It doesnt mean were all intimate together, had any kind of sexual togetherness., The trial lasted only a couple of days. Thats so rude, she said. Anna said she no longer cared if anyone saw them as lovers, since they had so little time left. Javier told me that his daughter didnt recant because she suddenly changed her mind about what happened to her. 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. The cameras blinked on. His kids took a liking to Elizabeth, so hed let them stay at her apartment, even after he split with Rosemary. Shortly after Mondos story appeared came the breakthrough. Limon Martinez and her husband believe the accusations against them are in retaliation because she is now working to help exonerate her aunt and the other women. So she left her sisters home and moved in with a girlfriend from school. A statue of a praying angel stands near Maria Vasquez, right, in her living room where Vasquez prayed daily for her daughter Anna Vasquez. The video cuts between scenes of them spinning Cassies kids on a small playground carousel and swimming at a beach. Elizabeth was stunned. I asked him, had he been in love with Elizabeth? Surrounded by cameras from local and national media outlets, the women thanked the DAs office and the media for letting us tell our story. They also thanked Darrell Otto, over and over again, though none of the reporters asked about him. Anna Vasquez talks with her brother Jerry Vasquez on their mother's front porch after they celebrated her first Thanksgivings after being released on parole, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. She testified that she called Stafford police because she didn't want an argument between her father and her husband getting out of hand. Maybe the lawyer could explain to the authorities that no crime had occurred; it was just a malicious accusation orchestrated by a bitter man. Javier did not testify, but told me unequivocally, There was no gun.), Sometimes truth is different, Ruiz told the jury. Elizabeth, who had recently turned 20, climbed into his unmarked police car. Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 12:35 pm, Owner of San Antonio bar Moses Rose's launches GoFundMe to cover court costs as talks stall, San Antonio gourmet hot dog spot The Dogfather quietly opens second location. Her father Javier called, and as VL assured him that everything at Aunt Lizs house was going just fine, her aunt held the gun to her head. Stephanie Limon, the younger of the two accusers, called Debbie Nathan and recanted. What was next? 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. on Pedro Pascal was born in Santiago, Chile. Lopez, who normally handled child sexual abuse cases. 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. The prosecutor, Philip Kazen, told the jury that Elizabeth had held a 9-year-old girl up as a sacrificial lamb to her friends.. Vasquez's story could have happened to anyone, just as it did to her 19-year-old self, fresh out of high school. She looked stoic and resigned. He is expected to testify this week in a case in which one of his daughters is fighting allegations of child abuse. Her son took a plea deal and is now a registered sex offender. I think that first story was really complicated, she explained. Javier said that Stephanie had taken advantage of his kindness. But still they were baffled. VL claimed that the court reporter must have incorrectly taken down her remarks at Elizabeths trial. Rosemary recounted years later that Javier threatened her family. Cassandra, who goes by Cassie, was uncomfortable and could sense something was wrong. The younger of the two accusers, now 25, has recanted, saying no assault occurred. They realized that the four of them had rarely been in the apartment at the same time, because they were so busy with long shifts at various jobs at odd hoursyet the girls were claiming that all four women were present for the assault. Even as a toddler, Elizabeth Ramirez was small for her age. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. All four of the women were out as lesbians, a fact that colored the investigation into the accusations and case against them. A version of this story ran in the January 2014 issue. He never felt like Elizabeth took advantage of his kindness; helping people was just in his nature, he said. Elizabeths friends say she could have done more to reject Javiers advances. Elizabeth Ramirez holds her baby boy shortly after his birth in a family photo. When Elizabeth had entered the courtroom, the girl who was accusing her of sexual abuse had waved at her and smiled. She immediately denied the accusation. The prosecutions expert witness was a doctor named Nancy Kellogg, who estimated that she had examined roughly 3,500 sexual assault victims, most of them children. There was seldom evidence other than the statements of children or adults who recovered memories from their youth. Strangers congratulated them. Ramirez theorized at the time that Javier Limon, her sister Rosemary's ex-boyfriend and her nieces' father was upset with her because she rejected his many romantic overtures after he went through a bad breakup with her sister, the Texas Observer reported. Shifts at Arbys. He was nearly 2 years old when her trial date was finally set. Cassie and Anna tried to meticulously recreate what had happened the week of the alleged crimes. Cassandra Rivera, seen here Sept. 5, 2012, is currently in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas. A tearful Anna Vasquez speaks on a phone during a prison interview Sept. 4, 2012. Elizabeth knew that being a lesbian would make her an outsider in her conservative Catholic family. Did you threaten him with pepper spray? the lawyer asked. They looked like celebrities inundated by paparazzi. Anna Vasquez, just released from prison, stops at the "Anna Wall" in her mother's home, joking that the photo of her in a crib as a baby, was the first picture of her behind bars. She said that her father, Javier Limon, and her grandmother, Serafina Limon, hit the ceiling when they found out Ramirez and her friends had come out as lesbiana risky move in 1990s San Antonio. Gloria Herrera, left, and her daughter Elizabeth Ramirez in a photo taken during a visit in prison. An affidavit submitted by a CPS caseworker outlines multiple accusations against the couple, from having a filthy apartment to being violent with each other, which they both deny. It was like living in a labor camp, he said. Anna Vasquez could not attend the meeting because of her parole restrictions. Elizabeths roommate Kristie Mayhugh was at her mothers apartment in Rosenberg, outside Houston, when the police surrounded the building and ordered her out. Michelle Mondo published a story strongly implying that Javier filed the allegation as punishment for Stephanies recantation. Fueled by the "Satanic Ritual Abuse Panic" of the day, baffling charges by one of the women's nieces send them all to prison. . 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. The women had been drinking tequila and were topless, VL said. This makes us one of the biggest by prevailing local standards. 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. Michelle Mondo, a crime reporter at the San Antonio Express-News, read Ottos piece and began investigating. Every Sunday, she would write her son a letter and have her mother deliver it. She, along with Kristie, had been in prison for 13 years. Ramirez has testified that the. One morning several days later, in September 1994, Elizabeths friends Cassandra Rivera and Anna Vasquez met at a park. 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. Freelance writer Maurice Chammah lives in Austin. More than a decade later, in 2011, Cassie was transferred to the Hobby Unit in Marlin, where Anna and Elizabeth had been living. Do you know anything about where she learned it? Serafina asked. But they were careful to say little about Javier and his daughters. Elizabeth Ramirez was four months pregnant when she heard a knock at the door. In the backseat of a car, Stephanie Limon (now Stephanie Martinez) read from a sheet of notebook paper. Shortly after his daughters stayed at Elizabeths apartment, Javier called her and said he had something important to tell her. He found criminals particularly fascinating, especially the psychologically obscure, because, like him, they were on the fringes of society. He checked out a video from the college library on female sexual predators. San Antonio El Berrendo San Ricardo Santa Luca San Roberto Palo Blanco El Capricho Las Minitas El Guerreo El Porvenir Jess Ortiz El RecuerdoEl GuerreoEl Guerreo Javier Limon makes his way to the 315th District Court in Houston to for a hearing concerning his daughter, Stephanie Limon Martinez's custody of her children. On Valentines Day 1998, a Saturday morning, all three were convicted of the same crimes as Elizabeth: aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. She said yes. Ramirezs two nieces, then 7 and 9, accused all four women of attacking and raping them with objects when the girls visited Ramirezs apartment in the summer of 1994. A boot-wearing, quiet man with a wide smile and blond hair mopped down on his forehead, Ware had worked for years with the Conviction Integrity Unit at the Dallas County District Attorneys office, which investigated old cases for possible wrongful convictions, and helped exonerate dozens of men. Most of the time, as he learned from reading scientific journals, these women are teachers who fall in love with a student. Years went by without a response. Around the same time, Anna was put on maintenance duty and assigned to fix the lights in Cassies cell. Stephaniewho would not comment for this story on her lawyers advicesoon found herself in a legal battle of her own. Elizabeth moved in with her sister Rosemary, who was then living with Javier Limon and their three young children. While the names of those who make an outcry to CPS aren't public, the affidavit and testimony state that the case stems from a call to CPS in early August that claimed that the couple had a history of domestic violence, including Joseph Martinez pulling a butcher knife on his wife and her threatening him with pepper spray. On trips around the city for volleyball games, Anna would bring along a radio and theyd belt out Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks. She was so trusting, so lovable. Elizabeths sister Monica said, If Liz was a different person she would have had him arrested or placed a restraining order.. Elizabeth Ramirez is in the Hobby Unit in Marlin, Texas, September 5, 2012. He had already taken my kids, so he couldnt hurt me there. It is probable that [Javier] wrote it, said one, adding that there is not enough evidence to make a definite identification or elimination. Another explained, It is one thing to attempt to imitate someones signature once or twice, but an entirely different and exponentially more difficult thing to attempt to successfully imitate a large quantity of extended writing.. She now says that didn't happen. A car provided by the Innocence Project of Texas whisked them away. They stared in awe as two women kissed openly at a convenience store. The children in family aren't allowed to be at family gatherings with Anna present. The language was chatty and upbeat. A local judge still must make recommendations to the Court of Criminal Appeals about whether to throw out the convictions and how to rule on some of the womens lawyers arguments. Its just so unusual and bizarre.. VLs new testimony muddled the facts she had presented a year before. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Dr. Kellogg has told the Bexar County District Attorneys office that her initial claims at the trial are outdated and that she wouldnt offer the same testimony today. As a lesbian couple in conservative San Antonio, they seldom showed affection in public, but Anna was unusually touchy that morning. She and her husband, Joseph Martinez (right), were in a Houston courtroom Dec. 3 fighting child-abuse allegations leveled at her by her father Javier Limon, who was given as the reason his two daughters made accusations of sexual abuse against four women in 1994 that led to them being sent to prison. Then Mike Ware, another lawyer with the Innocence Project, got involved. Vasquez's mother, Maria Vasquez, and aunt, Valeria Pachecano, attended the meeting in her place. Stephanie Limon Martinez, right breaks down before 315th District Court Judge Angela E. Ellis during questioning at a hearing concerning custody of her children, in Houston, Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. 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