And the center passenger, I immediately recognized as Resendiz. Over the course of the following eight years, he continued traveling by train in the U.S., during which time, he killed at least a dozen people. What I was most worried about, I think, was seeing him again. Devon Anderson: She was definitely our star witness. And out of the corner of my eye just glimpsed something go across the front yard. ngel Maturino Resndiz, a Mexican drifter suspected of murdering at least eight people, is escorted into court. Resndiz was also a suspect in the 1998 murder of 81-year-old Fannie Whitney Byers in Carl, Georgia, but was never convicted of it since a couple was charged. Craig Sorrell: We were the last of the cases presented. And that - that was, you know, a very scary time, because I just - I felt - I knew that he knew I was still alive. What if someone wanted you dead but you lived to tell? Dominguez was a schoolteacher at. It was very bruised - lots of cuts across her face. He used many aliases, but was chiefly known and sought after as Rafael Resendez-Ramirez. Resndiz said that he shot and killed the woman for disrespecting him. Holly Dunn: [Devon Anderson] told me, "Don't look at him. That really is probably the part that I try the hardest and can't forget. You do not deserve this. And they still couldn't find him. Holly Dunn: I don't have things that I think about all the time. I'm going to be alive forever." I just ask you to forgive me and ask the Lord to forgive me for allowing the devil to deceive me. (Biography.com Editors, 2015). Local news report: Resendiz faces capital murder charges in the stabbing death of Dr. Claudia Benton. And I was like saying my last prayer. And it's gotta be about gettin' this guy dead. Angel Maturino Resendiz in court. Upon hearing the judge's ruling, Resndiz said, "I don't believe in death. He had like this smug look on his face. Drew Carter: And so then, you know, the doubt sets in. At the time, he had been tracked down to Mexico. You know, "how can I help you?" I won't tell anybody what happened here, just don't hurt me.". He was continuing to kill. You know, we were just trying to figure out what he wanted. There was nothing there. I said, "Do you have friends? Resndiz raped Dunn, who stopped struggling when he reportedly told her just how easy it would be for him to kill her. Det. He was executed in 2006. I tried to scream. It was held here in Houston. No emotion. After being raped, beaten and stabbed, Holly somehow found the will to survive. And he actually pulled Chris from the tracks, on the gravel, into the grass beside the tracks. And he gagged us. Angel Resendiz Destiny Johnson Lafayette High School For nearly two years, a killer literally followed wheatfield Americas ra-lit dawn. Morber was shot to death with a shotgun and Frederick bludgeoned with that weapon. Four days later, he's in a different state. In my head, I was panicking. I tried to kick him. At the age of six, he was sent to live with his maternal uncle, who raped him, and was also sexually assaulted by a local pedophile. Convicted railroad killer Angel Maturino Resendiz, center, points his finger after being. So when they walked him in [to the courtroom] it was a great moment, but he was so scary. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Don't give up. And really that was the only thing that they could fix. Drew Carter: At the time of his arrest, Resendiz was linked to six murders in Texas, two in Illinois and one in Kentucky. He was so different at trial. Worried church members found the couple when they failed to turn up for Sunday service. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Maintained by: Find a Grave The FBI then obtained a federal warrant for Resndizs arrest in late May 1999, and formed a multi-agency task force to apprehend him. His birth name was ngel Leoncio Reyes Recendis. Drew Carter: The majority of his attacks were by surprise. He was sentenced . And for the 1st time there was an indication of sexual . I realized, at that point, that he was going to rape me. In fact, over a 20-year period, Resndiz was deported or voluntarily returned to Mexico 17 times, having illegally entered the U.S. using a series of aliases. Holly Dunn: I felt, I guess, relieved. Here is a preview of "Sole Survivor," due out in November. She spent five days in a hospital before returning home to Indiana to recover. I thank God for having patience in me. And they - I mean, I literally - I felt my hearing going into my head. He was convicted of capital murder in Texas and executed by lethal injection in 2006. Holly gave that to Chris and all the others that had been murdered. And after two years, we hadn't had anything of substance anyway, so we chased any lead. Just horrific violence. And wired my mouth shut. FBI. Victims 1. We were able to establish - that we had a DNA sample of the suspect - from the rape. And then, a pastor and his wife were killed in Weimar. Det. I definitely think that there's parts of me that wanted to retreat away. The FBI saw similarities between the Benton and Sirnic murder scenes, and DNA obtained from both came back as a match. Angel Maturino Resendiz was born on August 1st 1959 in Izucar de Matomoros, Puebla, Mexico. And I was covered in blood. No humanity. So he's like the boogeyman coming into your house. Bludgeoned to death with an air hose coupling and left beside the railroad tracks. My lieutenant asked me to come out and said it was a bad one. I wish I could've seen his face when he knew she was comin' to testify against him. Texas Executes 'Railroad Killer' Angel Maturino Resendiz Associated Press HUNTSVILLE, Texas - A train-hopping serial killer linked to at least 15 murders near railroad tracks around the country. Resndiz said that he killed the man because the man was involved in black magic. June, 4, 1999, would prove to be a deadly day. Neil Patmore is a former police officer, and private investigator. And I hoped that he experienced some of the fear - that Holly did. Devon Anderson: It was devastating. Resendiz had broken into the victim's house by going through an open door. At the time of his arrest, he was married to a woman named Julieta Dominguez Reyes, with whom he had a daughter, Liria. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Top Dems push Fox News to stop promoting "propaganda" about 2020 election. His body was found in the front yard of an abandoned downtown house. and he came over and literally just dropped it on Chris' head. Holly Dunn: I definitely feel like I have another opportunity at life. Craig Sorrell: For two years we had operated under the belief that his name was Rafael Resendez Ramirez. [1][2][3][4], By illegally jumping on and off trains within and across Mexico, Canada and the United States, generally crossing borders illegally, Resndiz was able to evade authorities for a considerable time. No one was stopping him. Shortly before his execution on June 27, 2006, Resendiz confessed to other murders in addition to the known nine at the time of trial. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Resendiz -- at the time known to law enforcement by his alias, Rafael Resendez Ramirez -- becomes one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives." You know, "I will let you go. Because he couldn't get - his arms were all tied up in his backpack. Angel Maturino Resendiz. And so, we were talking to each other, trying to figure out how we were going to get away Because Chris kept saying, "You know if you can get yourself untied get away, run away." Drifting back and forth across the border, Resndiz illegally hopped freight trains while working seasonal migrant farm jobs, riding railcars to Florida for orange-picking season or up to Kentucky to harvest tobacco. Shot in the head with a shotgun. Angel Maturino Resndiz (August 1, 1959 - June 27, 2006), aka The Railroad Killer/The Railway Killer/The Railcar Killer, was an itinerant Mexican serial killer responsible for as many as 15 murders across the United States and Mexico during the 1990s. He was executed in the Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas, on June 27, 2006, by lethal injection. They saw all the indications that he knew what he was doing was wrong, and then they ultimately convicted him of capital murder. Drew Carter of the Texas Rangers, arrives at Hobby Airport in Houston on Tuesday, July 13, 1999, after turning himself in to Carter in El Paso. Lexington, KY, Police DeptThe electrical box Resndiz hid behind before attacking Maier and Dunn. I felt that. According to Justice Department documents, Resndiz was born on Aug. 1, 1959, in Puebla, Mexico, as ngel Leoncio Reyes Recendis. Holly Dunn's belt lies discarded along the railroad tracks in Lexington, Ky. He was nicknamed "The Railroad Killer" because all the killings occurred near train tracks. He became known as "The Railroad (or Railway) Killer" as most of his crimes were committed near railroads . Resndiz surrendered to Carter. And I don't know if it was an ice pick, if it was a screwdriver, but he had it on Chris the whole time. June 15, Gorham, Illinois: George Morber and Carolyn Frederick: Resndiz also claimed to have killed seven additional people in Mexico. My friend's still out there.". I couldn't attend the funeral. I'm going to be alive forever." You know, like, "be sure they know my friend's still out there. I was constantly running away from someone. FBI An FBI handout depicting the face of the Railroad Killer, ngel Maturino Resndiz. Wikipedia article ngel Maturino Resndiz, A series of 16 podcasts released between October 2018 and February 2019 by British journalist Alex Hannaford and produced by Peter Sale for AudioBoom en*led, "The Unbelievable Survival Story of Holly K Dunn" Episode 266, and "The Railroad Killer" Episode 268 of, List of people executed in Texas, 20002009, List of people executed in the United States in 2006, List of serial killers by number of victims, List of serial killers in the United States, The Rafael Resendez-Ramirez Case: A Review of the INS's Actions and the Operation of Its IDENT Automated Fingerprint Identification System (March 20, 2000) - U.S. Department of Justice, Geringer, Joseph. Angel Maturino RESENDIZ A.K.A. After finishing each sentence, he would be deported back to Mexico, only to return every time. You know, I remember saying, "Why are you doing this? Continue with Recommended Cookies. I couldn't get my feet untied. Angel Maturino Resndiz (August 1, 1959 June 27, 2006), also known as The Railroad Killer, was a Mexican itinerant serial killer suspected in as many as 23 murders across the United States and Mexico during the 1990s. Beaten to death with an antique fire iron after entering her house through a window. Our last clue was Texas. That's when he started hitting me. His birth name was ngel Leoncio Reyes Recendis. Resndiz had many aliases but was chiefly known and sought after as Rafael Resendez-Ramirez. Holly Dunn: They got to the moment in the trial when they say, "Is the person who attacked you in the courtroom today?" Norman J. Sirnic and his wife Karen Sirnic were bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer in the parsonage of the United Church of Christ. Resndiz's ultimate fate, however, was decided by a jury, not Carter. One excerpt of "Sole Survivor" details the attack on Holly and her friend Chris Maier and the other the beginning of her recovery with the help of her sister Heather, among others. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. In 1999, former Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox, wary of the controversy miring the many confessions and recantations by serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, remarked of Resndiz, "I hope they don't start pinning on him every crime that happens near a railroad track. I just ask you to forgive me and ask the Lord to forgive me for allowing the devil to deceive me. Craig Sorrell: The FBI, all the local agencies, the different areas, everybody was running leads. When we first started working it, we approached it from the standpoint of a fugitive investigation and that was trying to learn as much as we could about the subject at hand. I keep a little bit of a reminder on my desk. I hadn't looked at him yet. It was about the second night of classes. [5] Resndiz killed at least 15 people [6] with rocks, a pickaxe, and other blunt objects, mainly in their homes. I was like, "Okay, well, you know, what's gonna happen is gonna happen. Maturino Resendiz was sentenced to death for the December 1998. rape and murder of a Houston-area physician. tied to a tree, dead from strangulation. We lived on 13 acres. . Resndiz was pronounced dead at 8:05p.m. CDT (01:05 UTC) on June 27, 2006. I think, at that point, I went into survival mode. I knew he was there. He had at least 1 sister, Manuela, Albuquerque, New Mexico. I mean, on the Texas side. I walked about 200 yards or so maybe on the rocks along the tracks. Archived from the original on December 29, 2004. ngel Maturino Resndiz enters a federal courtroom in July 1999. A sheriff confers with accused serial killer. Holly Dunn: I flew into Houston with my family the night before I was going to testify. Maturino Resendiz is a native of Mexico who crossed illegally into the United States for years, hopping on trains to get around the country. Often the people were in bed asleep when he was getting 'em. And he couldn't get untied. Trial started in May of 2000. His victims include a doctor, a. But three of the messages were from my dad. Money was sometimes left at the scene. Shortly after his arrest, a palm print left at the murder scene would be matched to Resendiz. He'd picked up the language on the road, and held forth in. He raped some of his female victims; however, rape was probably a secondary intent. On the day of his execution, he asked forgiveness from the family members of his victims in attendance, and from God, for allowing the devil to deceive me.. If they saw somebody, we'd get the train stopped, check the train - stop anybody and identify anybody on it. Devon Anderson, Harris County Prosecutor: The sense of urgency was - it was unbelievable because people were dying. And I really don't know how much time passed before our attacker came down carrying a rock. Her rural farmhouse was not far from Weimar, causing residents there to become terrified of the very thing that their town was built upon - the railroad. And I remember hearing his accent, thinking, "that is a Mexican accent.". Watch Live: Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Watch Live: Garland testifies amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. Devon Anderson: And I had been waiting to see this guy. Norman J. Sirnic, 46, and his wife Karen Sirnic, 47, of Weimar, Texas, were bludgeoned to death on May 2, 1999, by a sledgehammer in the parsonage of the United Church of Christ, where Norman Sirnic was a pastor. It's like somebody took a black magic marker and colored his eyes. Holly Dunn, Heather's sister: In late August 1997, I was a student at the University of Kentucky. Aug. 29, 1997 Christopher Maier, a 21-year-old junior at the University of Kentucky, killed as he and his 23-year-old girlfriend, were taking a shortcut from one party to another. The broken eye socket, there was nothing they could do. I was thinking, "Let me remember everything about you that I can, because we'll get you at some point. The search for Resndiz now received widespread national media attention, even appearing on an episode of Americas Most Wanted. He was convicted of capital murder in Texas and executed by lethal injection in 2006. I thought she was going to die. Resndiz's ultimate fate, however, was decided by a jury, not Carter. Shot four times with a .38-caliber weapon, with her body dumped in an abandoned farmhouse. Her face - it looked like a boxer whenever they - whenever they get cut during a boxing match. At age 14, he illegally entered Florida, before being deported in 1976. He went through his backpack and didn't find anything that he wanted. ngel Maturino Resndiz was born on August 1, 1959 in Izcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico. Nobody else could speak out against him in first person. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro Getting Started Contributor Zone Contribute to This Page Edit page I can't explain how this changes you. "[18], Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of people executed in Texas, 20002009, List of people executed in the United States in 2006, List of serial killers by number of victims, List of serial killers in the United States, Items seized could aid railway killings probe, "Angel Maturino Resendiz: The Railroad Killer Terror Near the Tracks Crime Library", "Infamous 'Railroad Killer' faces execution for multiple slayings Lubbock Online Lubbock Avalanche-Journal", "The Rafael Resendez-Ramirez Case: A Review of the INS's Actions and the Operation of Its IDENT Automated Fingerprint Identification System", "Judge says killer sane enough for execution", "FOXNews.com - 'Railroad Killer'Still Pains Ill. Town", "Mutual trust helped Texas Ranger get his man", "Resendiz gets death Lubbock Online Lubbock Avalanche-Journal", "Watchdog group questions worth of the Heartland Flyer", Texas Department of Criminal Justice profile of Angel Maturino Resendiz, "Dead Man Talking: The Tape and 15 other episodes", The Rafael Resendez-Ramirez Case: A Review of the INS's Actions and the Operation of Its IDENT Automated Fingerprint Identification System (March 20, 2000), "ANGEL MATURINO RESENDEZ: THE RAILROAD KILLER", "In letter, railroad killer ties self to Florida slayings", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ngel_Maturino_Resndiz&oldid=1133809228, Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, ngel Reyes Resndiz. Benton, a pediatric neurologist at the Baylor College of Medicine, was raped, stabbed, and bludgeoned repeatedly after he entered her home, which is near the Union Pacific railroad tracks. I Survived. I know I allowed the Devil to rule my life. Some also involved sexual *ault. And I turned and looked at him. The Kentucky murder of Christopher Maier, which Holly Dunn miraculously survived, seemed to match aspects of the murders of Benton and the Sirnics and the DNA once again matched as well. He was only charged with one because that's all you need to get the death penalty. Det. His birth name was ngel Leoncio Reyes Recendis. Devon Anderson: I read an account of the execution, and it said that right before they injected him, his feet were shaking under the sheet. His mother, Virginia Resendiz de Maturino, never married his father and frequently abused him physically. We sat there and talked for a while, I'm not sure how long, but we got up to leave and go back to the party. Maybe this is what I had been running from in all those dreams as a child - this horrific story that happened to my sister.". June 9, 2000. Supposedly the boyfriend of the previous victim. He used many aliases, but was chiefly known and sought after as Rafael Resendez-Ramirez. And she collapsed on the couch. He also took jewelry, cash, valuables and other items and gave them to his wife in Mexico. Police found her Jeep Cherokee in San Antonio with Resendiz' fingerprints on the steering column. So it was very startling to see someone come out that was crouched behind an electrical box. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. He killed two women in one day, 90 miles apart. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The same month, a Texas Ranger, Drew Carter, contacted Manuela, Resndiz's sister who lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico and to whom he was close. As a freelance writer, he spends his time writing about true crime. But I was hit five or six times in the front of my face and then, I turned over, and I was hit five or six times in the back of my head. We had split seconds in where - our attacker would go back up to the tracks and we were down in the grass. 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