It felt good for me to be able to say, you know, I graduated from college in front of the guy who basically could have ruined my life and destroyed it. A rock from our crime scene and a railroad spike that I got from down in Texas. And I woke up during the middle of the night screaming and crying. I'm going to be alive forever." In my head, I was panicking. Holly Dunn: [Devon Anderson] told me, "Don't look at him. But, you know, there's always something that's pulled me out of that. The jury did find that he was a future danger to society. Resendiz surrendered to Texas Ranger Drew Carter and other law enforcement on the International bridge in El Paso. It's gotta be about convincing a jury to give him the death penalty, because he so richly deserved it and earned it. Where have you been? I don't know how long I laid there. : This case for me has become one that I have looked back on many times. The writing, I found, really helped me deal with what had happened. I said, "Yes. I could work through my emotions and that really helped me in my healing process. Resndiz's ultimate fate, however, was decided by a jury, not Carter. Left viciously beaten by a large object and suffering multiple facial fractures, Dunn became the lone survivor of the Railroad Killer. Maturino Resendiz was sentenced to death for the December 1998. rape and murder of a Houston-area physician. I mean he was a loner, he had a high price on his head and he had an entire nation, really two nations, looking for him. He also described himself as half-man and half-angel and told psychiatrists he could not be executed because he did not believe he could die. But me, as a person, I'm eternal. When I was speaking, I didn't have to worry about that. After the murders, he would spend some time in their houses. I don't deserve to cause you pain. : On Aug. 29, 1997, I received a call at home about 3:00 in the morning that there had been an attack on two students along the railroad tracks. Her face - it looked like a boxer whenever they - whenever they get cut during a boxing match. Angel Maturino Resndiz (August 1, 1959 - June 27, 2006), aka The Railroad Killer/The Railway Killer/The Railcar Killer, was an itinerant Mexican serial killer responsible for as many as 15 murders across the United States and Mexico during the 1990s. I talk about the trial as the hardest day of my life. To mark the 20-year anniversary of her survival, Holly Dunn has written a book due out in November 2017. For me to be able to say, "You didn't destroy me." Chris and I were looking at each other I think in disbelief that this was actually going on. FBI press conference: We are here to announce that Rafael Resendez Ramirez has been elevated to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. At the time, he had been tracked down to Mexico. Holly Dunn: I flew into Houston with my family the night before I was going to testify. And so, we could talk to each other, and Chris and I started strategizing, you know, saying, "OK, should I run? FBI. He was prone to violence at least 20 years prior to this killing spree. As the hour of the planned execution approached, Maturino Resendiz, who claimed he was an avenging angel and that he could not be killed, visited with his 7-year-old daughter and his mother.. (Biography.com Editors, 2015). [Emotional] I don't think Jacob even knows like how much he helped me by just listening to me. Holly Dunn: I actually got involved in the penalty phase of the trial, so that's when they say whether he gets the death penalty or life in prison. He was convicted of capital murder in Texas and executed by lethal injection in 2006. Resendiz took the victim's cash and fled the scene in the victim's jeep. And, you know, be upset. Resendiz is escorted from a Houston courtroom after receiving his execution date on Jan. 6, 2006. He was raised by a non-biological family in Puebla, Mexico. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro Getting Started Contributor Zone Contribute to This Page Edit page [18], In his final statement, Resndiz said, "I want to ask if it is in your heart to forgive me. He asked us for money. When the crimes were connected forensically and by VICAP, a manhunt started. I was crying - all the jury was crying. Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Five deaths with a connection to Alex Murdaugh's family investigated, Never-before-seen photos and details about accused Idaho killer, the attack on Holly and her friend Chris Maier. He was housed in the Polunsky Unit in West Livingston, Texas awaiting execution. Don't give up. He had like this smug look on his face. Craig Sorrell: We received a lot of phone calls and a lot of tips, and we followed up on a lot of people who thought they had seen this person. So he's like the boogeyman coming into your house. I know I allowed the Devil to rule my life. His birth name was ngel Leoncio Reyes Recendis. We sat there and talked for a while, I'm not sure how long, but we got up to leave and go back to the party. Some also involved sexual *ault. Resendiz had been crouching behind the electric box on the right before ambushing the young couple. And my breathing was shallow enough that he thought he had killed me. But she did the opposite. He was continuing to kill. I started to feel like, "Wow, this is a lot bigger than me." At least 15 people across the US hopping across state lines by traveling in secret on freight trains. On July 13, 1999, Resndiz, accompanied by family, surrendered on an El Paso border-crossing bridge, shaking Ranger Carters hand. In de show kunnen overlevenden in hun eigen . [13] In 1999, former Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox, wary of the controversy miring the many confessions and recantations by serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, remarked of Resndiz, "I hope they don't start pinning on him every crime that happens near a railroad track. Craig Sorrell: We were the last of the cases presented. I'm lucky enough to have my amazing husband and have Chris be a part of our lives. Shortly after his arrest, a palm print left at the murder scene would be matched to Resendiz. And, you know, it was just - I just felt like it wasn't fair. I know I allowed the Devil to rule my life. The intense manhunt for the railroad killer had intensified train car searches. I couldn't attend the funeral. Christopher Maier. He was convicted of capital murder in Texas and executed by lethal injection in 2006. And I think the - amount of pressure that was put on him, ultimately led to him to have to make a choice. Because there's no victim to stand in front of you to tell you what they experienced, what they went through. Maybe this is what I had been running from in all those dreams as a child - this horrific story that happened to my sister.". In their house, situated behind the church and near the railroad tracks, Resndiz beat Norman and Karen Sirnic to death with a sledgehammer as they slept, then sexually assaulted Karen. United States government records show that he had been deported to Mexico at least four times since first entering the U.S. in 1973. At the time of his arrest, Resendiz was suspected in nine slayings near railroad tracks in Texas, Kentucky and Illinois. And he actually pulled Chris from the tracks, on the gravel, into the grass beside the tracks. I don't want another case to prove up. So that was really his only out - was the insanity defense. After each murder, he would linger in the homes for a while, mainly to eat. Angel Maturino Resndiz (August 1, 1959 - June 27, 2006), also known as The Railroad Killer, was a Mexican itinerant serial killer suspected in as many as 23 murders across the United States and Mexico during the 1990s. Do you want credit cards? I'm positive that he probably knocked me unconscious. Craig Sorrell: Despite her - state, she was ready and willing to try and communicate what had happened to her. Christopher Maier, a fun-loving 21-year-old junior at the University of Kentucky was killed as he and his 20-year-old girlfriend, Holly Dunn, were walking back to a party late at night on Aug. 28, 1997. ngel Maturino Resndiz enters a federal courtroom in July 1999. And he would just listen to me. I mean it just felt good to know that he would never be able to hurt anyone ever again. Holly Dunn: I felt, I guess, relieved. Resndiz surrendered to Carter. Det. Can you get untied?" Worried church members found the couple when they failed to turn up for Sunday service. And then I had to heal. Chad Goetz, University Senior: It was - probably 1:00, 2:00 in the morning. She's really just an amazing person individually. And there's three people in that ol' pickup truck. Our last clue was Texas. He later returned to live with his mother around the age of 12. Benton was soon found beaten to death with a statue in her bedroom and Resndiz was far from finished. Archived from the original on December 29, 2004. Resndiz's sister, Manuela, had seen her brother's FBI's Most Wanted Poster and feared that her brother might kill someone else, or be killed by the FBI, so she contacted the police. And I was covered in blood. He died on June 27, 2006. and he came over and literally just dropped it on Chris' head. He stole jewelry and other items and gave them to his wife and mother, who lived in Rodeo, Durango, Mexico. You know, "how can I help you?" The search for Resndiz now received widespread national media attention, even appearing on an episode of Americas Most Wanted. ngel Maturino Resndiz, a Mexican drifter suspected of murdering at least eight people, is escorted into court. On June 21, 1999, he briefly became the 457th fugitive listed by the FBI on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list before surrendering to the Texas authorities on July 13, 1999. His mother, Virginia Resendiz de Maturino, never married his father and frequently abused him physically. I'm going to be alive forever." Local news report: Resendiz faces capital murder charges in the stabbing death of Dr. Claudia Benton. We learned that he had a variety of names. Upon hearing the judge's ruling, Resndiz said, "I don't believe in death. Devon Anderson: And I wish I could've seen his face when he heard that someone was living. Resndiz said he shot and killed him and dumped his body in a creek somewhere between San Antonio and Uvalde. The same month, a Texas Ranger, Drew Carter, contacted Manuela, Resndiz's sister who lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico and to whom he was close. After having beaten two elderly women to death in their Texas and Georgia homes, Resndiz entered the Texas home of Claudia Benton late at night on Dec. 17, 1998. [Aug. 29, 1997] I didn't get to hear the answering machine until I got home that night. He would look - he'd look at everybody in there. USA (Texas) Angel Maturino Resndiz (m) aged 46, Hispanic Mexican national Angel Maturino Resndiz is scheduled for execution on 27 June 2006. Det. Dunn managed to free her hands at one point, but couldn't get her feet untied. The sketch was the best thing we had and the DNA evidence, of course. Craig Sorrell: Holly described the suspect as a male, possibly Hispanic. You don't have to. The Railroad Killer shot Morber in the back of the head with a shotgun, before Morbers 57-year-old daughter, Carolyn Frederick arrived. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. [citation needed], Resndiz was tried and sentenced to death for the Benton murder. I don't deserve to cause you pain. And he got that moniker just by the fact that most of his murders happened in and around railroad tracks and that that was a mode of transportation that he used to travel across the country. It was about the second night of classes. He was the first guy that I dated after the attack. Three of Resendiz's victims, Norman and Karen Sirnic and Josephine Konvicka, were from the Weimar area. TWO YEARS AFTER THE ATTACKINTERNATIONAL BRIDGE, U.S. - MEXICO BORDER. And really that was the only thing that they could fix. Supposedly the boyfriend of the previous victim. And she was also the victim of a sexual assault. The connected crime scenes were entered into VICAP the nationwide data information center that collects, collates, and analyzes information on violent crimess. And he just, like, reintroduced me to the world. They were attacked, sometimes through burglaries, near the railways and were usually bludgeoned to death with some incidental object. We were driven. I tried to hit him. And for the 1st time there was an indication of sexual . And he couldn't get untied. I'll be right in front of you. He was executed in 2006. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. I know I allowed the Devil to rule my life. [5], Resndiz killed at least 15 people[6] with rocks, a pickaxe, and other blunt objects, mainly in their homes. One excerpt of "Sole Survivor" details the attack on Holly and her friend Chris Maier and the other the beginning of her recovery with the help of her sister Heather, among others. We knew we were battling with the jury not wanting to believe that someone could do these horrible things to people and be sane. Holly Dunn: It's important to me for victims to be supported. I don't remember being hit. There was no doubt in my mind. Morber was shot to death with a shotgun and Frederick bludgeoned with that weapon. Holly Dunn's belt lies discarded along the railroad tracks in Lexington, Ky. I have felt so guilty to not be there, to know that your sister is begging for her life. I just wanted the chance to tell what had happened to us. That's when he stabbed me in my neck. There was nothing there. tied to a tree, dead from strangulation. FBI An FBI handout depicting the face of the Railroad Killer, ngel Maturino Resndiz. I mean, who knew? I said, "Do you have friends? In adulthood, he spent a total of 11 years in American prisons for crimes such as assault, auto theft, firearm possession, and burglary. I deserve what I am getting.". I like to keep things around me that remind me of him. I started saying, you know, "What are you? Right after this attack happened, I just wanted to lay in bed and not get out of bed again. "This is what happened to me. [1][2][3][4], By illegally jumping on and off trains within and across Mexico, Canada and the United States, generally crossing borders illegally, Resndiz was able to evade authorities for a considerable time. What if someone wanted you dead but you lived to tell? After the promised deal was put into writing, the sister convinced him to turn himself into U.S. authorities. I want them to be remembered. She is the model of survivor. I'm a stronger person because of it. Drew Carter: And based on information from that phone call, it led us to go back - to go to New Mexico, to speak with his sister. Neil Patmore is a former police officer, and private investigator. Money was sometimes left at the scene. Moving north, Resndiz next invaded the home of 80-year-old George Morber, just 100 yards from a railroad track in Gorham, Illinois. You know, "I really have a family that wants to see me again." Some family members of murder victim Josephine Konvicka, stand in prayer during a memorial service for victims of accused serial killer Angel Maturino Resendiz the day after his arrest. To mark the 20-year anniversary of her survival, Holly Dunn has written a book due out in November 2017. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Claudia Benton's husband, George, was present at the execution and said Resndiz was "evil contained in human form, a creature without a soul, no conscience, no sense of remorse, no regard for the sanc*y of human life.". Convicted railroad killer Angel Maturino Resendiz, center, points his finger after being. He was executed in the Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas, on June 27, 2006, by lethal injection. Police found her Jeep Cherokee in San Antonio with Resendiz' fingerprints on the steering column. I feel like through helping others they're helping me. And realized that we not only had a serial killer that was within 150 mile radius of Houston, but we had one that was in other states as well. Resendez was in the United States illegally. The FBI saw similarities between the Benton and Sirnic murder scenes, and DNA obtained from both came back as a match. She would learn that her attacker was responsible for a multi-state killing spree. I said, "He's wearing a white button-down shirt." Between nineteen eighty six and nineteen ninety nine percent is murdered. [citation needed], Prior to surrendering at the El Paso bridge, the U.S. Border Patrol had arrested Resndiz and deported him back to Mexico. He used many aliases, but was chiefly known and sought after as Rafael Resendez-Ramirez. A Harris County sheriff's deputy confers with accused serial killer Angel Maturino Resendiz at the start of his capital murder trial for the murder of Dr. Claudia Benton on May 8, 2000, in. It just fell off. He also took jewelry, cash, valuables and other items and gave them to his wife in Mexico. Resendiz is escorted from the courtroom after receiving an execution date on Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, in Houston. And after two years, we hadn't had anything of substance anyway, so we chased any lead. Craig Sorrell: Somewhere around May or June of 1999, I got a call from ViCAP, which was the national database that we put the info in. And there is nothing there. I knew that I was hurt. And he was killing effortlessly. Angel Maturino Resendiz. And that - that was, you know, a very scary time, because I just - I felt - I knew that he knew I was still alive. He died on June 27, 2006 in Huntsville, Texas, USA. And Resndiz didnt spare Frederick, beating her to death, then sexually assaulting her afterward. Resndiz confessed to these first two murders in September 2001, in hopes that doing so would speed up his execution. Det. On the night of Aug, 29, 1997, in Lexington, Kentucky, young couple Christopher Maier and Holly Dunn were walking along railway tracks back to a party near the University of Kentucky when Resndiz suddenly emerged from a crouched position behind a metal electrical box. I just would love to know what he - what he thought when he found that out. Resndiz said that he shot and killed the woman for disrespecting him. I walked about 200 yards or so maybe on the rocks along the tracks. June 15, Gorham, Illinois: George Morber and Carolyn Frederick: Resndiz also claimed to have killed seven additional people in Mexico. [16] These and similar statements led Dr. Pablo Stewart, a bilingual psychiatrist who evaluated Resndiz on two occasions in 2006, to conclude that Resndiz was not then competent to be executed as "delusions had completely taken over [Resndiz's] thought processes"[17], Despite an appeal pending with the 5th U.S. But, then run down the stairs to play with my younger sister. Drew Carter, Texas Ranger: In December of 1998, a doctor was murdered in the Houston area. She had suffered both stab wounds and blunt trauma to the head. He'd picked up the language on the road, and held forth in. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. ngel Maturino Resndiz was born on August 1, 1959 in Izcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico. And then, of course, staples of where they could - just to stop the bleeding. Prior to surrendering at the El Paso bridge, the U.S. Border Patrol had arrested Resndiz and deported him back to Mexico. / CBS News, Produced by Lourdes Aguiar and Michael McHugh [This story previously aired on Aug. 3, 2013. December 17, 1998, West University Place, Texas, Claudia Benton, 39 years old. The FBI linked him to at least 15 violent murders, including several in and around Houston. Knives put all the way through the body, that's how much force was used. Dominguez was a schoolteacher at. You don't have to. The Terrifying True Story Of Railroad Killer ngel Maturino Resndiz. Resndiz was born as ngel Leoncio Reyes Recendis in Izcar de Matamoros, Mexico on August 1, 1960, and was very physically small. He was only charged with one because that's all you need to get the death penalty. who suffered a childhood in Mexico marked by mental illness in his family and by appalling deprivation and abuse - was denied his internationally-recognized right to adequate . They just stapled on top of her hair. Resndiz surrendered to Carter. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Bludgeoned to death with an air hose coupling and left beside the railroad tracks. In 1986, Resndiz killed his first victim: an unidentified homeless woman in Texas, according to The Houston Chronicle. Important to me for victims to be supported have looked back on many times live with his mother the... 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