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. Javier did not testify, but told me unequivocally, There was no gun.), Sometimes truth is different, Ruiz told the jury. She also noted that while she did regularly use and sell drugs, she only sold the substances to support her children, and wasn't paying taxes to gangs, or to Morales. Most of the time, as he learned from reading scientific journals, these women are teachers who fall in love with a student. In 1994, four local women in San Antonio were accused of sexually assaulting two children. Limon took his daughters to the Alamo Childrens Advocacy Centre where they underwent a . 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. One of the girls ran in and told her that the other had been playing with dolls in an inappropriate way, undressing them and making them kiss. Maybe the lawyer could explain to the authorities that no crime had occurred; it was just a malicious accusation orchestrated by a bitter man. Now Kristie had been at the apartment, whereas before she hadnt. When he denied that the letters existed, she took them out and pointed to his signature. She started to cry. Ramirezs two nieces, then 7 and 9, accused all four women of attacking and raping them with objects when the girls visited Ramirezs apartment in the summer of 1994. Visitors give TX state park final farewell after land sold, Dallas judge revives sexual misconduct suit against Jerry Jones. Limon's body was found by fieldworkers, and autopsy results showed that he suffered 10 gunshot wounds that struck his lung, heart and liver. Gentry was a minister, and though he had told the lawyers he believed homosexuality to be a sin, he also said this belief wouldnt cloud his judgment. Kristie, still unemployed, pawned a radio. As their families paid lawyers to file appeals, Cassie and Anna, still very much in love, set out together to investigate the case on their own. 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 He was an ex-boyfriend of Ramirez's sister who the family said had made romantic advances toward the much younger Ramirez. All four of the women were out as lesbians, a fact that colored the investigation into the accusations and case against them. On Saturday evening, officers were called to the apartment. The judge hearing the case will determine whether the couple get their children back. Vasquez could not attend the meeting because of her parole restrictions. Ex-girlfriend of inmate charged with ordering slaying of Javier Limon testifies, Breaking News | Local Sports | Daily Headlines | Local Obituaries | Weather | Local Offers. 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. Cassie and Anna are looking for Elizabeths old apartment. Elizabeth Ramirez is in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas, September 5, 2012. Do you know anything about where she learned it? Serafina asked. Anna said she no longer cared if anyone saw them as lovers, since they had so little time left. Investigators say Richard Adam Hernandez shot and killed Rose Marie Limon on January 31 at her apartment on Pecan Valley Drive. Cassie and Anna tried to meticulously recreate what had happened the week of the alleged crimes. 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. Detectives gave her a recording device and ordered her to call Morales in prison, record the conversation, then hand it over. She recorded a second phone call with Morales, and in that same call, Morales still denied any involvement, she testified. Matjeka typed her answers into a computer. Cameras flashed and clicked as the women were engulfed. Javier Limn Customer Service Manager & Chief Digital Officer (CDO) en Volkswagen Financial Services - Mxico On trips around the city for volleyball games, Anna would bring along a radio and theyd belt out Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks. He is expected to testify this week in a case in which one of his daughters is fighting allegations of child abuse. Strangers congratulated them. Her brother, Chis Vasquez, right, is her unofficial guard, making sure she is OK as friends greet her. Gloria Herrera shows her favorite pictures of her daughter, Elizabeth Ramirez, Friday, Dec. 3, 2010. She also testified that she felt scared as she was high on methamphetamines, stressed and confused when told there was a murder investigation. 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 left is Rose Vasquez, Anna's sister-in-law, taking pictures. Limon was her sister's ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and 9-year-old nieces. Alejandre replied, "I thought so, too. Her sister Elizabeth would call him and ask for rides because she didnt have a car, and shed borrow small amounts of cash. She testified under oath at the trial that Javier had arrived in Denver and threatened her with a gun. Elizabeth and Kristie moved in together as friends. Prosecutor Cindy Gresser later pointed to Alejandre's plea form that she had signed, noting the form indicated she must obey all laws, keep in contact with Morris and follow his terms. Prior to the accusation, Elizabeth had rejected the advances of the children's father Javier Limon. 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. They realized that the four of them had rarely been in the apartment at the same time, because they were so busy with long shifts at various jobs at odd hoursyet the girls were claiming that all four women were present for the assault. Friday, Nov. 2, 2012. One morning several days later, in September 1994, Elizabeths friends Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez met at a park. Elizabeth Ramirez (clockwise from top left), Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez -- the San Antonio Four -- are all out on bond or parole, but face new trials. Site made in collaboration with CMYK. Vazquez along with three other women are fighting for exoneration from a 1994 sexual assualt case. Theres a home video from the period shortly before Kristie, Cassie and Anna went to prison in 2000. The story of the San Antonio Four unfolded like this: In the summer of 1994, Ramirez's two nieces, the 9- and 7-year-old daughters of her older sister, stayed for a week with Ramirez and. Asked about how the world had changed during her time in prison, she described going to a restaurant and noticing families eating together in silence while each member stared at a smartphone. Anna Vasquez fills in answering phones at her brother David Vasquez's auto shop on N. WW White on Feb. 19, 2013, while he is out of town. When Elizabeth had entered the courtroom, the girl who was accusing her of sexual abuse had waved at her and smiled. 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. Now it was Anna who had wielded the gun, not Elizabeth. But still they were baffled. The next day, the fish died and they returned it. Stephanie Limon Martinez (center) breaks down in a state district court in Houston during questioning at a hearing concerning custody of her children. She spoke to reporters at her childhood home, a small bungalow where the street dead-ends at a muddy creek. 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. You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. Michelle Mondo published a story strongly implying that Javier filed the allegation as punishment for Stephanies recantation. No, nothing like that happened, Limon Martinez replied. I think Im going to wait for him to come to me, she told me shortly before her release. In terms of mileage from the Yukon, the North Pole would have been a shorter journey. He had already taken my kids, so he couldnt hurt me there. In October, Child Protective Services was given emergency custody of the couple's three children, all younger than 3. Yeah, theyre all gay and were friends, but that doesnt mean its a gay relationship. Elizabeth was completely lost in the huddle. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. We were inseparable, Cassie said. Six months before graduation, overwhelmed with her work schedule, she dropped out of high school. They ask her to keep secrets and instruct her to call at specific times, between 7 and 7:15 a.m. or 5:45 and 6 p.m. I hope these letters are not upsetting, disturbing, or making you feel uncomfortable, one reads. Sitting in the courtroom, Elizabeth was frightened but also puzzled. For 20 years, Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh, Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez have fought to prove their innocence. I thought my case was going to go away.". 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. Elizabeth, who had recently turned 20, climbed into his unmarked police car. Deborah Esquenazi sat in the front seat and held a camera as Stephanie read. At the station, Matjeka asked if she knew a man named Javier Limon and his two daughters. Cassandra, who goes by Cassie, was uncomfortable and could sense something was wrong. If you support this mission, we need your help. Prison was a place of endless routine, and so she started one of her own. The children in family aren't allowed to be at family gatherings with Anna present. Gresser claimed thatAlejandre often missed calls from Morris, and still continued selling or using drugs. Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. But as he scanned articles on the Internet, there was one case that didnt fit the pattern. Dr. Kellogg has told the Bexar County District Attorneys office that her initial claims at the trial are outdated and that she wouldnt offer the same testimony today. 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. Kristie remembers her friend accepting money and rides. Detective Matjeka had little or no experience interviewing children who making complaints of sexual . Javier said that Stephanie had taken advantage of his kindness. But the pool of advocates for the women was growing. was an incident when their father, Javier Limon . I showed the letters and samples of Javiers handwriting to several forensic document examiners. Cassie met her one night when she went to pick up a pizza. By Ramirez theorized at the time that Javier Limon, her sister Rosemary's ex-boyfriend and her nieces' father was upset with her because she rejected his many romantic overtures after he went through a bad breakup with her sister, the Texas Observer reported. At screenings of Deborah Esquenazis documentary footage, she wooed supporters. So he traveled to Texas to get a better sense of who she was. 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. Her brother got her a job at his auto shop, but she had to quit when they discovered it was near a school. September 5, 2012. It was Nov. 18, and they had been waiting since that morning, having skipped lunch because the release seemed imminent. Cassie didnt understand, so Anna broke the news: They too were being accused of sexually assaulting Elizabeths nieces. Fueled by the "Satanic Ritual Abuse Panic" of the day, baffling charges by one of the women's nieces send them all to prison. Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Spotlights, Shipping companies reach $97M California oil spill agreement, Lompoc boys fall to Cypress Oxford Academy in first round of soccer regional, Dear Abby: Wife has no appreciation for man's preferred dress, Intel agencies: No sign adversaries behind 'Havana syndrome', Questions remain over who allowed Javier Limon to be killed as former Northwest gang member wraps up testimony. He did not testify Monday but is expected to this week. Photos, illustrations and other art may be available for syndication but must be confirmed. Dogs were barking and a few neighbors watched from a distance as she sat on the front steps and talked to a local TV anchor. Anna Vasquez talks with her brother Jerry Vasquez on their mother's front porch after they celebrated her first Thanksgivings after being released on parole, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. 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