Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman
Facts of the Crime: Convicted and sentenced to death in the June 24, 1993 rape-murders of 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena.
Medellin, a Mexican national who spent most of his life in the United States, was condemned for the June 1993 murders of Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Peņa, 16. After they had stumbled into a drunken gang initiation rite while cutting through the park to get home before their curfew, the girls were repeatedly gang raped for an hour, then strangled with a belt and shoelace. Four days after the crime, a tip from a gang member's brother led authorities to the bodies, then to the suspects. Within three hours of his arrest, Medellin admitted his role in the gruesome murders, appalling authorities with his boastful, callous description of the night's events.
Four of the other assailants were also convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. Derrick Sean O'Brien was executed on July 11, 2006. Peter Anthony Cantu was executed on August 17, 2010. 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. Venancio Medellin, who was 14 at the time, was convicted of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Victims: Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena
Time of Death: 9:57 pm
Manner of Execution: Lethal Injection
Last Meal: None
Final Words: "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. Alright Warden."
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