Three others have long prison terms. Minutes before Pea and Ertman encountered these gang members, two other gang members, twins Frank and Ramon Sandoval had participated in Villarreal's initiation ceremony. She was then forced to remove her underwear. Elizabeth's father said he was not surprised. Try again later. based on information from your browser. Three officers shot, standoff follows in Kansas City, Mo., police say, Vanessa Bryant, family settles claims over Kobe crash site photos for $28.5M, Peter Anthony Cantu (AP Photo/Texas Dept. Medellin has been denied parole five times now. /Resources << /ProcSet [ /PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI ] /ColorSpace << His stinging denunciation of Cantu, pain evident in each word, reached a climax when Cantu turned away from the grieving father and Ertman yelled, "You look at me! Shortly thereafter, he held a beer aloft, proclaiming things were to be great. the U.S. Supreme Court barred execution of people who were under 18 The architect of their deaths will pay with his own life Tuesday evening. Jennifer Ertman also had three fractured ribs. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. This prompted Medelln to say the gang "had fun" and that details would appear on the news. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Two others I think were 17 and got life. Thanks for your help! Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Medelln reported that he had killed a girl, and noted that he would have found it easier with a gun. /L 64011 Evidence showed Cantu kicked one of the girls in the face with his steel-toed boot. Peter Cantu, Derrick Sean OBrien, and Medellin's older brother Jose Medellin were sentenced to death and executed. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. All those believed responsible were ultimately arrested. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. He will be the third of the attackers to be put to death, following, Houston is in for dust and gray skies as Texas haboob arrives, Oops! The girls' bodies were found decomposing in the . Hell, no.". On Friday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles refused his clemency petition. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. In 1993, while walking home Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena were sexually assaulted and murdered by a group of boys/men that called themselves "The Black and White Gang". After the gang left, Christina Cantu convinced Joe Cantu to report the crime to the police. endobj Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. Try again later. / CBS News. There is a problem with your email/password. She and her friend Elizabeth were students at Waltrip High School in Houston. Try again later. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. xc```b``^dL`c@ >f(T0Fk^350QxA]gY=kfNy-3&00xLd$OexQ8 9L-K~p800.m``:Q *R Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Oops, something didn't work. There was an error deleting this problem. Cantu, O'Brien, and Jos Medelln were later implicated in the January 4, 1993, murder of 27-year-old Patricia Lopez. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Cantu, Jos Medelln, and Prez then strangled Pea to death with shoelaces. /Filter /FlateDecode Three of the Pena and Ertman killers have been executed. They are both buried at Woodlawn Garden of Memories Cemetery. For justice for my little girl," Elizabeth's father, Adolph Pena, said. The prosecutors said that Medelln never told authorities that he was a Mexican citizen. 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. In July, the World Court ordered a stay of Medelln's execution. The day after the murders, Cantu showed up at his job at an oil change shop and acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary, his boss told the Chronicle at the time. Both victims were badly decaying, and dental records were used for identification. They were forced to perform oral sex. [15] Both repeatedly struggled against their abusers, with Pea on at least one occasion attempting to fight off her attackers by repeatedly kicking her legs, and Ertman biting her attackers. As Ertman was murdered, Pea was forced to watch her friend's death as other gang members held a ligature around her own neck. 72 17 Put a needle in her arm and just go to sleep. 0000007142 00000 n In August 2008, Ertman again climbed the steps to the red-bricked Seven minutes later, O'Brien was dead. Medelln said in a sworn statement that he learned that the Mexican consulate could assist him in 1997. An Orgy Of Violence At first, the teenage boys grabbed Elizabeth, while . She was thrown to the ground by gang members Peter Cantu and Derrick Sean O'Brien. At his sentencing for the Ertman-Pena case, the judge asked Cantu if there was any reason the sentence shouldn't be imposed. 0000005760 00000 n All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Please try again later. This browser does not support getting your location. trailer endstream 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Garland to face Congress amid ongoing special counsel investigations, FBI chief says agency feels pandemic likely started with Chinese lab leak. AP. [19], Cantu, Jos Medelln, and Prez then strangled Pea to death with shoelaces. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. The deaths of teenagers Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena shocked the country, both for the viciousness of the crime and the apparent lack of remorse among some of the perpetrators. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. At sentencing, the offenders were remanded to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system. . 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. 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. He then apologized to his family before being executed by lethal injection. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. In response, Medelln stated: "No, baby! Make sure that the file is a photo. Derrick O'Brien, belted to a gurney, looked through the death chamber Try again later. After the gang left, Christina Cantu convinced Joe Cantu to report the crime to police. It was a case that shaped Andy Kahan as the newly-appointed crime victim's advocate for the city. On death row, Cantu, now 35, was classified among the best-behaving inmates. "Jenny and Elizabeth were everybody's daughters," said Kahan. Follow Deborah Wrigley on Facebook and Twitter. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Their story has been oft-repeated, in the retelling burnished to a handful of details: the fateful choice of a route home, the abduction from the railroad tracks, the decision of one to turn back when she heard her friend scream, the clothes ripped from their bodies, the multiple and repeated assaults, the inexplicable decision that they must die in a manner equally brutal. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Wage growth is slowing. "Anytime girls came down the street, they'd come out and hoot and holler at them and make vulgar remarks to them," a former neighbor said the day after his arrest. Four days after the murders, the girls' bodies were found in the park during hot weather conditions. [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. /Linearized 1 TDCJ refused to permit Kahan to witness the execution. Please enter your email and password to sign in. [5] Following Cantu's initial instruction, Villarreal first shouted, "Get on your knees, bitch!" "It's been a long journey, and for the families an emotional roller coaster.". Search above to list available cemeteries. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. "He's a guy who fully accepts his responsibility.". endobj Instead they are forever 14 and 16, a pair of innocents who slipped into the darkness of Houston's near north side one summer night and re-emerged in bright sunlight on a funeral home gurney targets of a crime so incomprehensible that it was, in the words of one of the lawyers later involved, burned into the collective consciousness of the city. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Peter Anthony Cantu, Jos Ernesto Medelln, Derrick Sean O'Brien, Efrain Prez, and Raul Omar Villarreal received death sentences. [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. ", New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Scan this QR code to download the app now. Now 35, Cantu declined requests for an interview. One of the gang members grabbed Pena. Neither attempted to prevent the assaults or to inform the police. He will be the third of the attackers to be put to death, following Derrick O'Brien and Jose Medellin. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Verify and try again. . of Criminal Justice), How Alaska became one of fentanyl's deadliest frontiers, Pennsylvania police seized gloves, flashlight from home of Idaho murders suspect, Where things stand in the Alex Murdaugh double murder trial. Jennifer Latson of the Houston Chronicle said that the deaths of the girls "shook" the Oak Forest neighborhood of Houston "to its foundation. Their photos are familiar now, attached to countless news reports since then: the same two pictures, teen girls who despite the makeup were girls still. Look at me good!". %PDF-1.3 76 0 R /F10 78 0 R /F11 80 0 R /F12 82 0 R /F13 84 0 R /F14 86 0 R >> >> Instead of remorse there was violence from Cantu. /MediaBox [ 0 0 612 791 ] [44] Ertman had wanted to have Andy Kahan, the City of Houston's crime advocate, to witness the execution of Medelln. Their bodies were found four days after they were murdered. We love them and miss them," Adolph Pena said. In June 1993, Houston was busy reveling in the boom after the bust. Please reset your password. >> based on information from your browser. The Ertmans and Penas also witnessed the executions of three of their daughters' killers. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. 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. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Jester Park. 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. He apparently did as he pleased. New development was everywhere, spurred by a mayor and city council devoted to the cause of building. Two Waltrip High School students had left a Thursday night gathering of friends in a rush to be home before their curfew. If it could show up at such a nondescript moment - teenagers unknown to each other passing in the night - perhaps no one's safety was more than an illusion. "Look at me. The death sentences of Efrain Prez and Raul Villarreal were commuted to life imprisonment in 2005, following, List of people executed in Texas, 20002009, List of people executed in Texas, 20102019, List of people executed in the United States in 2006, List of people executed in the United States in 2010, "Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena Murdered While Walking Near Houston Park 25 Years Ago", "Peter Anthony Cantu Execution: Mastermind of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena Murders to Die Tonight", "Medellin set to die Tuesday for Ertman-Pea killings", "Medellin executed for rape, murder of Houston teens", Murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea, "Bodies of Two Girls Discovered: Grim Find Ends Weekend Search in Northwest Houston", "Father of Murdered Girl Questions Bush's Support to Halt Killer's Execution", "Media Advisory: Jose Medellin Scheduled For Execution", "San Antonio turned from bully to savage killer", "Jos Ernesto Medelln v. Texas (Per Curiam)", "Texas Executes Mexican Despite Objections", "Dad confronts parole board to keep daughter's murderer in prison", "Ex-gang leader executed for '93 deaths of 2 Houston girls", "Last Statement Derrick O'Brien" at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice profile, "Father of Brutally Murdered Teen, victims' Rights Advocate Randy Ertman Dead at 61", Victim's "Advocate Won't be Witnessing Execution", "Parole Denied for Gang Member Convicted in 1993 Murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena", In Memory of Elizabeth Pea and Jennifer Ertman - 1993, Details of Cantu's 1997 appeal against his convictions, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murders_of_Jennifer_Ertman_and_Elizabeth_Pea&oldid=1137725274. [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. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. 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