When he denied that the letters existed, she took them out and pointed to his signature. Nathan brought the case to the Innocence Project of Texas, where well-known attorney Jeff Blackburn agreed to represent the women. 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. On the court, the other girls would call out her nickname, Little Liz! VLs new testimony muddled the facts she had presented a year before. She now says that didn't happen. He went on to have another bitter custody battle with his next partner, Carina Hooper, who described him to me as hurtful, mean, a sociopath, and said he accused her son of sexually abusing their daughter, and reported Hooper for neglect to Child Protective Services. Follow her on Twitter @gina_k210, An inmate on trial for allegedly directing the 2014 murder of a Santa Maria drug dealer finished testifying in his own defense Friday but not . He is expected to testify this week in a case in which one of his daughters is fighting allegations of child abuse. Anna Vasquez served more than a decade of time in jail while the three other women are still serving time. Michelle Mondo published a story strongly implying that Javier filed the allegation as punishment for Stephanies recantation. During a cross-examination, Kazen, the prosecutor, broke the flow of his questions to ask, Am I intimidating you up here? The cluster reassembled. They stared in awe as two women kissed openly at a convenience store. The women cooperated with authorities and vehemently denied that any abuse had taken place. Today, Vasquez works with the Texas Innocence Project to overturn other wrongful convictions. The four were convicted, in part, based on testimony from a pediatrician who said visible scarring to one of the girls hymens was proof of sexual abuse. His parents were Salvador Allende supporters and he recalled what happened in a Reddit Ask Me Anything. No, nothing like that happened, Limon Martinez replied. The girl's father, Javier Limon, claims that shortly after bringing them back to San Antonio from Denver in 1992, they were caught acting out sexually with dolls, which led to their disclosing these events to him. A sentence of 37 and a half years was a compromise between more and less lenient jurors. 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. 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). The film showcases the innocent women's fight for innocence and persistence throughout their nearly 15 years in prison. HOUSTON A young woman who recently recanted a nearly 20-year-old accusation of sexual assault, which had sent her aunt and three other women to prison, was in a courtroom here Monday fighting child-abuse allegations leveled at her. Kids' removal called payback for recanting, Woman fighting to clear name in 1994 sex assault is paroled, Parole OK'd for woman fighting for exoneration. He was nearly 2 years old when her trial date was finally set. Some of the discrepancies came from Serafina Limon, Javiers mother, who initially reported the girls outcries. Serafina had said Elizabeth was suspiciously dour when she brought the girls back after the week at the apartment. I thought you said that if youre gay and you were friends, thats a gay relationship?, No. They took the girls to Walmart, where they bought a fish. She liked to balance on the balls of her feet, leading her mother to joke that maybe she would become a ballerina. Rosemary got a job supervising the cleaning staff at the courthouse downtown. If a woman abuses a young child, it often means the perpetrator has a mental illness. Had he offered to marry her? All four of the women were out as lesbians, a fact that colored the investigation into the accusations and case against them. What was next? Vasquez said she feels an obligation to them. Both will be thrust into the limelight in the upcoming legal battles over the case. 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. She testified under oath at the trial that Javier had arrived in Denver and threatened her with a gun. Testimony concluded on a Friday afternoon. By Waiting to solve 5. Hooper described Javiers behavior as a pattern, saying he uses the authorities to get back at people who have crossed him. 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. She looked stoic and resigned. Did you threaten him with pepper spray? the lawyer asked. I remember everything [Javier] coached me to say, as well as my grandmother. "Word is on the street is that someone else did it, and not [Gregorio Agustine]?" Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. Javier Limon, now in his 40s, keeps his graying hair short. The new technology was fascinating, but so were social mores. 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 lawyers, standing in a row behind them, answered the big-picture questions about the new state law and the legal actions to come. Javiers sister Cristina agreed: Shes going to flip on the recantation, to get back at her mom.. There had been other little kidsCassies kids and some neighborsin the apartment throughout the week, but now she was adamant that she and her sister had been the only children. They are signed Javier Limon.. The prosecutor, Philip Kazen, told the jury that Elizabeth had held a 9-year-old girl up as a sacrificial lamb to her friends.. Sometimes truth has to border these parameters of strangeness of different times, weapons, and thats what happens here in this case.. So he traveled to Texas to get a better sense of who she was. She now says that didn't happen. One night Elizabeth stole some of her mothers prescription anxiety pills and overdosed. Ive kind of prepared myself for the feelings he might have, that I abandoned him., Several weeks later, the night she was released, she met him for dinner at Pizza Hut. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Kazen asked if she was dating Kristie Mayhugh, her roommate and one of the other women accused of abuse. Sorry, no promotional deals were found matching that code. The most painful memory of that day was being separated from my newborn son, she later wrote. They found Elizabeth guilty in just a few hours, but their debate about punishment lasted into the evening. It was August 2012, and Stephanie, then 25, was a mother herself. Vazquez along with three other women are fighting for exoneration from a 1994 sexual assualt case. Every other day, she told me, shed clean the office of her sisters prosecutor, Philip Kazen. Spending on cops and tech at the border has increased ninefold in a decade. Matjeka was helping investigate a sex crime and asked if she would come to the station to answer a few questions. Gloria took her to the hospital and then kicked her out of the house. I showed the letters and samples of Javiers handwriting to several forensic document examiners. Detective Lopez was studying for her sergeant's exam when the complaint was filed by Javier Limon, the girl's father. Her relationship with her mother improvedGloria co-signed for Elizabeths new apartment. The statute made it easier to challenge convictions based on outdated forensic evidence. At one point, the sound of wind and cars passing on the highway accompanies a shot of an empty lot. He liked to party and her workaholic lifestyle drove them apart, but not before she became pregnant with his son. The Firm presently has twelve members. Holidays and birthdays were the hardest. Elizabeth was completely lost in the huddle. To be honest with you, she said, I feel so bad for my brother, because I tell him hes got the worst luck with women.. The sun started to set as family members and friends of the four women lined up outside the county jail, breathing in sharply each time the doors opened. Kristie Mayhugh, seen here Sept. 4, 2012, is incarcerated at the Mountain View Unit in Gatesville, Texas. 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. I know youre very nervous, her lawyer said, according to the transcript. here? In the midst of her legal troubles, Elizabeth gave birth to her son. The video cuts between scenes of them spinning Cassies kids on a small playground carousel and swimming at a beach. 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. Where had these accusations come from? Limon was overbearing and lectured her constantly. Elizabeth still wasnt sure what she wanted to do, and she struggled with her new identity. Im sorry it has taken this long for me to know what truly happened, she said haltingly. Anna Vasquez, left, appears safe in her brother Robert Vasquez's arms as she returned home after serving 12 and a half years in prison. Sitting in the courtroom, Elizabeth was frightened but also puzzled. 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. Swimming with the kids. About a month before, they had spent a week at her apartment. 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. Promotional materials distributed by your outlet, including all social media work, must include cites for the Observer and our reporter. A car provided by the Innocence Project of Texas whisked them away. 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. By late 2013, he had cycled through several careers and was working for a security company and studying criminal justice at a community college in Stafford, near Houston. I love them. Gloria has no unkind words to say about her daughter, but she never describes her as shrewd. In the backseat of a car, Stephanie Limon (now Stephanie Martinez) read from a sheet of notebook paper. Serafina Limon, Javiers mother, who initially reported the girls outcries to convictions. 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