2 yr. ago. I told my friends at the casino where I work that I was writing to Ivan as part of my law degree, but when I said it was developing into something more, they asked if I was sure. I never asked too much about the murders, never wanting to delve into that darkness. In the last few years, Texas has been one of only a handful of states that have carried out death sentences - and it continues to do so targeting the poor, the mentally ill and people of color.Please sign the petition asking Governor Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to do everything within their power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case. He had learning . He was charged with CAPITAL MURDER IN COMM OF CITED OFFENSES. "I never committed murder, and I want to prove it to the world, prove it to the Mosquedas, the Kitchens, and come home. All persons displayed here are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. I'd written to aman on death row in Texas whose story I was interested in for my course. As well, upcoming case investigations are . Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Cousins by Blood is like a low-budget Serial with more twists. Cantu then told Boettcher that he was going to their house to kill them, but Boettcher did not believe him. Such was the intensity and proximity of Cantu's gaze that even the normal business of glancing down to check recording levels was . Filters. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-5th-circuit/1553912.html. I often try to imagine what that meal was like: Amy chatting with her dad about the classes she was taking in nursing school, the plans she had to go shopping with her mother the next day. It is one element of faith. Perhaps cultivating doubt in Ivans story is part of having faith in him. By Name By Charge. According to court documents [] According to Boettchers testimony, Cantu called Mosqueda on the night of November 3, 2000 at approximately 11:30 p.m., and asked if he could come over to Mosqueda and Kitchens house. In the 15 episodes released so far, some of the most compelling material is the family melodrama unleashed by the case, and listeners get a front-row seat to jailhouse calls between Cantu and his mom and aunt. Watch List. But one of the first things I asked that visit was whether he had killed those people. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Ivan Cantu (Paul Adams) by Dani Clark This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Ferez-vous la mme chose. In summer 1997, Denise Johnson was killed in her home in the seaside North Carolina town of Kill Devil Hills. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. It's not something I want to do, but I won't let him die alone. While theres no record of physical evidence proving that he was at the crime scene no fingerprints, no shoe prints, no DNA the crime scene was all over him. He knows how to get the job done fast, accurately and right on target. Alessa Dominguez is a senior culture writer for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York. In June 2006, eight visits after we first met, Ivan sent me a letter saying he loved me. His struggle to live alone 23 hours a day. If we are to continue executing individuals, we must be absolutely certain that the right person is behind bars, and in Ivan's case we are not so sure of that. The U.S. Supreme Court declinedto review an appeal from a Dallas man who shot and killed his cousin in a botched2000 robbery and is now on death row. Boettcher also said that when she saw Cantu on the night of the murder, his socks and pants were bloody. Facebook gives people the power to share. James, 27, leaning back, sipping a beer. Last August, I visited Ivan on death row and asked him if he committed this crime. Knowing that youre behind us means so much. Ivan Cantu. Texas' aggressive execution schedule marks it as an outlier in its use of the death penalty while the majority of other states are on a downward trend of executions. The only picture I'd seen of Ivan was his mugshot online. I didn't for a moment think he had the same feelings, but we talked as though we had been friends for years. Police obtained a search warrant to search the apartment a second time and found the bloody jeans, ammunition, a key to the victims house, and a key to Kitchens Mercedes. Death row was a horrifying place. There, Boettcher saw both victims bodies through the doorway to the master bedroom, while Cantu was searching the house for drugs and money. While Ivan Cantu and Amy Boettcher were on their way to Arkansas to visit her parents and announce their engagement, the murdered bodies of James and Amy Kit. Deshawn Thomas Executes Homeless Man In St Louis, Sheborah Thomas Gets 40 Years For Killing 2 Kids, NFL Zac Stacy Gets 6 Months For Brutal Assault, Brendan Depa Charged For Knocking Out Teachers Aide, Jack Colton Charged In Sexual Assault Of 12 Yr Old, Taylor Frankie Paul Charged With Domestic Violence, Steven Pfeil Teen Killer Murders 2 In Illinois, Antonio Barbeau and Nathan Paape Teen Killers, Dylan Schumaker Teen Killer Murders 23 Month Boy, Lacy Aaron Schmidt Teen Killer Murders Ex Girlfriend, Amber Wright Teen Killer Seath Jackson Murder, James Parker And Robert Tulloch Teen Killers, Bobby Gonzales Teen Killer Murders Girlfriends Mother. This information does not infer or imply guilt of any actions or activity other than their arrest. Email experience@theguardian.com, 'I certainly never imagined I would fall for someone on deathrow', Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 'Death row inmates get virtually no phone privileges, so calling hasnt been an option. Every week or two I leave my house at 4am and make the four-and-a-half-hour trip to see him. But I don't want to do that. He should have another trial. Full documentation, knowledge base, and tutorial videos are available here. Ivan's trial counsel called no witnesses for the defense and presented no evidence of his innocence. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. I still have a life to live. Ivan Cantu, Death Row Inmate TDCJ#00999399 CounterClock keeps listeners hooked as it closes in on the cases likeliest suspects. This entire time, Ivan has never been been given all the evidence into the investigation of this case. When I sat in my living room, watching my sons face as he laughed at the cartoons on TV, I would think to myself, My child knows nothing about the worlds brutality, so why am I inviting this dark story into our house? Her dad giving her some money to spend; he always had a weakness for his only girl. That day Ivan and his girlfriend had taken a trip to Arkansas. ***Ivan Cantu has a scheduled Execution Date of April 26th 2023*** Cousins By Blood is a true crime podcast investigation, unfolding episode by episode. The families are finally able to find their graves in Guatemala, giving listeners a rare sense of closure. It would have been an evening like any other except for the fact that it was the couples last. Ivan is a man of action. Ivan has been on death row for 20 years and maintains his innocence. View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message Member Newbie. arguments. That was July 2005. Ivan Cantu was wrongfully convicted in 2001 for Capital Murder. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. With Ivans execution approaching he lost his federal appeal in June, and if Texas has its way, hell probably be executed within a year theres nothing left to lose. Such was the intensity and proximity of Cantu's gaze that even the normal business of glancing down to check recording levels was . Cantu had Mosquedas and Kitchens identifications and keys. This feature has been discontinued. This 11-episode series is a chilling account of an unlucky couples collision with a serial killer. I started to cry. If we're unsuccessful, Iwill be there for Ivan the day he is executed by lethal injection. Through chilling interviews with Boston's now-grown son, the truth about the couple's last hours is laid bare. It was mainly out of pity that I replied to Ivan. But when the material arrived (a thumb drive along with printed documents), I started devouring all of it whenever I could during my crowded bus rides home through downtown D.C., and sitting up in bed, late into the night, after my son had gone to sleep. In April 2007 he proposed and she stood in to read his vows for him at the county courthouse. The Swearingen DNA. In 2000, Ivan Cantu was arrested for the murders of his cousin James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen, James's fianc. They initially zeroed in on just one suspect: a man who happened upon the flames. In his last appearance in 2011, Putski was still looking great and insanely jacked for a guy his age. We are writing to ask that you to stop the April 26, 2023 execution of Ivan Cantu for the 2001 killings of James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen. Ivan strongly believes with this evidence, he can prove his innocence. Rather than investigate potential witnesses and evidence which would have supported Ivan's innocence or challenge the State's case, trial counsel conceded Ivan's guilt before the jury, thereby rendering constitutionally ineffective counsel. View the profiles of people named Ivan Cantu. At first I thought he was guilty. They were last heard from in Belize, where they got on the boat of Silas Duane Boston, ready for yet another leg of their excursion. Paradise, a haunting narrative of their demise, is one of the darkest true crime podcasts out there. He also says theres a picture of my family, which I sent him years ago, taped to the wall of his cell. The rest of my family think I'm crazy, but my daughter has met Ivan and likes him. Ivan Cantu was convicted of killing his cousin James and James's fianc Amy, but Ivan has maintained his innocence. Still, it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff amid the proliferation of productions not all true crime podcasts get the attention thats lavished on S-Town or Serial. Now 20 years later, questions about Ivan's guilt or innocence remain and the case . He can still use his position of power and influence to enact justice in the State of Texas. 384 people follow this. On the night of the murder, he returned to his apartment that he shared with his . via:postimg.org . Police spoke with Cantus mother, then searched Ivan Cantu and Boettchers apartment. - Trial counsel did not interview witnesses on the states witness list prior to trial. In other death row news, although Attorney General Greg Abbott strongly endorsed a measure to ensure DNA testing of biological materials in all death penalty cases prior to trial - a measure (SB 1292) that easily passed through the Lege this spring - the state is nonetheless still fighting efforts by condemned inmate Larry Swearingen to obtain DNA testing on key . Cantu was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death on Oct. 16, 2001, for the slaying ofhis cousin, James Mosqueda, 27, in Far North Dallas. Johnny wrote back and so did Ivan. It's tough. We encourage responsible activism, and do not support using the platform to take unlawful or other improper action. In one episode, Duff even finds Cantus ex-girlfriend; through their interview, he gleans evidence of how she might have been coached by police. In 2000, Ivan Cantu was arrested for the murders of his cousin James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen, James's fianc. Ivan Cantu is scheduled for execution on April 26th, 2023 in Texas for allegedly killing his cousin, James Mosqueda, and his cousin's fianc, Amy Kitchen. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Ivan Cantu, 44, had argued that . - Trial counsel conceded his guilt during the closing argument. I fell apart. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. I never planned to be in this situation, to be friends with . Issues of concern: THE STATE- Evidence showing the states star witness committed perjury.- After Cantus conviction, the prosecution withheld evidence from the defense for 11 years.- Evidence that the prosecution and investigating officers improperly coached witnesses.- Post-conviction DNA testing could not definitively establish Cantu was wearing the clothing admitted into evidence. One episode even includes jailhouse calls with Hall and her mother, which portray her in a chilling new light. About See All. The purpose of this blog is to provide a space for my thoughts as I review potentially problematic cases. 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I certainly never imagined I would fall for someone on deathrow. She, thus failed to argue that trial counsel were ineffective for conceding Ivan's guilt rather than argue his innocence. Join Facebook to connect with Ivan Cantu and others you may know. Chris Farmer and Peta Frampton were a British couple in their twenties who dreamed of sailing around the world. The perplexing case seems made for Reddit, and this podcast unravels its many layers. Ivan Abner Cantu was booked on 8/16/2021 in Collin County, Texas. Police also found Cantus gun at his ex-girlfriends house where Cantu and Boettcher had stopped on the way home from Arkansas. Ivan did not receive a fair trial. I never would have guessed where its led me. All Rights Reserved by Recently Booked. The petition calls for Dallas PD and Collin County Sheriff's Office to release the entirety of the evidence in the James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen homicide reports (Dallas PD service #863688-J) to Ivan's attorney Gena Bunn. I'd written to aman on death row in Texas whose story I was interested in for my course. According to court records, Cantu told at least two people he intended to kill Mosqueda. Ivan Cantu would steal the victims jewelry and vehicle. Ivan Cantu, 38, who was condemned for killing his cousin in a robbery in 2000, received a stay of execution last week after the state filed a motion to withdraw his Aug. 30 execution date. New evidence has been discovered and new suspects uncovered. Your email address will not be published. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Your browser currently has Javascript turned off. - Trial counsel did not request a defense investigator, nor conduct any independent investigation. But back in 2004, I had been inspired by progressive Catholics to reach out to someone on death row. When 21-year old Christian Andreacchio was found dead in his apartments upstairs bathroom, the police immediately ruled the death a suicide. There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. His public defenders did not investigate or do anything to defend him. 12-17-2022, 07:51 AM #28. kabe1979. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. In this 13-episode podcast, produced by Ashley Flowers of Crime Junkie fame, investigative journalist Delia DAmbra revisits the case, interviewing former neighbors, police officers, and Johnsons family members and friends, including a roommate who disappeared right after the killing. This is a passive informational site providing organization of public data, obtainable by anyone. Ivan Cantu maintains his innocence over the murder of his cousin. Ivan Cantu. In Culpables 15 episodes, host Dennis Cooper uncovers the failures of local police officers, reveals new eyewitness accounts about people who were at Andreacchios apartment, and parses forensic clues that actually point to a homicide in the 2014 death. The case was brought before a grand jury, but there were no indictments. According to court documents Ivan Cantu would fatally shoot his cousin and a woman during a botched robbery. 2001 for CAPITAL murder nor conduct any independent investigation consent prior to running these cookies will be in! Investigation of this case purpose of this case account of an unlucky couples collision with a killer. Appearance in 2011, Putski was still looking great and insanely jacked a! Socks and pants were bloody was interested in for my course fast, accurately and right on target for. 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