Elizabeth still wasnt sure what she wanted to do, and she struggled with her new identity. Vasquez along with three other women are fighting for exoneration from a 1994 sexual assualt case. By the time of VL and Stephanies outcries, these public dramas had largely died out, though Dr. Kellogg, in her exam notes, had written, this could be satanic-related. Nathan told me it was probably the last time anyone wrote in the record, This looks satanic., She checked Ottos background, since it seemed strange that he was so interested in the case. It was August 2012, and Stephanie, then 25, was a mother herself. 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. Anna Vasquez hugs one of her older brothers, Robert Vasquez, as they embrace each other for the first time in 12 and a half years on Friday, Nov. 2, 2012. Gina Kim covers crime and courts for Santa Maria Times. She wanted a relationship with me. A tearful Anna Vasquez speaks on a phone during a prison interview Sept. 4, 2012. 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 younger of the two accusers, now 25, has recanted, saying no assault occurred. VL claimed that the court reporter must have incorrectly taken down her remarks at Elizabeths trial. Anna Vasquez, just home after serving 12 and a half years in prison, admires family photos on the walls in her mother's home. No, Elizabeth said. About a month after he sent Elizabeth a letter, Otto came home from work to find her response in the mail. 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. At the station, Matjeka asked if she knew a man named Javier Limon and his two daughters. Nathan convinced a filmmaker she had mentored named Deborah S. Esquenazi to take a look at the case. All four were indicted for sexually assaulting Elizabeths nieces, and all four maintained their innocence while scrambling to remember if anything out of the ordinary had happened the week the girls stayed at Elizabeths apartment. I want my babies back, she said, crying. She, along with Kristie, had been in prison for 13 years. There was a problem saving your notification. Elizabeth had one theory. After she turned 16, Elizabeth began to stay out later, experiment with drugs, date boys and fight with her mother, Gloria. Question ( 92735) Answer ( 32) 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. Elizabeth was completely lost in the huddle. He let the letter sit on his desk for a week before he put it in the mail. Gresser claimed thatAlejandre often missed calls from Morris, and still continued selling or using drugs. But Javiers sister, Cristina Aguilar, described Javier very differently. Javier says she went to Mexico to evade paying child support. Ramirez has testified that the. Roughly a year later, in late October 2013, attorney Mike Ware filed writs for all four women. Stephanie Limon Martinez (right), shown with lawyer Casie Gotro, is fighting child-abuse allegations she said are based on retaliation. 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. For 20 years, Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez have fought to prove their innocence. No, nothing like that happened, Limon Martinez replied. The Firm presently has twelve members. San Antonio police arrested Zion J. Limon, 20, in connection with the shootings. Stephanie Limon Martinez, right breaks down before 315th District Court Judge Angela E. Ellis during questioning at a hearing concerning custody of her children, in Houston, Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. 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. Investigators say Richard Adam Hernandez shot and killed Rose Marie Limon on January 31 at her apartment on Pecan Valley Drive. During that conversation, which was played to the jury, Alejandre could be heard asking Morales who killed Limon. Editor's note: Violence at a local sporting event last made national news when South San basketball player Tony Limon received a five-year prison . At left is Rose Vasquez, Anna's sister-in-law, taking pictures. Shifts at Arbys. 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. 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. Everything she does is camouflaged, he said, adding that she probably made a deal with Rosemary, her mother, for money or other help. 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. Statis. All rights reserved. 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. Limon's body was found by fieldworkers, and autopsy results showed that he suffered 10 gunshot wounds that struck his lung, heart and liver. Both later described it as love at first sight. When the jury announced her guilt, Elizabeth remembers her mother standing up and screaming, No! Allowed five minutes to say goodbye to her family, Elizabeth was then escorted to a holding cell, where she fainted. Everyone laughed. I thought she should have gotten life, said Gentry, the foreman. I could mail out 50 letters and not one of them would [get a response] back, said Elizabeth, who scoured medical and legal textbooks in the prison library and spent nearly all of her commissary money on stamps. Anna Vasquez, right, embraces her mother Maria Vasquez after she was released from prison. During a cross-examination, Kazen, the prosecutor, broke the flow of his questions to ask, Am I intimidating you up here? Theres a home video from the period shortly before Kristie, Cassie and Anna went to prison in 2000. They were each sentenced to 15 years, but the judge decided they could remain out of prison until their appeals had been exhausted. Visitors give TX state park final farewell after land sold, Dallas judge revives sexual misconduct suit against Jerry Jones. Matjeka was helping investigate a sex crime and asked if she would come to the station to answer a few questions. Cassandra Rivera, seen here Sept. 5, 2012, is currently in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas. Anna Vasquez, right, enjoys a laugh with her brother David Vasquez and her mother Maria Vasquez over a plate of turkey dinner as they celebrate her first Thanksgivings after being released on parole, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Then Aunt Liz ordered her to take a shower. Kelloggs admission suddenly undermined the key evidence in the case. Sept. 5, 2012. He knew her name was Elizabeth Ramirez, and that she was an inmate in a Texas prison, 3,700 miles from his cabin in Canadas frigid Yukon Territory. 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. Then Mike Ware, another lawyer with the Innocence Project, got involved. Released on parole after serving 12 and a half years of a 15-year sentence, Anna Vasquez speaks at a screening of "San Antonio Four," a documentary by Deborah S. Esquenazi, on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, while holding photos of her friends who are still in prison. The story of the San Antonio Four unfolded like this: In the summer of 1994, Ramirez's two nieces, the 9- and 7-year-old daughters of her older sister, stayed for a week with Ramirez and. But Elizabeth soon found problems there as well. Anna had seen Elizabeth unable to deal with the interests of men before. Stephanie Limon, the younger of the two accusers, called Debbie Nathan and recanted. But still they were baffled. You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. Two days after their release, the women appeared at a hastily arranged press conference. Sorry, no promotional deals were found matching that code. The prosecutions expert witness was a doctor named Nancy Kellogg, who estimated that she had examined roughly 3,500 sexual assault victims, most of them children. It is a portrait of the mundane logistics of low-wage life. As Elizabeths mother, Gloria, remembers it, her daughter handed over the letters from Javier and said, Mom, hes after me. Gloria invited Javier out to breakfast and confronted him. Ramirez was tried separately and sentenced to 37 and a half years, more than double that of her three friends, who were tried together. With her are her lawyer, Casie Gotro, and her husband, Joseph Martinez. Javier Limon, which happens to be the two girls' father and Elizabeth's brother-in-law at the time, is apparently the man responsible for all of this. Ex-girlfriend of inmate charged with ordering slaying of Javier Limon testifies, Breaking News | Local Sports | Daily Headlines | Local Obituaries | Weather | Local Offers. Limon was her sister's ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and. Matjeka typed her answers into a computer. Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. The crowd cheered. Kristie Mayhugh, seen here Sept. 4, 2012, is incarcerated at the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. 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. Outlets must also tag the Observer in all social media posts. He declined to comment, saying he thought the Express-News didn't properly represent his side in a 2010 story about the women. Anna Vasquez, left, sits next to long time friend Denise Tristan as the family prepares to play a game of loteria, a traditional Mexican game. One night Elizabeth stole some of her mothers prescription anxiety pills and overdosed. 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. Little Liz! Her father had left, but the rest of Elizabeths large familythree brothers, two sisterswas tight and affectionate. Had she been in lesbian relationships? Cassie saw Elizabeth for the first time at a Catholic mass. what happened to javier limon san antonio. She liked to balance on the balls of her feet, leading her mother to joke that maybe she would become a ballerina. She testified that she called Stafford police because she didn't want an argument between her father and her husband getting out of hand. If you support this mission, we need your help. When Elizabeth first came out behind the glass to meet him, she couldnt stop shaking. San Javier Los Pandos Las Palmas Joel Garza Santa CruzLa Represa El Organo Lupe Lpez Don Miguel San Manuel Santa Cruz Los banos Luis Garza Los Drenes . They needed something to justify why Rosemary left me. She wasnt the spontaneous, happy-go-lucky girl that she would always be. Javier took his daughters to the hospital and the police station. Promotional materials distributed by your outlet, including all social media work, must include cites for the Observer and our reporter. Of course she did. Get our latest in-depth reporting straight to your inbox. 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. The three women reported to prison, where they were all given higher security levelsincluding, at one point, more than 30 days in solitary confinement for Cassiebecause they refused to take sex offender rehabilitation classes. Being a mother, if anything like that happened, she told me, of course I would try to do anything I could for my son.. When he denied that the letters existed, she took them out and pointed to his signature. Though the women are free, theyre not exonerated. I was there every step of the way with my kids, he said. Six months before graduation, overwhelmed with her work schedule, she dropped out of high school. Anna was working at a Little Caesars. The new technology was fascinating, but so were social mores. 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. 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. When I handed him copies of the letters, he leafed through them disinterestedly. The man standing outside her small apartment had thick black hair. 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. 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. Cassandra Rivera gave the white teddy bear at right to her mother, Margaret Rivera (left), 11 years ago. At screenings of Deborah Esquenazis documentary footage, she wooed supporters. Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. Anna Vasquez gives her father Jesse Vasquez a hug as he leaves after celebrating Thanksgiving with family members at her Anna's mother's house, her first 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. Their reinvestigation wasnt fruitful. Then he put her on hold to take another call. Holidays and birthdays were the hardest. 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. Site made in collaboration with CMYK. 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. It doesnt mean were all intimate together, had any kind of sexual togetherness., The trial lasted only a couple of days. She saw them often. A San Antonio, Texas judge is considering what he will recommend to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals after hearing testimony that four women convicted of sexually abusing two young girls in 1994 should be exonerated. In the spare, gray courtroom, Cassie, who often wore denim overalls, had on a black dress with white flowers. Alejandre further denied ever selling drugs for Morales or being asked to do so. Javier did not testify, but told me unequivocally, There was no gun.), Sometimes truth is different, Ruiz told the jury. Yes. She also testified that she felt scared as she was high on methamphetamines, stressed and confused when told there was a murder investigation. Cassie met her one night when she went to pick up a pizza. Stephanie now said the women had never abused her. From the archives: The Tony Limon incident. At one point, the sound of wind and cars passing on the highway accompanies a shot of an empty lot. Our whole relationship was based on him controlling me, she said. HOUSTON A young woman who recently recanted a nearly 20-year-old accusation of sexual assault, which had sent her aunt and three other women to prison, was in a courtroom here Monday fighting child-abuse allegations leveled at her. He went back inside as everyone exhaled. 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. Elizabeth Ramirez holds her baby boy shortly after his birth in a family photo. Thank you for using this website. Im sorry it has taken this long for me to know what truly happened, she said haltingly. In her original statement to police, there had been no gun, but now there was one. A version of this story ran in the January 2014 issue. Elizabeth Ramirez was four months pregnant when she heard a knock at the door. 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. "I thought you weren't supposed to face charges, per the agreement?" Now Kristie had been at the apartment, whereas before she hadnt. The video cuts between scenes of them spinning Cassies kids on a small playground carousel and swimming at a beach. 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. Liz kind of distanced herself from all of us, Kristie recalled. Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox. Though he mentioned Stephanies recantation, and mistakes made by police and lawyers involved in the original trial, his primary argument was that Dr. Kelloggs testimony was inaccurate, since the medical understanding of what constitutes evidence of sexual abuse had changed. A sentence of 37 and a half years was a compromise between more and less lenient jurors. Vasquez was recently released on parole, but the other women remain behind bars. You know why? 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. Stephanie Limon did not clarify the situation. 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. She served 12 and a half years. 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