The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 220, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 14, 1999 Page: 6 of 16
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THE BAYTOWN SUN
Wednesday. July 14. 1999
Alleged railroad killer to appear in a Houston court
EL PASO, Texas (AP) -
Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, the
Mexican drifter suspected of
killing eight people as he hopped
freight trains around the country,
turned himself in Tuesday in a
deal brokered by his sister.
Ending a six-week manhunt,
the 39-year-old Resendez-
Ramirez walked with a brother
across the bridge from Mexico to
El Paso where he was arrested.
“He stuck out his hand, I stuck
out my hand and we shook hands,
and then I handcuffed him and he
was in custody,” Texas Ranger
Drew Carter said Tuesday night at
a news conference in Houston,
where Resendez-Ramirez was
brought for a Wednesday morn-
ing court appearance.
“He was very pleasant, not
aggressive,” Bruce Casteel, com-
mander of the Texas Rangers,
said at an Austin news confer-
ence.
The tattooed ex-convict — who
is charged with three murders and
linked to five other slayings, all
of them in Texas, Kentucky and
Illinois — was on the FBI’s 10
Most Wanted List and had been
in Mexico for an undetermined
amount of time, investigators
said. Mexican police apparently
had no role in the surrender.
“I think that it’s a big relief to
everybody involved,” Carter said.
“The law enforcement officers
that are working the case, the vic-
tims’ families, as well, and I sus-
pect the fugitive himself and his
family.”
The surrender agreement
included assurances of family vis-
its, a psychological evaluation
and promises that Resendez-
Ramirez would be safe in jail,
Casteel said.
The agreement does not shield
Resendez-Ramirez from the death
penalty. Mexico is one of a num-
ber countries that has refused to
return suspects to countries where
they may face a death penalty.
Mexico does not have the death
penalty.
Authorities said they were
unsure why the suspect would
surrender to face the death penal-
ty if convicted.
Mike Cox, a spokesman for the
Texas Department of Public Safe-
ty, said bounty hunters in both
Mexico and the United States
were after Resendez-Ramirez and
a $125,000 reward had been
offered for his capture.
“$125,000 is a lot of money,”
Cox said, adding that he thought
the suspect might have been
aware that bounty hunters were
chasing him.
Victims’ families expressed
relief that he was in custody.
“We’re hoping that everybody
can start sleeping again, because
there have been a lot of people
who were not sleeping well,” said
the Rev. Ralph Ludwig, who took
over as interim pastor at Weimar
United Church after the Rev. Nor-
man Simic and his wife, Karen,
were found dead in May.
The surrender ended an all-out
hunt for Resendez-Ramirez,
whose alleged crimes spread fear
among those living near railroad
tracks in the nation’s midsection.
All the victims were killed near
tracks.
Resendfez-Ramirez slipped
through U.S. hands and was
released by border agents to Mex-
ico on June 2 even though he was
wanted for questioning in a mur-
der. Investigators believe he went
on to kill four more people.
The case broke over the week-
end, when Carter received a call
from the suspect’s sister, who
lives in Albuquerque, N.M., Cox
said.
The sister said she had been in
touch with Resendez-Ramirez
through an intermediary, appar-
ently their brother, Florentino
Maturino Resendez. Officials did
not release the name of the sister.
Pastor Troy Robinson, of Hope
Chapel in Albuquerque, N.M.,
said the sister’s name is Manuela
Maturino of Albuquerque. Robin-
son said he gave the sister spiritu-
al support during the negotiations
and that Resendez-Ramirez vol-
untarily gave himself up.
“He had an opportunity to
leave. He did not,” Robinson said.
“That’s been our prayer all along.
A very peaceful and calm end-
ing.”
Resendez-Ramirez was taken to
the El Paso County jail and later
flown to Houston, where he faced
a Wednesday morning court
appearance on burglary charges
connected to one of the slayings.
At a court appearance in El
Paso, a handcuffed and shackled
Resendez-Ramirez wore dirty
jeans, work boots and gold-
rimmed glasses. He was unshaven
and his hair was medium length.
Investigators had said he dis-
guised himself, sometimes wear-
ing glasses, sometimes growing
facial hair.
In court, he said nothing other
than tell the magistrate he had no
questions. But once in Houston,
after nearly eight hours of ques-
tioning by police, Resendez-
Ramirez tried unsuccessfully to
plead guilty to the burglary
charge.
The search for Resendez-
Ramirez involved hundreds of
law enforcement officers, includ-
ing FBI agents, Border Patrol
agents and railroad police.
Freight railroads had stepped
up seaurity, stopping and search-
ing trains and watching for
drifters riding boxcars. Hispanics
had complained of getting hostile
looks from people along the rail
lines.
Most of Resendez-Ramirez’s
alleged victims were bludgeoned
to death, and fingerprints linked
him to at least some of the
crimes. Investigators have said
they have no idea what motivated
the killings.
The trail of terror blamed on
Resendez-Ramirez started with
the Aug. 29, 1997, slaying of a
21-year-old college student in
Kentucky who was attacked along
with his girlfriend while walking
along the tracks.
Resendez-Ramirez has come
under suspicion in seven more
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Bush’s communications manager resigns
AUSTIN (AP) — David Beck-
with has resigned as communica-
tions manager for Texas Gov.
George W. Bush’s presidential
campaign over Bush said was
“stylistic differences.”
A brief statement Tuesday from
Bush’s campaign headquarters
said Beckwith was returning to
Washington, D.C., but gave no
other reason for his departure.
However, Bush, upon his arrival
Tuesday night in Washington, said
Beckwith had “resigned ... over
stylistic differences.”
“He’s a good friend of mine,”
Bush said of Beckwith. “It just
didn’t work.”
Other aides commented on the
nature of the split.
“You do things one way in
Texas, and another way in the
beltway,” said Eric Woolson,
spokesman for Bush’s Iowa cam-
paip. “There were differences in
style.”
Beckwith was part of a three-
member image team on Bush’s
campaign staff exploring the GOP
presidential nomination. No
replacement was immediately
named. Mindy Tucker is the cam-
paign’s press secretary; Karen
Hughes carries the title of com-
munications director.
“I’m convinced George W.
Bush will be our president and a
great one,” Beckwith said in a
news release. “I’m proud to have
been aboard for his campaign
launch. ...I look forward to help-
ing in any way I can.”
Before joining Bush’s staff 10
weeks ago, Beckwith had been an
aide to former Vice President Dan
Quayle and also had worked for
the campaign of Sen. Kay Bailey
Hutchison, R-Texas.
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MARVIN E. GILLESPIE
Marvin E. Gillespie, 91, of
Baytown, died Saturday, July 10,
1999, at a local hospice center.
He was bom July 23, 1907, in
Jacksonville and lived in Baytown
since 1957.
He was president of Highlands
State Bank from 1957 to 1975
and retired in 1976 as Chairman
of the Board. He was a former
bank examiner and member of
the Wooster Lions Club.
He is survived by his wife,
Angie Gillespie of Baytown;
brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and
Mrs. Gillespie of Jackonsville;
sister-in-law, Janette Gillespie of
Jacksonville; nephew and niece,
Enrique and Emily Yramategui of
Vancouver, Wash.; and several
other relatives.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8
p.m. today at Navarre’s
Burial services will be private
with the Rev. Kenneth Goodell
officiating.-!
Arrangements are under the
direction of Navarre Funeral
Home.
WRIGHT
James Hershal Wright passed
away June 28,1999. ?
He was bom May 15,1952 and
was a native of Baytown all of his
47 years.
He. was preceded in death by
his parents, Ruby and Hershal
Wright; grandparents, Violet and
Prentice Wright, and Bessie and
Henry Krampota.
He is survived by his brothers,
Donald Wright and Michael
Wright of Baytown; sister, Sherri
Simpson of Baytown; aunts,
Betty Bonin, Rosilie Davis and
Scenobia Clement; uncle, Cotton
Krampota; nephews, Ronnie
Wright, Joseph Wright and
Daniel Simpson; nieces, Wendy
Wright and Amy Simpson; and
great-nieces, Breanne and Skyla
Wright.
There will be a graveside ser-
vice Saturday at 2 p.m. at SPJST
Cemetery on FM 1942 in Crosby.
HUFFMAN
Charles Huffman, 50, of Ver-
nal, Utah, died Thursday, July 8,
1999, in Vernal.
He was bom August 28, 1948,
in Galena Park.
He was U.S. Air Force veteran
and worked as a pipe fitter. He
was of Baptist faith. \
He is preceded in death by his
mother, Claudine Huffman.
Heis survived by his father,
Willard Huffman of Dayton; sis-
ters, Collette Tjravelbee of Hunt-
ington and Brenda Fritch of Bay-
town; daughters, Wendy Naigle
of Austin and Dawn Hufiman of
Pasadena.
Family will receive friends at
Navarre Funeral Home from 6 to
8 p.m. Thursday.
Services will be held 10 a.m.
Friday at Navarre with the Rev.
Ken Goodell officiating. Burial
will follow at 1 p.m. at Houston
National Cemetery.
Arrangements are under the
direction of Navarre Funeral
Home. f
MORRISON
Robert (Bob) L. Morrison Sr.,
61, of Boiling Springs, S.C. He
was a native of Spartanburg
Count., died Monday, July 12,
1999, at his residence.
He was a member of Lone Oak
Masonic Lodge #372 and had
served as president of the Glass,
Molders, Pottery and Plastic
Allied Workers Union. He retired
from U.S. Steel Company in Bay-
town and was a employee of
Spartanburg Steel Products. ,
He is preceded in death by his
father, Henry Frank Morrison Sr.
He is survived by his mother,
Vemie Phillips Cassady of Inman
S.C.; daughter, Kathy Travis of
Baytown; sons, Robert (Bobby)
L. Morrison Jr. of Boiling
Springs, S.C., Timothy L. Morri-
son of.Baytown and William ,
(Billy) H. Morrison of Greenville,
S.C.; sisters, Mary Bishop of
Inman, S.C. and Sandy Forbes of
Spartanburg; brother, Roy Morri-
son of Adel, Ga.; and one grand-
child.
Visitation will be held from 7
to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Eggers
Funeral Home in Boiling Springs.
Services will be held at 2 p.m.
Thursday at Eggers Funeral
Chapel with the Rev. James
Childers officiating. Burial will
follow at Sunset Memorial Park.
HAGEE
Gloria Jean flagee, 54, of Bay-
town, passed away Tuesday in a
local hospice center. Services
pending at Navarre Funeral
Home.
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Dobbs, Gary. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 77, No. 220, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 14, 1999, newspaper, July 14, 1999; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1019301/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.