After Raul fought all of the members, he was welcomed into the gang. The bodies were very badly decomposed, even for four days in Houston's brutal summer heat and humidity, particularly in the head, neck and genital areas. Find Pete Cantu's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. Seven minutes later, O'Brien was dead. When the attackers were finished, the girls were taken deeper into the woods where, at Cantus urging, they were beaten, strangled and stomped to death. denied, 490 U.S. 1102, 109 S.Ct. Appellant, Peter Anthony Cantu, was charged by indictment with the offense of capital murder for killing Jennifer Ertman in the course of committing or attempting to commit robbery, kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault. 1.
Randy commandeered the news van and went to the scene that was now bustling with police activity. * that appellant stole a bicycle from an eight-year-old and then turned it in for a reward;
Whether, taking into consideration all of the evidence, including the circumstances of the offense, the defendant's character and background, and the personal moral culpability of the defendant, there is sufficient mitigating circumstance or circumstances to warrant that a sentence of life imprisonment rather than a death sentence be imposed. "He did a horrendous crime to these two girls and he deserved to die. * * *
The charge given was as follows:
In his sixth point of error, appellant contends that the trial court erred in admitting the hearsay statements of appellant's co-defendants who incriminated him. He. Summary of incident: Convicted in the abductions and murders of Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16, in Houston. The group then headed towards some nearby railroad tracks. Texas law initially limits the class of murderers eligible for capital punishment to those convicted of murders involving special circumstances as described in Texas Penal Code 19.03. denied, 510 U.S. 919, 114 S.Ct. The break in solving the case came from, of course, the 911 call. In memory of Peter Cantu 27.05.1975 - 17.08.2010. . When confronted with the evidence, O'Brien admitted his involvement in Patricia's murder. Neither party disputes that murder, sexual assault, robbery, and kidnapping are lesser included offenses of capital murder for purposes of the instant case. As we set out previously, the Supreme Court recently held that, once the jury finds that the defendant falls within the legislatively defined category of persons eligible for the death penalty, the sentencer may be given unbridled discretion in determining whether the death penalty should be imposed. Such victim impact statements, as they are called, are now commonplace. Does it justify it? Gentry v. State, 770 S.W.2d 780 (Tex.Crim.App.1988), cert. However, the protesters in attendance did little more than annoy the families. In points thirty-seven and thirty-eight, appellant complains that the admission of unadjudicated extraneous offenses during the sentencing phase violated Article 37.07 and the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Because we have this procedure set up, do we kill our children? 1978, 131 L.Ed.2d 866 (1995). I continue to voice my disagreement with the majority's continued refusal to acknowledge the constitutional infirmities in depriving the jury of information relevant to the special issues as to the statutorily required mandatory serving of 35 calendar years before becoming eligible for parole on a life sentence for capital murder.
Pulled this out the drafts #fyp #disneyparents #blowthisup | TikTok Appellant's reliance on Justice Blackmun's dissenting opinion is misplaced. There is no reason to treat such evidence differently than other relevant evidence is treated. Narvaiz v. State, 840 S.W.2d 415, 431 (Tex.Crim.App.1992), cert. ), cert. However, as they passed Joe Medellin, he grabbed Elizabeth and dragged her down a hill as she screamed for help. At 6:09 p.m., lethal injection drugs entered Cantu's body.
Nearly two decades after friends and relatives frantically distributed flyers offering a $10,000 reward for help finding the teenagers who failed to return home from a summer pool party, prosecutor Donna Goode still has one in her office. Texas Rule of Criminal Evidence 610(b) provides: a witness may be cross-examined on any matter relevant to any issue in the case, including credibility. The trial court has discretion as to the extent of cross-examination of a witness for the showing of bias or as to credibility, and its decision is not subject to reversal on appeal absent a clear abuse of discretion. To send flowers Appellant's twenty-eighth point is overruled. Proc. The murder of the two girls, both students at Waltrip High School, became one of the most notorious crimes in modern Houston history. He raped Jennifer and was later sentenced to 40 years for aggravated sexual assault, which was the maximum sentence for a juvenile. Additionally, in this case, I point out that appellant elicited testimony from an expert witness about studies indicating that the defendant who serves 35 calendar years in the Texas Department of Corrections before becoming parole eligible is less violent than the inmate who is paroled sooner; i.e.
Pete Cantu's Instagram, Twitter & Facebook on IDCrawl However, enough tissue did exist for the medical examiner to determine that the girls had died of a trauma to the neck which was consistent with strangulation. "I think whatever they did, no matter how much there is, they should stand trial for every single thing."
They alerted the police and posted fliers, but the girls were not found. The gang at the Texas company Ekstensive Metal Works build some of the most creative rides found anywhere. Expressions of sympathy may be sent at www.schaetter.com.
When everyone was finished, Cantu told the boys to take the girls into the woods. The state court concluded that Cantu's counsel was not ineffective because admitting the evidence did not violate due process. (AP August 17, 2010). "There's no way to put closure on this," said Jim Stacey, a close friend of the Ertman family. [THE STATE:] And when he said, yeah, I did that, what was he talking about, Christina? At trial, appellant's sister-in-law, Christina Cantu, and appellant's brother, Joe Cantu, both took the stand and testified that appellant and his co-defendants arrived at the Cantu house the night of the murders and freely talked, and even bragged, about the events of the evening. In his petition for COA, Cantu argues that admitting the photographs violated due process-and, therefore, his counsel was ineffective-because the prejudicial effect of the photos greatly outweighed their probative value. For 24 years, Metal Depot has been serving Southeast Texas with the best quality metal materials for commercial, industrial, and residential needs. Appellant's argument centers around the concept that aggravating circumstances must be adequately defined for the jury. OBrien was executed in 2006 and Medellin in 2008. denied, 492 U.S. 912, 109 S.Ct.
They decided to follow the railroad tracks that passed by T.C. The gang then drank beer and engaged in horseplay. Choose one of our three Metal Depot locations in Southeast Texas for all of . 1997). She'd been raped and eviscerated. Police traced the 911 call to the Cantu home, and Joe passed on what he knew. Article 27.16 states that:
In related point of error eleven, appellant alleges that the trial court erred in failing to set aside the indictment because the special issues are not properly understood by the jurors. Gaddis, supra, at 398. For the foregoing reasons, Cantu's application for a COA is DENIED. He also parceled out the jewelry and money he took from the girls. at 694, 104 S.Ct. At least they probably have a daughter they can go home to," Stacey said. "Peter Cantu Executed: Ringleader of the Ertman and Pena Rape and Murder Killed," by Jason Volentine. Retrieved June 3, 2022. Any subsequent references to Articles are to those in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure unless otherwise identified. at 49. Point three claims reversible error in precluding him from presenting testimony about that parole eligibility requirement. Valerie Nicole is the only woman working at Ekstensive Metal Works, and needless to say, she is enjoying her work. A reading of the record of the cross-examination shows appellant is mistaken: the State's emphasis was on appellant's future dangerousness while in prison. See, e.g., Thacker v. Dretke, 396 F.3d 607, 617 (5th Cir.2005); Elizalde v. Dretke, 362 F.3d 323, 332-33 (5th Cir.2004); Woods v. Cockrell, 307 F.3d 353, 361 (5th Cir.2002). Point of error thirty-one is overruled. Twelve of the fastest street racing teams in America are taking to a secret road in Wyoming to compete for $300,000 and a chance to call themselves the fastest in America. 3230, 106 L.Ed.2d 578 (1989). Keller and Womack, JJ., concurred in part, and concurred in result in part. All of the participants were then arrested, and, while in custody, Cantu provided two written statements to the police. Points of error twenty-five through twenty-seven are overruled. In this regard, this point is inadequately briefed and presents nothing for our review.
Executed August 17, 2010 06:17 p.m. CDT by Lethal Injection in Texas. They pulled on the belt, one boy on each side, until the belt broke. Two are serving life sentences after having their death sentences commuted because they were juveniles at the time of the murders. 2/9/94 -- After a separate penalty hearing, Cantu was sentenced to death. Pedro was born on November 5, 1924 in Floresville, Texas to Vincente and Tiadosa Robles Cantu. Cantu, the first of five to be tried, convicted and condemned, will be the last to be executed. Direct appeal is automatic. When the police followed this suggestion, they found the badly decaying bodies of Jenny and Elizabeth. 600, 121 L.Ed.2d 537 (1992); Parent v. State, 621 S.W.2d 796, 797 (Tex.Crim.App.1981). Raul Omar Villareal and Efrain Perez were sentenced to death, but following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 ruling that executing criminals who were not yet 18 at the time of their crimes is unconstitutional, their sentences were commuted to life. Fortunately, they did manage to keep Randy from entering the woods and seeing his daughter's brutalized body and that of her friend Elizabeth. Resides in Laredo, TX.
Prior to the trial's opening statements, appellant objected that any testimony regarding the kidnapping, robbery, sexual assault, or murder of Pena constituted evidence of extraneous offenses.