lawsuit filed by Mexico against the United States; the court ordered hearings to be held for inmates, including Medelln, who were denied consular rights. In debate over slow executions, victim families wrestle with whether those condemned should suffer. window at Ertman and other relatives of the girls and called his According to later testimony, on one occasion, Pea glanced in the direction of her younger friend as she herself was raped by Efrain Prez and began weeping as she observed Ertman. He was frustrated that he had been the one who was unable to fight Raul. front of [Houston] City Hall, they've got all these beautiful trees. Jennifer Ertman was born on August 15, 1978, to Sandra and Randy Ertman. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. On that night they were at a pool party of a friend. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. /Resources << /ProcSet [ /PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI ] /ColorSpace << FILE Randy Ertman is restrained Tuesday, Oct. 11, 1994, in Houston outside the courtroom where he addressed three of the five gang members convicted of killing his daughter and her friend. Johnny Loria, left, Betty Williams, and others gather at the memorial site for Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea in TC Jester Park on Tuesday in part to help remember and keep attention on their brutal rape and murder. All those believed responsible were ultimately arrested. I was in a tree. The death of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena led to a significant changes in victim's rights. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. trailer O'Brien (the only non-Hispanic in the gang) and Villarreal then proceeded to strangle Ertman with a red nylon belt before the belt broke. Our leaders keep telling us to go back to sleep, its an isolated incident, we get more in benefits than they could ever take from us. The rapes and murders of Jennifer Lee Ertman and Elizabeth Christine Pea, two teenage girls from Houston, Texas, aged 14 and 16, respectively, occurred on June 24, 1993. [5], Jos Medelln was executed at 9:57p.m. on August 5, 2008, after his last-minute appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court. 0 January 24, 2023. /S 280 [7][18], As Ertman was murdered, Pea was forced to watch her friend's death as other gang members held a ligature around her neck. 0000005760 00000 n Villarreal was convicted of murder in 1994 for his involvement in the rape and murder of Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16, in 1993 during a gang initiation. Jester as the community gathers at the same time of Peter Cantu's execution. Cantu, the first of five to be tried, convicted and condemned, will be the last to be executed. Randy Ertman, father of slain teen, has died, Ex-gang leader executed for '93 deaths of 2 Houston girls, Supreme Court to hear Houston death row case. Shortly thereafter, he held a beer aloft, proclaiming things were to be great. [21], Peter Cantu then returned and divided the valuables that had been stolen from the girls. The medical examiner testified that Elizabeth's two front teeth were knocked out of her brutalized mouth before she died and that two of Jennifer's ribs were broken after she had died. HUNTSVILLE, Texas (CBS/AP/KHOU) Tonight, Peter Anthony Cantu will be executed for two of the most notorious deaths in Houston history, the 1993 rapes and murders of 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena and 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman. At first, Pea desperately attempted to appease her abusers as she wept, offering her phone number so they could "get together". She was then forced to remove her underwear. The Ertmans left without saying a word. For the next hour or so, these beautiful, innocent young girls were subjected to the most brutal gang rapes that most of the investigating officers had ever encountered. I think about this case a lot, usually at random times it'll pop back into my head without warning. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. The next morning, the girls parents began to frantically look for them, paging them on their pagers, calling their friends to see if they knew where they were, to no avail. This browser does not support getting your location. This is a carousel with slides. / CBS News. >> June 25, 1994: Family and friends of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena gather at T.C. April 5, 1994. Part of the belt was left at the murder scene, the rest was found in O'Brien's home. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Anderson, a Houston Police Department officer who worked on the murder case, described the murder as "part of the impetus for the antigang programs in Houston." Corey Mitchell's book "Pure Murder," which details the story of the killings, was released in 2008 and became a best seller.Notice: This memorial is being managed in abeyance until a proper manager requests control of the memorial. FED. Outside the girls' school, Waltrip High, death penalty opponents were calling for a halt to all executions in Texas. Try again later. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. A red nylon belt, with an attacker tugging at each end, was pulled so tightly around Ertman's neck the belt snapped. He was the youngest of six members of the so-called Black and White gang when they brutally raped and killed Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16, in June 1993. Governor Rick Perry argued that Texas is not bound to World Court rulings. Those poor poor girls. cemeteries found in Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. No mercy for the bastard. Sorry! You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. The gang members stomped on both girls' throats to ensure their deaths. Notice: This memorial is being managed in abeyance until a proper manager requests control of the memorial. They knew they would be late if they took the normal path home, down W. 34th Street to T.C. /Length 166 /Size 89 [33], Medelln's impending execution became an international controversy since the state did not hold a hearing about whether the inability of Medelln to meet with Mexican consular officials harmed his defense. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. The medical examiner corroborated that the cause of death was strangulation. Although only one of the brothers had fought Villarreal, both had left the initiation ceremony minutes before both girls were abducted. Medelln said in a sworn statement that he learned that the Mexican consulate could assist him in 1997. . Try again later. [29] Although none of them were charged (Cantu had already been sentenced to death by the time he was linked to Lopez's murder), Lopez's murder was mentioned in the sentencing phases of O'Brien and Medelln. When he finally faced death, Cantu made no apology and had no statement. F-me, these stories get uglier and sadder every day. In that case, a 27-year-old woman was found at a Houston park with her throat cut. Neither attempted to prevent the assaults or to inform the police. /L 64011 Fortunately, they did manage to keep Randy from entering the woods and seeing his daughter's brutalized body and that of her friend Elizabeth, but they were unable to escape that fate themselves. "We're looking forward to Peter Cantu being executed so he can never murder or hurt anybody again," he said. The lethal injection was performed at 6:09 p.m. By 6:17 p.m. Cantu was pronounced dead. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Venancio received a 40-year prison sentence. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. In response to accusations from anti-death penalty advocates that capital punishment is a cruel and unusual form of punishment, Pea's father later remarked O'Brien's death had occurred peacefully, "in twenty seconds", adding: "I wish to God that my daughter could have died that easily. It was traced to the home of the brother of one of the men later sentenced to death for these murders. Their bodies were found four days after they were murdered. Randy Ertman's fiery red hair is gray, and now Cantu is dead. The State of Texas, represented by Solicitor General Ted Cruz, challenged Bush's order, and the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that only the Congress of the United States has the right to order hearings to be held. Medellin, now 33, was one of six teenagers arrested and charged with the gang rape and murders of Elizabeth Pena, 16, and Jennifer Ertman, 14. Hell, no.". Pea brushed aside Medelln's hand and continued walking. Shoelaces were used to strangle Pena. Ertman and Pea decided to take a 10-minute shortcut to Pea's residence in Oak Forest by following the railroad tracks and then passing through T.C. be a deterrent.". [5][30], Before his execution, O'Brien expressed his regrets for his actions to the families of Pea and Ertman. >> Rose Rogers says a prayer at the memorial for Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena along T.C. 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. There's no mitigation you could provide that will ever make me believe anyone who is fit to breathe clean air could or would commits this crime. [37] During his lifetime, Randy Ertman advocated strongly against granting parole to Venancio Medelln. "You're not even an animal," in the courtroom of Judge Bill Harmon, on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 1994. [36] Governor Perry rejected calls from Mexico and Washington, DC, to delay the execution, citing the torture, rape, and strangulation of two teenaged girls in Houston 15 years ago as just cause for the death penalty. February 27, 2023 . By . I went to school with them. "He should have been hung outside the courthouse," Ertman said in an They were friends who attended the same high school in Houston, Texas, Waltrip High School. visiting the murder location of Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman two houston teenager who were brutally taped and murdered by gang memebers in a jouston ar. Elizabeth Christine Pea (June 21, 1977 June 24, 1993) and Jennifer Lee Ertman (August 15, 1978 June 24, 1993) were close friends who both attended Waltrip High School. May the souls of these poor girls rest in peace in Gods loving arms, and may the monsters who did this be subject to the most vicious and painful torture that hell has to offer. She and her friend Elizabeth were students at Waltrip High School in Houston. [45] Michelle Lyons, a TDCJ official, said that Tropical Storm Edouard would likely not be a factor preventing the execution of Medelln.[46]. The Ertmans and Penas are videotaping their protest for the parole board, in case they are not here in 18 years to protest in person. Cantu has been on death row longer than his victims were alive. Are ticket costs pricing Houston Astros fans out of Opening Day? I testified against that fuck. Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16, were beaten, gang raped, and strangled in Houston, Texas. For the families, it is a fight they will take beyond the grave. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, Peter Anthony Cantu (AP Photo/Dept. Posted on 10/09/2007 7:44:26 AM PDT by beaversmom. But if something like this cant spark it, what can? Verify and try again. The murder of the two girls made headlines in Texas newspapers due to the nature of the crime and the new law resulting from the murder that allows families of the victims to view the execution of the murderers. The Murder of Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman (Houston, TX 1993) Elizabeth Pena (16) and Jennifer Ertman (14) were out on the humid Houston evening of June 24th, 1993 enjoying a pool party at the apartment complex of another friend. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. 1) You are a coward with regard to Mexico. Houston was stunned when Cantu and his gang were arrested. This photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows death row inmate Derrick O'Brien who is scheduled for execution at the Texas prison in Huntsville, Tuesday, May 16, 2006. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. She was thrown to the ground by gang members Peter Cantu and Derrick Sean O'Brien. [5] This location was approximately one mile from Pea's home. At his sentencing for the Ertman-Pena case, the judge asked Cantu if there was any reason the sentence shouldn't be imposed. He petitioned the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1998 regarding this issue; the appeal failed. 0000004381 00000 n xc```b``^dL`c@ >f(T0Fk^350QxA]gY=kfNy-3&00xLd$OexQ8 9L-K~p800.m``:Q *R They were two teenage girls from Texas who disappeared during one night after attending a. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Medelln gave both written and taped confessions. management. Governor Rick Perry argued that Texas is not bound to World Court rulings. Derrick Sean O'Brien was the first to be executed, on July 11, 2006. Where [are] you going?" Really. Elizabeth Pea (left) and Jennifer Ertman (right), Murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea. Corey Mitchell's book "Pure Murder," which details the story of the killings, was released in 2008 and became a best seller. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Cantu, Medelln, Prez, and Villarreal then met at Cantu's residence, where he lived with his brother, Joe Cantu, and sister-in-law, Christina Cantu. He then elaborated that he had raped both girls. They were kicked, teeth knocked out and hair pulled out and ribs broken. According to trial testimony, both Pea and Ertman repeatedly glanced in the direction of one another several times throughout their ordeal in likely gestures of concern and despair. >> When the police followed this suggestion, they found the badly decaying bodies of Jenny and Elizabeth. The gang continued drinking and 'shooting the breeze' for some time and then decided to leave. when they committed their crimes. Memorials to Ertman and Pea in TC Jester Park: In the background is the railroad bridge where the two were initially attacked. The 61-year-old died Monday, said Andy Kahan, a Houston crime victims advocate. On a June night, the two girls were hoping to beat an 11:30 p.m. curfew by taking a shortcut home to Pena's northwest Houston neighborhood. stream He raped Jennifer and was later sentenced to 40 years for aggravated sexual assault, which was the maximum sentence for a juvenile. Related linkssome have the same or similar titles but are different threads: Death Penalty Case Puts Bush and Texas at Odds Over Mexicans Fate The two were close friends, attended the same high school, lived in the same neighborhood, and enjoyed hanging . Take them out and shoot them - then hand them from a tree and let the vultures do their work. Leaving the crime scene, Peter Cantu handed Venancio Medelln a Goofy wristwatch taken from Ertman's body, saying, "Take this, I don't want it.". I thought you might like to see a memorial for Jennifer Lee Ertman I found on Findagrave.com. The medical examiner later testified that this is how she could be sure as to the horrible brutality of the rapes, beatings and murders. << The case was also notable in that the state of Texas rejected attempts by the International Court of Justice to halt several perpetrators' executions. Anti-death penalty supporters gather outside the barricade during the execution of Peter Anthony Cantu at the Walls Unit in Huntsville, Texas. When the Supreme Court of the United States banned the executions of people who committed crimes while they were below 18 years of age, the sentences of Prez and Villarreal were automatically commuted to life in prison. Corey Mitchell's book "Pure Murder," which details the story of the killings, was released in 2008 and became a best seller. Seven minutes later, O'Brien was dead. The other change came from the Texas Department of Corrections which instituted a new policy allowing victims' families the choice and right to view the execution of their perpetrators. The graves of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena are about 200 yards apart in Woodlawn Garden of Memories Cemetery. Bush is getting really BAD advice from an staffer and will come to his senses soon. You can always change this later in your Account settings. We need to send Jorge some kneepads so he wont hurt himself in dealing with Mexico. /Rotate 0 Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Most of the soft tissue on Jennifer Ertman's head and the external portion of her vagina was eaten by maggots, indicating that there was trauma, hemorrhaging and bleeding. /Prev 62433 Cantu, O'Brien, and Jos Medelln were later implicated in the January 4, 1993, murder of 27-year-old Patricia Lopez. Both then completed the act by strangling the girl with a shoelace in Pea's presence. Disclaimer: Having a teenage daughter myself reading this was so painful. The Texas parole board denied parole on several occasions to Venancio Medellin, most recently in 2020. Try again. August 17, 2010 / 5:39 PM 72 0 obj . The Ertmans and Penas gathered friends and neighbors to help them pass out a huge stack of fliers with the girls' pictures all over the Houston area, even giving them to newspaper vendors on the roadside. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the Peter Cantu, far left, glances back at Randy Ertman, far right, as Ertman, father of Cantu's murder victim, Jennifer, 14, shouts. of Criminal Justice), Colombia wants to deport "cocaine hippos" to stop them from multiplying, Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murders of wife and son, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh.