When the pair realized that they were going to be late returning home, they decided to leave the party to commit the curfew both had promised to their parents. This prompted Medelln to say the gang "had fun" and that details would appear on the news. Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena murders. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Instead, they stumbled on to a gang initiation and they were tortured, assaulted and killed. Governor Rick Perry argued that Texas is not bound to World Court rulings. Two of Cantu's companions in the gang they dubbed the Black and White preceded him to the death chamber. /T 62444 You're not even an animal. At least 29 dead, 85 injured after trains collide in Greece: officials, Driver feedback needed for 3-mile Hardy Toll extension into downtown, Man found dead in middle of Fort Bend County crosswalk, police say. She screamed. Jester Park. /Root 73 0 R 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". There are no volunteers for this cemetery. FROM 2018: How brutal killings of 2 Houston teens changed Texas justice. ", Death near for Ertman-Pea killer, but crime still shakes Houston. An Orgy Of Violence At first, the teenage boys grabbed Elizabeth, while . "[20], Cantu dropped off Jos Medelln, Prez, and Villarreal at his residence, where he lived with his brother, Joe Cantu, and sister-in-law, Christina Cantu. She'd been raped and eviscerated. The prosecutors said that Medelln never told authorities that he was a Mexican citizen. He then elaborated that he had raped both girls. Although only one of the brothers had fought Villarreal, both had left the initiation ceremony minutes before both girls were abducted. curfew. "He's a guy who fully accepts his responsibility.". The medical examiner corroborated that the cause of death was strangulation. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? [44] Ertman had wanted to have Andy Kahan, the City of Houston's crime advocate, to witness the execution of Medelln. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. 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. A system error has occurred. No crime in modern Houston history has resonated like this one, Kahan said. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. There is a problem with your email/password. For the families, it is a fight they will take beyond the grave. Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena, ages 14 and 15, were walking home from a party, taking a shortcut to make it home by their 11 p.m. curfew on June 24, 1993. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. [5] This location was approximately one mile from Pea's home. Their bodies were found four days after they were murdered. to Ertman. Jennifer Latson of the Houston Chronicle said that the deaths of the girls "shook" the Oak Forest neighborhood of Houston "to its foundation. Raul Villareal and Efrain Perez were also sentenced to death but saw their punishment commuted to a life sentence because they were both 17 when the crime was committed. "Venancio Medellin was spared from a death sentence because of his age when he helped five other gang members rape, strangle and stomp Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena to death on a hot summer night in Houston in 1993, but he should spend every day of the rest of his sentence locked up for everyone's sake," District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. The parents of Ertman and Pe a could not be reached for comment. Jennifer was a victim of homicide. On June 24, 1993, Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea attended a pool party hosted by their friend, Gina Escamilla. When the police followed this suggestion, they found the badly decaying bodies of Jenny and Elizabeth. If they hung all five of them, that would This browser does not support getting your location. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. First published on August 17, 2010 / 5:39 PM. Cantu has been on death row longer than his victims were alive. Due to the state of decomposition, she could not tell what was used to strangle Jennifer Ertman, but the evidence was consistent with a belt or hands being used. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. 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." Family members linked to this person will appear here. Where [are] you going?" Weve updated the security on the site. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? . In that case, a 27-year-old woman was found at a Houston park with her throat cut. / CBS News. << Because of their deaths, the state allows victim impact. [2], At 4:15 p.m. on June 24, 1993, Ertman's father, Randy, drove his only daughter to 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. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. ). The murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena have had an impact on victim's rights in Texas still felt 25 years after their deaths. Realizing that the girls would be capable of identifying them, Peter Cantu, the leader of the gang, ordered the members to kill the girls. Please reset your password. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Christina Cantu questioned why Villarreal was bleeding and Prez had a bloody shirt. Add to your scrapbook. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. The graves of Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman are about 200 yards apart in Woodlawn Garden of Memories Cemetery. Then again, no one has forgotten much of anything about those murders. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. "No one who was there will forget it," Kahan said. >> He was 35 and had lived on death row longer than his victims were alive. Ertman, however, doesn't agree with that viewpoint. Blame the Federal Reserve. Then, on the morning of June 30, the city awoke to learn of events of a few days earlier that defied belief. [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. Family members are now allowed to address the convicted, and victims' families now have the choice and right to view the execution of their perpetrators. You're the worst thing I've ever seen. Cantu's mother, sometimes absent, appeared unconcerned when school officials or authorities showed up to discuss his behavior. Thanks for your help! /Type /Catalog %PDF-1.3 There was a problem getting your location. window at Ertman and other relatives of the girls and called his Sorry! Waltrip High School has a memorial to the girls. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Please enter your email and password to sign in. We have set your language to Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 25 years after the murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. In response to accusations from anti-death penalty advocates that the death penalty 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. When the teacher told Cantu the trouble he would get into for such a thing, he said he didn't care. They spoke of having "a lot of fun (with) a couple of chicks.". [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. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. The lethal injection was performed at 6:09 pm, and at 6:17 pm, Cantu was officially pronounced dead. 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. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena were 14 and 16 years old, respectively. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Jester Park in northwest Houston. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. front of [Houston] City Hall, they've got all these beautiful trees. 0 cemeteries found in Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA. "It's a little late," Ertman said. 0 At first, Pea desperately attempted to appease her abusers as she wept; offering to provide her phone number in order that they could "get together". 0000008255 00000 n He then clasped his arm around Pea's neck, threw her to the ground, and dragged her down a gravel decline in the direction of the other gang members as Pea screamed and pleaded for help. 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/Dept. Medellin was 14 at the time of the killings and has served 27 years of his 40-year sentence, the maximum punishment allowed for a juvenile. What would I tell them? 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. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Five of the gang members proceeded to repeatedly rape both girls for in excess of an hour. Jester Park in order to make an 11:30 curfew. "This is. 0000000017 00000 n [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. [5], Leaving the crime scene, Cantu handed Venancio Medelln a Goofy wristwatch taken from Ertman's body, saying, "Take this, I don't want it. 88 0 obj Nine minutes later, he was dead. One member, Jos Medelln, attempted to grope and pinch one of Pea's breasts. Verify and try again. This account has been disabled. 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. Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena were raped, tortured and murdered by gang members while walking near TC Jester on June 24, 1993. Instead of remorse there was violence from Cantu. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Sadly, they never made it. When he finally faced death, Cantu made no apology and had no statement. The Ertmans left without saying a word. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Drag images here or select from your computer for Jennifer Lee Ertman memorial. Try again later. [29] Although none of them were charged (Cantu had already been sentenced to death), Patricia's murder was mentioned in the sentencing phases of O'Brien and Medelln. He was sentenced under juvenile guidelines because he was 14 at the time of the crime. Death penalty opponents protested the impending execution. 0000001544 00000 n A month before Ertman and Pe a crossed his path, Cantu had mentioned to his former auto mechanics teacher that he wanted to kill someone "just to see what it feels like," according to testimony. There are multiple parking options available for those looking to attend the Houston Rodeo. . 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. He then clasped his arm around Pea's neck, threw her to the ground and dragged her down a gravel decline in the direction of the other gang members as Pea screamed and pleaded for help. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Failed to report flower. 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. /Length 1385 Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. You can always change this later in your Account settings. In August 2008, Ertman again climbed the steps to the red-bricked Medellin was among six gang members who were sentenced. [13], Five of the gang members proceeded to rape both girls for more than an hour repeatedly. 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