He told Venancio Medelln to stay behind because he was too little to watch. The other gang members forced the girls into a wooded area. Their bodies were found four days later. [5] This location was approximately one mile from Pea's home. Instead of remorse there was violence from Cantu. "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. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Join us as we discuss this heinous attack. [48] Another memorial exists at T.C. Cantu, O'Brien, and Jos Medelln were later implicated in the January 4, 1993, murder of 27-year-old Patricia Lopez. To use this feature, use a newer browser. "We're looking forward to Peter Cantu being executed so he can never murder or hurt anybody again," he said. Jennifer Ertman, left, and Elizabeth Pea both attended Waltrip High School. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 3 of the main members who were 18 or over were sentenced to death and it was carried out 2006,2008,2010 respectively. << 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! The killers didn't crumple or cry when recounting the bestiality of their acts to investigators. The families of both Ertman and Pea strongly favored the execution(s). Ertman's daughter Jennifer, 14, and her friend, 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena, were attacked June 24, 1993, by. "Life without parole is a better alternative, both for society and better from the viewpoint of punishing the individuals," said Scott Cobb of the Texas Moratorium Network. The architect of their deaths will pay with his own life Tuesday evening. 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. Add to your scrapbook. "This was so senseless. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Verify and try again. [22], Four days after the murders, the girls' bodies were found in the park during hot weather conditions. << 0000006863 00000 n This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Two others I think were 17 and got life. Failed to delete memorial. Medelln said in a sworn statement that he learned that the Mexican consulate could assist him in 1997. 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. This prompted Medelln to say the gang "had fun" and that details would appear on the news. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. [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. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Put a needle in her arm and just go to sleep. The teens were killed in TC Jester Park as part of a gang initiation Ertman Pena Fol. She then attempted to flee. They expressed no regret or even a second thought at what they had done. Failed to remove flower. Jester Park in northwest Houston. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. And Cantu's brother, upset at the gang's gloating about having fun with the girls, called police. . New development was everywhere, spurred by a mayor and city council devoted to the cause of building. There is a problem with your email/password. Mexican-born Jose Medellin, 33, with needles in "I miss them and I love them, and they'll never be forgotten and I'll try to keep their memories alive as best as I can," friend Christina Almarez said. Ertman will stand a few feet away, watching again through the window. In August 2008, Ertman again climbed the steps to the red-bricked 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". Realizing that the girls would be capable of identifying them, Peter Cantu, the leader of the gang, ordered the members to kill the girls. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 0000005484 00000 n [32] He petitioned the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1998 regarding this issue; the appeal failed. [11][n 1], Ertman could've easily run to escape at this point but ran to help her friend. [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. Authorities later linked him and O'Brien to a killing six months before the attack on Ertman and Pena. Both girls were strangled to death. People normally immune to the shock of another murder were stunned by the savagery of what happened on a moonless muggy night along the banks of White Oak Bayou. It was the same spot where, in 1993, 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Pea were raped, tortured and killed when they stumbled upon a late-night gang initiation. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Country music star and Conroe-native, Parker McCollum caught up with our Sally Mac after he was named the headliner for 2023's Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Please enter your email and password to sign in. This is a carousel with slides. All those believed responsible were ultimately arrested. 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. [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. Put a needle in her arm and just go to sleep. [2], At 4:15 p.m. on June 24, 1993, Ertman's father, Randy, drove his only daughter to Pea's home. /CS1 [ /Pattern /DeviceGray ] /CS2 [ /Pattern /DeviceRGB ] >> /Font << /F9 The girls' bodies were found decomposing in the . The parents of the murder victims successfully advocated for the State of Texas allowing relatives of victims to have permission to witness executions. 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! C.E. AN ORGY OF VIOLENCE At first, the teenage boys grabbed Elizabeth, while Jennifer escaped. 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. Both girls were strangled to death. . This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. The gang of attackers had showed up at his house after the killings. Peter Anthony Cantu, Jos Ernesto Medelln, Derrick Sean O'Brien, Efrain Prez, and Raul Omar Villarreal received death sentences. This suggested a lurking evil, omnipresent and inchoate. Cantu was a good worker who was courteous with customers, the boss said, stunned that the "yes, sir" guy he knew changed so dramatically when the workday ended. 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. 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. On June 24, 1993, Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea attended a pool party hosted by their friend, Gina Escamilla. [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. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. 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. 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. Learn more about managing a memorial . Cantu is the last of three men scheduled to die by lethal injection for the June 1993 murders of 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena (AP). 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. stream to Ertman. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Jennifer Ertman (7051821)? FROM 2018: How brutal killings of 2 Houston teens changed Texas justice. She and her friend Elizabeth were students at Waltrip High School in Houston. They are both buried at Woodlawn Garden of Memories Cemetery. /O 74 Home / Uncategorized / murders of jennifer ertman and elizabeth pena jose medellin interview with The Associated Press. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Cantu's brother, Joe, testified about what inspired him to call police. Six anonymous teens stoked on alcohol and testosterone needed only an hour or so to make their mark on the city. As Ertman was murdered, Pea was forced to watch her friend's death as other gang members held a ligature around her own neck. He received a 40-year prison sentence, the maximum for a juvenile, for the sexual assault of Jennifer Ertman. She was then forced to remove her underwear. 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. Two of Cantu's companions in the gang they dubbed the Black and White preceded him to the death chamber. The case spurred legislative reform in Texas' criminal justice system. 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