"I thought you weren't supposed to face charges, per the agreement?" This type of evidence would later be deemed inaccurate. [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. The stories came after pressure from Javier Limon, Ramirez's former brother in law and the father of the two girls. Gina Kim covers crime and courts for Santa Maria Times. He was an ex-boyfriend of Ramirez's sister who the family said had made romantic advances toward the much younger Ramirez. At one point, the sound of wind and cars passing on the highway accompanies a shot of an empty lot. 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. Limon was her sister's ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and. Though he mentioned Stephanies recantation, and mistakes made by police and lawyers involved in the original trial, his primary argument was that Dr. Kelloggs testimony was inaccurate, since the medical understanding of what constitutes evidence of sexual abuse had changed. 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. Cassies son and daughter continued to drive three hours up Interstate 35 to visit her in prison, but Elizabeth had lost contact with her son when he was 5 and his father obtained custody. Our whole relationship was based on him controlling me, she said. The sun started to set as family members and friends of the four women lined up outside the county jail, breathing in sharply each time the doors opened. She immediately denied the accusation. Elizabeth had just learned of her pregnancy and was recovering from a car accident. The statute made it easier to challenge convictions based on outdated forensic evidence. She saw them often. At the station, Matjeka asked if she knew a man named Javier Limon and his two daughters. I think Im going to wait for him to come to me, she told me shortly before her release. An appreciative Anna Vasquez, right, looks up to her brother Chris Vasquez at her homecoming. Otto found an organization called the National Center for Reason and Justice, which was created in the wake of the 1980s-era satanic ritual abuse scandals to advocate for people wrongfully accused of harming children. They found Elizabeth guilty in just a few hours, but their debate about punishment lasted into the evening. Limon Martinez said it was her father who was rough with her son then. You have permission to edit this article. 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. You know why? She served 12 and a half years. Elizabeth Ramirez was four months pregnant when she heard a knock at the door. Mondos front-page story came out Christmas week 2010 with little impact. Elizabeth Ramirez holds her baby boy shortly after his birth in a family photo. Cameras flashed and clicked as the women were engulfed. And the letters? Matjekas tone grew less friendly. Maybe the lawyer could explain to the authorities that no crime had occurred; it was just a malicious accusation orchestrated by a bitter man. Though Annas family was more accepting than the others, she still remembers gawking looks whenever she and Cassie would stroll together at carnivals. 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. 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. At left is Rose Vasquez, Anna's sister-in-law, taking pictures. From the archives: The Tony Limon incident. Discovery channel documentary 'Southwest of Salem: the Story of the San Antonio Four' unravels the case against lesbians accused of abuse. Elizabeth had one theory. Since his mid-20s, when he became a Jehovahs Witness, he hasnt celebrated birthdays or Christmas. At this trial, the younger of Elizabeths nieces, Stephanie Limon, who was not a witness at Elizabeths trial, would testify (her name is used here because she has recently spoken to the media about the case). They also wouldnt face sex offender restrictions. She saw them often. Recently he had been sending her love letters. The language was chatty and upbeat. Alejandre later was promised by police that her charges would be dismissed if she agreed to cooperate with their investigation and also testify. They worked together at a nursing home, where the residents would constantly tell Gloria what a caring and charming girl she had raised. But I cant do nothin because its my job., All four of the women described to me a transition in prison from rage and bewilderment to acceptance and quiet resolve. 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. Mr. Limon took his daughters to the Alamo Children's Advocacy Centre where they underwent a physical examination for evidence of . His questions grew more personal. He never felt like Elizabeth took advantage of his kindness; helping people was just in his nature, he said. Alejandre testified that she was told by Morales that Limon was killed because he avoided paying money he collected from drug transactions and went into hiding. 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. I trusted Elizabeth, that she wasnt going to hurt my daughters, he said. He sometimes grows out a mustache thatalong with the tweed jackets he likes, the glasses perched on his head and the iPhone in his shirt pocketgives him the look of a harried college professor. 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 I would never hurt them in any way, never., Elizabeths lawyer jumped in, saying, Judge, did counsel make reference to O.J. About a month before, they had spent a week at her apartment. The girls father, Javier Limon, who had dated her sister Rosemary before a messy breakup, had been making advances toward her, she said. According to Ramirez, the accusation came after she rebuffed romantic advances by Limon. She wasnt the spontaneous, happy-go-lucky girl that she would always be. Javier took his daughters to the hospital and the police station. Theres a home video from the period shortly before Kristie, Cassie and Anna went to prison in 2000. When the jury announced her guilt, Elizabeth remembers her mother standing up and screaming, No! Allowed five minutes to say goodbye to her family, Elizabeth was then escorted to a holding cell, where she fainted. While the names of those who make an outcry to CPS aren't public, the affidavit and testimony state that the case stems from a call to CPS in early August that claimed that the couple had a history of domestic violence, including Joseph Martinez pulling a butcher knife on his wife and her threatening him with pepper spray. Alejandre further denied ever selling drugs for Morales or being asked to do so. Delevan, the prosecutor, said she hadnt prosecuted the women for their sexual orientation. I will make things right, and I am sorry for everything I put you through. Then he put her on hold to take another call. He knew her name was Elizabeth Ramirez, and that she was an inmate in a Texas prison, 3,700 miles from his cabin in Canadas frigid Yukon Territory. If it had been a man, I dont think there would have been much of a question.. Elizabeth had told Detective Matjeka about Javiers advances, but he hadnt thought much of it. She says she didnt pay because he wouldnt let her see the kids. Cassie recalls that Elizabeth promised Javier she would marry him. Police were on the phone, saying her two nieces then ages 7 and 9 had accused Ramirez and three of her friends of sexually. Michael Barajas I was there every step of the way with my kids, he said. Prior to the accusation, Elizabeth had rejected the advances of the children's father Javier Limon. The girl's father, Javier Limon, claims that shortly after bringing them back to San Antonio from Denver in 1992, they were caught acting out sexually with dolls, which led to their disclosing these events to him. They were each sentenced to 15 years, but the judge decided they could remain out of prison until their appeals had been exhausted. In the midst of her legal troubles, Elizabeth gave birth to her son. Editor's note: Violence at a local sporting event last made national news when South San basketball player Tony Limon received a five-year prison . Stephaniewho would not comment for this story on her lawyers advicesoon found herself in a legal battle of her own. Elizabeths lawyer, Freddy Ruiz, tried to get VL to say that she was mixed up, and that the gun had actually been wielded by her father Javier in Colorado. Vasquez was recently released on parole, but the other women remain behind bars. Elizabeths friends say she could have done more to reject Javiers advances. 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 . He found criminals particularly fascinating, especially the psychologically obscure, because, like him, they were on the fringes of society. Reply ( 0) Leave a comment. 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. I thought she should have gotten life, said Gentry, the foreman. Mama, theyre my nieces, she said. 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. At first, Anna was a little distrustful of Elizabeths new friend. I never heard anything back.. Six months before graduation, overwhelmed with her work schedule, she dropped out of high school. was an incident when their father, Javier Limon . Roughly a year later, in late October 2013, attorney Mike Ware filed writs for all four women. Outlets must also tag the Observer in all social media posts. Anna, right, is greeted by Gloria Herrera, mother of Elizabeth Ramirez who is still in prison. When Ramirez rebuffed him, her family claimed, Limon retaliated by. Anna remembers Elizabeth coming to her real upset and describing Javiers inappropriate comments. I think they knew, but they didnt, you know? She remained close to her siblings, buying her little brother Mark clothes (If you had two dollars and needed more money, he said, shed give you 20) and giving her little sister Monica advice (I couldnt honestly ask for a more loving, caring sister, Monica said). The prosecutions expert witness was a doctor named Nancy Kellogg, who estimated that she had examined roughly 3,500 sexual assault victims, most of them children. Matjeka typed her answers into a computer. Javier claimed they were forged by Rosemary as a pretext for taking the kids from him. Esquenazi became passionately involved, collecting footage for a documentary that she is still filming. Ramirez was tried separately and sentenced to 37 and a half years, more than double that of her three friends, who were tried together. 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. 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. She discovered that Javiers two daughters had made abuse allegations before, in Denver, but then claimed at Elizabeths trial to not remember having done so. But the pool of advocates for the women was growing. A tearful Anna Vasquez speaks on a phone during a prison interview Sept. 4, 2012. Anna had traded her usual T-shirts and jeans for a purple blouse. When offered plea deals of 10 years probation, they all refused and decided to go to trial. Fueled by the "Satanic Ritual Abuse Panic" of the day, baffling charges by one of the women's nieces send them all to prison. Gay rights activists treated them like rock stars. The letters refer to Elizabeth as My Little Angel and include bits of poetry. Vasquez along with three other women are fighting for exoneration from a 1994 sexual assualt case. Elizabeths roommate Kristie Mayhugh was at her mothers apartment in Rosenberg, outside Houston, when the police surrounded the building and ordered her out. The jury went home for the weekend, returning Monday for the closing arguments. Detectives gave her a recording device and ordered her to call Morales in prison, record the conversation, then hand it over. At the station, Matjeka asked if she knew a man named Javier Limon and his two daughters. When the two former lovers saw each other, We were both just shaking, Cassie remembers. They traded cars so each could get to work, bought hot dogs for the kids and played basketball at the park. Our new endorsement for Texas Attorney General. In early February 1997, Elizabeth sat at the defendants table as the judge stated the charges against her: aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. In the early 1990s, he told me, he had been working as a heavy-equipment operator for the city of San Antonio and dating Rosemary. They stared in awe as two women kissed openly at a convenience store. Limon has been charged with capital murder. Stephanie Limon Martinez, center, was just 7 when she and her older sister said the women sexually assaulted them. But because only copies of the documents are available, the experts reports were inconclusive. 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. From the bathroom, she heard screams from her younger sister. 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