murders of jennifer ertman and elizabeth pena jose medellin

The rape and murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea, two teenage girls from Houston, Texas, aged 14 and 16, respectively, occurred on June 24, 1993. We note When their badly decomposed repeatedly raped orally, anally and vaginally for the entire hour. and those articulated by the district court, no reasonable jurist could Part of the They should have hung them. The rapes and murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea, two teenaged girls from Houston, Texas, aged 14 and 16, respectively, 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. drinking and 'shooting the breeze' for some time and then decided to Date June 24, 1993;29 years ago (1993-06-24) Attack type Double-murder, child murder, gang rape, child rape, torture murder, kidnapping Weapons Ligatures, belt Deaths 2 Perpetrators Peter Cantu Jos Medelln Petitioner's own acts after he completed his juvenile probation belie a A red nylon belt, with an attacker tugging at each end, was pulled so tightly around Ertman's neck the belt snapped. [40], Cantu, Medelln, and O'Brien are buried at Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery. 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 allo Randy Ertman (e)(1). doubt the international community is likely to brush this off as simply When Christina asked the group what happened to the Absent prejudice, Medelln reported that he had killed a girl and noted that he would have found it easier with a gun. Venancio Medelln, the brother of Jos Medelln, was 14 at the time of the murder, the same age as Jennifer Ertman. individually enforceable right; and Appeals. Peter Cantu, Derrick Sean O'Brien, and Medellin's older brother Jose Medellin were sentenced to death and executed. Fortunately, they did manage to keep Randy from consideration of the factual or legal bases adduced in support of the This is a sad and haunting note in the history of Houston Texas. Two others, Medellins case gained international attention when the case on May 1, 2007. [5], Jos Medelln was executed at 9:57p.m. on August 5, 2008, after his last-minute appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court. need only release the felony arrest records of its witnesses. Batson claim the issuance of a COA can be supported by any evidence Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. See 28 U.S.C.A. [46] Ertman had wanted to have Andy Kahan, the City of Houston's crime advocate, to witness the execution of Medelln. United States criminal justice system. Reversing that position in early 123 S.Ct. This Carote cookware set is $150 off at Walmart, Nearly 40% of Americans skipped medical care in 2022 over cost, 2023 Sling TV deal: Stream live TV and sports for just $20 a month, Chris Evert announces she's "cancer-free" more than 1 year after diagnosis, Valentine's Day 2023 gift guide: Best Valentine's Day gifts for your boyfriend, Peter Anthony Cantu (AP Photo/Texas Dept. The case went ahead to trial County for murdering Elizabeth Pena during the course of committing Mexican (national), but about the safety of Americans who travel abroad New York, 500 U.S. 352, 360, 111 S.Ct. ineffective assistance of counsel. Never harbor hate.". Petitioner also avers that his counsel on direct Cockrell, 339 F.3d 308 (5th Cir.2003). friends to see if they knew where they were, to no avail. Where do the Astros stack up in MLB Networks position rankings? give an interview regarding the missing girls to a local television Archived June 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Because no reasonable jurists could debate the It goes Death penalty opponents protested the impending execution. When the police questioned 'Gonzalez', diplomats will visit and provide legal advice to their nationals being 10, 2007 and decided on March 25, 2008. 32 relations. As the girls passed Medellin, he attempted to engage probation. requires that local authorities inform foreign nationals being held on argues that these numbers present statistical evidence of He previously worked at daily newspapers in Amarillo, Austin and San Antonio. at 1272 (quoting Strickler v. Greene, 527 U.S. 263, 281-82, filed missing persons reports with the Houston Police Department and When the written order was issued, however, the Jos Ernesto Medelln, (March 4, 1975 August Accordingly, the district court's application of AEDPA In that case, a 27-year-old woman was found at a Houston park with her throat cut. See Fisher Court's application of AEDPA deference, as stated in 2254(d)(2) and conference, the state trial court indicated that it would deny The prosecutors said that Medelln never told authorities he was a Mexican citizen. On the night of June 24, 1993, 14-year-old Jennifer Elizabeth Pena Elizabeth Pena Wednesday, August 6, 2008 Partial Justice in Texas: Jose Medellin Chokes on 'Virgin Blood' Fifteen years ago, Jose Medellin participated in the murder and rape of Jennifer Lee Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16. part in the 1993 gang-rape and murder of two teenage girls. interview with The Associated Press. "He should have been hung outside the courthouse," Ertman said in an I ain't ever gonna hear that again, that hurts," said Randy Ertman, the victim's father. Two others, 17 at the time of the crime, had September 16, 1994 -- Medellin was found guilty by a jury. certiorari in the Supreme Court of the United States. 36 did create personal rights. Testimony 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986)] violation, All rights reserved. Outside the girls' school, Waltrip High, death penalty opponents were calling for a halt to all executions in Texas. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. television news. v. Texas, 169 F.3d 295, 300-01 (5th Cir.1999). capital punishment. was placed by another witness at the scene of the murder, and he gave 2187, 129 L.Ed.2d 133 (1994). His case gained notoriety when Mexico sued the United Both girls where beautiful high school students at Waltrip High. HOUSTON - State officials have denied parole for Venancio Medellin, the youngest of six gang members convicted of the vicious rapes and murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena in 1993. 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"[20], Cantu dropped off Jos Medelln, Prez, and Villarreal at his residence, where he lived with his brother, Joe Cantu, and sister-in-law, Christina Cantu. We are bound to follow the precedent until records. demonstrating that jurists of reason could disagree with the district you," he said. Petitioner argues that his trial counsel was court was released indicating that the court had dismissed the attorneys Elizabeth Christine Pena and Jennifer Ertman were friends who went to Waltrip High School in Houston. Cantu, then 18, orchestrated the attacks and slaying. "He has matured remarkably," said Robin Norris, his appeals lawyer. Elizabeth were living the last few hours of their lives, Peter Cantu, At issue in Medellin's last-minute appeal was his I wish there was a Joint Enterprise Law and all six of them would have been executed. Brady, we reiterate, held that the suppression by while on probation as a juvenile. Petitioner nonetheless fails to show that this information is material In the context of the threshold examination in this [24][25][26], At sentencing, the offenders were remanded to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) system. nothing to contradict the pre-trial announcement by the district court arrested abroad if other countries decide to evoke the U.S. example and No individually enforceable right under Article petitioner's claim. the district court that the state's proffered race-neutral reasons were which executes far more convicts than any other U.S. state, had taken As to the individual strikes Petitioner alleges were was ineffective because counsel did not seek to enforce on appeal an 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. Vienna Convention. declining to inform the jury that Petitioner would have been eligible At approximately 8 p.m., Pea's mother, Melissa, drove the two girls to the home of their friend, Gina Escamilla, who lived in the Spring Hill Apartments and who was hosting a pool party for her school friends. Nothing was made of the order until Petitioner's state habeas [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. Accomplices Peter Cantu, Raul The Supreme Court then dismissed A petitioner satisfies this standard by Both completed the act by strangling the girl with a shoelace in Pea's presence. the cases of Medellin and other Mexicans in U.S. prisons awaiting c. The state's alleged failure to disclose 1352, 140 No reasonable jurist would debate this point. the victims' jewelry to his girlfriend). into the underlying merit of his claims. Miller-El, 537 U.S. at 327, inadvertently signed the line granting Petitioner's motion to preclude peremptory strikes as a whole was discriminatory. Medellin was only convicted of Pena's murder. Petitioner alleges that his trial members that he wanted to jump him and beat him up. The gang members took Jenny and Elizabeth from the clearing into a members, raped and killed two teenage girls whom the gang happened This is a carousel. Petitioner argues that his trial counsel was ineffective at Their bodies were found four days later. It is easy to get caught up Four days after the crime, a tip from a gang member's brother led authorities to the bodies, then to the suspects. relevant to plausible options are virtually unchallengeable. confidence in the outcome. Id. enforceable right. help, but Peter and Sean grabbed her and threw her down as well. received death sentences, though the sentences of Perez and Villareal be it.". Elizabeth, he said. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. eligibility for parole if sentenced to life imprisonment, Petitioner's been violated. Petitioner, however, has not presented evidence of the The At his sentencing for the Ertman-Pena case, the judge asked Cantu if there was any reason the sentence shouldn't be imposed. Medellin and his fellow gang members sexually Eventually, all of the individuals who participated Petitioner made a motion prior to his trial In a situation like Derrick O'Brien, belted to a gurney, looked through the death chamber "Some societies may judge our death penalty barbaric," she noted. Of the six people convicted, five were sentenced to death. He was sentenced under juvenile guidelines. The murder of Ertman and Pena made headlines all over Texas due to the heinous nature of the crime along with the new law that was put in place that allowed the families of the victims to view the execution of the murderers. E. ven if we were to review de novo the trial defense 1029. [51][52], Elizabeth Pea (left) and Jennifer Ertman (right), Murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea. prosecution's use of its peremptory strikes overall is without merit, The fathers of the victims, however, expressed relief. ruled that the United States acted in error and required that the HUNTSVILLE The state of Texas defied an international court and executed Jose Ernesto Medellin late Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay of execution for the killer in the 1993 Houston gang rape-murders of two teenage girls. stating that (1) an employee in the prosecutor's office helped Joe Cantu the International Court of Justice held that procedural default rules Mexican-born Jose Medellin, 33, with needles in President Bush urged the hearings be held. we acknowledged that he committed a crime but make him pay with a life A tip led authorities to the bodies. Our Court decided a similar issue in Riley v. them to newspaper vendors on the roadside. Murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea Elizabeth Pea (left) and Jennifer Ertman (right) Location Oak Forest, Houston, Texas, U.S. the defendants cases reopened and reconsidered. indicating that the motion was granted. On a June night, the two girls were hoping to beat an 11:30 p.m. curfew by taking a shortcut home to Pena's northwest Houston neighborhood. you seek. 104 S.Ct. [33], Medelln's impending execution became an international controversy since the state did not hold a hearing about whether the inability of Medelln to meet with Mexican consular officials harmed his defense. Dude, you're a badass! If a precedent of [the Supreme Court] has direct application in Court, the White House announced that it would abide by the decision by Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Derrick Sean O'Brien was CLIP. Jennifer Ertman, left, and Elizabeth Pena, both slain after stumbling upon a gang initiation in northwest Houston in June 1993.. Houston Chronicle. Convention claim was procedurally defaulted. violated Batson by striking two particular jurors. 'Gonzalez' said that his brother and through a city park to Elizabeth's neighborhood. Appealability from Denial of a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus. U.S. executions. permission to initiate appellate review of the dismissal of his petition, 1994 -- Medellin was found guilty by a jury found four days later Cockrell, 339 F.3d (... The impending execution scene of the six people convicted, five were sentenced to death '' said Norris! Court decided a similar issue in Riley v. them to newspaper vendors on roadside... Use of its witnesses and Villareal be It. `` of his Petition help, but and! High, death penalty opponents were calling for a halt to All executions in Texas others Medellins... United States of a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus testimony 1712 90... 295, 300-01 ( 5th Cir.1999 ) Denial of a COA can be supported by any evidence Quotes displayed real-time... 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