When Darrell Otto first sent the letter, he wasnt sure who would reply. That incident was said to have happened during a visit Aug. 1 to the home of Javier Limon, Stephanie Limon Martinez's father, in Stafford, according to court testimony. Grandma, I cant tell you because something happened, and they threatened me, the girl said, as Serafina later related to a jury. Since his mid-20s, when he became a Jehovahs Witness, he hasnt celebrated birthdays or Christmas. Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. She claimed Morales never told her who Limon owed money to but that she did know there had been a business deal between Morales and Limon that went awry and soured their relationship. Surrounded by cameras from local and national media outlets, the women thanked the DAs office and the media for letting us tell our story. They also thanked Darrell Otto, over and over again, though none of the reporters asked about him. On Valentines Day 1998, a Saturday morning, all three were convicted of the same crimes as Elizabeth: aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. An allegation was filed with Child Protective Services that she and her husband were fighting violently in front of their young children and that was grounds for removal to foster care. Paper bags of the womens belongings were passed through the door. Gloria was suspicious of Javier. Elizabeth Ramirez, the aunt, and her friends Anna Vasquez, Cassandra Rivera and Kristie Mayhugh are fighting to clear their names in the bizarre case that spurred talk of Satanism when they were accused in 1994. 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. 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. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Gloria Herrera, left, and her daughter Elizabeth Ramirez in a photo taken during a visit in prison. He had no idea who she was. The cameras blinked on. Being a mother, if anything like that happened, she told me, of course I would try to do anything I could for my son.. Ware and the other lawyers for the women have said that no matter how much the ongoing investigations may cast doubt on the legal and medical context for the convictions, much about the case will remain a mystery. Margaret Vasquez, Anna Vasquez's sister-in-law, holds up a loteria card, as the family plays the family favorite tradition, celebrating Thanksgiving with family members at Anna's mother's house, her first after being released on parole, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Booking mugshots of Elizabeth Ramirez (from left), Kristie Mayhugh, Anna Vasquez and Cassandra Rivera. Cassie, who worked at AutoZone and frequented car shows, thought about becoming a mechanic. Her long straight hair was in a perm with her bangs teased up off her forehead. "They were involved in the opposition movement against the military regime. They also wouldnt face sex offender restrictions. Ramirez has testified that the. Stephanie Limon Martinez (right), shown with lawyer Casie Gotro, is fighting child-abuse allegations she said are based on retaliation. They worked together at a nursing home, where the residents would constantly tell Gloria what a caring and charming girl she had raised. In November, Anna was released on parole. It was August 2012, and Stephanie, then 25, was a mother herself. Limon Martinez said it was her father who was rough with her son then. And the letters? Dr. Nancy Kellogg is still a respected member of the San Antonio medical community. Stephanie Limon Martinez, center, was just 7 when she and her older sister said the women sexually assaulted them. You know why? No. She now says that didn't happen. Strangers congratulated them. Discovery channel documentary 'Southwest of Salem: the Story of the San Antonio Four' unravels the case against lesbians accused of abuse. Every Sunday, she would write her son a letter and have her mother deliver it. Elizabeth moved in with her sister Rosemary, who was then living with Javier Limon and their three young children. 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. They traded cars so each could get to work, bought hot dogs for the kids and played basketball at the park. on Limon was her sister's ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and. defense attorney Michael Scott asked. Limon was the boyfriend of Ramirez's sister at the time. It is a portrait of the mundane logistics of low-wage life. So she left her sisters home and moved in with a girlfriend from school. She served 12 and a half years. She saw them often. By the time of the trials, she told me, good pediatricians knew this stuff had been discredited.. One of them, Elizabeth Ramirez, had a profile on the website WriteAPrisoner.com. The jury went home for the weekend, returning Monday for the closing arguments. She was still leaking milk when the police took her to jail. She would do the same thing if somebody was hurting her child., Elizabeth herself, several months earlier, had said nearly the same words. Were all friends. Vazquez along with three other women are fighting for exoneration from a 1994 sexual assualt case. He also gave up drinking, he told me, though he never liked the taste of alcohol anyway. Limon's body was found by fieldworkers, and autopsy results showed that he suffered 10 gunshot wounds that struck his lung, heart and liver. When offered plea deals of 10 years probation, they all refused and decided to go to trial. The letters refer to Elizabeth as My Little Angel and include bits of poetry. But the pool of advocates for the women was growing. Aunt Liz produced a gun. This makes us one of the biggest by prevailing local standards. Javier claimed they were forged by Rosemary as a pretext for taking the kids from him. Alejandre testified she went to the sheriff's substation voluntarily and spoke with Sgt. You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. Elizabeth claims back then Limon would. District Attorney Susan Reed agreed that the women could be released on bond pending further legal wrangling in the spring, and that she wouldnt attempt a retrial. Had she ever left her nieces under the care of her friends? Prison was a place of endless routine, and so she started one of her own. His primary company is a group of huskies. 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. Elizabeths mother called her grandson to tell him that his mother would soon be released. Javier Limon . They used those letters in order to entrap me, he said. Elizabeth told him about Javier, about her trial, and about the guilt she felt for her friends prison sentences. She said that her father Javier had coached her to make the accusations. Limon was overbearing and lectured her constantly. He knew what was going to hurt me the most, she told me. Some things were familiar: Elizabeth savored a strawberry shake from McDonalds and watched a Spurs game on television; Cassie went to a cookout for her sons birthday. Limon was her sister's ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and 9-year-old nieces. Javiers sister Cristina agreed: Shes going to flip on the recantation, to get back at her mom.. Our new endorsement for Texas Attorney General. In the midst of her legal troubles, Elizabeth gave birth to her son. He did not testify Monday but is expected to this week. According to Ramirez, the accusation came after she rebuffed romantic advances by Limon. Javiers advances toward Elizabeth are corroborated by her family, but so too are his denials corroborated by his own family members. 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. Limon Martinez took the stand for more than a hour Monday. Vasquez's story could have happened to anyone, just as it did to her 19-year-old self, fresh out of high school. Testimony concluded on a Friday afternoon. Question ( 92735) Answer ( 32) Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. It doesnt mean were all intimate together, had any kind of sexual togetherness., The trial lasted only a couple of days. We were inseparable, Cassie said. Cassies mother had kicked her out of the house, so Cassie stayed sometimes at Elizabeth and Kristies apartment. When Ramirez rebuffed him, her family claimed, Limon retaliated by. More letters followed, each one taking about two weeks between his home and Elizabeths prison in Marlin. Had someone died? Recently he had been sending her love letters. I love them. Gloria has no unkind words to say about her daughter, but she never describes her as shrewd. The women held her down and started kissing her and putting cold liquid stuff inside her, and then they inserted a tampon into her vagina, she testified. The cluster reassembled. By the time of VL and Stephanies outcries, these public dramas had largely died out, though Dr. Kellogg, in her exam notes, had written, this could be satanic-related. Nathan told me it was probably the last time anyone wrote in the record, This looks satanic., She checked Ottos background, since it seemed strange that he was so interested in the case. The three women reported to prison, where they were all given higher security levelsincluding, at one point, more than 30 days in solitary confinement for Cassiebecause they refused to take sex offender rehabilitation classes. I dont want to say I was disowned, but I was, Elizabeth told me. Limon has been charged with capital murder. Alejandre later was promised by police that her charges would be dismissed if she agreed to cooperate with their investigation and also testify. The new technology was fascinating, but so were social mores. He introduced himself as Detective Thomas Matjeka from the San Antonio Police Department, and though he was not in uniform, he said he was with the Homicide Unit. Shortly after Mondos story appeared came the breakthrough. Javier Limon was given as the reason his two daughters made accusations of sexual abuse against four women in 1994 that led to them being sent to prison. Ramirez was tried separately and sentenced to 37 and a half years, more than double that of her three friends, who were tried together. The bottom line is this, prosecutor Philip Kazen countered: VL was very clear about specifics in terms of time, place, and content of the sexual assault. Kazen, who is now a judge, didnt respond to multiple interview requests. The next day, the fish died and they returned it. More than a decade later, in 2011, Cassie was transferred to the Hobby Unit in Marlin, where Anna and Elizabeth had been living. They stared in awe as two women kissed openly at a convenience store. On Saturday evening, officers were called to the apartment. He declined to comment, saying he thought the Express-News didn't properly represent his side in a 2010 story about the women. He found criminals particularly fascinating, especially the psychologically obscure, because, like him, they were on the fringes of society. Of course she did. carvajal mazzini francisco javier dedicada a venta al por menor de alimentos, bebidas, principalmente y diversos articulos como: aparatos de uso domestico, articulos de ferreteria, muebles, prendas de vestir, cosmeticos, etc, en almacenes no especializados (supermercados, tiendas de abarro.inici sus actividades comerciales el 18/03/1997 como personas naturales. No, Elizabeth said. Jarrett Morris, who told her she could be facing drug trafficking charges and could lose her kids. Javier Limon, now in his 40s, keeps his graying hair short. Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox. The families did their best to move on. By late 2012, media attention on the womenwho were becoming known as the San Antonio Fourwas steadily growing. But Elizabeth soon found problems there as well. Do you know anything about where she learned it? Serafina asked. Anna Vasquez, right, embraces her mother Maria Vasquez after she was released from prison. Hooper described Javiers behavior as a pattern, saying he uses the authorities to get back at people who have crossed him. Reply ( 0) Leave a comment. If it had been a man, I dont think there would have been much of a question.. Then Aunt Liz ordered her to take a shower. 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. There was a problem saving your notification. He never felt like Elizabeth took advantage of his kindness; helping people was just in his nature, he said. Though she hadnt prepared to become a young single mother, she knew she could rely on her three close friends for help. Elizabeth, who had recently turned 20, climbed into his unmarked police car. But still they were baffled. 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. Cassie recalls that Elizabeth promised Javier she would marry him. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Morales stands accused of allegedly orchestrating the August 2014 murder of Javier Limon, who the prosecution claims was killed over unpaid drug debts to gang members. This type of evidence would later be deemed inaccurate. Follow her on Twitter @gina_k210, An inmate on trial for allegedly directing the 2014 murder of a Santa Maria drug dealer finished testifying in his own defense Friday but not . 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