Resendiz -- at the time known to law enforcement by his alias, Rafael Resendez Ramirez -- becomes one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives." She decided to make it her reason to live. Much of the jewelry was sold or melted down. Det. And she started - I kept losin' her a little bit here and there. I had to deal with myself almost dying. On June 27, 2006, he was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, at the age of 45. A few female victims were also raped, though it was usually only a secondary intent. And thinking, "I'm going to die.". Shortly before his execution on June 27, 2006, Resendiz confessed to other murders in addition to the known nine at the time of trial. Holly Dunn: And I knew that I was going to testify. Texas authorities determined they had a serial killer on their hands. Resndiz found his victims, all of whom were randomly picked, while travelling by stowing away on trains. Victims 1. Benton was soon found beaten to death with a statue in her bedroom and Resndiz was far from finished. Devon Anderson: I read an account of the execution, and it said that right before they injected him, his feet were shaking under the sheet. The house was located only 100 yards (90 m) away from a railroad track. The suspect at that point had been identified as Rafael Resendez Ramirez. And I remember hearing his accent, thinking, "that is a Mexican accent.". Det. He'd looked at me. I thought she was going to die. After waking up after the attack, Dunn walked barefoot over rocks and broken glass on the tracks to get to a house seeking help. United States government records show that he had been deported to Mexico at least four times since first entering the U.S. in 1973. We learned that he had a variety of names. The broken eye socket, there was nothing they could do. FBIAn FBI handout depicting the face of the Railroad Killer, ngel Maturino Resndiz. My friend's still out there.". 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.. But she did the opposite. Resndiz surrendered to Carter. We had a great time growing up together. We knew we were battling with the jury not wanting to believe that someone could do these horrible things to people and be sane. I don't know how long I laid there. and he came over and literally just dropped it on Chris' head. 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 He later returned to live with his mother around the age of 12. "[18], Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of people executed in Texas, 20002009, List of people executed in the United States in 2006, List of serial killers by number of victims, List of serial killers in the United States, Items seized could aid railway killings probe, "Angel Maturino Resendiz: The Railroad Killer Terror Near the Tracks Crime Library", "Infamous 'Railroad Killer' faces execution for multiple slayings Lubbock Online Lubbock Avalanche-Journal", "The Rafael Resendez-Ramirez Case: A Review of the INS's Actions and the Operation of Its IDENT Automated Fingerprint Identification System", "Judge says killer sane enough for execution", "FOXNews.com - 'Railroad Killer'Still Pains Ill. Town", "Mutual trust helped Texas Ranger get his man", "Resendiz gets death Lubbock Online Lubbock Avalanche-Journal", "Watchdog group questions worth of the Heartland Flyer", Texas Department of Criminal Justice profile of Angel Maturino Resendiz, "Dead Man Talking: The Tape and 15 other episodes", The Rafael Resendez-Ramirez Case: A Review of the INS's Actions and the Operation of Its IDENT Automated Fingerprint Identification System (March 20, 2000), "ANGEL MATURINO RESENDEZ: THE RAILROAD KILLER", "In letter, railroad killer ties self to Florida slayings", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ngel_Maturino_Resndiz&oldid=1133809228, Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, ngel Reyes Resndiz. And, you know, it was just - I just felt like it wasn't fair. The evidence was overwhelming as to his guilt. What do you need?" After finishing each sentence, he would be deported back to Mexico, only to return every time. After being raped, beaten and stabbed, Holly somehow found the will to survive. They took a motorcycle trip together, bringing a gun along to fire for target practice. The Railroad Killers innocuous five-foot, 190-pound appearance belied the monstrous acts hed committed. Craig Sorrell: Sometimes you don't always have the human picture, the actual human suffering. To mark the 20-year anniversary of her survival, Holly Dunn has written a book due out in November 2017. [5], Resndiz killed at least 15 people[6] with rocks, a pickaxe, and other blunt objects, mainly in their homes. It felt like I'd finally had my chance. I said, "Yes. So I want to live for them. The room was dark and she woke up [at University of Kentucky Medical Center]. Angel Maturino Resndiz - Birth Chart Gender: Male Date of Birth: 1 August 1959 - 05:00h Birth place: Izcar de Matamoros Country: MX, Mexico Age: 46 years Sun: Leo Moon: Can ASC: Can Life Path: 6 Compatibility Death: 27 June 2006 (Cause: Execution by Lethal injection) Occupation: serial killer Left viciously beaten by a large object and suffering multiple facial fractures, Dunn became the lone survivor of the Railroad Killer. Resndizs FBI wanted poster under an alias. What I was most worried about, I think, was seeing him again. Resndiz was evaluated as mentally disturbed but not insane at trial, and on May 18, 2000, with survivor Holly Dunn having testified, was convicted for the capital murder of Claudia Benton. He died on June 27, 2006. I know I allowed the Devil to rule my life. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Shortly before his execution on June 27, 2006, Resendiz confessed to other murders in addition to the known nine at the time of trial. I just would love to know what he - what he thought when he found that out. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. During this confession, he drew a map of the crime scene and claimed that he killed White because he was homosexual. 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. 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. I was crying - all the jury was crying. As a freelance writer, he spends his time writing about true crime. So it was very startling to see someone come out that was crouched behind an electrical box. [18], In his final statement, Resndiz said, "I want to ask if it is in your heart to forgive me. Known as The Railroad Killer, Angel Resendiz killed at least 9 people, and is thought that he have taken more lives. I fought him. 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. He'll be off to your left. He was continuing to kill. Look at me. ngel Maturino Resndiz was born on August 1, 1959 in Izcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico. I won't tell anybody what happened here, just don't hurt me.". Four days later, he's in a different state. Chris was so friendly he was very laid back and down to earth he loved the outdoors, he didn't have a care in the world. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. You know, look at your family. Video: "48 Hours" Live to Tell: The Railroad Killer. June 9, 2000. And that was my chance. Kind of a wavy, black hair, wearing glasses. From what I've come to learn of Resendiz, he was an immigrant, transient, moved around, had done a lot of odd jobs migrant work. And I hoped that he experienced some of the fear - that Holly did. And after two years, we hadn't had anything of substance anyway, so we chased any lead. My lieutenant asked me to come out and said it was a bad one. Maturino Resendiz is accused of being the so-called railroad killer, who . Holly Dunn: They said, "Well, could you tell us what he's wearing?" At the time, he had been tracked down to Mexico. His birth name was ngel Leoncio Reyes Recendis. And he gagged us. Her attacker used it to tie her hands behind her back. And they still couldn't find him. I know the body is going to go to waste. I'm positive that he probably knocked me unconscious. Craig Sorrell: The FBI, all the local agencies, the different areas, everybody was running leads. I realized that my mouth wasn't shutting right. Later police found Morber's red pickup truck in. ", Devon Anderson: I wanted it to be the last thing that jury heard and the last thing they saw was Holly Dunn sitting on that witness stand saying, "That's the man.". You do not deserve this. He was prone to violence at least 20 years prior to this killing spree. Angel Maturino Resendiz. It's a nonprofit center in Evansville, Ind. And he actually pulled Chris from the tracks, on the gravel, into the grass beside the tracks. 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. You don't have to. I wish I could've seen his face when he knew she was comin' to testify against him. Holly Dunn: I flew into Houston with my family the night before I was going to testify. 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. Devon Anderson: Holly is a hero because she did not let what happened to her destroy her. She was later awarded $86,000 for aiding in his surrender, according to the Chicago Tribune. "The Railroad Killer", was a Mexican serial killer, serial rapist, and robber active in several U.S. states, all of which he entered through stowing away on trains. But once he was free, his killings continued anew. Craig Sorrell: For two years we had operated under the belief that his name was Rafael Resendez Ramirez. She was covered in blood from head to toe. Resndiz also confessed to this murder in September 2001. Raped, strangled, suffocated both manually and with duct tape, and buried in a shallow grave in. And I think the - amount of pressure that was put on him, ultimately led to him to have to make a choice. He was transported by the Rangers back to Houston to face charges. You know, "I really have a family that wants to see me again." numerous female homicides in Ciudad Jurez, TruTV Crime Library articles about Resndiz, The International Justice Project's biography of Resndiz, People magazine online article about Resndiz, Texas Execution Information Center article about Resndiz, The Crime Web's December timeline article that mentions Resndiz, Unspecified date in 1986, Bexar County, Texas: An unnamed homeless woman and her boyfriend, July 19, 1991, Lexington, Kentucky: Michael White, 33. At the age of 16, he tried to enter Texas but was deported. And I went to a party with my boyfriend, Chris Maier, not far from campus. At the age of eleven, he ran away from home and spent some time living on the street, where he took up glue sniffing. Money was sometimes left at the scene. Worried church members found the couple when they failed to turn up for Sunday service. The intense manhunt for the railroad killer had intensified train car searches. Resndiz took sentimental items and also laid out the victims' driver's licenses to learn about their lives. And I don't know if it was an ice pick, if it was a screwdriver, but he had it on Chris the whole time. "[14][notes 1], On June 21, 2006, a Houston judge ruled that Resndiz was mentally competent to be executed. I just wanted the chance to tell what had happened to us. I testified as to the evidence at the scene, presented the pictures And then, lastly, Holly testified as the only surviving victim. He was executed in 2006. Bludgeoned to death with a brick. Resndiz raped Dunn, who stopped struggling when he reportedly told her just how easy it would be for him to kill her. In my head, I was panicking. You know, "how can I help you?" I mean, she basically, from his perspective, came back from the grave - to nail him. Where have you been? My whole life focus changed because of it. Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. After the murders, he would spend some time in their houses. Maturino Resendiz is a native of Mexico who crossed illegally into the United States for years, hopping on trains to get around the country. Heather Dunn Niemeier, Holly's sister: Her face was disoriented. Resendiz was implicated in the Oct. 2, 1998, murder of Leafie Mason, 87, bludgeoned with an antique iron at her home in Hughes Springs, Texas. 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. and what I would want for them is to be proud of, you know, me. Don't give up. 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. A rock from our crime scene and a railroad spike that I got from down in Texas. 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. Drew Carter: I believe that his options were limited. Holly Dunn: I felt, I guess, relieved. Just feeling so thankful that she was alive and that she was there. TWO YEARS AFTER THE ATTACKINTERNATIONAL BRIDGE, U.S. - MEXICO BORDER. Between nineteen eighty six and nineteen ninety nine percent is murdered. We were able to establish - that we had a DNA sample of the suspect - from the rape. 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. But me, as a person, I'm eternal. The Kentucky murder of Christopher Maier, which Holly Dunn miraculously survived, seemed to match aspects of the murders of Benton and the Sirnics and the DNA once again matched as well. Holly Dunn: I definitely feel like I have another opportunity at life. Nobody else could speak out against him in first person. Det. This man had no friends. On July 12, 1999, a Texas Ranger, Drew Carter, accompanied by Manuela and a spiritual guide, met up with Resndiz on a bridge connecting El Paso, Texas with Ciudad Jurez, Chihuahua. For me to be able to say, "You didn't destroy me." Resndiz had many aliases but was chiefly known and sought after as Rafael Resendez-Ramirez. Angel Maturino Resendiz pleaded not guilty today to the charge that he murdered a doctor in her Houston home in December. That's when he stabbed me in my neck. We of course said, "We don't have any money, we're poor college kids". 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