From the bathroom, she heard screams from her younger sister. Anna, Cassie, Kristie and Elizabeth emerged from the jail, holding hands in a line with Mike Ware, and raised their arms up. Vazquez along with three other women are fighting for exoneration from a 1994 sexual assualt case. She gave the San Antonio Express-News permission to use her name even though the paper's policy is to not name victims of sex assault, which she still is in the eyes of the law. Anna Vasquez, one of the four San Antonio women fighting to clear their names in the 1994 sexual assault of two sisters, was released from prison on parole, from the Crain Unit in Gatesville, TX. Kristie, still unemployed, pawned a radio. She said that her father, Javier Limon, and her grandmother, Serafina Limon, hit the ceiling when they found out Ramirez and her friends had come out as lesbiana risky move in 1990s San Antonio. She was still leaking milk when the police took her to jail. While working at H-E-B, she got to know Kristie Mayhugh, who was born in Montana and moved to San Antonio at age 3 when her father was transferred to the Randolph Air Force Base. 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. Shifts at Arbys. Anna counseled her, You need to tell somebody, because thats not right. Another friend says Elizabeth kept telling me over and over that she was afraid something was going to happen with Javier. Stephanie now said the women had never abused her. Elizabeth shrugged off her mothers warnings. Cassie and Anna tried to meticulously recreate what had happened the week of the alleged crimes. Then Aunt Liz ordered her to take a shower. She thought I was up to something, Otto told me. I never heard anything back.. The jury went home for the weekend, returning Monday for the closing arguments. When Elizabeth had entered the courtroom, the girl who was accusing her of sexual abuse had waved at her and smiled. 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. 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. 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. At H-E-B they met Cassie Rivera, who, before coming to terms with her attraction to other women, had a son and a daughter and then split with their father. 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. The women held her down and started kissing her and putting cold liquid stuff inside her, and then they inserted a tampon into her vagina, she testified. In the early 1990s, he told me, he had been working as a heavy-equipment operator for the city of San Antonio and dating Rosemary. Gina Kim covers crime and courts for Santa Maria Times. 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. Kristie remembers her friend accepting money and rides. Question ( 92735) Answer ( 32) In the backseat of a car, Stephanie Limon (now Stephanie Martinez) read from a sheet of notebook paper. Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. It was hard for me to really get my mind around what they had been accused of doing, he recalled. She warned her daughter not to take care of Javiers daughters. 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. Anna Vasquez had played sports with Elizabeth in high school. With her are her lawyer, Casie Gotro, and her husband, Joseph Martinez. Most of the time, as he learned from reading scientific journals, these women are teachers who fall in love with a student. Hes been married but now lives alone 40 miles outside of Whitehorse, the territorys capital and, at 30,000 residents, its largest city. All rights reserved. There had been other little kidsCassies kids and some neighborsin the apartment throughout the week, but now she was adamant that she and her sister had been the only children. The allegations that arose in 1994 stunned Elizabeth Ramirez. Strangers congratulated them. Stephanie Limon Martinez (center) breaks down in a state district court in Houston during questioning at a hearing concerning custody of her children. carvajal mazzini francisco javier dedicada a venta al por menor de alimentos, bebidas, principalmente y diversos articulos como: aparatos de uso domestico, articulos de ferreteria, muebles, prendas de vestir, cosmeticos, etc, en almacenes no especializados (supermercados, tiendas de abarro.inici sus actividades comerciales el 18/03/1997 como personas naturales. And the letters? Prison was a place of endless routine, and so she started one of her own. Michelle Mondo published a story strongly implying that Javier filed the allegation as punishment for Stephanies recantation. I love them. Gloria has no unkind words to say about her daughter, but she never describes her as shrewd. Limon's body was found by fieldworkers, and autopsy results showed that he suffered 10 gunshot wounds that struck his lung, heart and liver. Javiers advances toward Elizabeth are corroborated by her family, but so too are his denials corroborated by his own family members. Cassie saw Elizabeth for the first time at a Catholic mass. I would never hurt them in any way, never., Elizabeths lawyer jumped in, saying, Judge, did counsel make reference to O.J. was an incident when their father, Javier Limon . In her original statement to police, there had been no gun, but now there was one. I think Im going to wait for him to come to me, she told me shortly before her release. Rosemary recounted years later that Javier threatened her family. She was 22. VLs new testimony muddled the facts she had presented a year before. Do you know anything about where she learned it? Serafina asked. Did anyone pull out a butcher knife? the couple's lawyer, Casie Gotro, asked her. We rely on the generosity of our readers who believe that this work is important. Now it was Anna who had wielded the gun, not Elizabeth. When Ramirez rebuffed him, her family claimed, Limon retaliated by coaching his daughters to accuse her of molestation, and the girls ended up accusing Ramirez's three friends as well. For 20 years, Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez have fought to prove their innocence. Some of the discrepancies came from Serafina Limon, Javiers mother, who initially reported the girls outcries. Life after death row and the search for justice. She told me about a man who is constantly in relationships with women who take advantage of him. Elizabeth moved in with her sister Rosemary, who was then living with Javier Limon and their three young children. When Elizabeth first came out behind the glass to meet him, she couldnt stop shaking. Casie Gotro, Stephanie's lawyer, is at left. He asked to film her walking around the yard, and she complied, but she wouldnt stick one foot past the curb for the camera to symbolize her freedom, since it would technically violate her parole conditions. Then he put her on hold to take another call. When offered plea deals of 10 years probation, they all refused and decided to go to trial. Elizabeth had been incarcerated nearly 17. 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 2012, one of the nieces admitted to having been pressured by her father, Javier Limon, to make the false accusations. It was mentioned mostly by the defense attorneys, who attempted to show that relationships between women have nothing to do with pedophilia. This is a carousel. When Elizabeth went to get a haircut, the hairdresser wouldnt let her pay. Lopez, who normally handled child sexual abuse cases. Holidays and birthdays were the hardest. Philip Kazen, Elizabeths prosecutor, is now a judge. [Javiers younger daughter] told me herself, They were kissing us., Lonnie Gentry, the jury foreman at Elizabeths 1997 trial, listened to Javiers older daughter describe what had happened to her. We were inseparable, Cassie said. Friday, Nov. 2, 2012. Maria Vasquez (right), mother of Anna Vasquez, shakes hands with Gloria Herrera (left), mother of Elizabeth Ramirez, as Anna Vasquez's aunt, Valeria Pachecano stands in between during a meeting of the San Antonio Crime Coalition on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. They grew closer and, with Elizabeth beginning to realize she was attracted to women, eventually started dating. But money was tight, and at various times Elizabeth held jobs at Taco Cabana, Arbys and H-E-B. She liked to balance on the balls of her feet, leading her mother to joke that maybe she would become a ballerina. Our new endorsement for Texas Attorney General. The new technology was fascinating, but so were social mores. The cameras blinked on. She had just gotten home from a shift at Arbys, where she had recently been promoted to manager. We didnt understand it, and we didnt like it. Elizabeth remembers being racked with guilt as Cassie, Anna and Kristie faced trial together a year later, in February 1998. An affidavit submitted by a CPS caseworker outlines multiple accusations against the couple, from having a filthy apartment to being violent with each other, which they both deny. A tearful Anna Vasquez speaks on a phone during a prison interview Sept. 4, 2012. At the time of her death, Limon's father stated he had just walked . 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. Here's why dogs involved in fatal San Antonio mauling were returned to owner after prior attacks, Tense moment involving Budweiser Clydesdale at San Antonio Rodeo goes viral online, Family of man killed in San Antonio pit bull attack launches online fundraiser for funeral costs, Video of Texas school shooting survivor's American Idol audition goes viral, DPS sent at least 3,000 drivers licenses to organized crime group targeting Asian Texans, By Karen Brooks Harper, The Texas Tribune, Texas gets failing grade in study about state's efforts to get lead out of schools' drinking water, How Texas activists turned drag events into fodder for outrage, A critically-acclaimed documentary in the case had been critical in drumming up support and awareness for the so-called San Antonio Four, Scroll to read more San Antonio News articles, widely-acclaimed documentary on the San Antonio Four case. defense attorney Michael Scott asked. Javier said that after the girls spent the week at Elizabeths in July 1994, he didnt notice anything different at first. They are signed Javier Limon.. 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. Kelloggs admission suddenly undermined the key evidence in the case. He went back inside as everyone exhaled. Anna, right, is greeted by Gloria Herrera, mother of Elizabeth Ramirez who is still in prison. She never stopped sending him letters. It turned my stomach, she said. He said, I love you. He held me so tight. At one point, he had as many as 40 of them, and he would haul 5-gallon buckets from a nearby river for them to drink. The girl's father, Javier Limon, claims that shortly after bringing them back to San Antonio from Denver in 1992, they were caught acting out sexually with dolls, which led to their disclosing these events to him. Had she been in lesbian relationships? No, nothing like that happened, Limon Martinez replied. Do you think free access to journalism like this is important? She looked stoic and resigned. She claimed Morales never told her who Limon owed money to but that she did know there had been a business deal between Morales and Limon that went awry and soured their relationship. 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. Being a mother, if anything like that happened, she told me, of course I would try to do anything I could for my son.. She had been convicted of a crime, but the crime didnt make much sense; he knew that women rarely go to prison for sexually abusing children. No. Some things were familiar: Elizabeth savored a strawberry shake from McDonalds and watched a Spurs game on television; Cassie went to a cookout for her sons birthday. Alejandre is heard saying. When Darrell Otto first sent the letter, he wasnt sure who would reply. The court battle this week pitted Stephanie Limon Martinez and her husband, Joseph Martinez, against her father, Javier Limon, who in court Friday accused them of domestic violence and. Esquenazi became passionately involved, collecting footage for a documentary that she is still filming. "I'm a single mom raising kids, living on the streets," she testified, becoming emotional on the stand. Visitors give TX state park final farewell after land sold, Dallas judge revives sexual misconduct suit against Jerry Jones. She spoke to reporters at her childhood home, a small bungalow where the street dead-ends at a muddy creek. Anna applied to nursing school. Matjeka told Elizabeth that if she had committed a crime, her sondue in about five monthswould probably be taken by the authorities. I want my babies back, she said, crying. Kristie Mayhugh, seen here Sept. 4, 2012, is incarcerated at the Of course she did. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Thank you for reading! 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. Elizabeths lawyer, Freddy Ruiz, tried to get VL to say that she was mixed up, and that the gun had actually been wielded by her father Javier in Colorado. 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. Limon was her sisters ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and 9-year-old nieces. At this trial, the younger of Elizabeths nieces, Stephanie Limon, who was not a witness at Elizabeths trial, would testify (her name is used here because she has recently spoken to the media about the case). I will make things right, and I am sorry for everything I put you through. Vasquez said she feels an obligation to them. Detectives gave her a recording device and ordered her to call Morales in prison, record the conversation, then hand it over. Sitting in the courtroom, Elizabeth was frightened but also puzzled. Anna had seen Elizabeth unable to deal with the interests of men before. Anna Vasquez, pictured here on Sept. 4, 2012, was incarcerated at the Murray Unit, in Gatesville, Texas. At the station, Matjeka asked if she knew a man named Javier Limon and his two daughters. Liz kind of distanced herself from all of us, Kristie recalled. After Cassandra went to prison, her mother got a white puppy and named it Teddy Bear. When Javier got home, the girls told him the whole shocking story of being held down and raped, he said. 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. Elizabeth Ramirez, the aunt, and her friends Anna Vasquez, Cassandra Rivera and Kristie Mayhugh are fighting to clear their names in the bizarre case that spurred talk of Satanism when they were accused in 1994. She immediately denied the accusation. Matjekas tone grew less friendly. I called all the womens previous attorneys, and they didnt even remember the case, she told me. Had she ever left her nieces under the care of her friends? Journalism like this is important documentary that she was afraid something was going what happened to javier limon san antonio happen with Javier Martinez replied his. Our readers what happened to javier limon san antonio believe that this work is important presented a year before death... 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