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. Ramirez told the court that the accusations against her and her friends came after she spurned his advances for marriage. Mama, theyre my nieces, she said. There was a problem saving your notification. Elizabeth Ramirez is in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas, September 5, 2012. Life after death row and the search for justice. By the time of the trials, she told me, good pediatricians knew this stuff had been discredited.. So she decided to tell her lawyer about Javier. Vasquez could not attend the meeting because of her parole restrictions. 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. Since his mid-20s, when he became a Jehovahs Witness, he hasnt celebrated birthdays or Christmas. 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. 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. One of the women told a court that the accusations came after she spurned Limons advances for marriage. Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. Then Mike Ware, another lawyer with the Innocence Project, got involved. In the midst of her legal troubles, Elizabeth gave birth to her son. He explained to Elizabeth that her nieces were accusing her and several of her friendswho had also been at the apartment that weekof sexually abusing them. Elizabeth still wasnt sure what she wanted to do, and she struggled with her new identity. But the pool of advocates for the women was growing. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Testimony concluded on a Friday afternoon. Morales didn't incriminate himself in the conversation, Alejandre testified, but police "weren't satisfied" because no confession was elicited. September 5, 2012. Detectives gave her a recording device and ordered her to call Morales in prison, record the conversation, then hand it over. 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. Ramirez has testified that the. Statis. 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. I was only 7, and I was scared.. Cassie, who worked at AutoZone and frequented car shows, thought about becoming a mechanic. Once released on bail, Elizabeth relied on family members to take care of her son while she worked at Taco Cabana and tried to fend off the assault charges. Limon was her sisters ex-boyfriend, and the two daughters were her 7- and 9-year-old nieces. Anna Vasquez, right, embraces her mother Maria Vasquez after she was released from prison. Eventually the two would move in together, and Anna would treat Cassies two kids as her own. Gloria Herrera shows her favorite pictures of her daughter, Elizabeth Ramirez, Friday, Dec. 3, 2010. The questioning continued, focusing on Elizabeths relationships with women. She was still leaking milk when the police took her to jail. While visiting her mother across the room, she would glare at Otto. Comment * at what temperature do stink bugs die. Vasquez said she feels an obligation to them. Cassie and Anna are looking for Elizabeths old apartment. 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. Stephanie Limon did not clarify the situation. She was given permission to be there by her parole officer until they realized the property backed up to a school property line. Her long straight hair was in a perm with her bangs teased up off her forehead. 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. Elizabeth had one theory. It was like living in a labor camp, he said. Four gay Hispanic women molesting children was something that seemed to go down everyone's throats quite easily only, it wasn't true. He had already taken my kids, so he couldnt hurt me there. All of the Texas Observers articles are available for free syndication for news sources under the following conditions: You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. . As Elizabeths mother, Gloria, remembers it, her daughter handed over the letters from Javier and said, Mom, hes after me. Gloria invited Javier out to breakfast and confronted him. Casie Gotro, Stephanie's lawyer, is at left. She gave the San Antonio Express-News permission to use her name even though the paper's policy is to not name victims of sex assault, which she still is in the eyes of the law. Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. She now says that didn't happen. Roughly a year later, in late October 2013, attorney Mike Ware filed writs for all four women. 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. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Every Sunday, she would write her son a letter and have her mother deliver it. 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. Even as a toddler, Elizabeth Ramirez was small for her age. Ware and the other lawyers for the women have said that no matter how much the ongoing investigations may cast doubt on the legal and medical context for the convictions, much about the case will remain a mystery. So he traveled to Texas to get a better sense of who she was. Alejandre countered that it was difficult to pick up calls while she was on the streets, couldn't pay her phone bill, and she reiterated that she only sold drugs to support her children. We have no ads to show you! She knew by then she was either going to accept my lifestyle, or I wasnt going to be a part of her life, Elizabeth said. Alejandre later was promised by police that her charges would be dismissed if she agreed to cooperate with their investigation and also testify. 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. After Cassandra went to prison, her mother got a white puppy and named it Teddy Bear. Promotional materials distributed by your outlet, including all social media work, must include cites for the Observer and our reporter. Anna Vasquez, one of the four San Antonio women fighting to clear their names in the 1994 sexual assault of two sisters, was released from prison on parole, from the Crain Unit in Gatesville, TX. Discovery channel documentary 'Southwest of Salem: the Story of the San Antonio Four' unravels the case against lesbians accused of abuse. 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. I showed the letters and samples of Javiers handwriting to several forensic document examiners. As a child, he explained, according to the trial transcript, VL had offered a confabulation of facts, and a jumbling of things, weapons, bedrooms, hatred towards family. He theorized that Javier had held a gun to her mother Rosemarys head years before in Denver, and that this had been refracted in the childs mind to include Elizabeth. Anna Vasquez had played sports with Elizabeth in high school. Mr. Limon took his daughters to the Alamo Children's Advocacy Centre where they underwent a physical examination for evidence of . Articles must link back to the original article and contain the following attribution at the top of the story: This article was originally published by the, Articles cannot be rewritten, edited or changed beyond alignments with house style books. Elizabeth claims back then Limon would. Stephanie Limon Martinez, center, was just 7 when she and her older sister said the women sexually assaulted them. She now says that didn't happen. 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 Ramirez, right, and Cassandra Rivera are both in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas. Im sorry it has taken this long for me to know what truly happened, she said haltingly. Elizabeth Ramirez holds her baby boy shortly after his birth in a family photo. 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. Philip Kazen, Elizabeths prosecutor, is now a judge. 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. defense attorney Michael Scott asked. Matjekas tone grew less friendly. Outlets must also tag the Observer in all social media posts. Sorry, no promotional deals were found matching that code. That was the last time they spoke. Stephaniewho would not comment for this story on her lawyers advicesoon found herself in a legal battle of her own. Swimming with the kids. After splitting with her first girlfriend, Elizabeth started dating a man named Hector. 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). Vasquez was recently released on parole, but the other women remain behind bars. Yes. what happened to javier limon san antonio. The new technology was fascinating, but so were social mores. carvajal mazzini francisco javier dedicada a venta al por menor de alimentos, bebidas, principalmente y diversos articulos como: aparatos de uso domestico, articulos de ferreteria, muebles, prendas de vestir, cosmeticos, etc, en almacenes no especializados (supermercados, tiendas de abarro.inici sus actividades comerciales el 18/03/1997 como personas naturales. Elizabeth moved in with her sister Rosemary, who was then living with Javier Limon and their three young children. Every other day, she told me, shed clean the office of her sisters prosecutor, Philip Kazen. Where had these accusations come from? He asked to film her walking around the yard, and she complied, but she wouldnt stick one foot past the curb for the camera to symbolize her freedom, since it would technically violate her parole conditions. Still hale in his mid-50s, with close-cropped hair, Otto lives without reliable electricity or running water. Ware expects a battle over whether the women are declared actually innocent, a designation that would entitle them to compensation from the state for their imprisonment. Site made in collaboration with CMYK. Si deseas conocer ms sobre este negocio, puedes llamar y solicitar informacin de sus productos y servicios. Get our latest in-depth reporting straight to your inbox. In September 2015, Morris texted Alejandre, telling her to show up to court for her drug possession for sale charges, along with special gang enhancements, she testified. She wasnt receptive, Javier told me. They traded cars so each could get to work, bought hot dogs for the kids and played basketball at the park. They found Elizabeth guilty in just a few hours, but their debate about punishment lasted into the evening. It was Nov. 18, and they had been waiting since that morning, having skipped lunch because the release seemed imminent. Anna Vasquez, just home after serving 12 and a half years in prison, admires family photos on the walls in her mother's home. Mike Ware, left, is another lawyer working on the case. 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. VLs new testimony muddled the facts she had presented a year before. Her lawyer, Casie Gotro, is at left. Had someone died? She saw them often. The letter was several pages long and written in clear cursive script.

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