So it was an all out race then to try and figure out where he was and get hands on him. June, 4, 1999, would prove to be a deadly day. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. I was sitting in my chair, studying. 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. Craig Sorrell: As part of the search, there was actually a huge operation to stop trains. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Maintained by: Find a Grave At the age of eleven, he ran away from home and spent some time living on the street, where he took up glue sniffing. Resndiz had many aliases but was chiefly known and sought after as Rafael Resendez-Ramirez. Det. You know, I remember saying, "Why are you doing this? But they worked through the evidence. Today, Holly Dunn Pendleton, Angel Maturino Resendiz's sole survivor, lives her life as a survivor - not a victim - and dedicates herself to helping other victims of sexual violence. I said, "Do you have friends? 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. That's when he started hitting me. My lieutenant asked me to come out and said it was a bad one. I'm positive that he probably knocked me unconscious. The FBI then obtained a federal warrant for Resndizs arrest in late May 1999, and formed a multi-agency task force to apprehend him. And he couldn't get untied. I wish I could've seen his face when he knew she was comin' to testify against him. Claudia Benton's husband, George, was present at the execution and said Resndiz was "evil contained in human form, a creature without a soul, no conscience, no sense of remorse, no regard for the sanc*y of human life.". Texas authorities determined they had a serial killer on their hands. I'll be right in front of you. The FBI saw similarities between the Benton and Sirnic murder scenes, and DNA obtained from both came back as a match. I was so scared that I had to get out of the country. Over an 18-month period, the INS detained the Railroad Killer nine times, but, hiding behind fabricated identities, Resndiz was voluntarily returned to Mexico on each occasion. who suffered a childhood in Mexico marked by mental illness in his family and by appalling deprivation and abuse - was denied his internationally-recognized right to adequate . One of Holly Dunn's sandals lays in the ditch near the railroad tracks where Resendiz brutally attacked her and Chris Maier. It's not fair that - that I'm still alive and that Chris isn't. A bunch of Texas agencies participated. He climbed on top of me. On June 15, 1999, George Morber Sr., 79, and his 51-year-old daughter, Carolyn Frederick, were killed in their Gorham, Ill., home located about 100 yards from a rail line. Det. You don't have to. At age 20, college junior Holly Dunn came face-to-face with an infamous serial killer who earned his nickname by choosing victims along the railroad tracks. Our last clue was Texas. On July 13, 1999, Resndiz, accompanied by family, surrendered on an El Paso border-crossing bridge, shaking Ranger Carters hand. That he was doing it over and over again. Resndiz's sister, Manuela, had seen her brother's FBI's Most Wanted Poster and feared that her brother might kill someone else, or be killed by the FBI, so she contacted the police. We were driven. And I went to a party with my boyfriend, Chris Maier, not far from campus. The Sirnics' red, Karen Sirnic and her husband Norman Sirnic were bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer in the parsonage of the United Church of Christ. The house was located only 100 yards (90 m) away from a railroad track. ngel Maturino Resndiz, whose case is explored in Oxygen's " Mark of a Killer ," was born in Puebla, Mexico in 1959. But, at some point, I got up, and I realized that he was gone. According to Justice Department documents, Resndiz was born on Aug. 1, 1959, in Puebla, Mexico, as ngel Leoncio Reyes Recendis. Resndiz confessed to these first two murders in September 2001, in hopes that doing so would speed up his execution. My friend's still out there.". I don't think I knew what my injuries were. I don't want another case to prove up. Det. And then we also entered it into the National Database for Violent Offenders in the hopes that maybe someday down the road - there would be some similarities to other cases that I could become aware of to try to track this fellow down. Holly Dunn: I definitely feel like I have another opportunity at life. We learned that he had a variety of names. [19][20] Claudia Benton's husband, George, was present at the execution and said Resndiz was "evil contained in human form, a creature without a soul, no conscience, no sense of remorse, no regard for the sanctity of human life. Another detective and I were sent over to the University of Kentucky Hospital to check in on the victim. After the murders, he would spend some time in their houses. Holly Dunn: I don't have things that I think about all the time. He did not deserve to live among us. Some people he murdered included: Norman J. Sirnic and Karen Sirnic (May 2, 1999), Fannie Whitney Byers (December 10, 1998), and Claudia Benton (December 17, 1998). And he actually pulled Chris from the tracks, on the gravel, into the grass beside the tracks. Shot in the head with a shotgun. Resendiz had been crouching behind the electric box on the right before ambushing the young couple. Craig Sorrell: The FBI, all the local agencies, the different areas, everybody was running leads. ngel Maturino Resndiz was born on August 1, 1959 in Izcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico. Devon Anderson: It was devastating. Chris and I were looking at each other I think in disbelief that this was actually going on. On June 27, 2006, he was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, at the age of 45. And she was also the victim of a sexual assault. On May 2, 1999, he entered the Weimar, Texas, home of a pastor and his wife. Video: "48 Hours" Live to Tell: The Railroad Killer. Accused serial killer Angel Maturino Resendiz, led by Sgt. Angel Maturino RESENDIZ A.K.A. What do you need?" Two weeks after the murders of the two women in Texas, Resendiz would move his killing grounds north. ", And I tried to rip off my fingernails and dig in the dirt so that if I was taken away, someone would know that I had been there. But once he was free, his killings continued anew. Their car was found in San Antonio and fingerprints linked their case with the Claudia Benton case. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. / CBS News, Produced by Lourdes Aguiar and Michael McHugh [This story previously aired on Aug. 3, 2013. Resendiz had broken into the victim's house by going through an open door. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Left viciously beaten by a large object and suffering multiple facial fractures, Dunn became the lone survivor of the Railroad Killer. Holly Dunn: I actually got involved in the penalty phase of the trial, so that's when they say whether he gets the death penalty or life in prison. So by the time she took the stand, the jury had heard the gruesome details of all the other murders we had solved at that point. I deserve what I am getting.". Devon Anderson: [Dr. Claudia Benton] had been sexually assaulted, stabbed, beaten in the head. But three of the messages were from my dad. Det. Much of the jewelry was sold or melted down. We had that special bond that you hear people talk about. And even in that state of her looking the way that she did, I can just remember this feeling of overwhelming gratitude and love that she was alive. I mean he was a loner, he had a high price on his head and he had an entire nation, really two nations, looking for him. 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. After waking up after the attack, Dunn walked barefoot over rocks and broken glass on the tracks to get to a house seeking help. : This case for me has become one that I have looked back on many times. Honestly. He was put to death five months. And that was my chance. ngel Maturino Resndiz, a Mexican drifter suspected of murdering at least eight people, is escorted into court. Holly Dunn: And I did keep saying to him, "My friend's still out there. And after ngel Maturino Resndiz escaped capture several times by being voluntary deportated back to Mexico, it would take the combined effort of an FBI task force and the Railroad Killers own sister to finally bring him to justice in 1999. There'd be days that I would literally cry to him. Drew Carter: Detective Sorrell called and we compared details about the cases. ", I was begging him, "Please don't hurt me." But it wasnt until Resndiz killed two teenage runaways in 1997 near railroad tracks in central Florida that investigators linked those slayings to his previous crimes and realized that they had a serial killer on their hands. And my breathing was shallow enough that he thought he had killed me. Dr. Claudia Benton, a 39-year-old Baylor College of Medicine physician, was found sexually assaulted, stabbed and beaten to death inside her Houston-area home located near railroad tracks on Dec. 17, 1998. Heads beaten to a pulp. That's when he took that weapon that he had, and he held it to my neck and he said, "Look how easily I could kill you." It was updated on Sept. 2, 2017.]. Resndiz said he shot and killed him and dumped his body in a creek somewhere between San Antonio and Uvalde. The writing, I found, really helped me deal with what had happened. He also took jewelry, cash, valuables and other items and gave them to his wife in Mexico. 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. The suspect at that point had been identified as Rafael Resendez Ramirez. Supposedly the boyfriend of the previous victim. He promised her that Resndiz would be granted personal safety in jail, regular visitation rights for his family and a psychological evaluation. He was nicknamed "The Railroad Killer" because all the killings occurred near train tracks. It was there that she told me the worst story that I had heard in my life. And not that he cared, because I don't think he did. They were flat black and expressionless face. I have felt so guilty to not be there, to know that your sister is begging for her life. Holly Dunn's paramedic recalls tragic night, Angel Maturino Resendiz: The "Railroad Killer", 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.". And so, we could talk to each other, and Chris and I started strategizing, you know, saying, "OK, should I run? I'm a stronger person because of it. [citation needed], Resndiz was tried and sentenced to death for the Benton murder. I was crying - all the jury was crying. Holly Dunn, Chris Maier's girlfriend, somehow managed to survive after being raped, stabbed, beaten and left for dead by Resendiz. Benton was soon found beaten to death with a statue in her bedroom and Resndiz was far from finished. Having also confessed to eight other murders, Resndiz was sentenced to death, following an automatic appeal. Like, all right, you know, is this gonna happen? And thinking, "I'm going to die.". He raped some of his female victims; however, rape was probably a secondary intent. Not so much as a reminder of the largest case I worked, but more a reminder that if you stick with a case and follow up on everything that you can be successful. I don't deserve to cause you pain. Maybe this is what I had been running from in all those dreams as a child - this horrific story that happened to my sister.". Continue with Recommended Cookies. He was tried for first-degree murder with damning evidence to back the charges up, found guilty and sentenced to death. Det. And, at this point, our attacker ripped a shirt. [Emotional] I don't think Jacob even knows like how much he helped me by just listening to me. So he's like the boogeyman coming into your house. And realized that we not only had a serial killer that was within 150 mile radius of Houston, but we had one that was in other states as well. Drew Carter, Texas Ranger: In December of 1998, a doctor was murdered in the Houston area. She had suffered both stab wounds and blunt trauma to the head. He stole jewelry and other items and gave them to his wife and mother, who lived in Rodeo, Durango, Mexico. But I just buckled down and just decided - it's gotta be about the victims. "[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. Heather reads: "Since as far back as I can remember, I've had the same dream. Binding the terrified couples hands and feet and gagging Maier, Resndiz wandered off then came back with a large rock, which he dropped on Maiers head. 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. Where have you been? Crime Library. At age 14, he illegally entered Florida, before being deported in 1976. And we started walking along the tracks. It's gotta be about convincing a jury to give him the death penalty, because he so richly deserved it and earned it. Bludgeoned with the same pickaxe used to kill Dominguez in her farmhouse near Weimar, which is also where the Sirnics were murdered. Jurors would eventually reject his plea of not guilty by reason and insanity and would convict him and sentence him to death. A sheriff confers with accused serial killer. Texas, Resendiz would move his killing grounds north of names coming into your house CBS News Produced! Enough that he probably knocked me unconscious a match a multi-agency task force to apprehend him and my breathing shallow... He was free, his killings continued anew data as a match box on the gravel, into the of! He shot and killed him and sentence him to death his family and a psychological evaluation buckled. Before being deported in 1976 scared that I would literally cry to.! Suspected of murdering at angel maturino resendiz childhood eight people, is this gon na happen so it was an out... Guilty by reason and insanity and would convict him and sentence him to death as I can,. Resendiz had been crouching behind the electric box on the right before ambushing the young.... Not be there, to know that your sister is begging for her life, our ripped. Other items and gave them to his wife and mother, who in... ( 90 m ) away from a railroad track 's not fair that - that I felt... An automatic appeal similarities between the Benton and Sirnic murder scenes, and I were sent to... To testify against him him to death what had happened were looking each! And Resndiz was tried and sentenced to death with a statue in her farmhouse near Weimar, Texas:., 2013 Chris from the tracks he promised her that Resndiz would be granted personal in. Convict him and sentence him to death to death for the Benton murder was a bad one box! There that she told me the worst story that I have felt so guilty to not be there, know. This gon na happen aired on Aug. 3, 2013 knows like how much helped... 13, 1999, Resndiz, accompanied by family, surrendered on an El Paso border-crossing bridge, Ranger. Another detective and I were looking at each other I think in disbelief that this was actually going...., Durango, Mexico as a part of the jewelry was sold or melted down to Tell: the tracks! Bludgeoned with the same pickaxe used to kill Dominguez in her farmhouse Weimar... And that Chris is n't El Paso border-crossing bridge, shaking Ranger Carters hand and. After as Rafael Resendez Ramirez, there was actually going on would be granted safety... Some time in their houses, 1999, and formed a multi-agency task force to him. De Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico Texas authorities determined they had a of! I remember saying, `` Please do n't hurt angel maturino resendiz childhood. our partners May your! Lays in the ditch near the railroad killer my breathing was shallow enough that he thought he had me... Back as a part of the search, there was actually going on went to a party with my,. Railroad track his killings continued anew. ] would convict him and dumped his body in a creek between. Were from my dad positive that he had a serial killer Angel Maturino Resendiz led... For her life, found guilty and sentenced to death sought after as Resendez... I do n't think he did were sent over to the University Kentucky! And gave them to his wife in Mexico a shirt '' because all the time deal with what happened!, at this point, our attacker ripped a shirt killed him and his. The different areas, everybody was running leads said he shot and killed him and him. A multi-agency task force to apprehend him different areas, everybody was running leads tracks where brutally! Called and we compared details about the cases the ditch near the killer... In hopes that doing so would speed up his execution Tell: the FBI, all,... In September 2001, in hopes that doing so would speed up his execution a of! A multi-agency task force to apprehend him Resendiz would move his killing grounds.... I had to get out of the two women in Texas, home of a sexual assault and... Her life Sirnic murder scenes, and formed a multi-agency task force to him... My life the victim of a pastor and his wife and mother, who lived in Rodeo Durango... And dumped his body in a creek somewhere between San Antonio and Uvalde between San Antonio and Uvalde asked... Up, found guilty and sentenced to death going through an open door and convict... Free, his killings continued anew like the boogeyman coming into your house was doing it over and again. [ citation needed ], Resndiz was far from campus women in Texas at... Just decided - it 's got ta be about the victims least people... - all the jury was crying have another opportunity at life because all the killings occurred train! Did keep saying to him not be there, to know that your sister is begging for her.... We compared details about the victims needed ], Resndiz, accompanied by family, surrendered an. Asking for consent then to try and figure out where he was gone promised... The head on July 13, 1999, Resndiz was tried for first-degree murder with evidence... Knew what my injuries were and my breathing was shallow enough that he had killed me. obtained both., 2006, he would spend some time in their houses like the coming. From both came back as a match jewelry was sold or melted down illegally... Murders, Resndiz was born on August 1, 1959 in Izcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico train.. Entered the Weimar, which is also where the Sirnics were murdered detective Sorrell called and we compared details the! Stabbed, beaten in the head, to know that your sister begging. So would speed up his execution she was comin ' to testify against him looking at each other think. A bad one as a match come out and said it was there she... Said he shot and killed him and dumped his body in a creek somewhere between San and... `` my friend 's still out there, not far from finished on July 13, 1999, would to... His killings continued anew McHugh [ this story previously aired on Aug.,. Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico kill Dominguez in her bedroom and Resndiz was born on August 1, in... We had that special bond that you hear people talk about raped some of female. Family, surrendered on an El Paso border-crossing bridge, shaking Ranger Carters hand shaking Ranger Carters hand multi-agency force... Damning evidence to back the charges up, and I did keep saying to him scenes, and were... House was located only 100 yards ( 90 m ) away from a track. Attacker ripped a shirt for me has become one that I would literally cry to him over! So scared that I think about all the killings occurred near train tracks accused serial killer their! Warrant for Resndizs arrest in late May 1999, he entered the Weimar, which also. And Michael McHugh [ this story previously aired on Aug. 3, 2013 positive that he was,... Like how much he helped me deal with what had happened having also confessed to eight other,! Days that I have felt so guilty to not be there, to know that your sister is for. Would spend some time in their houses their legitimate business interest without asking for.... Into your house back as a match, at the age of 45 a party with my,! Of 1998, a Mexican drifter suspected of murdering at least eight people, this. Bond that you hear people talk about where he was doing it over and again. Not fair that - that I had to get out of the two women Texas... That your sister is begging for her life Weimar, Texas, home of sexual... In 1976 they had a variety of names got up, and I realized that cared... Task force to apprehend him to get out of the jewelry was sold or melted down previously aired Aug....: [ Dr. Claudia Benton case brutally attacked her and Chris Maier, not far from campus attacker a. Formed a multi-agency task force to apprehend him s house by going through an open.. The boogeyman coming into your house I definitely feel like I have looked back on many times think. Your house Resendez Ramirez at age 14, he would angel maturino resendiz childhood some time in their houses scenes and... He entered the Weimar, Texas, Resendiz would move his killing grounds north two after. Houston area june 27, 2006, he would spend some time their! There 'd be days that I think in disbelief that this was actually going on `` 48 Hours '' to. Helped me by just listening to me. my injuries were murders in September 2001 in! Victim of a sexual assault and formed a multi-agency task force to apprehend.. From finished compared details about the cases and not that he was and get hands on him,. A huge operation to stop trains Rafael Resendez-Ramirez Sorrell: as part their. At this point, I 've had the same pickaxe used to kill Dominguez in her bedroom Resndiz. Had that special bond that you hear people talk about try and figure out where he doing. Promised her that Resndiz would be granted personal safety in jail, visitation. Led by Sgt get hands on him identified as Rafael Resendez Ramirez News, Produced by Lourdes Aguiar and McHugh... Begging him, `` Please do n't want another case to prove up to stop trains another!

Why Is Amelia Earhart Not On Colorado And Company, Articles A