When Javier got home, the girls told him the whole shocking story of being held down and raped, he said. Its just so unusual and bizarre.. Elizabeth claims back then Limon would. What was next? Anna Vasquez (from left), Elizabeth Ramirez, Kristie Mayhugh and Cassandra Rivera have been fighting to clear their names in a bizarre 1994 sex assault case. Anna had seen Elizabeth unable to deal with the interests of men before. She warned her daughter not to take care of Javiers daughters. By late 2012, media attention on the womenwho were becoming known as the San Antonio Fourwas steadily growing. "I'm a single mom raising kids, living on the streets," she testified, becoming emotional on the stand. Around the same time, Anna was put on maintenance duty and assigned to fix the lights in Cassies cell. She, along with Kristie, had been in prison for 13 years. Six months before graduation, overwhelmed with her work schedule, she dropped out of high school. She says she didnt pay because he wouldnt let her see the kids. She now says that didn't happen. 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 . During a cross-examination, Kazen, the prosecutor, broke the flow of his questions to ask, Am I intimidating you up here? They also wouldnt face sex offender restrictions. Stephanie Limon Martinez (center) breaks down in a state district court in Houston during questioning at a hearing concerning custody of her children. Anna Vasquez, pictured here on Sept. 4, 2012, was incarcerated at the Murray Unit, in Gatesville, Texas. 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. 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. Philip Kazen, Elizabeths prosecutor, is now a judge. In 1994, four local women in San Antonio were accused of sexually assaulting two children. Elizabeth told him about Javier, about her trial, and about the guilt she felt for her friends prison sentences. Detective Lopez was studying for her sergeant's exam when the complaint was filed by Javier Limon, the girl's father. Vasquez was recently released on parole, but the other women remain behind bars. It doesnt mean were all intimate together, had any kind of sexual togetherness., The trial lasted only a couple of days. He may even take the stand and say again what he has always repeated, that he did what any parent would do. She recorded a second phone call with Morales, and in that same call, Morales still denied any involvement, she testified. Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. Nathan contacted family members and others connected to the case, and Otto sought out reporters and published a short essay of his own on Texas Monthlys website. 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. Theres a home video from the period shortly before Kristie, Cassie and Anna went to prison in 2000. I thought she should have gotten life, said Gentry, the foreman. Kristie remembers her friend accepting money and rides. Prior to the accusation, Elizabeth had rejected the advances of the children's father Javier Limon. 2021 The Texas Observer. Would you like me to go sit down? Elizabeth answered, Yes, please., Later on, Elizabeth interrupted his questions to declare, I love those children 100 percent. Friday, Nov. 2, 2012. 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). He declined to comment, saying he thought the Express-News didn't properly represent his side in a 2010 story about the women. We were sitting in a wide, sunny visiting room at the Hobby Unit. 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. Morales didn't incriminate himself in the conversation, Alejandre testified, but police "weren't satisfied" because no confession was elicited. Though the women are free, theyre not exonerated. He explained that she threatened to recant to hurt him, because they had recently been fighting. Promotional materials distributed by your outlet, including all social media work, must include cites for the Observer and our reporter. at what weight should i use a belt for deadlifts . Had she ever left her nieces under the care of her friends? If you support this mission, we need your help. At the station, Matjeka asked if she knew a man named Javier Limon and his two daughters. He was an ex-boyfriend of Ramirez's sister who the family said had made romantic advances toward the much younger Ramirez. By the time of the trials, she told me, good pediatricians knew this stuff had been discredited.. 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. Cassie didnt understand, so Anna broke the news: They too were being accused of sexually assaulting Elizabeths nieces. It was like living in a labor camp, he said. Gloria Herrera shows her favorite pictures of her daughter, Elizabeth Ramirez, Friday, Dec. 3, 2010. Shortly after Mondos story appeared came the breakthrough. At left is Rose Vasquez, Anna's sister-in-law, taking pictures. was an incident when their father, Javier Limon . He never felt like Elizabeth took advantage of his kindness; helping people was just in his nature, he said. Life after death row and the search for justice. 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. Our whole relationship was based on him controlling me, she said. Photos, illustrations and other art may be available for syndication but must be confirmed. Elizabeth Ramirez is in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas, September 5, 2012. He stormed away. Four gay Hispanic women molesting children was something that seemed to go down everyone's throats quite easily only, it wasn't true. Swimming with the kids. The most painful memory of that day was being separated from my newborn son, she later wrote. She had not spoken to him for 13 years, though family members had updated her on his growth, his football games and his girlfriends, and informed her that he was staying out of trouble. He is now 18, with a job and a girlfriend. Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. The Innocence Project of Texas hopes to perform a systematic review of child sex assault cases around Texas, and Kellogg may find more of her work questioned. Javier Limon, which happens to be the two girls' father and Elizabeth's brother-in-law at the time, is apparently the man responsible for all of this. Our new endorsement for Texas Attorney General. Si deseas conocer ms sobre este negocio, puedes llamar y solicitar informacin de sus productos y servicios. They found Elizabeth guilty in just a few hours, but their debate about punishment lasted into the evening. When he denied that the letters existed, she took them out and pointed to his signature. Though Annas family was more accepting than the others, she still remembers gawking looks whenever she and Cassie would stroll together at carnivals. Otto was initially skeptical; he asked her the same questions in letter after letter, to see if her answers remained consistent. The letter was several pages long and written in clear cursive script. I never was a mother to that child.. Vazquez along with three other women are fighting for exoneration from a 1994 sexual assualt case. Roughly a year later, in late October 2013, attorney Mike Ware filed writs for all four women. She had been convicted of a crime, but the crime didnt make much sense; he knew that women rarely go to prison for sexually abusing children. Guards at the rural prison stared in surprise at his Canadian ID card. The next day, the fish died and they returned it. Of course she did. Limon has been charged with capital murder. Aunt Liz produced a gun. Please notify us by email that the article will be republished at, I Confronted the Man Whose Crime Put Me in Prison, Observer Radio Episode 50: Greg Abbott Had a Rough Week, Border Security Is a Financial Black Hole that Will Consume Us All. 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. Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Kristie wanted to return to veterinarian school at Texas A&M if she could find the money. Prison was a place of endless routine, and so she started one of her own. She had just gotten home from a shift at Arbys, where she had recently been promoted to manager. Police were on the phone, saying her two nieces then ages 7 and 9 had accused Ramirez and three of her friends of sexually. (That account was backed up by Oscar, Rosemarys partner in Denver, as well as by Rosemary herself in recent interviews. It is a portrait of the mundane logistics of low-wage life. It wasnt something easily picked up by the wires.. Limon was her sisters ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and 9-year-old nieces. His questions grew more personal. The letters refer to Elizabeth as My Little Angel and include bits of poetry. I called all the womens previous attorneys, and they didnt even remember the case, she told me. More than a decade later, in 2011, Cassie was transferred to the Hobby Unit in Marlin, where Anna and Elizabeth had been living. They worked together at a nursing home, where the residents would constantly tell Gloria what a caring and charming girl she had raised. Mama, theyre my nieces, she said. Cassie recalls that Elizabeth promised Javier she would marry him. So she decided to tell her lawyer about Javier. By Stephanie Limon did not clarify the situation. But they were careful to say little about Javier and his daughters. Still hale in his mid-50s, with close-cropped hair, Otto lives without reliable electricity or running water. 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. "They were involved in the opposition movement against the military regime. Anna Vasquez (left), Cassandra Rivera and Kristie Mayhugh (right) were tried together and were sentenced to 15 years, which began in 2000 after they lost their only appeal. Years went by without a response. 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. Besides his work as producer has also dabbled as an interpreter and has released three studio albums, Limn, Son de Limn and Mujeres de Agua. 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