Angel Resendiz
Angel Maturino Resendiz, or, "The Railroad Killer", as he is more commonly
known, was a clever and brutal man full of hate and ferocity. Twisted and
violent, he toured the countryside as a stowaway on railroad freight cars,
dropping off at stop points to bash a few people to death, then promptly
returning to his personal taxi service to continue his American tour. Resendiz’s
was cunning and deceptive, routinely changing his name and appearance.
Throughout much of the pursuit of Resendiz his name was thought to be Rafael
Ramirez. Mr. Resendiz was an illegal immigrant from Mexico, who crossed into the
United States frequently. He murdered over a large expanse of terrain, from near
the Texas-Mexico border all the way to Illinois and Kentucky, via the Railways.
His motive is believed to be hate, a personal grudge against the United States
in general. His methods, gruesome and unorganized, showed him for the monster
that he was and still is today. Mostly, his killings resulted from a need for
food, drugs, alcohol, and most of the time, money. Resendiz wandered aimlessly,
he himself having no idea where he was going, simply leeching to the train and
tagging along. This was his most elusive strategy, and amazingly enough, it was
accidental on his part.
One needs to understand that Resendiz was not a poor vagabond, floating aimless
on the wind, and killing to survive. He was a sly, murderous creature, preying
on elderly. He was a rapist as well. FBI profiler John Douglas says he believed
rape was a less important, secondary motive for Resendiz. However, secondary or
not, the cruelty of it remains. He was meditative, often casing the home of his
victim thoroughly before attack. He followed a fairly strict routine, always
killing near railroad tracks, for a speedy departure, often covering his
victims, in true serial killer signature fashion. Included are the stories of
the confirmed Resendiz murders.
August 29, 1997 in Lexington, Kentucky:
Christopher Maier and his girlfriend are walking along a set of railroad tracks
when they are assaulted by Resendiz. The murderer ruthlessly bludgeons Mr. Maier
to death with a rock, and follows this with the rape of Maier’s girlfriend. She
survived the attack, suffering a crushed eye socket.
October 2, 1998 in Hughes Springs, Texas( I live 5 minutes from this town):
Leafie Mason is discovered in her home, mercilessly beaten in the head with an
antique iron. She died quickly and brutally. Resendiz left a partial palm print
on the 87 year old ladies windowpane.
December 17,1998 in West University Place, Texas:
Dr. Claudia Benton is discovered at her home, raped, stabbed, and clubbed to
death. She was stabbed three times and bludgeoned some 19 times. She was 39
years old.
May 2, 1999 in Weimar, Texas:
Rev. Norman J. "Skip" Sirnic, and his wife Karen, are found in the church’s
parsonage, heartlessly bashed in with their own sledgehammer. The couple, in
their late forties, were discovered by a United Church of Christ parishoner.
June 3 or 4, 1999 in Houston, Texas:
Noemi Dominguez is found, clubbed to death in her apartment. She was a 26
year-old schoolteacher. Her car, a 1993 Honda Civic, was located a week later in
Del Rio, Texas.
June 4, 1999 in Fayette County, Texas:
Josephine Konvicka is discovered by her daughter dead in her farmhouse,
apparently beaten in the head with a sharp garden tool.
June 14, 1999 in Gorham, Illinois:
George Morber and his daughter are found dead in his home. Morber was shot in
the head with a shotgun, and his daughter was abruptly turned on and beaten to
death with the gun itself. Morber was 80, and his daughter, 52.
Not a month after the last murder, Drew Carter, a Texas Ranger, in conjunction
with Resendez’s sister, Manuela, coerced Resendiz into surrender. The surrender
occurred on July 13, 1999. Resendiz actually shook hands with the young Ranger
upon their meeting.
Presently, Resendiz sits on death row in Livingston, Texas for the murder of Dr.
Claudia Benton, which is the only murder he has actually went to trial and been
convicted of. He was formally charged with the others. Resendiz sits and waits
to die quietly
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