Cassie didnt understand, so Anna broke the news: They too were being accused of sexually assaulting Elizabeths nieces. The first days back were like returning from a long vacation. Elizabeth told me that after she became pregnant, Javier offered to marry her and was upset when she refused. They needed something to justify why Rosemary left me. He introduced himself as Detective Thomas Matjeka from the San Antonio Police Department, and though he was not in uniform, he said he was with the Homicide Unit. Anna Vasquez talks with her brother Jerry Vasquez on their mother's front porch after they celebrated her first Thanksgivings after being released on parole, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Still hale in his mid-50s, with close-cropped hair, Otto lives without reliable electricity or running water. With her are her lawyer, Casie Gotro, and her husband, Joseph Martinez. Cassies son and daughter continued to drive three hours up Interstate 35 to visit her in prison, but Elizabeth had lost contact with her son when he was 5 and his father obtained custody. Anna Vasquez, just released from prison, stops at the "Anna Wall" in her mother's home, joking that the photo of her in a crib as a baby, was the first picture of her behind bars. My sister., The more I interviewed the estranged couple, ferrying bits of information between them, the clearer the duality became: Javier was either a vindictive, wrathful man or a caring father who was being smeared by Elizabeths family. Besides his work as producer has also dabbled as an interpreter and has released three studio albums, Limn, Son de Limn and Mujeres de Agua. Alejandre further denied ever selling drugs for Morales or being asked to do so. Holidays and birthdays were the hardest. But Javiers sister, Cristina Aguilar, described Javier very differently. Thank you for reading! Shifts at Arbys. Elizabeth claims back then Limon would. In November, Anna was released on parole. He explained that she threatened to recant to hurt him, because they had recently been fighting. Then, only a couple minutes later, the spokesman came back out breathless. Anna Vasquez served more than a decade in jail while the other three women remain imprisoned. If it had been a man, I dont think there would have been much of a question.. His sister, Cristina, became increasingly angry as she told me, I remember [Javiers older daughter] telling me that they touched them, moving their hands back and forth down there. I tried writing the innocence projects and Oprah and Maury Povich and Montel, Anna told me, anybody who would listen. Rosemary, who had trouble fighting for custody since she lived outside of Texas, floated around, at one point moving to Mexico with a husband who had immigration issues. Even as a toddler, Elizabeth Ramirez was small for her age. I trusted Elizabeth, that she wasnt going to hurt my daughters, he said. Everything she does is camouflaged, he said, adding that she probably made a deal with Rosemary, her mother, for money or other help. I thought my case was going to go away.". Elizabeth and Kristie moved in together as friends. When Javier got home, the girls told him the whole shocking story of being held down and raped, he said. Anna Vasquez, right, embraces her mother Maria Vasquez after she was released from prison. Morales stands accused of allegedly orchestrating the August 2014 murder of Javier Limon, who the prosecution claims was killed over unpaid drug debts to gang members. Alejandre testified that she was told by Morales that Limon was killed because he avoided paying money he collected from drug transactions and went into hiding. A friend had brought 10 outfits on hangers, including black slacks and blouses in various shades of blue and gold, so the women could pick what theyd like to wear.. Javier Limon . It was August 2012, and Stephanie, then 25, was a mother herself. During a cross-examination, Kazen, the prosecutor, broke the flow of his questions to ask, Am I intimidating you up here? I remember reporters at the time wanting to know if we were trying these women because they were lesbian, which was ludicrous, she told me. We met once at the colleges library, and then later at a Whataburger, where he takes his kids so often that he knows the staff well. The questioning continued, focusing on Elizabeths relationships with women. That incident was said to have happened during a visit Aug. 1 to the home of Javier Limon, Stephanie Limon Martinez's father, in Stafford, according to court testimony. September 5, 2012. Would you like me to go sit down? Elizabeth answered, Yes, please., Later on, Elizabeth interrupted his questions to declare, I love those children 100 percent. As prison guards at the Crain Unit in Gatesville close the gate behind her, Anna Vasquez opens the door to a relative's car after being released on parole Nov. 2, 2012. It was the first day of testimony in a hearing involving Stephanie Limon Martinez, 25, and her husband, Joseph Martinez, 29, who both believe the accusations against them are in retaliation because Limon Martinez is now working to help exonerate her aunt and the other women. But because only copies of the documents are available, the experts reports were inconclusive. Prior to the accusation, Elizabeth had rejected the advances of the children's father Javier Limon. Ware and the other lawyers for the women have said that no matter how much the ongoing investigations may cast doubt on the legal and medical context for the convictions, much about the case will remain a mystery. The Firm presently has twelve members. A statue of a praying angel stands near Maria Vasquez, right, in her living room where Vasquez prayed daily for her daughter Anna Vasquez. Anna Vasquez, recently released on parole, speaks at a Work-In-Progress screening of "San Antonio Four" a documentary by Deborah S. Esquenazi, about Vasquez and three of her friends, who are still in prison, found guilty of sexual assault of two minors. I love them. Gloria has no unkind words to say about her daughter, but she never describes her as shrewd. Surrounded by cameras from local and national media outlets, the women thanked the DAs office and the media for letting us tell our story. They also thanked Darrell Otto, over and over again, though none of the reporters asked about him. She also testified that she felt scared as she was high on methamphetamines, stressed and confused when told there was a murder investigation. The sun started to set as family members and friends of the four women lined up outside the county jail, breathing in sharply each time the doors opened. Limon Martinez and her husband believe the accusations against them are in retaliation because she is now working to help exonerate her aunt and the other women. Yes. A year after Javier and Rosemary split for good, he took a bus to Denver, where Rosemary was living, and returned to Texas with his kids. The next day, the fish died and they returned it. They ask her to keep secrets and instruct her to call at specific times, between 7 and 7:15 a.m. or 5:45 and 6 p.m. I hope these letters are not upsetting, disturbing, or making you feel uncomfortable, one reads. Cassie met her one night when she went to pick up a pizza. "I thought you weren't supposed to face charges, per the agreement?" The prosecutor, Philip Kazen, told the jury that Elizabeth had held a 9-year-old girl up as a sacrificial lamb to her friends.. He finished college, got a masters degree, and took the teaching job in the remote Yukon. Life after death row and the search for justice. Thank you for using this website. Matjeka typed her answers into a computer. They used those letters in order to entrap me, he said. The crowd cheered. Hooper described Javiers behavior as a pattern, saying he uses the authorities to get back at people who have crossed him. Otto found an organization called the National Center for Reason and Justice, which was created in the wake of the 1980s-era satanic ritual abuse scandals to advocate for people wrongfully accused of harming children. Javier says she went to Mexico to evade paying child support. She had not spoken to him for 13 years, though family members had updated her on his growth, his football games and his girlfriends, and informed her that he was staying out of trouble. He is now 18, with a job and a girlfriend. The new technology was fascinating, but so were social mores. Anna Vasquez, recently released on parole, listens to lawyer Jeff Blackburn, center, speak at a Work-In-Progress screening of "San Antonio Four" a documentary by Deborah S. Esquenazi, about Vasquez and three of her friends, who are still in prison, found guilty of sexual assault of two minors. Promotional Rates were found for your code. Dr. Kellogg has told the Bexar County District Attorneys office that her initial claims at the trial are outdated and that she wouldnt offer the same testimony today. Some of the discrepancies came from Serafina Limon, Javiers mother, who initially reported the girls outcries. Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox. Michael Barajas The scene of the crime had vanished. He checked out a video from the college library on female sexual predators. Her relationship with her mother improvedGloria co-signed for Elizabeths new apartment. Gloria Herrera keeps a picture of her daughter Elizabeth Ramirez in a Bible in her bedroom, Friday, Dec. 3, 2010. 2021 The Texas Observer. To be honest with you, she said, I feel so bad for my brother, because I tell him hes got the worst luck with women.. He also gave up drinking, he told me, though he never liked the taste of alcohol anyway. Matjeka's tone grew less friendly. They worked together at a nursing home, where the residents would constantly tell Gloria what a caring and charming girl she had raised. Once released on bail, Elizabeth relied on family members to take care of her son while she worked at Taco Cabana and tried to fend off the assault charges. Swimming with the kids. She was still leaking milk when the police took her to jail. It was mentioned mostly by the defense attorneys, who attempted to show that relationships between women have nothing to do with pedophilia. The judge hearing the case will determine whether the couple get their children back. Roughly a year later, in late October 2013, attorney Mike Ware filed writs for all four women. Javier claimed they were forged by Rosemary as a pretext for taking the kids from him. The video cuts between scenes of them spinning Cassies kids on a small playground carousel and swimming at a beach. Kids' removal called payback for recanting, Woman fighting to clear name in 1994 sex assault is paroled, Parole OK'd for woman fighting for exoneration. Anna Vasquez (left), Cassandra Rivera and Kristie Mayhugh (right) were tried together and were sentenced to 15 years, which began in 2000 after they lost their only appeal. Elizabeth Ramirez is in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas, September 5, 2012. You got lucky! She discovered that Javiers two daughters had made abuse allegations before, in Denver, but then claimed at Elizabeths trial to not remember having done so. In high school, she remained small, never more than 4-foot-9, though that didnt keep her from playing on the basketball team. Her long straight hair was in a perm with her bangs teased up off her forehead. It involved four women from San Antonio. She also noted that while she did regularly use and sell drugs, she only sold the substances to support her children, and wasn't paying taxes to gangs, or to Morales. She said that her father Javier had coached her to make the accusations. Outlets must also tag the Observer in all social media posts. Morales maintained that he was minding his own business and focused on appealing his prior criminal case to get out of prison, and denied any involvement in the murder. Gloria Herrera shows her favorite pictures of her daughter, Elizabeth Ramirez, Friday, Dec. 3, 2010. I thought she should have gotten life, said Gentry, the foreman. Serafina had said Elizabeth was suspiciously dour when she brought the girls back after the week at the apartment. She was still a convicted sex offender and there was a long list of parole rules: no cell phones, no computers, no contact with anyone under 18. It wasnt something easily picked up by the wires.. Elizabeth Ramirez holds her baby boy shortly after his birth in a family photo. Being a mother, if anything like that happened, she told me, of course I would try to do anything I could for my son.. He declined to comment, saying he thought the Express-News didn't properly represent his side in a 2010 story about the women. The most painful memory of that day was being separated from my newborn son, she later wrote. His parents sought asylum in Venezuela when he was five after dictator Augusto Pinochet rose to power. Limon's body was found by fieldworkers, and autopsy results showed that he suffered 10 gunshot wounds that struck his lung, heart and liver. And the letters? I would not have one with her., Did you have a gay relationship with Anna?, Did you have a gay relationship with Cassie?, That doesnt mean you have to be together., Well, maybe Im confused. Testimony revealed that Alejandre herself was facing criminal charges after a search warrant was served in April 2015 at a home she previously resided in, when detectives began investigating Morales and his alleged role in Limon's murder. In terms of mileage from the Yukon, the North Pole would have been a shorter journey. Limon was her sister's ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and. He had no idea who she was. A tearful Anna Vasquez speaks on a phone during a prison interview Sept. 4, 2012. Cassie remembers her lawyer telling the women that they would surely win and coaching them not to jump up and down when the jury announced an acquittal. Matjekas tone grew less friendly. At the station, Matjeka asked if she knew a man named Javier Limon and his two daughters. The bottom line is this, prosecutor Philip Kazen countered: VL was very clear about specifics in terms of time, place, and content of the sexual assault. Kazen, who is now a judge, didnt respond to multiple interview requests. Vasquez said she feels an obligation to them. The cameramen turned on their night-lights, which reflected off the glass of the jail door. Spending on cops and tech at the border has increased ninefold in a decade. Detective Matjeka was a homicide detective covering for detective T.R. what happened to javier limon san antonio Updates - Experience in Banking and Finance Updates - Experience in Energy Law About ETAH-NAN & Co. ETAH-NAN & C is a bilingual (French and English) Law Firm created in 1985. Photos, illustrations and other art may be available for syndication but must be confirmed. She had just gotten home from a shift at Arbys, where she had recently been promoted to manager. Of alcohol anyway than a decade in jail while the other three remain. 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