All four of the women were out as lesbians, a fact that colored the investigation into the accusations and case against them. It doesnt mean were all intimate together, had any kind of sexual togetherness., The trial lasted only a couple of days. In terms of mileage from the Yukon, the North Pole would have been a shorter journey. For 20 years, Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez have fought to prove their innocence. He was an ex-boyfriend of Ramirez's sister who the family said had made romantic advances toward the much younger Ramirez. It is a portrait of the mundane logistics of low-wage life. Elizabeth Ramirez holds her baby boy shortly after his birth in a family photo. Anna had seen Elizabeth unable to deal with the interests of men before. Cassie saw Elizabeth for the first time at a Catholic mass. But because only copies of the documents are available, the experts reports were inconclusive. Delevan, the prosecutor, said she hadnt prosecuted the women for their sexual orientation. 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. Elizabeth told me that after she became pregnant, Javier offered to marry her and was upset when she refused. She spoke to reporters at her childhood home, a small bungalow where the street dead-ends at a muddy creek. Anna Vasquez served more than a decade in jail while the other three women remain imprisoned. "I thought you weren't supposed to face charges, per the agreement?" Limon took his daughters to the Alamo Childrens Advocacy Centre where they underwent a . She immediately denied the accusation. Holidays and birthdays were the hardest. Stephanie Limon, the younger of the two accusers, called Debbie Nathan and recanted. Because I could say something, and you could twist it around., At the second trial, there was far less talk of lesbianism. They did. Partners must notify. Elizabeth was confused. 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. Limon was her sister's ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and. I look at this as a giant jigsaw puzzle, said Mary Burdette, an investigator hired by the lawyers, and sometimes a piece is missing and its just gone., If this case returns to court, VL may be the focus of a high-stakes cross-examination over whether she told the truth as a child. He went on to have another bitter custody battle with his next partner, Carina Hooper, who described him to me as hurtful, mean, a sociopath, and said he accused her son of sexually abusing their daughter, and reported Hooper for neglect to Child Protective Services. It turned my stomach, she said. Morales didn't incriminate himself in the conversation, Alejandre testified, but police "weren't satisfied" because no confession was elicited. The cameras blinked on. Jarrett Morris, who told her she could be facing drug trafficking charges and could lose her kids. She was still a convicted sex offender and there was a long list of parole rules: no cell phones, no computers, no contact with anyone under 18. San Antonio El Berrendo San Ricardo Santa Luca San Roberto Palo Blanco El Capricho Las Minitas El Guerreo El Porvenir Jess Ortiz El RecuerdoEl GuerreoEl Guerreo In 2012, one of the nieces admitted to having been pressured by her father, Javier Limon, to make the false accusations. All of the Texas Observers articles are available for free syndication for news sources under the following conditions: You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. Kristie Mayhugh, seen here Sept. 4, 2012, is incarcerated at the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. [Javiers younger daughter] told me herself, They were kissing us., Lonnie Gentry, the jury foreman at Elizabeths 1997 trial, listened to Javiers older daughter describe what had happened to her. Anna said she no longer cared if anyone saw them as lovers, since they had so little time left. Elizabeth Ramirez, right, and Cassandra Rivera are both in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas. So she left her sisters home and moved in with a girlfriend from school. Thank you for using this website. Javiers older daughterwho, because she is still officially considered a victim of child sexual abuse, Ill identify with the initials VLtestified that after several carefree days at Elizabeths apartment, her aunt called her into the bedroom one afternoon and began shouting at her. Anna Vasquez, just home after serving 12 and a half years in prison, admires family photos on the walls in her mother's home. Then, only a couple minutes later, the spokesman came back out breathless. A tearful Anna Vasquez, left, embraces her mother Maria Vasquez. While visiting her mother across the room, she would glare at Otto. When Elizabeth had entered the courtroom, the girl who was accusing her of sexual abuse had waved at her and smiled. There was a problem saving your notification. Javier said that Stephanie had taken advantage of his kindness. They grew closer and, with Elizabeth beginning to realize she was attracted to women, eventually started dating. 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 Aunt Liz ordered her to take a shower. In the backseat of a car, Stephanie Limon (now Stephanie Martinez) read from a sheet of notebook paper. The lawyers had argued about it, and he expected to get cut from the jury pool, but now here he was sitting in the jury box. Morales was serving time for attempted murder at a Lancaster prison around the time of Limon's death, and was using a cellphone to communicate with fellow gang members, along with his girlfriend, Josie Alejandre. Thats so rude, she said. Casie Gotro, Stephanie's lawyer, is at left. 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. Elizabeths friends say she could have done more to reject Javiers advances. They took the girls to Walmart, where they bought a fish. Her brother got her a job at his auto shop, but she had to quit when they discovered it was near a school. In other ways, though, her life was starting to look up. From the bathroom, she heard screams from her younger sister. They scribbled the events of the week, as the women remember, on a large white poster board in a grid organized by woman and by day. Javier told me that his daughter wants this all to go away, that she still wakes up in the night crying about what happened to her, and that hell do anything he can to protect her. The women had been drinking tequila and were topless, VL said. Freelance writer Maurice Chammah lives in Austin. There had been other little kidsCassies kids and some neighborsin the apartment throughout the week, but now she was adamant that she and her sister had been the only children. Please notify us by email that the article will be republished at, I Confronted the Man Whose Crime Put Me in Prison, Observer Radio Episode 50: Greg Abbott Had a Rough Week, Border Security Is a Financial Black Hole that Will Consume Us All. Shortly after Mondos story appeared came the breakthrough. What happened to javier limon san antonio Opublikowane przez w dniu 6 listopada 2020 The new film Freedom Fighterpart of the 75th anniversary series Bob Marley Legacyexamines Marley as a symbol of human rights with a voice more powerful than any politician. I trusted Elizabeth, that she wasnt going to hurt my daughters, he said. They looked like celebrities inundated by paparazzi. Yes. A video of Anna Vasquez plays on a computer and is projected to an audience at a meeting of the San Antonio Crime Coalition on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. It was August 2012, and Stephanie, then 25, was a mother herself. She gave the San Antonio Express-News permission to use her name even though the paper's policy is to not name victims of sex assault, which she still is in the eyes of the law. At the time of her death, Limon's father stated he had just walked . Otto was initially skeptical; he asked her the same questions in letter after letter, to see if her answers remained consistent. Si deseas conocer ms sobre este negocio, puedes llamar y solicitar informacin de sus productos y servicios. Yes. Stephanie Limon did not clarify the situation. He had already taken my kids, so he couldnt hurt me there. Limon has been charged with capital murder. Javier says that Oscar stabbed him in the back by dating Rosemary, and that due to a stint in prison, Oscar was an excellent forger. Question ( 92735) Answer ( 32) Ex-girlfriend of inmate charged with ordering slaying of Javier Limon testifies, Breaking News | Local Sports | Daily Headlines | Local Obituaries | Weather | Local Offers. They were each sentenced to 15 years, but the judge decided they could remain out of prison until their appeals had been exhausted. She was so trusting, so lovable. Elizabeths sister Monica said, If Liz was a different person she would have had him arrested or placed a restraining order.. Kristie Mayhugh, seen here Sept. 4, 2012, is incarcerated at the Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. In September 2015, Morris texted Alejandre, telling her to show up to court for her drug possession for sale charges, along with special gang enhancements, she testified. Swimming with the kids. Her sister Elizabeth would call him and ask for rides because she didnt have a car, and shed borrow small amounts of cash. One of them, Elizabeth Ramirez, had a profile on the website WriteAPrisoner.com. The scene of the crime had vanished. But he sounded like a respectable guy., As Nathan examined the case, the testimony of Dr. Kellogg, who first examined the victims and described markings on their hymens as signs of abuse, jumped out to her. She had rejected his advances. Her father Javier called, and as VL assured him that everything at Aunt Lizs house was going just fine, her aunt held the gun to her head. Hes been married but now lives alone 40 miles outside of Whitehorse, the territorys capital and, at 30,000 residents, its largest city. My sister., The more I interviewed the estranged couple, ferrying bits of information between them, the clearer the duality became: Javier was either a vindictive, wrathful man or a caring father who was being smeared by Elizabeths family. 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. No olvides preguntar por sus ofertas, descuentos y especiales del momento. They stared in awe as two women kissed openly at a convenience store. Cassie and Anna are looking for Elizabeths old apartment. 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. Its just so unusual and bizarre.. A boot-wearing, quiet man with a wide smile and blond hair mopped down on his forehead, Ware had worked for years with the Conviction Integrity Unit at the Dallas County District Attorneys office, which investigated old cases for possible wrongful convictions, and helped exonerate dozens of men. Elizabeth, who had recently turned 20, climbed into his unmarked police car. They couldnt get me drunk or doing anything illegal. He and Rosemary had gone through a messy custody battle over the kids after she moved to Denver and began a relationship with a former friend of Javiers named Oscar Aguirre. There was seldom evidence other than the statements of children or adults who recovered memories from their youth. When I handed him copies of the letters, he leafed through them disinterestedly. The crowd followed the women down the jail steps. Couldn't it be possible that he had coerced his children to make up a story so he could "get even" with the woman who dared to prefer women over him? San Antonio police arrested Zion J. Limon, 20, in connection with the shootings. Everything she does is camouflaged, he said, adding that she probably made a deal with Rosemary, her mother, for money or other help. He was an ex-boyfriend of Ramirez's sister who the family said had made romantic advances toward the much younger Ramirez. 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. 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 because Limon Martinez is now working to help exonerate her aunt and the other women. He did not testify Monday but is expected to this week. Elizabeth had just learned of her pregnancy and was recovering from a car accident. Limon was her sister's ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and 9-year-old nieces. When Ramirez rebuffed him, her family claimed, Limon retaliated by coaching his daughters to accuse her of molestation, and the girls ended up accusing Ramirez's three friends as well. What was next? Anna Vasquez, right, answers questions, as her sister-in-law Rose Vasquez, left, gives thanks for Anna's release from prison. Ramirez has testified that the. Booking mugshots of Elizabeth Ramirez (from left), Kristie Mayhugh, Anna Vasquez and Cassandra Rivera. The relationship could remain secret only so long, and when Elizabeths mother found out, their already strained connection suffered further. The children in family aren't allowed to be at family gatherings with Anna present. Esquenazi became passionately involved, collecting footage for a documentary that she is still filming. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. A modern tale of colonial-style persecution follows four Latina lesbiansElizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquezwrongfully convicted of sexual assault in the mid-1990s. At one point, the sound of wind and cars passing on the highway accompanies a shot of an empty lot. An affidavit submitted by a CPS caseworker outlines multiple accusations against the couple, from having a filthy apartment to being violent with each other, which they both deny. According to Ramirez, the accusation came after she rebuffed romantic advances by Limon. Javier Limon makes his way to the 315th District Court in Houston to for a hearing concerning his daughter, Stephanie Limon Martinez's custody of her children. The man standing outside her small apartment had thick black hair. He went back inside as everyone exhaled. The Texas Observer is known for its fiercely independent, uncompromising work which we are pleased to provide to the public at no charge in this space. defense attorney Michael Scott asked. A version of this story ran in the January 2014 issue. Then he put her on hold to take another call. Grandma, I cant tell you because something happened, and they threatened me, the girl said, as Serafina later related to a jury. She denied the accusations of abuse about her and her husband and that she neglected her children. 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. Detective Matjeka was a homicide detective covering for detective T.R. I want my babies back, she said, crying. But Javiers sister, Cristina Aguilar, described Javier very differently. Today, Vasquez works with the Texas Innocence Project to overturn other wrongful convictions. In 1994, four local women in San Antonio were accused of sexually assaulting two children. I showed the letters and samples of Javiers handwriting to several forensic document examiners. Alejandre replied, "I thought so, too. Elizabeth had told Detective Matjeka about Javiers advances, but he hadnt thought much of it. She had just gotten home from a shift at Arbys, where she had recently been promoted to manager. Mondo spent more than a year on the story, reporting much of it in her spare time. The first days back were like returning from a long vacation. Anna Vasquez could not attend the meeting because of her parole restrictions. 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. Vasquez's mother, Maria Vasquez, and aunt, Valeria Pachecano, attended the meeting in her place. Javier Limn (born 1973) is a record producer, singer and songwriter born and raised in Madrid, Spain.Limn has worked with several artists, mainly from Spain, since he incorporates elements of flamenco rhythm to his work. In high school, she remained small, never more than 4-foot-9, though that didnt keep her from playing on the basketball team. 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