"Nothing he would say to me would make any difference," he said. [7] Before the murders, Houston officials had stated that gangs were not a significant issue in the city. window at Ertman and other relatives of the girls and called his C.E. When he finally faced death, Cantu made no apology and had no statement. [6], The girls were walking along the White Oak Bayou when they encountered six "Black and White" gang members drinking beer shortly after holding the gang initiation ceremony of 17-year-old Raul Omar Villarreal. Outside the girls' school, Waltrip High, death penalty opponents were calling for a halt to all executions in Texas. "I'd like to have heard, the last 17 years, someone say 'I love you, dad.' When the Supreme Court of the United States banned the executions of people who committed crimes while they were below 18 years of age, the sentences of Prez and Villarreal were automatically commuted to life in prison. This location was approximately one mile from Pea's home. Both girls were strangled to death. Of the six people convicted for the heinous crimes, five were sentenced to death. If you're planning on using the METRO to helo you get to and from the Houston Rodeo, here's everything you need to plan out your ride! To use this feature, use a newer browser. "This is. [36] Governor Perry rejected calls from Mexico and Washington, DC, to delay the execution, citing the torture, rape, and strangulation of two teenaged girls in Houston 15 years ago as just cause for the death penalty. All those believed responsible were ultimately arrested. Search above to list available cemeteries. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Elizabeth Pena's body was similarly . 76 0 R /F10 78 0 R /F11 80 0 R /F12 82 0 R /F13 84 0 R /F14 86 0 R >> >> Jennifer Ertman, left, and Elizabeth Pea both attended Waltrip High School. 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Pea brushed aside Medelln's hand and continued walking. Jester Park. This account has been disabled. Both then completed the act by strangling the girl with a shoelace in Pea's presence. /Root 73 0 R They are both buried at Woodlawn Garden of Memories Cemetery. The lethal injection was performed at 6:09 p.m. By 6:17 p.m. Cantu was pronounced dead. Elizabeth Christine Pena and Jennifer Ertman were friends who went to Waltrip High School in Houston. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Please reset your password. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. But not until an anonymous 911 call four days later were the bodies of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena finally recovered. After the gang left, Christina Cantu convinced Joe Cantu to report the crime to the police. /PageLayout /SinglePage Cantu's brother, Joe, testified about what inspired him to call police. First published on August 17, 2010 / 5:39 PM. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Jennifer Lee Ertman I found on Findagrave.com. /H [ 931 256 ] 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. He then clasped his arm around Pea's neck, threw her to the ground and dragged her down a gravel decline in the direction of the other gang members as Pea screamed and pleaded for help. One of the gang members grabbed Pena. Seven minutes later, O'Brien was dead. An angry Randy Ertman stood at the trial and told the killers: "We live for the day you die. The gang members then stomped on both girls' throats to ensure their deaths. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Year should not be greater than current year. Memorials to Ertman and Pea in TC Jester Park: In the background is the railroad bridge where the two were initially attacked. [7], Villarreal had not been a member of the Black and White gang or any gang but had engaged in this initiation ceremony whereby he had been forced to fight several gang members for five minutes successively before they judged whether to accept him. "Look at me. The annual Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo is no fun and games if you don't have a ticket. You're the worst thing I've ever seen. 0000001187 00000 n Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Jennifer Latson of the Houston Chronicle said that the deaths of the girls "shook" the Oak Forest neighborhood of Houston "to its foundation. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. At his sentencing for the Ertman-Pena case, the judge asked Cantu if there was any reason the sentence shouldn't be imposed. Jester Park. "We can't go back and change what happened to your family, but we can change for others who come along, and we'll leave a lasting legacy for your daughters that will last for eternity," Kahan said. Peter Anthony Cantu, Jos Ernesto Medelln, Derrick Sean O'Brien, Efrain Prez, and Raul Omar Villarreal received death sentences. This case galvanized the residents of Houston. 1 of 3 Jennifer Ertman, left, and Elizabeth Pea both attended Waltrip High School. [16], Realizing that the girls would be capable of identifying them, Cantu[17] ordered the members to kill the girls. Two of Cantu's companions in the gang they dubbed the Black and White preceded him to the death chamber. In June of 1993, the two girls stumbled across a gang initiation on White Oak Bayou. She then attempted to flee. Seventeen years after the crimes, Peter Anthony Cantu was executed on August 17, 2010. Ertman and Pena were headed home from a party, and took a shortcut to make it home by their 11 p.m. curfew the night they were killed. In what police later would describe as a sadistic frenzy, the girls were gang-raped for more than an hour. "[43], Randy Ertman, the father of Jennifer Ertman, died of lung cancer on August 18, 2014. Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman were friends who went to Waltrip High School in Houston. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. /CS1 [ /Pattern /DeviceGray ] /CS2 [ /Pattern /DeviceRGB ] >> /Font << /F9 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. Jester Park. This suggested a lurking evil, omnipresent and inchoate. The worst crime I have ever heard of was the 1993 murder of 14 year-old . [21], Peter Cantu then returned and divided the valuables that had been stolen from the girls. [48] Another memorial exists at T.C. Corey Mitchell's book "Pure Murder," which details the story of the killings, was released in 2008 and became a best seller. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. RELATED: Haunting killings of 2 Houston teens leaves lasting legacy for victim's rights, At least 29 dead, 85 injured after trains collide in Greece: officials, Driver feedback needed for 3-mile Hardy Toll extension into downtown, Man found dead in middle of Fort Bend County crosswalk, police say. The deaths of teenagers Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena shocked the country, both for the viciousness of the crime and the apparent lack of remorse among some of the perpetrators. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Resend Activation Email. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. On June 24, 1993, Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea attended a pool party hosted by their friend, Gina Escamilla. 25 years after the murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena. The day after the murders, Cantu showed up at his job at an oil change shop and acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary, his boss told the Chronicle at the time. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. He had fought or bullied other students, assaulted a teacher, threatened another youth with a knife in a parking lot after deliberately provoking a confrontation. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Please enter valid email address to continue. Notice: This memorial is being managed in abeyance until a proper manager requests control of the memorial. Corey Mitchell's book "Pure Murder," which details the story of the killings of Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman, was released in 2008 and became a best seller.Notice: This memorial is being managed in abeyance until a proper manager requests control of the memorial. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. /E 11282 % This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. There was an error deleting this problem. The rapes and murders of Jennifer Lee Ertman and Elizabeth Christine Pea, two teenage girls from Houston, Texas, aged 14 and 16, respectively, occurred on June 24, 1993. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. 0 cemeteries found in Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA. 0000004381 00000 n Try again later. /N 31 In response to accusations from anti-death penalty advocates that capital punishment is a cruel and unusual form of punishment, Pea's father later remarked O'Brien's death had occurred peacefully, "in twenty seconds", adding: "I wish to God that my daughter could have died that easily. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. xc```b``^dL`c@ >f(T0Fk^350QxA]gY=kfNy-3&00xLd$OexQ8 9L-K~p800.m``:Q *R 0000004107 00000 n But when you go around and ask anybody in the city of Houston, do you remember the Ertman/Pe a case, they will immediately say, 'Yes, the two girls who were gang-raped and brutally killed.' Their bodies were found four days later. LQ>icb7#f0wNb7tM:q2$`zg A'QS5Cf\ =!4S&1qu+NZbu{Na!P. MORE ON CRIMESIDERAugust 17, 2010 - Peter Anthony Cantu Execution: Mastermind of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena Murders to Die, First published on August 18, 2010 / 12:40 PM. Please enter your email and password to sign in. In fact, they laughed and joked as they divvied up the pitiful spoils of the evening: a small amount of cash, some inexpensive rings and gold chains. Home / Uncategorized / murders of jennifer ertman and elizabeth pena jose medellin at the time, got a 40-year sentence. Put a needle in her arm and just go to sleep. RELATED:Fighting for victims: Randy Ertman's fight continues after his passing. During the trial, the Ertmans asked to address the court. Four days later, when searchers finally found Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea, their bodies were unrecognizable. Both completed the act by strangling the girl with a shoelace in Pea's presence. Try again later. We love them and miss them," Adolph Pena said. . concluded that Jennifer Ertman died from trauma to the neck which could include strangulation. As a general rule, immediate family members, grandparents, and other close family members can request and will be transferred management of the memorial. /Filter /FlateDecode /Size 89 Family members linked to this person will appear here. Blame the Federal Reserve. . Year should not be greater than current year. Oops, something didn't work. But after the execution Tuesday things were different. She screamed. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. The 2008 execution of one of the perpetrators, Jos Medelln . They were kicked, teeth knocked out and hair pulled out and ribs broken. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. An Orgy Of Violence At first, the teenage boys grabbed Elizabeth, while . Family and friends gathered at the park this weekend to pay tribute to a pair of lives lost and the impact they had on criminal justice policy. The gang members stomped on both girls' throats to ensure their deaths. On Friday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles refused his clemency petition. [5], Jos Medelln was executed at 9:57p.m. on August 5, 2008, after his last-minute appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court. synergy rv transport pay rate; stephen randolph todd. Three were executed, and the rest are still in prison. [29] Although none of them were charged (Cantu had already been sentenced to death), Patricia's murder was mentioned in the sentencing phases of O'Brien and Medelln. No one came to witness on Cantu's behalf when he received his lethal injection. Jos Medelln was executed at 9:57 pm on August 5, 2008, after his last-minute appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Learn more about merges. The gang was arrested. Add to your scrapbook. If it could show up at such a nondescript moment - teenagers unknown to each other passing in the night - perhaps no one's safety was more than an illusion. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. Thanks for your help! "I told him to stick it. It was a case that shaped Andy Kahan as the newly-appointed crime victim's advocate for the city. Medellin has been denied parole five times now. endobj English /O 74 be a deterrent.". Court appeals to delay the punishment appeared exhausted. %%EOF According to trial testimony, both Pea and Ertman repeatedly glanced in the direction of one another several times throughout their ordeal in likely gestures of concern and despair. TDCJ refused to permit Kahan to witness the execution. [24][25][26], At sentencing, the offenders were remanded to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system. Their bodies were found four days after they were murdered. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Verify and try again. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. We have set your language to 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. startxref /Rotate 0 0000003012 00000 n 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. Christina Cantu questioned why Villarreal was bleeding and Prez had a bloody shirt. The murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena have had an impact on victim's rights in Texas still felt 25 years after their deaths. 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. [44] Ertman had wanted to have Andy Kahan, the City of Houston's crime advocate, to witness the execution of Medelln. [38], Seventeen years after the crimes, Peter Anthony Cantu was executed on August 17, 2010. Both victims were badly decaying, and dental records were used for identification. Death penalty opponents protested the impending execution. Then again, no one has forgotten much of anything about those murders. Medelln reported that he had killed a girl and noted that he would have found it easier with a gun. Six anonymous teens stoked on alcohol and testosterone needed only an hour or so to make their mark on the city. >> or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? stream The murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea, two teenage girls from Houston, Texas, occurred on June 24, 1993.The murder of the two girls made headlines in Texas newspapers due to the nature of the crime and the new law resulting from the murder that allows families of the victims to view the execution of the murderers.. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. "Assuming everything goes as we hope it goes on Tuesday, that chapter of that book for the Ertmans and Pe as will be forever done," said Andy Kahan, the former head of the Mayor's Crime Victims office, who now holds a similar position with the Houston Police Department. Try again. "It's been a long journey, and for the families an emotional roller coaster.". /Parent 64 0 R The attackers shouted obscenities at TV cameras when they were arrested and reportedly bragged of their crimes once in their jail cells. Try again later. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. The lethal injection was performed at 6:09 pm, and at 6:17 pm, Cantu was officially pronounced dead. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Make sure that the file is a photo. Governor Rick Perry argued that Texas is not bound to World Court rulings. GREAT NEWS! %PDF-1.3 Villarreal then sat alongside the other gang members, relaxing, talking, trading insults and compliments, and drinking beer. Both girls were strangled to death. Blame the Federal Reserve. One member, Jos Medelln, attempted to grope and pinch one of Pea's breasts. Add to your scrapbook. Try again later. Cantu, Medelln, Prez, and Villarreal then met at Cantu's residence, where he lived with his brother, Joe Cantu, and sister-in-law, Christina Cantu. The girls' families came to witness the execution and were met by supporters and applause when they walked out of the Walls Unit. Waltrip High School has a memorial to the girls. Their photos are familiar now, attached to countless news reports since then: the same two pictures, teen girls who despite the makeup were girls still. She was thrown to the ground by gang members Peter Cantu and Derrick Sean O'Brien. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Medelln reported that he had killed a girl, and noted that he would have found it easier with a gun. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. She'd been raped and eviscerated. Ertman will stand a few feet away, watching again through the window. /L 64011 Failed to delete memorial. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Learn more about managing a memorial . The execution of, Now 35, Cantu declined requests for an interview. /Contents [ 75 0 R ] 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. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7051821/jennifer-lee-ertman. Five others were convicted of capital murder in the case. Death penalty opponents protested the impending execution. Member is fast, easy and FREE the neck which could include strangulation he finally faced death Cantu... On June 24, 1993, Jennifer Ertman died from trauma to the which! To all executions in Texas that had been stolen from the girls gang-raped. Alcohol and testosterone needed only an hour or so to make their mark on the city s body similarly..., many of them students received death sentences stumbled across a gang initiation on Oak! It 's been a long journey, and one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and the... 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P police later describe. Murders of Jennifer Ertman and Pea in TC Jester Park: in the gang members, relaxing talking. Declined requests for an interview to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive Elizabeth Pena! Lurking evil, omnipresent and inchoate at [ emailprotected ] if you do n't have a.. 40-Year sentence the newly-appointed crime victim 's advocate for the newest movie TV. Real person of 14 year-old email and password to sign in Oak Bayou the crime to the.. They were kicked, teeth knocked out and ribs broken finally faced death, Cantu declined for. Thrown to the ground by gang members Peter Cantu then returned and divided the that! Of Violence at first, the girls were gang-raped for more than an hour convicted of murder. Allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial live for the newest movie and shows.