transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.

Speaker 2:
[00:12] Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.

Speaker 1:
[00:18] This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

Speaker 2:
[00:23] Our story takes place in Houston, Texas, the city that me and Colin call home. It's one of the largest cities in America with over 2.3 million people. And with that big of a population, Houston has its fair share of crime. Now, I grew up outside of Houston, but me and Colin moved here together in 2023. And naturally, upon moving, we wanted to look at all of the infamous crimes that have taken place here. One that we all know out of Houston is Andrea Yates. We covered her episode in episode 184 and 185. She is the mother who drowned her five children in the bathtub in June of 2001.

Speaker 1:
[01:02] Another infamous one that comes to mind is Dean Correll, the Candyman. Dean was a serial killer who tortured and murdered at least 28 people, most being young men and boys. And obviously, we can't forget about the second episode of Murder In America about the Texas Killing Fields, a stretch of land between Houston and Galveston that was used as a dumping ground for dozens of young women in the 1970s through the 90s. If you've been following the news, they actually just made an arrest in that case.

Speaker 2:
[01:32] But as you can see, Houston is home to a number of infamous murders that people all around the world know about. However, during our search of Houston's infamous murders, we came across one that we had never heard before. And frankly, we couldn't believe it, because it's truly one of the most horrific cases I've ever read about. It's about two teenage girls who were rushing home on a summer night in June of 1993. They didn't want to miss curfew, so they decided to take a shortcut through a park. However, little did they know that just ahead of them, in the darkness of that park, a group of teenagers had spent the evening drinking and carrying out a gang initiation. And the girls were about to walk right through their path. So this is the story of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña. Major trigger warning for this episode, as there is graphic descriptions of sexual assault, torture and murder. But I'm Courtney Browen.

Speaker 1:
[02:35] And I'm Colin Browen.

Speaker 2:
[02:37] And you're listening to Murder In America.

Speaker 1:
[03:40] Houston, Texas in 1993 was a sprawling city of nearly 1.6 million people. If you've ever been to Houston, you'd know that it's a very big city. There are over 640 square miles of neighborhoods, bayous and freeways. And like in any town, some areas are nicer than others. On one side, there was the Houston that made headlines for the right reasons. There was NASA, the Texas Medical Center, the largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions in the world. There were the Houston Oilers, the Rockets, the Astros, and a downtown skyline that kept growing taller. Houston was a city built on oil and the promise that hard work could get you somewhere. But by 1993, there was something else building in Houston too. Gang violence had been rising sharply for years. In 1988, the Houston Police Department had identified 23 gangs operating within city limits. By 1993, that number had reached 196. The situation had gotten serious enough that that same year, Houston formed its own Gang Task Force, a unit dedicated entirely to the rising crisis on Houston's streets. The violence had seeped into everyday life across the city. Parents set curfews and enforced them, and there were certain parts of the city that people didn't dare go to after dark.

Speaker 2:
[05:02] On June 23rd, 1993, a Fox 26 news reporter named Randy Wallace was at Oak Forest Park, filming a special on gang violence in Houston. The special came after a recent double shooting nearby. As Randy stood in front of the camera, he began interviewing people in the area, asking them their thoughts on the recent shooting. Most people reported that they were horrified, but there was one person who didn't seem very bothered by it. It was a shirtless teenager in baggy pants, a backwards baseball cap, with a 40 ounce malt liquor in his hand. The reporter asked him what he thought about the shooting. The teenager looked right into the camera and said, Life means nothing. His name was Sean O'Brien. And just one day later, he would commit a crime that everyone in Houston would know about.

Speaker 1:
[05:54] The Heights neighborhood on the northwest side of Houston was filled with working class families and modest homes. Neighbors recognized each other and kids played outside after school. But it wasn't without its concerns. The Ertman family had metal bars on one of their back doors, a quiet acknowledgement that even on a decent street, you didn't take chances. A few miles away, on a pine tree-lined stretch of Lamonte Lane in northwest Houston, the Peña family had built a similar life. Quiet, stable, close to the park, close to the elementary school, close to everything a family needed. These were good neighborhoods, working class and grounded. But in Houston in 1993, safety was never guaranteed. And on the night of June 24th, 1993, something would happen just miles from these quiet streets that would make every parent question how safe their children really were, even on an ordinary summer night.

Speaker 2:
[06:49] Jennifer Lee Ertman was born on August 15th, 1978, in Houston, Texas. She was the only child of Sandra and Randy Ertman. Sandra was 35 when Jennifer came along. Randy was 26. The two of them hadn't been sure that a baby was ever going to happen for them. And then she arrived, and that was it. Jennifer was everything to them. She grew up on a house on East 25th Street in Houston's Heights neighborhood. There was a baseball card collection that sat on her shelf. She rode her go-cart and bicycle up and down the streets. She spent her afternoons outside, unbothered and unhurried. Her family said that she was funny without even trying. And her laugh? Her dad said it was the best laugh he had ever heard in his life. But Randy and Sandra were firm. They raised Jennifer on three rules. Never lie, never cheat, never steal. And with those three rules, Jennifer led a pretty good life. She treated everyone with respect. She was a good kid. Her father, Randy, said that he only raised his voice at her exactly three times her entire life. He never needed to do it more than that. Jennifer listened. She was honest. She never gave them a reason to worry. Her family said that she was also very modest. She loved to swim, but she hated the feeling of being looked at. Big baggy cover-ups to the pool. Long denim shorts that came down to her knees. Never a sleeveless shirt. Never anything tight. She dressed for comfort. She dressed for herself.

Speaker 1:
[08:24] When she turned 13, she came to her mother with a practical request. Their house had two back doors, one regular, one made of metal burglar bars, which were a precaution on their street in the Heights. Mom, can I have my own keys so I don't have to keep bothering you? Sandra looked at her daughter and knew she had earned it, and so she had an extra set made. In the fall of 1992, Jennifer started at the Wall Trip High School. She was a rule follower. Straight A's never caused trouble. That Christmas, she asked for a pager. At the time, cell phones existed, but they were enormous, expensive, and not something a teenager was going to carry around. So a pager was the next best thing, and Jennifer made her case. She told her mom that it was perfect, because now, if she went to hang out with friends, her mom could reach her whenever she wanted. They talked it over and eventually said yes. Sandra felt better with it. Now, if anything happened, she could get to her daughter fast. Sandra also made sure Jennifer always had a $10 bill tucked in her pocket, just in case. You never know when you might need it. There was also a rule at their house where, no matter what, no matter the hour, if Jennifer ever needed to come home, she could find a payphone and call. Her parents would come get her, no questions asked.

Speaker 2:
[09:41] By the spring of 1993, her parents noticed that Jennifer was growing up. She had always worn berets in her hair, but now she was taking them out. She had started copying the hairstyle she saw on 90210, the show every girl at Waltrip High was watching. She also started wearing more jewelry. Her ears were double pierced, tiny diamond studs on top, small hoop earrings on the bottom. She wore two gold rope chains around her neck, one with a letter J on the end, and she always had eight rings on her fingers. Her family said that she had also started wearing makeup, even though her parents always told her that she didn't need it. But right before their eyes, Jennifer was maturing. She was growing into a young woman that they were so proud of. However, she still had that sense of youth. She even wore Walt Disney Goofy Watch that her parents gave her for Christmas one year. She wasn't ready to let go of it just yet. In her bedroom, her walls were covered with pictures of the new kids on the block. She was obsessed with them. But at the time, Jennifer wasn't really interested in boys at her school. She had friends who were boys, but not a boyfriend. And she was proud of the fact that she was still a virgin. She told people that it was hers to protect until the right person came around. And she made it known that she wanted to wait until marriage. At Wall Trip High, Jennifer was a straight A student who never caused any trouble. She was funny, sweet, and well-liked. And that same semester, a new girl walked through the doors. She was coming from a different school, starting fresh. Her name was Elizabeth Peña. And from the moment the two of them found each other, they were inseparable.

Speaker 1:
[11:28] Elizabeth Christine Peña was born on June 21, 1977 at Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital in Houston, Texas. Her mother, Melissa, was just 18 years old, and her father, Adolf, 21. They were young and in love. The Peña family settled into a quiet home on Lamonte Lane in Northwest Houston, a suburban street lined with pine trees. It was peaceful and quiet. And Stevens Elementary was just down the road. So was TC Jester Park with its bicycle paths and shade trees. At the time, kids played outside without their parents worrying too much. And as a child, Elizabeth did just that. She liked to play around in the backyard. She liked to splash around in the plastic swimming pool they had in the yard. She was a normal, happy little girl full of energy and personality. Her hair was very curly and she loved having it styled. Washing it, however, was another story entirely. When she was younger, every time her parents tried to wash it in the sink, she would scream at the top of her lungs. And it became a running joke in the family. When Elizabeth was two, her little brother Michael came along, and the two of them bickered constantly, with him picking on her and she telling on him. But they loved each other, and as they got older, the fighting faded. When Elizabeth was almost ten, the family welcomed a baby girl named Rachel, and Elizabeth was immediately smitten. She was constantly by Rachel's side, always wanting to hold her, always ready to help.

Speaker 2:
[12:57] Elizabeth was what they called a girly girl. She loved getting dressed up, doing her nails, and getting her hair done. She was strikingly beautiful on the outside and the inside. Friends, family, and neighbors, they all said that if you looked at Elizabeth, you would always see her smiling and laughing, always happy, a free spirit. Everyone wanted to be around her. She was popular everywhere she went. Now, in school, Elizabeth got by. She was smart, but she didn't really care to spend her time in a boring classroom. Like many teenagers, she just wanted to be with her friends. Her parents kept a close eye on her, especially her father, Adolf. He was very protective. He worried about her growing up beautiful in a world of men who don't have good intentions. Watch yourself, he would tell her, don't be naive. He didn't mind the idea of her having a boyfriend someday. He just wanted her to be friends with a boy for a long time first, the same way he and Melissa had done it. Now, the Peñas also made a deliberate decision about her middle school. Frank Black Middle School was just three blocks down from their house, close enough to walk to it. But Adolf and Melissa didn't like what was happening there, so they found her another school. Elizabeth did well there, but high school was another story. Around the time she turned 14, things shifted. She fell in with a different crowd, not dangerous people, just restless kids with too much time on their hands, and not enough direction. Her parents said she started getting in trouble. Nothing that put her in front of a judge, but enough to worry her parents. There were late nights, arguments. She snuck out of her bedroom window a time or two. Adolf and Melissa were at a loss. So in the fall of 1991, they decided to enroll her in a Catholic high school in downtown Houston. They were hoping a stricter environment would help her find her footing, but it didn't. In fact, she seemed to get in even more trouble there. It was also there where she had her first sexual relationship. So after just six weeks, her parents took her out.

Speaker 1:
[15:07] After Elizabeth left the Catholic school, something clicked. She looked at her life honestly, at the people in it, and she realized she could count her real friends on one hand and wanted to turn things around. In the fall of 1992, Elizabeth enrolled at Waltrip High School as a sophomore determined to start fresh, and it was there, in the hallways of Waltrip, that she crossed paths with a freshman named Jennifer Ertman. They connected immediately. Jennifer was focused, responsible, a straight-A student who never caused trouble, and Elizabeth followed her lead. She pulled back from the people who had been dragging her down and started showing up, paying attention and coming home on time, smiling again the way she used to. Adolf, her father, watched his daughter change for the better, and he barely recognized her. She had done all of this herself, but her friend Jennifer had a lot to do with it. You see, Elizabeth's parents loved Jennifer. Every single time she walked through the front door of the Peña house, she made a point of seeking Adolf out, no matter where he was, just to say hello. Hello, Mr. Peña, every time.

Speaker 2:
[16:12] At wall trip, Elizabeth's grades were climbing. Her circle was smaller but more real. She'd even met a boy she liked. She was happy. Now, every year, the Peña family made a trip down to Florida, a week, sometimes 10 days, fishing for the guys and sunbathing for the girls. On the drive home from that trip that year, Adolf glanced in the rearview mirror. His kids were in the back. His eyes landed on Elizabeth. She was looking out the window, the Florida sun still on her face. As he looked at her, a thought crossed his mind, one he had never had before. What would it feel like to not have these kids? His life was so good, so beautiful at that moment. He couldn't help but think about what it would be like to have it all ripped away. He pushed the thought back almost as quickly as it came. He caught Elizabeth's eye in the mirror. I love you, sweetie, he told her. She smiled back at him. I love you too, daddy.

Speaker 1:
[17:13] Soon enough, it was Thursday, June 24th, 1993. Houston was sweltering in its summer heat, but for many of the teenagers around town, they were making the most of it. Summer break was already underway for Elizabeth and Jennifer, and they were going to make the most of their day. At 4.15 that afternoon, Jennifer asked her dad, Randy, if he could drive her over to Elizabeth's house on the Monty Lane, and he agreed. It was, after all, only a couple of minutes away. Before Jennifer got out of the car that night, Randy reminded her, be home by 11 PM, and she promised him she would be. From there, they exchanged I love yous and she shut the car door. Randy watched as his daughter walked inside the Peña household, and then he drove away, having no idea that he would never see his daughter alive again.

Speaker 2:
[18:02] Once Jennifer walked outside, she made her way to Elizabeth's room, and the two girls got ready together, talking, laughing, taking their time. At 8 PM, Elizabeth's parents drove the girls down to Silver Creek Apartments on Magnum Road. It's where their friend Gina Escamilla lived. There was a pool at Gina's apartment. The girls planned to hang out there and swim for the evening. As Jennifer and Elizabeth jumped out of the car, Elizabeth's parents yelled out, I love you. I'll see you later. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Melissa glanced up into the rearview mirror one last time. Her daughter was already walking away, laughing at something Jennifer had said. Inside Gina's apartment, the girls sprawled out across the bedroom floor. They talked about boys, laughed about nothing in particular. At some point, Jennifer's pager went off. She looked down at the screen. It was her mom just checking in. Give me a call, her mom said. Jennifer asked Gina if she could use the phone. Seconds later, Jennifer dialed home. Like dozens of times before, it was just her mother checking to see what she was doing. As we mentioned, Jennifer's parents were strict. When she was gone, they always asked her to call them and let them know what she was doing. Jennifer told them she was at Gina's apartment. All right, honey, her mom said. I just wanted to make sure you were doing all right. I love you. Be good. With that, Sandra and Jennifer hung up the phone.

Speaker 1:
[19:34] Meanwhile, about a mile away, a different kind of night was unfolding. At a house on Ashland Street, 18-year-old Peter Cantu had the place to himself. His parents were away and he had the day off work. Suddenly, two friends showed up at the house, Efren Perez and Raul Villarreal, both 17. The three of them immediately cracked open some beers. Raul didn't waste any time. I want to be a part of your gang, he told them. Peter and Efren exchanged a look. The gang he was talking about was a group of friends who called themselves the Black and Whites. The guys in the gang looked out for each other, but Raul was an outsider. He had just come into the picture, so Peter wasn't about to just let him in. He told Raul that he was too much of a pussy to be a part of their gang, but Raul didn't back down. I'm no pussy, he told them. I bet I can kick all your asses, he said. Peter looked at him for a long moment and then smiled. He was up for the challenge. If Raul could win a fight between not just him but all of the members of the Black and Whites, then he'd be allowed into their gang.

Speaker 2:
[20:39] So from there, the three guys walked next door to Jose Medellin's house. His garage was always the gathering spot, always stocked with alcohol. The three guys helped themselves. When Jose appeared and saw the unfamiliar face, he wasn't impressed.

Speaker 1:
[20:56] Who the fuck are you? he asked Raul.

Speaker 2:
[20:59] I'm going to be the next Black and White, he said. Raul stood his ground. He was bigger than all of them. He knew how to fight. He also told the men that if they let him in their gang, he would prove himself. He'd have their backs. Jose looked at Peter, gave him a wink, and then disappeared back inside. Seconds later, Jose walked into the garage with his younger brother, Benacio. He was just 14 years old, but he was a part of the Black and White's gang too. As the evening went on, the group continued pounding back beers. Eventually, they made their way to another nearby house, where two brothers joined them, 19-year-old Raymond Sandoval, a member of the Black and White's, and his twin brother, Frank, who was just along for the night. Peter gave the brothers the rundown. Raul wants to be a part of the gang, he told them. And that night, he would prove himself in a gang initiation. From there, the seven men piled into two cars, and together, they all stopped at a convenience store on 34th Street to buy more alcohol. I'm not sure how, as none of the men were of age, but they purchased several 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor. Then they drove to an apartment complex on West 34th Street. There, another member of their gang, 18-year-old Sean O'Brien, was waiting. It's the same Sean O'Brien who just the day before, when asked about the double shooting in the area, had looked into the news camera and said, Life means nothing. After drinking at the apartment complex for a while, it started to feel a bit crowded.

Speaker 1:
[22:35] So, the group decided that they wanted to get outside for a bit. After wandering around, they eventually found a pulled back section of chain-link fence behind the complex, and all eight of them decided to slip through it. On their adventure, they climbed a gravel embankment up to their railroad tracks. Then they crossed the trestle bridge over White Oak Bayou and settled into a flat, grassy area just inside TC Jester Park. Eight teenage boys full of testosterone, malt liquor, and a penchant for violence.

Speaker 2:
[23:05] There was only one way into the Black and Whites. If Raoul wanted to be a member, he had to fight all of the men, one after the other, five minutes at a time. No breaks, no mercy. He had to take whatever they threw at them and still be standing when it was over. The first fighter to step up was Ramon Sandoval. The two squared off in the dark, with the rest of the group closing in around them, shouting, cursing, and pushing them on. These were real punches, thrown hard to the face and all over the body. The boys were hitting the dirt and getting back up. There was sweat, blood, and adrenaline. Raoul held his own, and next up was Jose. He was smaller than Raoul, but he knew how to fight. Jose came in hard, wearing him down punch by punch. At the end of the five minutes, Raoul was still standing, but he was slowing down.

Speaker 1:
[24:00] The third fighter was Sean O'Brien, and he was strong, the kind of guy who spent hours in the gym. He came straight at Raoul relentless, until one hard uppercut sent Raoul crashing down into the dirt. The men all cheered, and Raoul laid there, chest heaving, face streaked with blood. He was exhausted, but he had proved himself. The men stepped up and looked down at him, and then welcomed him into the blacks and whites. Raoul lifted his head. He was swollen and bloodied and breathing hard, but he was grinning. They pulled him up, handed him a beer, and began to celebrate.

Speaker 2:
[24:36] Back across town, Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña were leaving their friend Gina's apartment to go to the Spring Hill apartments on West 34th Street, and it was there where they met up with more friends. Roseanne, Chris, Michael, and Jose. The girls found seats around the pool. The guy settled in nearby, but around 10:20 p.m., Jennifer started looking at the time. She leaned over to Elizabeth. We need to get home soon, she told her. Elizabeth agreed. They said their goodbyes, but then they got pulled back into conversation. Another 10 minutes slipped by. At 10.30, Jennifer stood up. They had to leave now. They had an 11 o'clock curfew, and it would take close to 30 minutes to walk back to Elizabeth's house. Then Elizabeth's pager went off. She looked down. It was her friend, Vanessa. She wanted Elizabeth to call her. So she got up from the pool and walked to a nearby phone booth. During their call, Vanessa just wanted to know what she was up to. Nothing important, but the call ate up another 10 minutes. By the time Elizabeth made it back to the pool, Jennifer was nervously looking at her Walt Disney Goofy watch. They now had just 20 minutes to get home before curfew, with a 30-minute walk ahead of them. So together, Jennifer and Elizabeth, as well as their two friends, Gina and Roseanne, walked out of the apartment complex and headed east on West 34th Street.

Speaker 1:
[26:04] Now, normally, they would have taken a left onto TC Jester Boulevard, walked the length of it, and turned right onto La Monte Lane to Elizabeth's house. But that route wasn't going to get them home in time. Jennifer had an idea. She knew a shortcut, a pathway that cut through TC Jester Park and came out close to Elizabeth's neighborhood. Their friends, Gina and Roseanne, were walking right there with them as the girls discussed their plans to make it home in time. And from there, they all said their goodbyes. Gina looked at them both and said, Alright, y'all, take it easy. Call me when you get home. Jennifer and Elizabeth looked at each other and then back at Gina. Okay, Mom, they said, laughing. Gina grinned, stuck her tongue out at them, and turned back to walk home with her friend, Roseanne.

Speaker 2:
[26:48] Along their route, Jennifer and Elizabeth eventually found that chain link fence. There was a spot where the fence had been pulled back, just big enough for them to squeeze through it. On the other side was a trail that led to TC Jester Park. Taking it would shave about 10 minutes off their walk, just enough time to make it home before curfew. It was 10:45 p.m., they would have to hurry. But somewhere on the other side of that fence, in the darkness of TC Jester Park, a group of teenage boys had been drinking for hours, with nowhere to be. They had just finished a gang initiation, but they were about to start it back up.

Speaker 1:
[27:27] By 10.45, two of the men were about to go home. It was the twins, Ramon and Frank Sandoval. Frank, who was not a member of the Blacks and Whites, wasn't really enjoying his night with them. This wasn't his idea of a good time, and he was ready to go home. The guys had been drinking since early that evening, and something about the energy was making him feel uneasy. So, he pulled his brother aside and asked if they could leave. Ramon then turned to the group and said, Sorry guys, we have to head out. Frank's being a pussy and wants to go home. The guys gave Frank a hard time as the two brothers stepped onto the tracks and started making their way back toward the apartment complex. Around the same time, Jose turned to his 14-year-old brother, Venancio. Let's go, we need to get home before mom does, he said. And with that, the rest of the group started getting up. They began making their way back along the tracks toward the apartment complex, the Sandoval twins out ahead, everyone else trailing behind at a slower pace. Frank and Ramon were still moving when they saw them. Two girls climbing up the gravel embankment onto the railroad tracks just ahead. Jennifer and Elizabeth made it to the top of the embankment at the same moment the Sandoval brothers reached them. The brothers walked right past them saying nothing. Not a word of warning. They just walked past and kept going, starting their descent on the other side of the embankment towards the path back to Shawn's apartment complex.

Speaker 2:
[28:51] Right behind them was Venancio. He walked past the girls without a glance, but his brother Jose looked up. He tapped Shawn O'Brien and pointed towards the girls. The girls kept walking. As they passed, Jose reached out and pinched Elizabeth on her left breast. She swatted his hand away and kept moving without breaking her stride. But Jose wasn't done.

Speaker 1:
[29:15] Where are you going?

Speaker 2:
[29:16] Elizabeth tried to push forward, but Jose grabbed her by the left hand. She tried to pull free, but his grip was too tight. He yanked her towards him, wrapped his arms around her neck, and dragged her into a chokehold. According to the other men, as Elizabeth started screaming for help, Jose yelled at her, You ain't going nowhere, bitch. Up over the embankment, the sand of all brothers heard the screaming. Frank stopped and looked back. Through the dark, he could see Jose grabbing on to Elizabeth. Jennifer had already made it past the group of men. She could have run away, but she didn't. Instead, she ran to Elizabeth's side, trying to save her. However, soon enough, Peter Cantu and Sean O'Brien grabbed Jennifer, and now both girls were screaming.

Speaker 1:
[30:05] Jennifer fought back hard. Sean pinned her legs so she couldn't get up. Up over the embankment, Frank and Ramon were watching it all unfold. Frank looked at his brother, and Ramon just shrugged. And then, they walked away. They made it back to the cars and waited for the guys to return. But up on those tracks, things were just getting started. Jose threw Elizabeth over his shoulder and walked to a bald patch of grass. She continued to scream, let me go. But her pleas were ignored. She wasn't strong enough to overpower him, but she didn't stop fighting. Elizabeth thrashed and kicked and shouted, doing everything she could to get away. According to the other men, Jose towered over Elizabeth and ordered her to remove her clothes, saying, Take off your clothes, bitch.

Speaker 2:
[30:51] Elizabeth was completely distraught, sobbing as she complied with his demands. She removed her blouse. Underneath, she was wearing a purple bra that her parents had given her for her birthday only days earlier. Then Jose yelled at her to remove her pants. But Elizabeth was terrified. She wasn't moving fast enough. So frustrated, Jose did it for her. Once she was undressed, he then pulled down his own pants. And it's there where he forced her to perform oral sex on him. A little down the way, Jennifer was still being penned down by Peter Cantu. Much like Elizabeth, she was screaming and fighting for her life. And that's when Peter unzipped his pants and ordered her to perform oral sex. According to the other men, he yelled, Suck it, bitch. Jennifer did as she was told, sobbing the entire time. As we mentioned earlier, Jennifer was a virgin. She had been saving herself for marriage. And in an instant, he took that from her in the worst way imaginable. But as if it couldn't get any worse, the men also started screaming at her, threatening to kill her because she wasn't doing it well enough for them. Now at this point, 14-year-old Venasio decided to walk from the embankment back to the group. As he walked up, he said he saw Peter forcing Jennifer to give him oral sex. He said that he had a fistful of her hair gripped in his hand. When Peter looked up and saw that Venasio was only a few feet away, he glanced over, a devious smile spreading across his face. Venasio said he then looked over at his brother, Jose, who is now on top of Elizabeth, raping her. The girls were both screaming at the top of their lungs. But deep within this park, in the middle of the night, no one could hear them, and sadly, their nightmare was far from over.

Speaker 1:
[32:47] At this point, the three other men decided to join them. Sean O'Brien, Raul Villarreal, and Efren Perez. They all gathered around, cheering the men on as they assaulted them. According to Venancio, they were yelling things like, do that bitch's face and give it to her brother. Venancio said he was in a daze. He knew that what they were doing was wrong, but he also didn't want to make a bad impression. So he just watched. Horrifically, once Peter was finished raping Jennifer, Sean stepped up and forced himself inside of her. Both girls were being raped, but by now there was no more screaming and no more fighting back. It was almost as if they had no fight left in them.

Speaker 2:
[33:31] At some point, after Jose had raped Elizabeth, she was lying on the ground crying when he leaned down and asked her what her name was. She lied and said Melissa, giving her mother's name. When he asked for her phone number, she offered a fake one in hopes he would leave her alone. Off to the side, Sean continued to rape Jennifer. And although only five minutes had passed, it felt like an eternity. Then without warning, Sean got off of Jennifer and yelled out, switch. Jose turned around. He and Sean exchanged sinister glances. Then Jose started towards Jennifer while Sean headed for Elizabeth. As the men passed each other, they exchanged a quick high five. They were proud of what they were doing. And for the next few minutes, they raped the girls again. Horrifically, as if the nightmare couldn't get any worse, the other men started raping them too. Efrain and Raul took turns. Then once they were finished, they switched, quickly moving to the other girl. Now, by this point, the only person who had not participated in the rape was Venasio. Throughout the entire night, the guys had asked him to join in, but he refused. However, now they started calling him a pussy. They started laughing at him. Venasio said that not wanting to look bad in their eyes, he decided to join in by raping Jennifer. Now, later on, he would make it seem like he had no other choice. He said the act of raping her disgusted him. But I find that pretty hard to believe, because he was able to get an erection. He did rape her. And the entire time, the other men cheered him on. He said he ended up stopping after about five minutes, because Sean had masturbated himself back to an erection, and he wanted another turn, so Sean yanked Venasio off. And sadly, the torture of Jennifer and Elizabeth continued. After the vaginal rapes, the men started sodomizing the girls. It went on for over an hour. Venasio would later say that after all the men had their turns, they would then force the girls to continue performing oral sex on them. Then they'd rape and sodomize them again. This went on over and over and over, at least four different times with each of the men, besides Venasio, who did it once. Venasio would later say, quote, They raped them in every conceivable way. Orally, anally, two-on-one, double penetration, end quote.

Speaker 1:
[36:11] At the end of everything, the boys got up and started getting dressed. Elizabeth and Jennifer stayed on the ground, exhausted and gasping for air. They were visibly shaken by what they had endured. Standing around, the boys started considering their next move. Peter Cantu pulled Venasio aside and whispered something that caught him off guard. It was a warning that if they left them out here alive, they'll go to the police. And what if the girls recognized them? According to Venasio, that's when Peter made a grim decision, ensuring that the girls couldn't go to the authorities. He decided that Jennifer and Elizabeth had to be killed.

Speaker 2:
[36:50] Peter, Jose, and Afrein walked towards Elizabeth. By this point, she was so exhausted by the assault, she didn't even put up a fight, as they picked her up by her arms and legs and carried her to the nearby woods. Ahead of them, Sean and Raul escorted Jennifer to the same location. Venasio lagged behind, watching what was about to unfold. Once they set the girls down, Jennifer attempted to get away, but she wouldn't make it far. The group was deep in the dense forest. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Soon enough, Raul, the black and white's new appointed member, took Jennifer down. After bringing her back to the group, Raul decided to take matters into his own hands. He pulled the red nylon belt off Sean O'Brien's pants, and he wrapped it around Jennifer's neck. Instinctively, she reached up and tried to pull it away from her throat. She wasn't willing to go down without a fight. Jennifer thrashed, and she kicked, as they pulled the belt around her neck. For a moment, Raul was struggling against her resistance. So Sean stepped in, grabbing the other end of the belt. The two pulled as hard as they could. Venacio watched in the darkness. He said that Jennifer started choking, grunting, and gasping for air. He knew her fate, but he did not step in to help. Both Sean and Raul continued to pull the belt with all of their might until the leather belt finally snapped.

Speaker 1:
[38:20] Nearby Elizabeth watched helplessly as her best friend was being murdered, and there was absolutely nothing she could do. Jose and Peter also watched as Jennifer struggled for air. And that's when they decided they would take care of Elizabeth themselves. They grabbed laces from Efren's shoes and walked towards her. Suddenly Elizabeth had a burst of energy. Despite all the torture she had faced that evening, she knew that if she didn't get away, she was going to die out there. So with adrenaline rushing through her body, she got to her feet and she ran. She rushed towards the opening of the woods, but quickly heard footsteps coming from behind. Peter tackled her to the ground.

Speaker 2:
[38:59] When Peter stood up, he was so angry at her for trying to run away, he began kicking her in the face with his steel-toed boots. He was kicking her so aggressively. He knocked out three of her front teeth. He kicked her ribs, breaking several in the process. Bloodied and broken, Elizabeth no longer resisted. For 14-year-old Vinacio, the situation was now too much for him. He would later say that the rapes were one thing, but the sound of Jennifer as she gasped for air, as well as Elizabeth being kicked in the face, it was all too much for him to bear. He didn't want to see it anymore. So, he rushed out of the woods and waited in a clearing. Meanwhile, the other men were still hovering over the girls. Jose and Peter grabbed a shoestring, and they used it to strangle Elizabeth. It was a slow, drawn-out death that lasted several minutes. But soon enough, she took her last breath. And then they moved on to Jennifer. After attempting to strangle her with the belt, she was motionless on the ground, but she wasn't dead. One of her hands twitched, her chest rising and falling in uneven breaths. Raul walked over and put his foot on her throat, laughing as he told his buddies, the bitch won't die. And then it's here, where together, the boys started to stomp and kick Jennifer's face until she too passed away. They even started stomping and kicking on Elizabeth's face, who was already dead. And when it was all over, Elizabeth and Jennifer were unrecognizable. Their faces were caved in, and all that was left was a jumbled pile of blood, tissue, and bone.

Speaker 1:
[40:44] In a clearing across the way, Financio waited for the boys to finish. It felt like an eternity, but they eventually emerged from the woods after roughly 15 minutes. They were dirty and bloody, but they were all smiling, satisfied with what they had done. On the walk out of the woods to the apartment, the guys didn't say much. Sean, who was tired from the entire ordeal, called in a night and went back home. The rest of the guys all got into their cars. At 12:30 a.m., Jose, Raul, and Efren arrived at the Peter residence on Ashland Street in Houston. It was a small house, so it was already crowded. After all, Peter Cantu lived with his parents, his sister, his brother Joe, and Joe's 16-year-old wife, Christina. When the three men made their way inside, Peter Cantu's brother Joe and his wife Christina were sitting on the couch. And almost immediately, Joe and Christina were shocked to see the man covered in blood. It looked like they'd been through a serious struggle. Jose had blood on his clothes and a deep red scratch across his neck. Efren had blood on the lower portion of his white tank top, a dark smear that ran right to the upper portion of his pants. As for the boy she didn't know, Raul, he too had blood all over him. Christina took a step back. What in the hell happened to you guys? She asked. At first, no one spoke as they exchanged glances. Then a smile spread across their faces. Jose was the first to speak. Let's just say we had a lot of fun, he replied.

Speaker 2:
[42:15] Efrain, Raul, and Jose burst into laughter. Christina figured they had gotten into a fight, something that wasn't out of the ordinary for the blacks and whites. The boys were running on pure adrenaline, laughing as they reminisced on what happened. But Joe Cantu had a feeling that something was wrong. Fights were normal, but he knew that there was something darker at play. So Joe asked them, who'd you fight with now? Once again, the boys started laughing. Jose mentioned that what they had done was serious, so serious that they would soon be hearing about it on the local news. Joe later said that he didn't believe them. There was no way a fight would make the news unless someone had been killed. So he pressed the boys further, but the boys wouldn't stop laughing until finally, Jose sat down with a big smile on his face, and from there, he told them everything. He said the night started like any other, drinking, hanging out. Then there was a gang initiation in the woods, but just as they were leaving the railroad tracks, they came upon something, two bitches, he said. Then he laughed as he recounted that they had raped and murdered the two girls near the train tracks. Joe's wife Christina later said, quote, they were proud of what they did. They were laughing and giggling and bragging about it. End quote. Jose even mocked how one of the girls was begging for her life. He put a terrified look on his face as he ran around the apartment screaming, please don't kill me. Please don't kill me.

Speaker 1:
[43:53] Jose bragged about the rapes and continued referring to both Elizabeth and Jennifer as bitches and sluts. He bragged that one of the girls had been a virgin and bled all over him. Christina would later say that she tried to hide her disgust. One of the guys got up to take a shower and someone else started burning their bloody clothing in the backyard. Now at 1 a.m. Peter Cantu walked through the front door. He was one of the attackers that night and he lived at the house. When his brother Joe saw him walk through the door, he noticed him digging through his pockets. Peter then pulled out a wad of cash and some jewelry. The boys quickly scrambled for the gold, a bracelet, necklace with a charm, a heart-shaped gold ring with an E on it, and a V-shaped ring, all belonging to the two girls they had brutally raped and murdered. Jose took possession of the E ring to give to his girlfriend named Esther, and for the remainder of the night, the four men joked about what they had done. They were swapping versions of events, each trying to outdo the other. Christina would later say that she felt deeply disturbed, especially because the boys acted as if nothing was wrong. When the subject of murder came up, they spoke with the same unsettling detachment. They laughed about how the belt snapped in half when they were strangling Jennifer. Raul added, I took that belt and wrapped it around her throat, and me and O'Brien pulled like a mother. We squeezed it so hard that the damn belt busted on us.

Speaker 2:
[45:17] Christina said that the entire conversation lasted roughly two hours, and at the end of it, she was horrified. She said she moved in and out of the room several times, careful not to reveal her discomfort. In the end, she excused herself to go to sleep, though it would prove to be the worst night's sleep of her entire life, which seemed to be the case for one of the attackers as well. Back at Clearview Apartments on West 34th Street, Sean O'Brien tossed and turned in his bed. It was later reported that he kept hearing the sound of the girl screaming. The memory of it all kept replaying, but not in a satisfying way, in a haunting way. Sean was so paranoid that night, he desperately needed to speak to someone about it. He ended up calling Peter Cantu's house. Peter's brother, Joe, answered, but Peter was too tired to talk. However, Sean was desperate. He told Joe that he had been hearing girls crying, and he needed to talk to someone right away.

Speaker 1:
[46:20] Eventually, when Pete spoke to him, he told him that he was likely paranoid because their beer bottles were still out in the woods. Just go back there and gather the empty bottles, then you'll feel better, he said. So that's exactly what he did. Shawn quickly got dressed and made his way through the hole in the fence. He followed the trail that led to the train tracks, but it was too dark to spot any bottles. However, he did see the bodies. Jennifer and Elizabeth were mangled together and lifeless. Shawn was so paranoid about being out there, he even said he heard someone whispering his name, so he rushed back home. Still in a paranoid state, he decided to call the Sandoval brothers, the ones who had left the scene once the men started raping the girls. And when they answered, he told them everything that had happened once they left.

Speaker 2:
[47:09] Back at the Ertman house in the Heights, Jennifer's mother, Sandra, couldn't sleep. She kept peering into Jennifer's empty room across the hall. She was supposed to be home by now. Now Sandra figured that she probably just decided to stay the night at Elizabeth's house. But still, it wasn't like her not to call home when she planned to stay over with a friend. Yet Sandra tried not to panic. Maybe she just fell asleep and forgot to call. So quietly, as to not wake up her husband, she got up and paged Jennifer several times. Sandra later said, quote, I was a little frantic. Panic ran over me because she hadn't verified staying over, and Jennifer had never done that before in her life, end quote. And like any worried parent, she couldn't go back to bed. As she tossed and turned, Sandra kept going over every scenario in her mind. But even in her darkest of scenarios, nothing was as dark as what actually happened to her daughter that night. Soon enough, the sun began to rise over Houston. The entire morning, Sandra was expecting Jennifer to walk through the door. But hours passed with nothing. When the clock struck 11 a.m., that's when she really started to worry. Jennifer always followed a routine when she stayed over with friends. She liked to be home around 11 a.m. She was very particular about her cleanliness, and she always came home early to shower. But 11 a.m. came and went with no sign of Jennifer. When Sandra finally told her husband Randy, he immediately picked up the phone and dialed the Peña residence. However, there was no answer. He called a second time, but there was still no answer. But not wanting to jump to the worst possible scenario, the couple sat and waited. However, after only 15 minutes, Randy picked up his keys and told Sandra he was heading to the Peña residence.

Speaker 1:
[49:14] And now for a brief ad break. Anyways, y'all, let's get back to the show. Randy raced over to Elizabeth's house roughly four and a half miles away. He traveled down TC Jester Boulevard, passing the park and train tracks where only hours earlier his daughter, Jennifer, and his best friend Elizabeth were brutally raped and murdered. Randy sped into the driveway, quickly got out and marched to the Peña's front door. The house appeared empty as he banged on the door. No answer. He peered into the windows, but nothing was stirring inside. He moved to the back of the house, pounding on the door and windows. He called out for his daughter and Elizabeth, but again no answer. So defeated and worried, Randy returned home. The reality was, Elizabeth's parents were at work, but Elizabeth's mother, Melissa, had also not heard from her daughter. At noon, while she was at work, she paged Elizabeth. However, when she didn't get a page back, she figured the girls were still asleep.

Speaker 2:
[50:37] But by this point, Sandra and Randy were panicking. With no sign from their daughter Jennifer, Randy decided to go to the Peña residence a second time, but again, no one was home. Around 2 PM, he drove to Gina Escamilla's residence at the Silver Lake Apartments, but she hadn't seen the girls either. Gina told Randy that the last time she saw them, they were making their way home. It was around 10:45 PM. The girls were going to Elizabeth's house. So from there, Randy went back to the Peña house for the third time. He started banging on all the windows. Neighbors even rushed outside to see what was going on. Randy banged and he screamed, but no one answered. Back at the Ertman house, his wife Sandra had found Jennifer's phone book. She began calling all the numbers listed. Many didn't answer, but those who did all said the same thing. They hadn't seen or heard from her.

Speaker 1:
[51:34] Later that evening, Melissa and Adolf Peña finally came home from work, and that's when they learned that Jennifer and Elizabeth were missing. It's here where Randy called the police and spoke with someone from the juvenile division and the missing persons division. But as you can imagine, the police weren't very concerned. They'll turn up. They told them, I'm sure they're just out with some friends. But Jennifer and Elizabeth's parents were not just going to sit around and wait. They hopped into their cars and started searching the last known location of the girls. They searched the vicinity of Spring Hill Apartments and the railroad tracks near TC Jester Boulevard. Elizabeth's father, Adolf, searched the wooded lot near the south edge of the railroad bridge. But there was still no sign of them anywhere. Adolf also called Elizabeth's friends, but no one knew where she was. He would later say, Elizabeth's friends were so afraid of me, I knew I was getting nothing but honest answers from them. I know they weren't lying to me for a fact because they knew I was not right and that the last guy they were going to lie to was me. He said he went ballistic trying to locate the girls, and the same was true for Jennifer's parents.

Speaker 2:
[52:39] On the morning of Saturday, June 26th, 1993, the Ertmans and Peñas were busy printing missing persons flyers for Jennifer and Elizabeth. The owner of Texas Art Supply wanted to help out, and he insisted on printing the flyers for free. With the help of friends and family, people distributed the flyers all throughout Houston. The Ertmans placed flyers around the Spring Hill apartment complex, on poles and in the laundry room. And of course, it wouldn't take long for the print calls to start coming in. These callers would claim that they saw the girls alive in different locations, and Randy followed up on every single call, even if it led to a dead end. They were doing what they could to retrace the girls' steps, searching everywhere they could think of. But sadly, days passed with no luck. Meanwhile, just a few miles down the road, a teenage girl was being haunted by the horrifying details of what had happened to Jennifer and Elizabeth. It was Christina Cantu, and her own brother-in-law was one of the attackers. Christina was so distraught over what happened, she had to leave the house. At some point, she and her husband Joe went on a walk, and during it, she told him, I can't continue on knowing what they did to those young girls. It's not right, she told him. Joe would later say that he was torn. Peter was his brother. They shared the same blood. He's family, Joe told Christina, but she shook her head. What if it had been your mom or your sister or me for that matter? Joe looked at her. But it wasn't, he said. Christina felt sick to her stomach, and she wasn't going to live with that guilt for the rest of her life. So she asked him, What if we sent in an anonymous tip? You could lead investigators to the bodies without having to mention Peter's name. Joe thought about it, and after some convincing, he agreed. On the morning of Sunday, June 27th, 1993, Joe's hands were shaking as he picked up the phone.

Speaker 1:
[54:46] He was nervous. He didn't want his brother to get in trouble, but he also had a hard time seeing his wife so upset. However, if he made the call to Crimestoppers, the girls' families would be able to put them to rest, and he knew that was the right thing to do. So he dialed in the phone number. When a representative picked up, Joe lied and said his name was Gonzalez. He said, I know where you can find those dead girls. Right off TC. Jester next to the bayou, White Oak Bayou. Then he hung up the phone. Although he wasn't sure of the exact location, he tried to give as many details as he could from the boys' wild story a few days prior. He hoped it was enough information to lead them in the right direction. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Houston police drove to TC. Jester Park and searched the wooded lot on the west side of the bayou, on both sides of the train tracks. No one ventured to the wooded lot on the northeast side of the bridge. And that night, Christina and Joe anxiously watched the local news for updates, but there were none. Apparently the girls' bodies hadn't been found. So Joe decided to call back again with a better description of the area. And this time, the lead was promising.

Speaker 2:
[55:57] On Monday, June 28, 1993, Houston Police Officer Mike Cromwell received a call on his radio regarding a potential location of Jennifer and Elizabeth's bodies. TC. Jester Park was usually filled with bikers, joggers, and walkers. But today, it would be swarming with police. Officer Cromwell crossed the railroad bridge and walked the path on the other side of the tracks. He looked down the embankment, and that's when he noticed an entrance into the woods. He followed the path. The forest was so dense, the midday sunlight was almost completely blocked out. Tall pine stretched towards the sky, their needles covering the forest floor. All was silent, aside from the leaves crunching beneath his feet. Officer Cromwell walked roughly 20 feet when he spotted them, two bodies lying side by side. With the temperatures hovering in the 90s, the girls were very badly decomposed. The shirt of Elizabeth had been pulled over her face. Her arms extended over her head, crossed over each other. Jennifer was wearing a purple Converse high-top shoe on one foot, a white sock on the other. There were cuts and abrasions all over their legs and stomach. Their faces were caved in, and nature had already started to take over. Officer Cromwell said that animals had already found and picked over the bodies. Their muscles were exposed, eyes were gone, and one of the victims had a lower jaw that was completely unhinged, her tongue missing. It looked like a scene from a horror movie. Only it wasn't. This was real life.

Speaker 1:
[57:39] As the crime scene tape was rolled out throughout the park, dozens of bystanders stood nearby, hoping to figure out what was going on. Then news spread quickly that there was some activity near TC Jester Park. After hearing that news, Jennifer's father, Randy Ertman, arrived on scene. He was hysterical, demanding to know what was going on and whether or not they had found his daughter. The officers were able to calm him down, and they told him that two bodies had been found. But they were too badly decomposed to confirm if they were Jennifer and Elizabeth. They would need dental records. When Randy's wife Sandy heard the news, she fainted right then and there. Someone nearby had to take her to the hospital. But as the bodies were loaded onto a gurney and transported to the Medical Examiner's Office, Police Spokesman John Leggio gave a brief news conference on their findings. Several onlookers and members of the media surrounded the scene. Jennifer and Elizabeth's friend, Gina Escamilla, was in the crowd, nervously waiting for news like everyone else. Investigators explained that two female bodies had been discovered in the woods, but their identities were not yet known. However, Gina, along with almost everyone else, knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was Jennifer and Elizabeth.

Speaker 2:
[58:54] Randy Ertman returned home and called Jennifer's dentist to retrieve her records. As for the Peñas, it was the same. They too knew that the bodies in the woods were their daughters. The Peña residence was filled with family and friends who had come to support Adolf and Melissa. Adolf's brother tried to remain optimistic that it wasn't them. But Adolf hung his head in defeat, saying, quote, I know it's the girls, I know it's them. And tragically, Adolf was right. On the afternoon of Monday, June 28th, 1993, Adolf, Melissa and dozens of their friends and family members sat in front of the TV for the Channel 26 news broadcast. They waited to hear from investigators, hoping for any sign that the bodies weren't the girls. Instead, they were struck with the devastating news. The media confirmed the bodies were 16-year-old Elizabeth Peña and 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman. All they could do was cry. They would later say that no one had even called to notify them before the broadcast had aired. And Adolf was furious. When the media ambushed the Peña residents, Adolf gave them a piece of his mind. In a later interview, he said he told reporters this.

Speaker 1:
[60:11] I tried to call you to get you to help me find my daughter and you wouldn't do it. Now that you know she's dead and you want to talk to me, get your ass out of my face. I went ballistic.

Speaker 2:
[60:20] And rightfully so. For the past few days, the Houston Police Department hadn't treated the girls' disappearance with any urgency. In the beginning, they believed they had simply run away. A story we hear time and time again. According to the Peñas, the police department didn't even take the girls' photographs. They were only relying on physical descriptions given by their parents. But now, they had a double homicide on their hands, and HPD was finally taking it seriously. To their luck, they were even able to track down the home where that Crimestoppers tip had come from. That very day, Detective Ray Zaragoza and Bob Parrish knocked on the front door of the home on Ashland Street. And by the time they left there, Joe Cantu agreed to tell them everything about what his brother and his friends had done on June 24th, 1993. Joe ended up giving police the names of all the men involved, except for one. He couldn't remember the name of Raul because he was a new member of the Black and Whites. He had never met him before that night. But finally, the police had enough to start making arrests.

Speaker 1:
[61:31] By the following morning, investigators had an arrest warrant for 18-year-old Peter Cantu. He was taken into custody without incident. Shortly afterwards, Efren Perez, Jose Medellin, and Venancio Medellin were also arrested. When HPD knocked on Sean O'Brien's door, he attempted to make a run for it, but he was surrounded and taken into custody. That day, while Jose and Venancio were being transported, the police asked where the other guy lived, the other guy being Raul Villarreal. And immediately, Jose gave up his name and address. Raul would be the last person arrested. But finally, all six men involved in the crime were behind bars.

Speaker 2:
[62:10] Now if you remember, there were also the Sand of All Brothers, Ramon and Frank. And even though they witnessed the girls being assaulted that night, they were never charged because they walked away. But once all six boys were arrested, they were all interviewed separately. They each admitted to being at the scene that night. But of course, they were all pointing fingers, each of them saying the same things. I watched him rape her, but I wasn't involved. Or he strangled her with a belt, but I only watched. This game went on for hours. But after some heavy interrogations, investigators were able to determine that all six boys were involved in the kidnapping, rape, torture and murder of two innocent girls.

Speaker 1:
[62:57] At the Peña residence, they learned that their daughter's killers had been arrested via the local media. Once again, the Houston Police Department hadn't bothered to contact them with the news. It happened so quickly. Adolf said, I was in disbelief. I was expecting one, maybe two killers. It really freaked me out that the girls had been gang raped by so many individuals. If it were that many of them, surely one of them out of the five or six would have had some kind of freaking sense to say, hey, let's not do this. But you know what? There wasn't none of them that had the brains. Not one of them.

Speaker 2:
[63:30] On the afternoon of June 29th, 1993, Peter, Sean, Jose and Afrain were transported to the courthouse for their bond hearing. Bail was set at $100,000. As they were led out of the courtroom, Peter Cantu wasn't amused that a camera was in his face. Fox News reporter Olga Campos asked him, what happened to you? You look pretty rough in that courtroom. Cantu responded by saying this, Shut up, bitch. Is that what you called Elizabeth? She asked him. Cantu shot back.

Speaker 1:
[64:04] I called your mom to that.

Speaker 2:
[64:05] Did you kill her? She asked. But now Peter was angry. He spat in her direction. And with a look of fury on his face, he kicked at her camera and screamed, Get that goddamn camera out of my face. Peter Cantu had a bad reputation. From an early age, he had severe behavioral issues and difficulty communicating with others. He did poorly in school and had to be held back several times. But he was also very violent. Even as a child, he was constantly getting into fights at school. When he was 11 years old, he stole a bike of an eight-year-old just so he could get a reward. In alternative school in sixth grade, he tried to force himself on a female classmate. When she rejected his advances, he shattered one of the windows to her house. That year, he also assaulted one of his sixth-grade teachers, and he threatened to kill his principal. Peter had no respect for any type of authority. In 1991, when he was just 16 years old, he was arrested for stealing a car. Also in the car with him were the Sandoval brothers. But from there, he was taken to the juvenile division. In January of 1993, just months before the murders of Jennifer and Elizabeth, Peter was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he stabbed someone for bumping into him. So, as you can see, he was an extremely violent person. But because of his young age, he was only sentenced to four years probation. And clearly, by the time he killed Jennifer and Elizabeth, he was only six months in. So clearly, that didn't stop him from getting into trouble.

Speaker 3:
[65:52] Obviously, bothered by the presence of TV cameras, outright hostility marked the short walk from the city jail to the city courts this morning. Homicide detectives keeping a tight grip on four of six suspects taken before a judge to have their right threat to them for a second time. The first time came from homicide detectives as they rounded up suspects throughout the night. Six suspects altogether, five adults and one juvenile. The juvenile, 14, maybe 15, was driven away by homicide this morning to be handled before juvenile authorities. All six suspects are being questioned for what are believed to be the murders of 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and classmate Elizabeth Peña, who just turned 16 a week ago. We're still waiting on the ME's report, but sources tell us it was their bodies that were discovered Monday in a densely wooded area near a northwest side apartment complex from where the girls were last seen walking home from a party late Thursday night. Detectives concede chances are they have no break in this case, were it not for a tip from crime stoppers.

Speaker 4:
[66:56] It's citizen involvement. It was a citizen calling us and letting us know some information that really caused us to be able to make these arrests. And so it was basically the community helping the police make the city safer.

Speaker 1:
[67:10] While the six murderers sat in jail, Jennifer Ertman was laid to rest on Thursday, July 1st, 1993. Hundreds of friends and family members gathered at the Heights Funeral Home to say their final goodbyes. It was difficult for everyone, a life taken far too soon, and so violently at that. Her father, Randy, wrote a eulogy that he intended to deliver, but he didn't have the strength to stand and read it. Instead, he had a friend deliver the speech. During the service, a large-framed photograph of Jennifer stood beside her casket while Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You played softly in the background. But the outpouring of love and support was overwhelming. The Ertmans would never see their daughter again, but they took comfort in the many lives she had touched. The following day, Friday, July 2, 1993, over 1,000 people made their way to the Pat H. Foley Funeral Home on West 34th Street for Elizabeth's funeral. The crowd looked so somber as they entered the building, but Adolf Peña was satisfied with the service, saying, It was one of the best funerals I ever went to. It was just beautiful. The singers, the attendants, it was beautiful. Of course, it was the one funeral I never wanted to be at. Both girls were buried at the Woodlawn Garden of Memory Cemetery, Jennifer in a mausoleum in the center of the property, and Elizabeth only 100 yards away.

Speaker 5:
[68:36] Young pallbearers fight back tears as friends and family, mother and father, gather to bid farewell to Elizabeth Peña. The 16-year-old and her 14-year-old friend, Jennifer Ertman, were brutally raped and murdered on their way home one evening last week.

Speaker 6:
[68:51] They were real outgoing, nice, funny, real friendly with everyone.

Speaker 5:
[68:57] Six teenage gang members are charged with the crime.

Speaker 7:
[69:00] I don't even think death is severe enough for them.

Speaker 8:
[69:04] Certainly, this will put more of a watchdog effect on gang activity in Houston.

Speaker 5:
[69:09] But many of the teens who went to school with these girls fear even their deaths won't stop the growth of gangs.

Speaker 9:
[69:15] You know, I don't think twice about it. I think the gang takes their feet off of this and get more powerful. They got to be harder because what they did, I think they're probably stronger, more violent, I guess.

Speaker 7:
[69:28] I think it is sad because it needs to stop.

Speaker 5:
[69:31] Jennifer's mother calls on parents to pay more attention to rearing children. The Ertmans called reporters to praise police for swift arrest and to thank the community.

Speaker 10:
[69:40] The respect shown by the people of Houston towards Jennifer makes us very proud.

Speaker 5:
[69:46] Jennifer was entombed yesterday in the same cemetery where another hearse arrives for Elizabeth's burial today.

Speaker 11:
[69:53] The God has chosen to call our sister, Elizabeth Pristine, from this life to the nought. We commit her body to the earth.

Speaker 5:
[70:01] As they were in life, the two girls will be close in death.

Speaker 7:
[70:04] I don't see why it happened.

Speaker 12:
[70:05] Give us this day our daily bread.

Speaker 9:
[70:08] And forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us.

Speaker 5:
[70:13] For some who loved these girls, it's hard to forgive. Ken Caldhoff, Channel 2 News.

Speaker 2:
[70:19] Following the funerals of the girls, everyone was following their story. And the nation wanted justice. For every hearing, every court appearance, thousands of people around the country were tuning in.

Speaker 3:
[70:34] A more subdued 18-year-old Peter Cantu was led into court this morning. Study and contrasts from when Cantu graced our TV screens yesterday. The same goes for fellow 18-year-old Jose Medellin. He's the one who cursed television cameras Tuesday. Cantu and Medellin both no-bonded, as were 18-year-old Derek O'Brien and 17-year-old Efrain Perez and Raul Villarreal. All five teenagers, as well as the 14-year-old juvenile, have confessed they kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Peña.

Speaker 13:
[71:12] Think that these girls happened along and that they were in positively the wrong place at the wrong time.

Speaker 3:
[71:18] Detectives described the killings as a crime of opportunity. They stress what happened to the girls was not part of a gang initiation that had taken place only hours before.

Speaker 13:
[71:28] We feel like as they happened by, these guys saw their chance to do what they did, and they did.

Speaker 1:
[71:34] Peter, Sean, and Efren confessed to their role in the sexual assault and murder of Jennifer and Elizabeth, but Peter showed no remorse. Due to the vicious nature of the crime, all five boys were facing capital punishment. But for 14-year-old Venancio, he wouldn't face the same penalty because of his age. Prosecutor Elizabeth Godwin suggested a 40-year sentence for him. She argued that if he behaved himself and stayed clean at the Giddings State School in Giddings, Texas, he could be released at 18 with probation. However, if he found himself in more trouble, she suggested he be sent to an adult prison to finish out the additional 36 years. Ultimately, on the same day as Elizabeth Peña's funeral, Venancio Medellin was officially charged with the capital murders of both girls. And, on September 30, 1993, he accepted his 40-year sentence. This meant that if he cooperated in the Texas Youth Commission, he could be paroled on his 18th birthday. But clearly, not everyone agreed with this punishment. The Ertmans and Peñas feared that if he were paroled, he would be a danger to others. Adolf told reporters, How can you tell us justice is working? I don't care if he's 14, he's a sick individual, he's an animal. Randy Ertman added, they should kill the little piece of shit.

Speaker 2:
[72:54] In court, Venacio's attorney, Peña Garcia, read a prepared statement on his behalf. It said, quote, I'm very sorry for what happened. I wish I could go back and do something to help the girls. I lay awake every night and wish I had fought the others, even my brother, to protect them, end quote. But Venacio would get his chance to make things right, because he would be the state's key witness in the trials for the other five men, the first being Peter Cantu. Peter's trial began on Monday, January 31st, 1994. The Harris County Courthouse was packed with supporters, family members, and teachers and students from Waltrip High School.

Speaker 14:
[73:36] A Houston homicide detective told jurors this morning that defendant Peter Cantu was nonchalant yet boastful when he confessed to the crime, saying, we killed the girls. The girls, Elizabeth Peña and Jennifer Ertman, were savagely assaulted and killed in June of 1993. Their bodies had been abandoned for four days near White Oak Bayou. Prosecutors say Cantu led the attack as part of a gang ritual and then ordered that the girls be killed. Jewelry belonging to the victims was shown to jurors today. A crime scene investigator says necklace rings and other items were recovered from Cantu's residence. More than 150 people, many of them students from the girls' school packed the courtroom. Attorneys for Peter Cantu put no one on the stand during the trial, saying during closing arguments that Cantu did commit rape, but did not intentionally take the lives of anyone. A Houston homicide detective told jurors this morning that Cantu boastfully told authorities last June, we killed the girls. In his confession, Cantu said about Peña, she dropped to her back, we checked for a pulse. Then he said her neck and Ertman's were stomped. We did this to make sure they were dead. We didn't want to be identified.

Speaker 7:
[74:59] I can't believe he just sat there and said everything, you know. Just everything, just like it happened.

Speaker 15:
[75:07] Like he didn't care.

Speaker 9:
[75:08] Can't understand how another human being could do that, you know.

Speaker 16:
[75:12] It's just so brutal, you know.

Speaker 9:
[75:15] I just can't understand.

Speaker 2:
[75:17] At Peter Cantu's trial, his defense attorney, Don Davis, tried to persuade the jury that the black and whites were not an organized gang. Frank Sandoval was one of the first witnesses called to the stand, and he agreed. He said that the blacks and whites were more of a group of friends, misfits, outcasts. But during his testimony, Davis grilled Sandoval on why he left the scene after he saw the girls getting assaulted.

Speaker 1:
[75:44] Sandoval replied, Because I knew that was wrong.

Speaker 2:
[75:47] You knew what was wrong?

Speaker 1:
[75:49] Getting the girl and throwing her to the ground and forcing her, forcing her.

Speaker 2:
[75:53] Davis approached the witness slowly, building anticipation with his next question. What did you think Jose was going to do at that time? What did you think Jose was about to do?

Speaker 1:
[76:04] I thought they were going to rape her, rape them.

Speaker 2:
[76:08] Obviously, the Sandoval brothers did nothing to help the girls, something that horrified their parents. But Frank Sandoval admitted on the stand that he was scared to confront the other boys. He even said, quote, they had the devil in them.

Speaker 1:
[76:23] Now obviously, out of all eight of the black and whites, the Sandoval brothers didn't take part in this crime. But Adolf Peña had his own opinion of them, saying, Those two sons of bitches, I wish I could run across them. They could have saved the girls. All they had to do was call 911 as an anonymous caller and say, Hey, people over here are beating on these girls. Cops would have been all over there in 30 seconds, but they never did. I believe they are just as guilty as the other guys and they didn't get shit. I hope to God they have nightmares every night.

Speaker 2:
[76:53] The next witness was Venacio Medellin, the 14 year old who had a front row seat to the brutal crimes. And as we mentioned, he isn't innocent in this story either. He participated in the rape, but out of all six men, he was the least involved and he helped paint a story of exactly what happened that night. In graphic detail, Venacio described what both girls endured. It was shocking and many people in the gallery had a hard time listening to his testimony.

Speaker 17:
[77:24] Testimony is pinpointing 18 year old Peter Anthony Cantu as ordering the murders of two teenage girls, 14 year old Jennifer Ertman and 15 year old Elizabeth Peña. A 14 year old gang member now serving 40 years for his part in the crime, described in detail how both girls crying and begging to go home were repeatedly sexually abused by fellow gang members, then murdered. Prosecutors told the jury the girls were choked to death using hands, a belt, a shoelace, and finally a foot. Prosecutors say the girls' jewelry was taken as a trophy. Earlier, another gang member who did not take part in the murders testified that Cantu and the others had just completed a gang initiation right when the girls walked by. The girls' families listened to the testimony but are asking a victim's rights group to speak on their behalf. One teenager testified that he and his brother left early that night, telling the jury, you could tell that the gang had the devil in them.

Speaker 2:
[78:44] Over the course of the next few days, other witnesses took the stand, including Peter's own brother, Joe Cantu, the one who turned him in. Another witness was Joe's wife, Christina. Christina told the jury about how the boys bragged about what they had done, and Joe gave a glimpse into his brother's life of violence. While Joe was on the witness stand, Peter refused to make eye contact with him, fiddling with papers at the defense table. And Joe admitted that the only reason he turned Peter in was because his wife was having nightmares. He told the court, quote, I couldn't stand to see my wife that way, end quote.

Speaker 1:
[79:22] Several Houston Police Department officers, crime scene investigators, dentists, and the medical examiner were also brought forward. Graphic crime scene photos were shown, and although the Ertmans and Peñas had been warned, they could never have prepared themselves for the carnage that they saw. Jurors had to look away. One man sobbed, and both Randy and Adolf rushed out of the courtroom, holding each other in the hallway. Prosecutor Donna Good apologized to the jury for having to show them the photographs, but explained that they were necessary to show the extent of Peter's brutality. Because, throughout it all, they claimed that Peter was the leader of the group, the mastermind. However, Peter's defense argued that that wasn't the case. They said that Peter participated in the gang rapes, but he wasn't the leader. In fact, they claimed that he had no part in the murders of Elizabeth or Jennifer, but that would be up to the jury to decide. After closing arguments, they left for deliberation, and in less than 30 minutes, they came back with the verdict. Peter Cantu was found guilty of capital murder, and he smirked after the verdict was read.

Speaker 2:
[80:27] Throughout Peter's trial, Elizabeth's father Adolf, seethed with anger. He said he wanted to jump up and strangle him, but he knew he had to control himself. He would later say, quote, The anger, you just have to talk your way through it. You have to calm down. You hope that they will all get what they deserve, and hopefully justice will prevail, end quote. And finally, they got to see that justice. As the verdict was read, Randy Ertman and Adolf Peña embraced each other. They buried their heads into each other's necks and sobbed. It was an emotional day for both families. Randy pulled away and asked, We got it? We got it? We got it, right? Adolf nodded his head, tears in his eyes. It was the best possible outcome, and now they were ready for his punishment phase. Peter Kan too was facing the death penalty. But to many, it seemed like an easy way out. Jennifer and Elizabeth endured far worse. The quote, Due to him, what he did to them, became a common response.

Speaker 13:
[81:33] We, the jury, found defendant Peter Anthony Kan too guilty of capital murder, charge, and a diamond sign for the former of the jury, Stephen Provitz.

Speaker 14:
[81:40] 19-year-old Peter Kan too smiled and smirked after the verdict was read. Observers in the courtroom, many of them friends of the girls, wept. The only reaction from family members came outside as the fathers of the murdered girls embraced. Attorneys on both sides would not comment, as four other related cases have yet to be tried. But others who have been watching the proceedings couldn't wait to react.

Speaker 8:
[82:09] I just found this to be truly remarkable, and I'm glad to say that this jury believes in swift and expedient justice.

Speaker 14:
[82:15] Ertman and Peña were savagely assaulted last June. Prosecutors say Kan too led the attack after a gang initiation. His confession was entered into evidence this morning, yet defense attorneys say their client was guilty of rape, not capital murder.

Speaker 17:
[82:32] He admitted that as far as Ms. Ertman goes, that while she's laying on the ground after being struggled, he put his foot on her throat and applied pressure for a couple of seconds.

Speaker 9:
[82:42] So he's, yeah, he's guilty of the capital murder that he's been found guilty of. And now he'll be punished for it.

Speaker 1:
[82:48] At Peter's sentencing on Friday, February 4th, 1994, the prosecution brought in several witnesses to describe his character. One friend spoke about him stealing a bike when he was 11. His former teacher testified that he had assaulted her in the classroom. It was obvious that Peter had been heading down a violent path for a long time.

Speaker 18:
[83:07] Good, disciplined and living daylights have been out of me when he was about six years old. And the testimony I've heard today going way back that far.

Speaker 19:
[83:14] They sat in court all day listening to Peter Cantu's life as a boy. The enlarged pictures of Elizabeth Peña and Jennifer Ertman are propped up next to the defendant. The pictures of the five co-defendants charged with the brutal murders are there too. Witness after witness testified about their violent encounters with Peter Cantu as a boy of 11 or 12. Diana Barrera Mutelet, principal at Hamilton Middle School, told the jury at one point Cantu threatened to kill an HISD police officer. Cantu was expelled and transferred to other schools several times.

Speaker 2:
[83:47] Believe it or not, Peter Cantu actually had a lot of female supporters that came to his trials. One of them told reporters, quote, They're just showing the bad side of Peter. He was always real nice to me. He's not like what they are portraying him in court, end quote. Another girl added, quote, He was a nice guy. They're bringing all the bad points up, but he really wasn't a bad person, end quote. Peter's mother Susie also testified that he was a normal kid who sometimes didn't listen. She said she loved him and she couldn't fathom that he would do something so horrific. But many other people in the community disagreed. Here is a clip of his mother.

Speaker 3:
[84:30] How do you feel about Peter being charged with the substance?

Speaker 15:
[84:34] I feel very hurt and I don't believe what's going on. I don't know what to believe because I don't think he could have done it. I see him getting mad with a person if he's thinking on him or whatever and defend himself, but I don't see him do anything like that.

Speaker 1:
[84:58] Melissa Peña and Randy Ertman also took the stand to speak about their daughters. Both described what the girls liked to do, who they were, and how their lives had been brutally stolen. Their heartbreak was palpable, and they both stated that the pain and misery of losing their daughters was almost too much to bear.

Speaker 20:
[85:16] This afternoon, Jennifer Ertman's father took the stand with his voice quavering. Randy Ertman described how frantic he'd been the night Jennifer didn't come home, how he'd searched for her the next day, and how he'd lost control when her body was finally found. Asked what effect her death had had on his life, he told the court, quote, No more birthdays, no more Christmas. The worst part is no more children. I'll never have another child. That was it. Elizabeth Peña's mother told the jury her daughter's death has devastated her family. She said her last words to her daughter were, I love you, to which Elizabeth replied, I love you too.

Speaker 2:
[85:52] Now, interestingly, by this point, the state of Texas hadn't implemented victim impact statements. But it was this trial that changed that. Randy Ertman became the first person in Texas to address his daughter's killer in the courtroom. He walked forward and stood behind a wooden rail.

Speaker 1:
[86:10] He then looked at Peter Cantu and said this, I'm not going to put you down and get on your level. I'm not going to call you sir. I'm not going to call you a thing. You can look at me if you want.

Speaker 2:
[86:21] Peter Cantu did not look up. Randy then yelled, Look at me. Again, Cantu refused, rolling his eyes with the same smirk on his face. Randy screamed at him again. And this time, Peter finally looked up.

Speaker 1:
[86:37] Then Randy said this, You're not even an animal. I have cats that kill animals. They kill an animal, they eat it. You're worse than that. You're a piece of shit. You destroyed a life. You destroyed my life. You destroyed my wife's life. You destroyed the Peña's life. I haven't seen any remorse from you. You're worse than anything I've seen in my life, and I hope that you rot in hell.

Speaker 2:
[86:59] Adolf Peña was proud of Randy for what he did, saying, I think everybody in there felt better after he said something to that bastard. But next, the judge asked Peter if he wanted to address the court. He replied, nah, and then sat back down, which meant it was now time for the jury to decide his fate. They deliberated for four hours. When everyone finally walked back into the courtroom, all eyes were on Peter. And for the first time since his trial started, he looked scared, and he had every reason to be, because Peter Cantu was sentenced to death.

Speaker 1:
[87:36] For the Ertman and Peña family, justice had been served. Outside of the courtroom, several of the jurors walked over and hugged the victims' families. Adolf Peña would later tell reporters, I look forward to seeing all of them being executed, but he's the one I'm looking forward to the most. I bet there will be 200 people there in Huntsville outside those walls when they execute that son of a bitch. But their journey to justice was far from over. They still had to go through the trials of the remaining four, Jose, Sean, Efrain, and Raul. Sean O'Brien's trial was up next. On March 31st, 1994, the prosecution began with the emotional testimony of Jennifer's mother, Sandra. On the stand, she spoke about her daughter, noting that she was a virgin. After that was the testimony of their friend, Gina Escamilla, Patrol Officer Mike Cromwell, Frank Sandoval, and Venancio Medellin. Sandoval had a hard time on the stand. The defense wanted the jury to see that Peter was the ringleader and that Sean was simply following orders on the night of the murders. But Sandoval kept going back and forth on whether or not he believed that was true. The other member of the group, Venancio, also testified that Sean was the toughest member of the Black and Whites. He also testified that while many of the others were drunk and high when the crime occurred, Sean appeared to be sober. During closing statements, Prosecutor Jeanine Barr argued that after the murders, Sean admitted to Ramon Sandoval that, We had to do it. We had to do it. Barr stood in front of the jury and added, That's a lie. He didn't have to do it. They didn't have to do anything. He's here charged with this crime because of his choices, because of his desires and because of his own personal rules. He chose to associate with these guys. He chose to go out that night. He chose to go to the tracks. He chose to get involved in a fight. He chose to have sex with Jennifer Ertman. He chose to have sex and to rape her over and over again. He then chose to take off his belt, and he chose to take that belt and strangle Jennifer Ertman, and he chose to kill her. It was a powerful delivery that ended the trial. Ninety minutes later, the jury returned with their verdict, guilty of capital murder.

Speaker 2:
[89:45] A few days later, during the sentencing phase, the prosecution shocked the courtroom when they played Sean O'Brien's confession tape. But in it, he wasn't confessing to the murders of Jennifer and Elizabeth. It was a confession regarding the murder of Patricia Lopez. As it turns out, just one day before Sean O'Brien's trial started, some shocking information hit the media. Peter Cantu's brother Joe had another tip for police. According to Joe, about six months before Jennifer and Elizabeth were killed, Peter Cantu, Jose Medellin, and Sean O'Brien murdered another girl, a 27-year-old mother named Patricia Lopez. It was January 3, 1993, at the 400 block of Carby Road in Melrose Park, and Patricia Lopez had just run out of gas. Over the past few days, Patricia hadn't been speaking to her family. According to her loved ones, she struggled with substance abuse. She was currently going through a divorce with her husband, Joe. The last time anyone had seen her was New Year's Eve. She had stopped by her mother-in-law's house to see her two children, nine-year-old Joe Jr. and 10-year-old Tiffany, but they hadn't heard from her since. However, now, with her car stranded on the side of the road with no gas, she decided to walk to a nearby payphone and ask for help. She ended up calling her husband's brother, Alfredo. It was around 6 p.m. She told him that she had run out of gas. She gave her location and asked if he could pick her up. Alfredo agreed. He actually only lived a few minutes down the road, so after hanging up, he got in his car and drove to her location. But to his surprise, she wasn't there. Her car wasn't there either. Alfredo went back home and then returned a second time, but he still didn't see her. He assumed that she had figured it out, maybe called up another friend to bring her home. But hours later, around 1:50 AM, Houston Police Officer TE. Westerman was making his usual rounds. He drove by Melrose Park. It was considered a rough area. Once the sun went down, people were always getting into trouble around there. There was also occasional gang activity. But as Officer Westerman pulled into the parking lot, he noticed what appeared to be someone sleeping behind a chain link fence. He shined his flashlight near the body and immediately called for backup. The young woman, later identified as Patricia, was lying on her back with her legs spread. She had no pants and no underwear. Her white blouse was ripped open and completely covered in blood. Her bra had been cut from her body and discarded nearby. But most disturbing was that Patricia's stomach had been ripped open. Her intestines were nearly spilling out of her body. They later found that she had been stabbed several times in the stomach, as well as three times in the back and once in the neck. Then finally, her throat was slit. They also found defensive wounds all over her hands, suggesting she had put up a fight. But upon finding her body, investigators notified her family, who quickly rushed to the scene. Her mother-in-law Cathy would later say that even from where they were standing, they could see just how violent her murder had been. She said, quote, there was so much blood, blood on the ground, and even on a post to keep cars out, end quote. Now around the park, investigators also located her ID card, her bloody blue jeans, underwear, and a used tampon. They also found her 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier abandoned on a nearby road. During the investigation into her murder, police first looked into her husband, Joe. As we mentioned, they were in the middle of a divorce, but Joe had a solid alibi. And for months and months after her case went cold, that is until a tip came in from Joe Cantu. Joe told investigators that he knew exactly who murdered Patricia Lopez. It was his brother, Peter, and two other members of the Black and Whites, Jose Medellin and Sean O'Brien. According to Joe, on the night in question, the three boys came back to his house and started bragging about how they had raped and murdered a girl. Now, hours later, when police found Patricia's body, they noticed five empty Budweiser cans lying near her. They were all bagged and sealed for evidence. But for over a year, they hadn't made the connection. However, after Joe Cantu told police about his brother's involvement, they finally tested the cans of beer. And what do you know? It was a match to all three men, Jose Medellin, Peter Cantu and Sean O'Brien. At Sean's sentencing trial, a hush fell over the courtroom as they played the confession.

Speaker 1:
[94:45] With the camera zoomed in on his face, Sean claimed that he, Peter and Jose approached Patricia's car and immediately noticed that she was a young woman. Under the guise of help, the boys promised to buy her gas and she would buy them beer because they were underage. She agreed. From there, they all made their way to a gas station. They gave her some money and Patricia used it to fill her car with gas and purchase a 12 pack of Budweiser cans. Sean admitted that from there, they asked her to party with them. But as for what happened next, he said, I was too drunk to know who did what.

Speaker 2:
[95:18] Tragically, Patricia's fate was similar to Jennifer and Elizabeth's. She was brutally raped by the men and then she was brutally murdered. But as if her story couldn't get any more tragic, they would never be tried for the rape, torture and murder of Patricia Lopez. They were, however, allowed to play O'Brien's confession during his sentencing, which seemed to solidify what the jury already knew, that this man was a monster. In less than 30 minutes, they came back with their verdict, death by lethal injection. O'Brien was stunned. But unlike his buddy, Peter Cantu, he didn't smirk. He simply put his head down in defeat.

Speaker 1:
[96:01] It was another win for the Ertmans and Peñas. Outside the courtroom, Sandra Ertman told the local media, I'm just glad he's off the streets of Houston. He can't do this to any other children, and so no adults or families have to suffer what we're going through. But Adolf and Melissa Peña thought differently. Although death was the most severe punishment, it still meant it would take years for Shawn to die. As for lethal injection, they said it was too humane. Adolf said, Why can't they put a belt around his neck? Why can't they stomp them down with their feet? Stomp them into the ground until they are dead?

Speaker 2:
[96:35] Soon enough, it was the one-year anniversary of Elizabeth and Jennifer's deaths. A memorial was created for them at TC Jester Park.

Speaker 17:
[96:46] Family and friends gathered one more time to remember. The victims' rights organization, Justice For All, dedicated the crosses to the girls' memory.

Speaker 6:
[96:56] Nobody had to go through what she did, but that's because I miss her a lot.

Speaker 17:
[97:03] It's evident by the turnout here, the girls had many friends, but their deaths occurred a year ago. To those who knew them well, it seems like only yesterday.

Speaker 3:
[97:13] It was something that was necessary to do, but the families really didn't, I don't think really wanted it as public as it was, but I'm very grateful to everybody that I see here.

Speaker 17:
[97:32] One person here said the process represent a lasting reminder of Elizabeth and Jennifer, and how could they forget the wooded area where their young lives were suddenly cut short?

Speaker 1:
[97:46] The next trial was for Efren Perez. While in prison, he was diagnosed with a personality disorder and supposedly found religion. On September 12, 1994, Efren was ushered into the courtroom. He kept his head down, appearing to be ashamed of his actions, which was very different from his attitude on the night of the murders. Joe testified that when Efren came to his house that night, he bragged about what he had done. He also testified that this wasn't Efren's first murder. He had allegedly shot a man named Gary Ford simply to steal his Raiders jacket. Now, I'm not sure how that was allowed to be talked about at his trial, but it was. And like the others, Efren Perez was found guilty after just one hour of deliberations. He openly sobbed in court when the verdict was read, which only seemed to anger Adolf Peña. He later said, That damn Perez, he was always wanting to cry. I said, bite the bullet, you piece of shit. You're up there. You killed someone. You're gonna have to be tougher than that. Just shut the you-know-what up and take it like a man.

Speaker 2:
[98:47] Jose Medellin's trial started around the same time. He was one of the main attackers on the night in question. He was also the other brother of Venacio, who had been the star witness in the trials for the other men. But when it came to Jose's trial, Venacio refused to testify against his own brother. Because of that, he was held in contempt. He was fined $500 and given an additional six months on his sentence. However, in the end, it didn't matter. Jose Medellin was also found guilty.

Speaker 1:
[99:18] The next morning, September 13th, 1994, Raul Villarreal's trial started. He was the member who was being initiated that night, and he too was found guilty. On September 22nd, 1994, the men's sentencing trials began. Jose, Raul, and Efren all stood in orange jumpsuits before the court. Randy Ertman stepped up to the podium where he read his impact statement. He said, You have no excuse and you have no remorse. Ever. In 16 months, I have never seen any of you show any remorse whatsoever. You're worse than spit. Adolf Peña was also allowed to give his impact statement. He said, The way they are going to be executed is not fair to us. It's going to be real simple for them to get a needle in their arm, just lie there and die. I wish these guys would get executed the way my daughter did, and just be left there on the ground to die. And they don't even have the nerve to look at me when I'm talking to you. Yeah, I'm talking about you. He pointed at Perez. And you, he said pointing at Medellin. And you, finishing off with Villarreal. You didn't even know these girls, he said. Now in the end, in October of 1994, Jose Medellin, Raul Villarreal, and Efren Perez were all sentenced to death. Finally it was over. All five murderers were found guilty and all had received the death penalty. Venancio, who was 14 at the time of the crime, was the only one who was spared his life. But after all was said and done, the Ertman and Peña families were exhausted. During the trials, they would be ambushed by anti-death penalty advocates, yelling things like, killing anybody ain't gonna bring your daughter back, sir. Another man told reporters that the death penalty continues a cycle of violence. But others were quick to defend the victim's families, saying that these protesters had no idea what it felt like to lose a loved one in such a horrific way. In addition to the protesters, the Ertman and Peñas also had to deal with people who were scrutinizing their parenting. One day, during a recess, Efren Perez's attorney, Ricardo Rodriguez, commented on Adolf Peña saying, I know that they're upset and they have every right to be upset, but I'll say this, and you may not like it, but the parents bear some responsibility too. With that, he turned and walked away. People who overheard were stunned. The next day, there was even a protest outside of his office, but no one was more upset than Adolf. Years later, he said he saw Rodriguez leave in the courthouse, so he shot him the middle finger, screaming, fuck you. Adolf later laughed about it, saying, He takes off and runs inside. I know he knew who I was.

Speaker 2:
[101:53] But even after all of the men were convicted, the families knew that they still had a long road ahead. Executions usually take years to finally be carried out, and Adolf and Randy were anxiously waiting for those days to come. In 1998, Sandra and Randy Ertman left Houston. They relocated to Lyons, Texas. Randy admitted that the pain of losing Jennifer caused him to turn to alcohol. But the couple wanted a fresh start. They purchased a small cabin near Lake Somerville. Finally, in 2001, Randy stopped drinking. For years, the struggle to just survive was an uphill battle. But the thing that kept him going was that the men's executions were on the horizon. But Randy decided to turn his pain into activism. Now, something I didn't know was that in the 1990s, the state of Louisiana was the only state that allowed the victims' family members to witness executions. For other states, the only people that could watch the executions were the criminals' family members. But Randy didn't like that rule. They wanted to watch their daughter's killers die. So they decided to change that. Randy actually got involved with a group called Parents of Murdered Children. From there, the former house painter dedicated his life to being an advocate for victims' rights. In September of 1995, he traveled to Corpus Christi to argue their case in front of the Board of Criminal Justice, and luckily, his efforts were successful. Texas passed a law that allowed victims' families to witness executions. Randy and Adolf promised to be at every single one of them.

Speaker 1:
[103:36] Now over the years, the five men all filed appeals, which were all denied. For Venancio Medellin, after serving four years in a juvenile facility, he was transferred to an adult prison. Now, as we mentioned, there was a possibility of him getting released once he turned 18. But thankfully, a judge determined that due to the heinous nature of the crimes, he would have to serve his entire 40-year sentence. By early 2004, it had been almost 11 years since Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña were brutally murdered, and Judge Mike Anderson scheduled the first execution for Raul Villarreal on the anniversary of the girls' deaths. However, before that date could come, the US. Supreme Court ruled that defendants on death row who had committed their crimes under the age of 18 could not be executed, meaning Efren and Raul's death sentences were commuted to life in prison since they were just 17 at the time of the crime. The Peñas and Ertmans were devastated. Adolf said, It's that part of the brain that's not developed. They didn't really know what they were doing because they were too young. How many times did we go through that shit? Yeah, a 17-year-old's mind is not completely developed, so there's no way he knew what he was doing when he was murdering these girls. A 6-year-old knows not to kill somebody. Come on, give me a break.

Speaker 2:
[104:54] Adolf would tell reporters that if it were up to him, he would hang the men from an oak tree in the front of the courthouse like they did back in the day. He was outraged at the ruling, firing several verbal shots at the Supreme Court. But it was no use. Efrain and Raul were taken off death row. Raul was clearly happy with the ruling. He told the Houston Chronicle, quote, in a way, it's a big relief, end quote. He admitted that he was sorry for his actions, saying, quote, I tried to take things one day at a time. I've worked at accepting my responsibilities for my actions that brought me here. It's helped me accept my fate, end quote. But Perez didn't seem to feel the same way, at least not publicly. He never issued any statement expressing remorse. In fact, in prison, Perez continued to show his violent side. In 1999, he attempted to murder a prison guard with a homemade spear he made from a broom handle. Luckily, the guard survived.

Speaker 1:
[105:55] But after Perez and Villarreal were taken off death row, that just left Sean O'Brien, Peter Cantu and Jose Medellin. Sean O'Brien's execution would come first, being scheduled for July 11th, 2006. Interestingly, while on death row, he had married a female pen pal from Finland. She sat behind the glass in the execution chamber alongside O'Brien's mother. Next, Randy Ertman and Adolf and Melissa Peña made their way into the room. Jennifer's mother, Sandra, had no desire to watch the execution. But the three parents sat front and center. They wanted to be the last people O'Brien saw before his death. Soon enough, Shawn O'Brien was brought into the room. Behind the glass wall, he laid strapped to a gurney. For his last words, O'Brien turned his head to the victim's families and said, I am sorry. I have always been sorry. It is the worst mistake that I ever made in my whole life. Not because I am here, but because of what I did and I hurt a lot of people. You and my family. I am sorry. I have always been sorry. I am sorry. Sean then looked at his family and said, You look after each other. I love you all. Be there for one another. All right. But I am sorry. Very sorry. Someone behind the wall on his family's side mouthed, I love you. And Sean O'Brien responded, I love you too. All right.

Speaker 2:
[107:18] Adolf would later say that he believed O'Brien was genuine. He said, quote, I really believe he did mean that. You could see it in his eyes. He had hurt in his eyes, end quote. But with that, a needle was inserted into his vein. And after a long sigh, Sean O'Brien was dead. It was quick, easy, and painless. And although Adolf was glad he was dead for what he had done, he later said, quote, the guy just closed his eyes and went to sleep. I wish to God that my daughter could have died that easy. Put a needle in her arm and just go to sleep. I wish to hell he could have died the way she died. That's justice. You want to talk about justice? That would be justice. End quote. During a press conference after the execution, Adolf was approached by the mother of Patricia Lopez, the other woman that Sean O'Brien, Jose Medellin, and Peter Cantu had allegedly murdered. That day, Patricia's mother introduced herself to Adolf. In tears, he told her, quote, I want to be here for you. You didn't even get a trial for your daughter. We didn't even know about your daughter until we started going through the punishment phase. And that's probably not the only person. That's just the only one we know about. End quote.

Speaker 1:
[108:35] Following Sean O'Brien's execution, Jose Medellin fought hard to appeal his death sentence. He was a Mexican citizen and following his arrest, he said that he was not informed of his right to contact the Mexican consulate, which he said could have helped his defense. But his appeal was rejected and his execution was moved forward. Back in Houston, at Medellin's home, his family members hung a large banner that read, No to the death penalty. May God forgive you. On August 5th, 2008, a large crowd gathered outside the Huntsville unit in Texas. Anti-death penalty protesters arrived, holding signs and preaching on a loudspeaker. A member of Medellin's family spoke to the media. Outside of the execution chamber, he spoke to one of Jose's pen pals from Australia, who called him and talked about how devastated she was.

Speaker 21:
[109:25] Jose's pen pal from Australia, Kelly, she called him her best friend.

Speaker 22:
[109:32] She spoke to him at 2 o'clock and he's pretty shaken up. He says he's only a few feet away from the death chamber.

Speaker 1:
[110:10] The execution was executed at 9:57 p.m. His final words were, I am sorry my actions caused pain. I hope this brings closure to what you seek. Don't ever hate them for what they do. Never harbor hate. I love you. All right, warden. Adolf Peña and Randy Ertman stood behind the glass to witness the execution. After Medellin was pronounced deceased, Adolf gently tapped the glass and walked away. As he left the prison, he said, We feel relieved. 15 years is a long time coming.

Speaker 2:
[110:40] And the next execution was just on the horizon on August 17th, 2010. That morning, Randy Ertman, alongside Adolf and Melissa Peña, made their way to Huntsville, Texas to watch the lethal injection of 35-year-old Peter Cantu. Outside, there were supporters wearing shirts with Elizabeth and Jennifer's faces. When Randy and Sandra showed up, several people rushed to embrace them and shake their hand. They then made their way into the execution chamber. Behind the glass wall, Peter Cantu was strapped to the gurney. His head was shaved and the IV was already in his arm. When asked if he wanted to make a final statement, he answered the way he did at trial. Nah, no apology, no last words. Adolf was not surprised, saying, quote, nothing he would say to me would make any difference, end quote. But from there, Peter Cantu was injected with a lethal dose, and at 6:17 p.m., he was pronounced dead.

Speaker 1:
[111:42] Peter Cantu, Jose Medellin, and Sean O'Brien were all buried at Captain Joe Bird's cemetery in Huntsville, Texas. As for Venancio Medellin, he resigned to the Polunsky facility in Livingston, Texas. Over the years, he's come up for parole several times, but each time the Ertmans and Peñas have been in attendance. They want him to remain behind bars for as long as possible.

Speaker 20:
[112:05] Venancio Medellin has been behind prison walls for the better part of two decades. For his part, in a crime breathtaking in its brutality. Now eligible for parole, victims' relatives are trying to ensure he stays behind bars. Medellin was sentenced to 40 years in prison at the age of 14. While he's been there, three of his co-defendants have been executed. Two others are serving life sentences, but Medellin is now up for parole.

Speaker 10:
[112:30] I want this man to be in prison the rest of his life. I'm sorry I said man. I want that piece of crap to die in prison. And I'll do whatever I have to do to make sure he stays in prison. Would you want him to be your neighbor? Would you want him living next door to you? He's a murdering rapist. And Jenny Elizabeth, they had a, they didn't have a chance, a choice. He had a choice. He could have walked away, but he didn't.

Speaker 20:
[112:53] Randy Ertman and his wife met with a member of the Board of Pardons and Paroles for about half an hour today. This is the fourth time Medellin has been up for parole. Each time, Randy and Sandra Ertman are forced to relive their daughter's horrible death.

Speaker 10:
[113:06] When you wake up in the morning, you look at your daughter's picture and you got a hole in your heart. I don't know if it ever gets better.

Speaker 20:
[113:11] It's been almost 20 years, but at a monument in the park where the girls died, people still leave stuffed animals and flowers to ensure they're not forgotten. The Parole Board will make its decision sometime in the next two months. Phil Archer, KPRC local too.

Speaker 2:
[113:28] Heartbreakingly, on August 18th, 2014, Jennifer's father Randy passed away from lung cancer. In his last years of life, he found solace in his flower gardens and fishing at Summerville Lake. According to his loved ones, he was very happy to have lived long enough to see all three executions carried out. Since Randy's passing, Venacio Medellin has come up for a parole. Randy's wife Sandra, as well as Elizabeth's parents, Adolf and Melissa, continue to fight for their daughters and to fight for Venacio to stay behind bars. Just recently in October of 2025, he was up for parole again. But Adolf Peña was going to make sure it wasn't granted. Here is what he said to reporters from ABC 13.

Speaker 21:
[114:17] And what's it like for 32 years that you still have to fight this fight? What's that like?

Speaker 12:
[114:24] It's not, it's not easy, you know. It still hurts me every day that my daughter is not here with us. The way they killed and raped my daughter is beyond words. And I can see her and talk to her. I mean, there's no way I can explain what that feels like to you.

Speaker 1:
[114:47] And here's what Venacio told reporters at ABC 13.

Speaker 16:
[114:51] I was the 14-year-old kid that was involved in this case. I was frozen, I was stuck. You know, I couldn't do nothing, you know. But still, I would want to express that I'm sorry for what happened. But I can't take it back. I wish that I could, but I cannot.

Speaker 21:
[115:14] Medellin was charged with aggravated sexual assault of Jennifer, pled guilty and testified against all the defendants except his older brother Jose, who was executed in 2008. Prosecutors said Venancio was cooperative and credible.

Speaker 12:
[115:29] No, I don't think he needs to get let out by any means.

Speaker 21:
[115:33] Peña wants him to stay in prison.

Speaker 12:
[115:36] What makes him better today than he was when he was 14 years old? I mean, he knew exactly what he was doing when he did this. He was, he's not stupid.

Speaker 1:
[115:46] Luckily, Venancio Medellin's parole was denied. But his projected release date is June 29, 2023. As for the others, Efren Perez resides at the Wynn facility in Huntsville, Texas. He'll be eligible for parole on October 10, 2029. Raul Villarreal resides at the Beto facility in Tennessee Colony, Texas. He'll be eligible for parole on September 20, 2029.

Speaker 2:
[116:14] And that's where our story comes to an end. The murder of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Peña was one of the most horrific cases we've ever heard from my very hometown. After researching and writing this episode, me and Colin decided to take a walk through TC Jester Park. We left flowers near the area where their bodies were found. And even all these years later, you can almost feel that something horrible happened there. But at the same time, you can also feel the love that so many people had for these girls. Their memorial still stands. There are still little items that people have left for them, showing that even decades later, their loss is still felt.

Speaker 1:
[116:57] In honor of today's episode, we will be making a donation to the organization, Parents of Murdered Children, which is a nonprofit that supports families of homicide victims and advocates for victims' rights. A big thank you to author Corey Mitchell. His book titled Pure Murder was the main source for this episode. Hey everybody, thank you so much for listening to today's episode of Murder In America. This is a story that happened extremely close to where Courtney and I live, where we call home. So this story has just always hit us really, really hard and it's just absolutely horrific. I'm glad to see that some justice was done here, but it's also frightening that some of these guys are going to be up for parole. And eventually, I mean, at least in one case, release, but we'll keep you guys updated if we find out anything more about those unfolding cases. If you love the work that we do here and you want to help support the show, please consider joining us on Patreon. On Patreon, you can get access to early ad free versions of the show. So if you do not like the ads, please consider joining us and supporting what we do on Patreon. On Patreon, you can also get access to bonus episodes of the show. So if you've gone through our whole library and you want more, if you sign up for Patreon today, you can get access to 120, 30, 40. I don't even know how many bonus episodes are on Patreon. And these are episodes with both Courtney and I, full length stories, exactly like the one you just listened to. But they're always going to be exclusively on our Patreon. Also, do not forget to follow us on Instagram at Murder In America to see photos from every case that we cover here on the show. And be sure to leave us a five-star review wherever you listen to this podcast. We love hearing from you guys and yeah, it means the world to us to read those reviews from you guys. Thank you all so very much. Anyways, y'all, we'll be back next week. I hope everyone has a great weekend if you're listening to this on Friday. Thank you so much. And yeah, I'll catch y'all on the next one.