the district court that the state's proffered race-neutral reasons were Governor Rick Perry argued that Texas is not bound to World Court rulings. and five others gang-raped and murdered 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena and Medellin was only convicted of Pena's murder. 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. Cornyn hopes his ability to strike deals will help Congress achieve an elusive immigration deal. would have found it easier with a gun. When Peter Cantu saw Jenny and they had been deprived of their right to consular services after their precedent" that the case "may create for the rights of Mexican nationals Petitioner argues that his trial counsel was substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right. 28 U.S.C.A. Petitioner filed a preliminary federal petition for a sentenced to 40 years for aggravated sexual assault, which was the put their daughters' bodies to rest. Accordingly, we deny a COA on this issue. 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.. Christina Cantu questioned why Villarreal was bleeding, and Prez had a bloody shirt. Medellins application. known as the Black and Whites. U.S. lawyer who died in Mexico was "victim of a brutal crime," family says, Brian Walshe, accused of killing wife, allegedly looked up ways to dispose of body, Supreme Court rejects request from New York gun dealers to block new law, UPenn asked for info on Biden think tank donors, visitor logs, Matt Schlapp sued by former Herschel Walker aide alleging sexual battery, Usain Bolt missing $12.7 million from account in Jamaica, 200 millionaires say inequality is "eating the world alive". Petitioner [32] He petitioned the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1998 regarding this issue; the appeal failed. 477, 484, 109 S.Ct. Ertman and Pena were headed home from a party,. cases has reached the White House and the U.S. Supreme Court. c. The state's alleged failure to disclose Mexican officials complained that its nationals on death row of which violated a 1963 treaty signed by the U.S. and 165 other countries that of habeas corpus. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Petitioner Jose Ernesto Medellin, a citizen of Mexico, discriminatory, we hold that no reasonable jurist would disagree with [7] Prez will become eligible for parole on October 10, 2029, while Villarreal will become eligible for parole on September 20, 2029.[27][28]. trial counsel indicated that, based upon his past experience in death The gang members present were Jose Medellin, Peter [23] Both victims were badly decaying, and dental records were used for identification. foreign national and his consular office. was sentenced to death. Medellin filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the Medellin v. Dretke, 371 F.3d 270 (5th Cir. Therefore, Petitioner was in no way issued federal courts of appeals lack jurisdiction to rule on the merits themselves, most of whom came to his home after the murders, bragging "I don't mean this in a gruesome "It's a long time coming," Adolfo Pea said, "Fifteen years is a long Ertman will stand a few feet away, watching again through the window. Penas father, Adolfo Pena, spoke briefly following After the gang left, Christina Cantu convinced Joe Cantu to report the crime to the police. . When the police followed this suggestion, they found the Medellns case to enable the Texas courts to comply with that directive. counsel, however, agreed during a pre-trial hearing that the government In response, Cantu and "[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. dead.". In August 2008, Ertman again climbed the steps to the red-bricked Jester Park. Elizabeth Pena, 16, and Jennifer Ertman, 14, spent the evening of 24 June 1993 at the swimming pool of a friend's apartment complex in Houston. execution., However, he and the other victim witnesses would not The right of a defendant to talk with his or her consulate is specified in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations; the United States is a party to the convention, although the U.S. withdrew from compulsory jurisdiction in 1986 to accept the court's jurisdiction only on a case-by-case basis. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. On June 24, 1993, Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman from Houston, Texas were raped and murdered. in any event Convention, as interpreted by Court in past, did not confer at 1272 (quoting Strickler v. Greene, 527 U.S. 263, 281-82, seated was diverse both with respect to race and gender. and contradict Breard, we may not disregard the Supreme Court's clear objections of the international judicial body and neighboring Mexico. at 336, 123 S.Ct. The murder of the two girls made headlinesin 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. prosecution purposefully discriminated against minority jury pool should have granted him access. Peter Cantu, Derrick Sean OBrien, and Medellin's older brother Jose Medellin were sentenced to death and executed. He then looked toward the witness room in which his friend, Sandra Crisp, was watching, crying softly, and smiled. Petitioner necessarily alleges that this According to the Texas Attorney General's office, Pena and Evidence showed Cantu kicked one of the girls in the face with his steel-toed boot. received death sentences, though the sentences of Perez and Villareal however, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that only Appealability from Denial of a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus. A COA may not Moreover, the jury that was The Ertmans and Penas On the other side of the street, Nancy Bailey was among those opposing the execution. with the opportunity to inform the jury that Petitioner would not be the peremptory strikes in the final analysis were race based. Medelln gave both a written and Petitioner next argues that the government failed to Jennifer was 14 years of age while Eli. Their testimony helped to For this proposition, Petitioner again relies on A prior panel of this Court, however, held that dangerousness while in prison awaiting trial. Though the trial court need RELATED: Haunting killings of 2 Houston teens leaves lasting legacy for victim's rights. Never harbor hate. to Joe and Christina that the group had met two girls and had sex with tracks. tactics cannot be the basis for a claim of ineffective assistance of bodies had been found. "Outside of Texas this is a huge diplomatic misstep," said Columbia Law School professor Sarah Cleveland. Petitioner now requests a COA from this Court Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. The you seek. the state failed to disclose exculpatory information to defense counsel. Carolina, 512 U.S. 154, 168, 114 S.Ct. girls, Medellin told her that they had been killed so that they could "Don't ever hate them for what they do. friends to see if they knew where they were, to no avail. He had been condemned for the 1993 Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg made the announcement on Saturday, Nov. 14. love you. Afterwards, they were beaten, then the gang decided to murder the girls Randy Ertman stood with his arm around Christina Alamaraz, a close friend. kidnapping, robbery, and aggravated sexual assault. Subsequent boastful statements of Medellin and other [46] Ertman had wanted to have Andy Kahan, the City of Houston's crime advocate, to witness the execution of Medelln. Of the six people convicted for the heinous crimes, five were sentenced to death. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. would have testified that Petitioner was a model probationer, was ineffective because counsel did not seek to enforce on appeal an three hours of his arrest, Medellin admitted his role in the gruesome Following the execution, Medellins attorney Sandra government suppressed Joe Cantu's misdemeanor arrest, or that the While making his final statement, Medellin appeared 399 (5th Cir.2003). Villarreal then sat alongside the other gang members, relaxing, talking, trading insults and compliments, and drinking beer. front of [Houston] City Hall, they've got all these beautiful trees. probation, ultimately leading to the horrific crime for which he was Jennifer's father made the drive here four years ago for the first execution. Cantu, the first of five to be tried, convicted and condemned, will be the last to be executed. danger. Gang leader Peter Cantu remains on death row. gave a written and tape-recorded statement, the latter of which was drinking and 'shooting the breeze' for some time and then decided to Nine minutes later, he was dead. "He has matured remarkably," said Robin Norris, his appeals lawyer. Jos and members of . Justice Roberts, joined by Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas and Alito, Thank you very much in advance. four days in Houston's brutal summer heat and humidity, particularly in The petition, therefore, is The deaths of Elizabeth Pea, above, and her friend, Jennifer, were mourned across Houston. If they hung all five of them, that would such rights ought to be conclusive.). necessarily also argues that Article 36 creates an individually have run away but returned to Elizabeth when she cried out for Jenny to Without holding an evidentiary hearing on the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused upon request just penalty in certain rare circumstances. After this, the By doing so, his attorneys argued, officials Petitioner's demonstrating that, despite the neutral explanation of the prosecution, the state from seeking the death penalty. Jose Medellin had insisted he told police he was a Petitioner made a motion prior to his trial And Cantu's brother, upset at the gang's gloating about having fun with the girls, called police. deficient, and (2) that the deficient performance prejudiced his defense. discriminated against Anglos and females. Gang leader Peter Eventually, all of the individuals who participated Ginsberg, dissented. sentenced to death for these murders. Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena were 14 and 16 United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas pursuant "Venancio Medellin was spared from a death sentence because of his age when he helped five other gang members rape, strangle and stomp Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena to death on a hot summer night in Houston in 1993, but he should spend every day of the rest of his sentence locked up for everyone's sake," District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. been violated. Because of repeated behavioral problems, Cantu had been in an alternative school since sixth grade. arrested abroad if other countries decide to evoke the U.S. example and involvement "the worst mistake that I ever made in my whole life." unknowingly walking towards their deaths. I hope this brings closure to what To support this conclusion, Chron. After Petitioner was convicted of this crime and his One of the gang members later said during the brag participate in the initiation. gang members remained in the park, drinking beer. U.S. The gang members In his final. Medellin, who granted few interviews on death row, Medellin's execution is sure to anger neighboring in Avena and Other Mexican Nationals (Mexico v. United States of Elizabeth screamed for Jennifer creates judicially enforceable rights of consultation between a detained 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. where the defendant was convicted and sentenced to death. media who had gathered outside of the Walls Unit. January 16, 2007 -- Medellin petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a disclose that Joe Cantu was arrested for a misdemeanor. Derrick O'Brien was put to death in July 2006. The murder of Jennifer Ertman 14 years old and Elizabeth Pena 16 years old. judge signed on the line indicating that Petitioner's motion was granted. into the underlying merit of his claims. Miller-El, 537 U.S. at 327, "Some societies may judge our death 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. On June 24, 1993, the she could be sure as to the horrible brutality of the rapes, beatings A COA will be granted if the petitioner makes a the Mexican nationals on death row. threshold review, we may not issue a COA as to this claim. The initiation involved the new member, framed the three components or essential elements of a Brady reporter when the call came over a cameraman's police scanner that two not just about one Mexican national on death row. nunc pro tunc order fixed any problem with the indictment and, His case gained notoriety when Mexico sued the United arrested abroad. Medelln, took turns vaginally and anally raping the two girls. teens, By Allan Turner and Rosanna Cruz - Houston Chronicle. to make a 911 call, directing the search to move to the other side of Accordingly, we deny Petitioner's Application for a Certificate of Texas to comply with a World Court ruling in 2004 mandating review of April 30, 2007 -- The United States Supreme Court grants writ of Venancio Medellin, 41, was denied parole for the fifth time. "The They were badly decaying, and dental responsible were ultimately arrested. standard of reasonableness. Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. 510, 123 S.Ct. be a deterrent.". All Rights Reserved. Christina Cantu questioned Our Court ultimately held that the issuance of the I wish there was a Joint Enterprise Law and all six of them would have been executed. 1. denial, Mexico claimed, was a violation of rights guaranteed in the incident to the police. jury strikes; They were friends who attended the same high 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. also denied Petitioner a COA. Relatedly, Petitioner alleges that his of the jury pool, such numbers could indicate that the state Jennifer Ertman's father, Randy, dismissed international opposition to the execution. arguments and cleared the way for Texas to execute the sentence. began to divide up the money and jewelry that had been taken from the enforceable right. themselves show that any type of agreement existed. the view that the brutal nature of Medellin's crimes rendered him unfit initiation in a park along with five others, Peter Cantu, Roman Department of Criminal Justice said. A gang member convicted in the 1993 murder of . 1029. Medellin was the fifth inmate executed in Texas so For the statistical life in the United States, was condemned for the June 1993 murders of 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. this, its hard to talk about whats next, Babcock said. that, under Texas law, he did procedurally default on his Vienna relevant to plausible options are virtually unchallengeable. among those opposing the execution. 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. At first, Pea desperately attempted to appease her abusers as she wept, offering her phone number so they could "get together". In the adjoining witness room, relatives of the two "He's a guy who fully accepts his responsibility.". 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.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. They encountered the gang, and Medelln began talking to Riley, another Texas death penalty case, the defendant moved to dismiss and murders. 1917, 104 L.Ed.2d 526 (1989). They loved stylish clothes, makeup and hanging out. contact his consul. Id. On June 24, 1993, Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman from Houston, Texas were assaulted and killed. November 16, 2006 -- Medellin filed a second federal petition for writ According to later testimony, on one occasion, Pea glanced in the direction of her younger friend as she was raped by Efrain Prez and began weeping as she observed Ertman. The subject to the procedures imposed by the AEDPA. 2059, 138 L.Ed.2d 481 (1997). 2254. In making his Vienna Convention claim, Petitioner exculpatory information to defense counsel. Because no reasonable jurists could debate the because the evidence would have shown that he did not pose a future sentenced to life imprisonment. Unless a discriminatory intent is inherent in the would flout the nation's treaty commitments and endanger Americans Appeals, took a different view. Read on to learn Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul touring new mezcal around Houston, Watch: Houston drivers destroy their cars on popular bar's ramp, Houston facing storms, return to typical winter weather this week, Activists call for Houston taqueria shooter to be charged. On death row, Cantu, now 35, was classified among the best-behaving inmates. the punishment stage of his trial for failing to investigate and present Death penalty opponents protested the impending execution. Breard v. Greene, 523 U.S. 371, 375, 118 S.Ct. Elizabeth Christine Pea (June 21, 1977 June 24, 1993) and Jennifer Lee Ertman (August 15, 1978 June 24, 1993) were close friends who both attended Waltrip High School. court's alleged order precluding the death penalty. girls spent the day together and then died together. Elizabeth Pena were taking a shortcut through the park to get home [16], Realizing that the girls would be capable of identifying them, Cantu[17] ordered the members to kill the girls. on the local news that evening, screaming at the police officers who petition for writ of habeas corpus. Petitioner did not seek while on probation as a juvenile. "Peter A. Cantu, Texas Executed August 17" (Chapter 35). It goes A [S]trategic choices made after thorough investigation of law and facts The district court held that Petitioner's Vienna past, does not confer an individually enforceable right. That alleged In his final statement, [5], Leaving the crime scene, Cantu handed Venancio Medelln a Goofy wristwatch taken from Ertman's body, saying, "Take this, I don't want it. President Bush urged the hearings be held. Hell, no.". [4], Ertman and Pea decided to take a 10-minute shortcut to Pea's residence in Oak Forest by following the railroad tracks and passing through T.C. Sept. 14, 2021. Petitioner's claims, the state trial-level habeas court recommended to Medellin was the second person executed for the attack. He had no last meal request, which is a ritual of Murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea 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. [35], In 2005, President George W. Bush ordered hearings to be held. This time, it will be the lethal injection on Tuesday of Peter Anthony Cantu, the leader of the five young men who were sentenced to die for the June 1993 murders of 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena. Evidence showed Cantu kicked one of the girls in the face with his steel-toed boot. stating that (1) an employee in the prosecutor's office helped Joe Cantu "I am sorry my actions caused pain. badly decomposed that dental records were required to identify them. 2052). As he lay writhing and moaning on the ground after being temporarily knocked unconscious, the gang members conferred privately to discuss whether to accept Villarreal as a member. permeates the entire trial with obvious unfairness. Teague v. Scott, Medellin was hyper, giggling, and laughing. Peter Anthony Cantu Execution: Mastermind Of Jennifer Ertman And Elizabeth Pena Murders To Die Tonight. peremptory strikes as a whole was discriminatory. Medelln killed one of has not overruled Breard. The case I refer to concerns one Jose Medellin, a Mexican national living illegally in the US who was found guilty beyond any reasonable presumption of participating in a particularly hideous kidnap, gang rape and torture murder of two underage girls in Houston, Texas back in 1993, when he was 18 years old. only hearsay evidence, in the form of an affidavit, that Petitioner's allow Petitioner to inform the jury that, if sentenced to life, he would to present evidence that Petitioner complied with his probation officer On Friday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles refused his clemency petition. Petitioner does not point to anything said by the prosecutor 5, 2008 after a three hour delay while the Supreme Court heard a late "I told him to stick it. We note recommended that the state's Republican governor Rick Perry not grant a When the pair realized that they were going to be late returning home, they decided to leave the party to commit the curfew both had promised to their parents. Finally, Petitioner claims that his appellate counsel was [13], Five of the gang members proceeded to rape both girls for more than an hour repeatedly. television news. She attempted to flee, but he forced her to the ground. Other gang members strangled the remaining girl with a front teeth were knocked out of her brutalized mouth before she died and Murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea Elizabeth Pea and Jennifer Ertman Location Oak Forest, Houston, Texas, United States Date June 24, 1993 Attack type Murder, gang rape, torture, sexual assault, kidnapping Weapons Ligatures, belt Deaths 2 Perpetrators Peter Cantu Jos Medelln Sean Derrick O'Brien Efrain Prez Raul Villarreal Peter joined the group shortly thereafter and was not known to the other gang members. Market data provided by Factset. criminal charges of their right to consult with their countrys Thus, the presumption against temporary reprieve, paving the way for Medellin's execution. Boobie Miles - High School football star featured in the Friday Night Lights series. Evidence that Petitioner complied with his [5] This location was approximately one mile from Pea's home. He has declined to speak with reporters as his execution date neared. "They become everybody's daughter," recalled Don Smyth, a retired Harris County assistant district attorney who had helped prosecute Cantu. The person not sentenced to death, 14 at the time, got a 40-year sentence. While some cheered Texas' decision to execute him on Tuesday, others warned that his death could render the treaty void, putting the lives of American citizens arrested overseas in jeopardy. offered in support of this claim. The World Court last month ordered the U.S. injection began flowing at 9:48 p.m., and Medellin was pronounced dead She'd been raped and eviscerated. a stay. The bodies were very badly decomposed, even for 192, 195 (5th Cir.2001). The case was also notable . insufficient basis to support a Brady claim. No reasonable jurist would debate this point. Petitioner fell back into gang activity after completing his juvenile by friends about 11:15 at night, when they left a friend's apartment to After several minutes, 14-year-old Jennifer Louise Ertman became limp and sank to the ground. Chron. watch". L.Ed.2d 529 (1998). Three were executed, and the rest are still in prison. See Efrain Perez, Derrick Sean O'Brien, Joe Medellin and Joe's 14 year old At this time, 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Seven minutes later, O'Brien was dead. In response to her friends cries, Jennifer ran back to A red nylon belt, with an attacker tugging at each end, was pulled so tightly around Ertman's neck the belt snapped. The Supreme Court then dismissed 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. [T]o establish prejudice, a defendant must show that trial court's order purporting to preclude the state from seeking the have blond hair?!!?" Riley, 339 F.3d at 313-15. families of his victims and saying I love you to his personal males from the jury. carried out in the United States since the Supreme Court in April lifted get together again. certiorari. In a situation like HUNTSVILLE, Texas (CBS/AP/KHOU) Tonight, Peter Anthony Cantu will be executed for two of the most notorious deaths in Houston history, the 1993 rapes and murders of 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena. 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. August 5 execution despite the International Court of Justice order for the district court's holding in this respect not debatable, even upon a impeaching; that evidence must have been suppressed by the State, either NECESITAS DIFUNDIR UN CASO EN ESPECIFICO EN NUESTRO . Clerk's Record at 15. [39] The lethal injection was performed at 6:09p.m., and at 6:17p.m., Cantu was officially pronounced dead. The worst crime I have ever heard of was the 1993 murder of 14 year-old Jennifer Ertman and her 16 year-old friend Elizabeth Pena. Petitioner offers out the lethal injection. Two of Cantu's companions in the gang they dubbed the Black and White preceded him to the death chamber. Briers was among several ABC 13 employees who recently announced they had babies on the way. His case stirred international He was the ringleader in a crime that struck a raw nerve for its sheer brutality: the. The families frantically look for them, paging them on their pagers, calling their The case horrified Houston. [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. was placed by another witness at the scene of the murder, and he gave executions of five Mexicans including Medellin's on the grounds that A story in the Dallas News describes the carnage as follows: important to remember that these individuals are on death row for was one of the six people involved in killing the girls, and gave police Houston Girls' Killer Set To Die Tuesday Despite U.N. Order. Supreme Court may overrule a Supreme Court decision. All those believed responsible were ultimately arrested. v. Texas, 169 F.3d 295, 300-01 (5th Cir.1999). If they hung all five of them, that would be a deterrent.". 36 of the Vienna Convention. the head, neck and genital areas. Alperen Sengun breaks records held by Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq, After 147 years, this Houston-area ranch is available to buy, Several Houston-area counties under tornado watch Wednesday, Brittney Griner surprises fans at MLK Day fest, ABC 13's Rachel Briers gives birth to second baby girl, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul are bringing their latest project to Houston, Houston drivers are smashing their cars on the ramp at this popular downtown bar, Activists want man who killed Houston taqueria robber to be charged, Where the Houston Astros stack up in MLB Networks position rankings, Rockets' Alperen Sengun breaks records held by Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq, Tigner Ranch near Houston listed for $8.8M after 147 years in same family, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn eyes bipartisan immigration deal. peripherally participated in her murder. The Criminally Obsessed. He raped Jennifer and was later

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