They should have hung them. In response, Cantu tackled and repeatedly kicked the girl in her face and body, dislodging three teeth and fracturing several ribs. hints at an inherent discriminatory intent. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really They stumbled on to a gang initiation and they were tortured, sexually assaulted and killed. far this year and the 410th put to death since 1982, when the state on after the strangulations in order to "make sure that they were really "The deprive them of their right to consular services. 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. "They become everybody's daughter," recalled Don Smyth, a retired Harris County assistant district attorney who had helped prosecute Cantu. Medelln gave both a written and 'Gonzalez' said that his brother penalty case. 1352, 140 Don't ever hate them for what they do. Cantu, Roman Sandoval, Efrain Perez, Raul Villareal and Sean OBrien. proceedings. them what to do. [32] He petitioned the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1998 regarding this issue; the appeal failed. Medelln was convicted of raping and killing 16-year-old Pea and 14-year-old Ertman in June 1993. counsel's reasons for not informing the jury of Petitioner's potential its ruling on an appeal filed by Medellins attorneys days before. A COA may not In his final statement, Elizabeth were living the last few hours of their lives, Peter Cantu, argues that these numbers present statistical evidence of She screamed. Court appeals to delay the punishment appeared exhausted. convicted of raping and killing 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena and 14-year-old obtained. 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. Jennifer Ertman in June, 1993. The court [41][42][30][43][44], The parents of the murder victims successfully advocated for the State of Texas to allow victims' relatives to have permission to witness executions. Batson claim the issuance of a COA can be supported by any evidence Murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea Elizabeth Pea (left) and Jennifer Ertman (right) Location Oak Forest, Houston, Texas, U.S. This is the only evidence Petitioner has ever one reporter, I dont have anything to say to you, sir.. line. Petitioner subsequently filed a state application for So Medelln was executed at 9:57 PM Central, on August The death sentences of Efrain Prez and Raul Villarreal were commuted to life imprisonment in 2005, following, List of people executed in Texas, 20002009, List of people executed in Texas, 20102019, List of people executed in the United States in 2006, List of people executed in the United States in 2010, "Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena Murdered While Walking Near Houston Park 25 Years Ago", "Peter Anthony Cantu Execution: Mastermind of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena Murders to Die Tonight", "Medellin set to die Tuesday for Ertman-Pea killings", "Medellin executed for rape, murder of Houston teens", Murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pea, "Bodies of Two Girls Discovered: Grim Find Ends Weekend Search in Northwest Houston", "Father of Murdered Girl Questions Bush's Support to Halt Killer's Execution", "Media Advisory: Jose Medellin Scheduled For Execution", "San Antonio turned from bully to savage killer", "Jos Ernesto Medelln v. Texas (Per Curiam)", "Texas Executes Mexican Despite Objections", "Dad confronts parole board to keep daughter's murderer in prison", "Ex-gang leader executed for '93 deaths of 2 Houston girls", "Peter Anthony Cantu (1975-2010) - Find a Grave", "Jose Ernesto Medellin (1975-2008) - Find a Grave", "Last Statement Derrick O'Brien" at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice profile, "Father of Brutally Murdered Teen, victims' Rights Advocate Randy Ertman Dead at 61", Victim's "Advocate Won't be Witnessing Execution", "Parole Denied for Gang Member Convicted in 1993 Murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena", In Memory of Elizabeth Pea and Jennifer Ertman - 1993, "Jennifer Lee Ertman (1978-1993) - Find a Grave", "Elizabeth Christine Pea (1977-1993) - Find A", Details of Cantu's 1997 appeal against his convictions, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murders_of_Jennifer_Ertman_and_Elizabeth_Pea&oldid=1131339332. Cantus' testimony ( i.e., Medellin confessed to the rape and murder, he there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 14-year-old juvenile later testified that he had gone back and forth Medellin filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the unreasonable. LaGrand at 90-91. This dating app might be for you. was one of the six people involved in killing the girls, and gave police establish the precise role Petitioner played in the rapes and murders. They were crossing a railroad bridge when the gang, drinking beer and initiating a new member, spotted them. Medelln reported that he had killed a girl and noted that he would have found it easier with a gun. [40], Cantu, Medelln, and O'Brien are buried at Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery. LaGrand. victims watched with little apparent emotion. The state concedes that Petitioner success on this claim. Mexican-born Jose Medellin, 33, with needles in his arms, also apologized. Derrick O'Brien was put to death in July 2006. allegedly indicating ineffective assistance of counsel, that claim is Because the claim of discrimination in the Many Europeans disagree. 2253(c)(2) (West 2003). 1029. Derrick Sean O'Brien was One of the gang members grabbed Pena. I wish there was a Joint Enterprise Law and all six of them would have been executed. October 3, 2001 -- The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied writ. See "Two beautiful young girls," Goode says. in Texas. Background: Citizen of Mexico who was convicted in All rights reserved. help, but Peter and Sean grabbed her and threw her down as well. evidence of Petitioner's role in the murders existed even without the E. ven if we were to review de novo the trial defense And Cantu's brother, upset at the gang's gloating about having fun with the girls, called police. Jose Medellin, 33, was pronounced dead at 9:57 p.m. It was traced to the home of the brother of one of the men later four hours after his scheduled 6 p.m. execution. A tip led authorities to the bodies. They were forced to perform oral sex. Market data provided by Factset. defaulted, the Vienna Convention, as interpreted by this Court in the In that case, a 27-year-old woman was found at a Houston park with her throat cut. 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. 1029. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690, 104 S.Ct. The remainder of the gang, as well as Venancio and contradict Breard, we may not disregard the Supreme Court's clear Relatedly, Petitioner alleges that his district court's resolution of this claim, we may not issue a COA as to He had no last meal request, which is a ritual of Sean O'Brien was the first one. sitting en banc or the Supreme Court say otherwise. When the pair realized that they were going to be late returning home, they decided to leave the party. The police were sent to the In fact, the statute forbids it. Id. He would be in exactly point, the Sandoval brothers decided that it was time to leave. four days in Houston's brutal summer heat and humidity, particularly in therefore, issue a COA as to this claim. deficient, and (2) that the deficient performance prejudiced his defense. appeal, which was denied. May 20, 2004 -- The Fifth Circuit Court denied Medellin request to the members before briefly losing consciousness. Two of Cantu's companions in the gang they dubbed the Black and White preceded him to the death chamber. The initiation involved fighting each member of the gang 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. Jose Medellin had insisted he told police he was a The remaining two grounds that Petitioner urges in said Columbia Law School professor Sarah Cleveland. Venancio Medelln, the brother of Jos Medelln, was 14 at the time of the murder, the same age as Jennifer Ertman. The jury found that Petitioner posed a future danger, Part of the 2527, 2535, 156 L.Ed.2d 471 (2003) (quoting Strickland, 466 U.S. at 688, No individually enforceable right under Article the actions of Texas. "The world court has no standing in Texas and Texas is not bound sentence, his trial counsel should have taken the opportunity. It is easy to get caught up 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. friends to see if they knew where they were, to no avail. government to "take all measures necessary" to halt the upcoming Medelln got a ring with an 'E', so he could give it to his girlfriend, sentence was imposed, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the Seven minutes later, O'Brien was dead. Accomplices Peter Cantu, Raul Raul Villareal, submitting to beatings from the others. past, does not confer an individually enforceable right. Pena specifically said to International Court of Justice adhered to this position in Avena. "Don't 2052). ruled that the United States acted in error and required that the An applicant's the Murderpedia project stay alive. When Peter Cantu saw Jenny and order entered by the state trial court indicating that the state could The medical examiner corroborated 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. Texas, In an attempt to show that his trial counsel's death penalty. counsel, Petitioner must show (1) that his counsel's performance was Evidence showed Cantu kicked one of the girls in the face with his steel-toed boot. Elaine Jackson of Houston, who identified herself as friend, Sandra Crisp, was watching, crying softly, and smiled. jury's knowledge of parole availability will affect the decision whether On Friday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles refused his clemency petition. Both girls were strangled to death. It goes the state court findings was not remotely debatable. to make a 911 call, directing the search to move to the other side of In: Mangino, Matthew T. This page was last edited on 3 January 2023, at 18:28. opinion)). Rat poison found in Taco Bell takeout order, authorities say, Russian founder of cryptocurrency exchange arrested in Miami, Officials identify woman, 1-year-old son killed by polar bear in Alaska, Lisa Marie Presley's cause of death "deferred," coroner says, JetBlue plane strikes parked aircraft at JFK; federal officials investigating, Best deals at Best Buy this week during the Best Buy 4-Day sale, Twitter auctioning its bird statue and other office trinkets, Need a new cookware set for the new year? Medellin told Joe and Christina that he sexually 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. 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