Ángel Maturino Reséndiz, aka The Railway Killer, is a serial killer awaiting execution on death row in Texas, United States. An illegal immigrant from Mexico, he wandered the country on trains to commit his crimes. Serial killers are individuals who have a history of multiple slayings of victims who were usually unknown to them beforehand. ... Death Row is a term in the United States of America which refers to that section of prisons which house persons awaiting capital punishment. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None. ...

He was 39 years old when he was arrested in July 1999. He had been chiefly known, and sought, under the alias Rafael Resendez-Ramirez up until that date but he had about thirty other aliases that he used. One of these, Ángel Reyes Reséndiz was very close to the name given on his birth certificate from Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla: Ángel Leoncio Reyes Recendis. July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Puebla is the name of a city and a state in Mexico. ...

Reséndiz killed eleven people with rocks and other objects in their homes, so he could collect money for alcohol and drugs. He did rape some women, but raping was secondary to him. It took a long time for authorities to catch him, since he had no fixed address, and that he wandered around Mexico, the United States, and Canada until he was captured.

The following deaths are attributed to Reséndiz:

1. August 29, 1997, Lexington, Kentucky, Christopher Maier, 21 years old. He was a University of Kentucky student who was bludgeoned to death. His girlfriend was raped and nearly died after being beaten, but she survived. August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... City nickname: Horse Capital of the World Location in the state of Kentucky County Fayette Mayor Teresa Isaac Area  - Land  - Water 285. ... State nickname: Bluegrass State Other U.S. States Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Governor Ernie Fletcher Official languages English Area 104,749 km² (37th)  - Land 102,989 km²  - Water 1,760 km² (1. ... The University of Kentucky (also as UK or simply Kentucky) is a public, co-educational university located in Lexington, Kentucky. ...

2. October 4, 1998, Hughes Spring, Texas, Leafie Mason, 81 years old. She was hammered to death with a fire iron by Reséndiz, who entered through a window. Fifty yards outside her door was the Kansas City-Southern Rail line. October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None. ...

3. December 17, 1998, West University Place, Texas, Claudia Benton, 39. Benton, who studied at the Baylor College of Medicine and worked with children, was raped, stabbed, and bludgeoned repeatedly after she entered her home, which is near the West University train tracks. Police found her Jeep Cherokee in San Antonio and found Reséndiz's fingerprints on the steering column. After the murder, Reséndiz had a warrant for his arrest for burglary, but not yet for murder. December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... West University Place, often called West University, or West U in short, is a city located in Harris County, Texas. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None. ... Baylor College of Medicine is considered the top medical school in the state of Texas. ... The Alamo in San Antonio San Antonio is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. ...

4 and 5. May 2, 1999, Weimar, Texas, Norman J. Sirnic, 46 years old, and Karen Sirnic, 47 years old. The Sirnics were bludgeoned to death by a sledgehammer in a parsonage of the United Church of Christ, where Norman Sirnic was a pastor. The building was located adjacent to a railroad. The Sirnics' red Mazda was also found in San Antonio three weeks later, and fingerprints link their case with the Claudia Benton case. May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Weimar is a city located in Colorado County, Texas. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None. ... Mazda Millenia luxury sedan. ... The Alamo in San Antonio San Antonio is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. ...

6. June 4, 1999, Houston, Texas, Noemi Dominguez, 26 years old. Dominguez, a schoolteacher, was bludgeoned to death in her apartment near the rail tracks. Seven days later, her white Honda Civic was discovered by state troopers on the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas. June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Skyline of Downtown Houston from Eleanor Tinsley Park Located in southeast Texas, Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States and one of the two largest economic areas in Texas. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None. ... Honda Motor Co. ... Del Rio is a city located in Val Verde County, Texas, United States. ...

7. June 4, 1999, Fayette County, Texas, Josephine Konvicka, 73 years old. Konvicka was killed by the blow of a pointed garden tool on the head while she lay sleeping. Her farmhouse is not far from Weimar. Reséndiz attempted to steal the car but was unable to take it away since he could not find the car keys. June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Fayette County is a county located in the state of Texas. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None. ...

8. and 9. June 15, 1999, Gorham, Illinois, George Morber Senior, 80 years old, and Carolyn Frederick, 52 years old. Reséndiz shot George Morber in the head with a shotgun and then clubbed Carolyn Frederick to death. Their house was located only 100 yards away from a railroad line. Later, an onlooker sees a man matching Reséndiz's description driving Carolyn Frederick's red pickup truck in Cairo, Illinois, which is located 60 miles south of Gorham. June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Gorham is a village located in Jackson County, Illinois. ... State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich Official languages English Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ... Entering Cairo, Illinois. ... State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich Official languages English Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ...

In addition, Reséndiz admitted to these two killings:

1. March 23, 1997, Ocala, Florida, Jesse Howell, 19 years old. He was bludgeoned to death with an air hose coupling and left beside the tracks. March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ocala is a city located in Marion County, Florida. ...

2. March 23, 1997, We Hope, Florida, Wendy VonHuben, 16 years old. She was raped, strangled, suffocated and buried in a shallow grave approximately 30 miles away from her fiancé, Jesse Howell. March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... State nickname: Sunshine State, Everglade State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ...

Reséndiz never killed able-bodied people, for he himself was not that strong. Most of his victims were found covered with a blanket. People living in the area of the murders were terrified that he might appear after Benton and the Sirnics were murdered, especially the people living near train tracks.

The police tracked down Reséndiz's sister, Manuela, and knew she would be important in his capture. Manuela feared that her brother might kill someone else or be killed by the FBI, so she agreed to help. A Texas Ranger named Drew Carter, accompanied by Manuela and a Spiritual Guide met up with Reséndiz on a bridge connecting El Paso, Texas, with Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. Reséndiz surrendered to him. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Texas Rangers, a body of law enforcement in the state of Texas which is the oldest law enforcement body in North America with statewide jurisdiction and serves as a State Bureau of Investigation. ... El Paso is a city located in El Paso County, Texas, United States. ... Misión de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Ciudad Juárez (2000 population 1,142,354) is a city in Chihuahua, Mexico, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, USA. It is the major port of entry and transportation center of north central Mexico and the fifth largest city in México. ...

The state of Texas tried Reséndiz for the murder of Dr. Claudia Benton. He was found guilty and was sentenced to death by lethal injection. State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None. ... Lethal injection table at the Huntsville Unit in Texas Lethal injection is a method of capital punishment. ...

In 1999, Jim Mattox, former Texas Attorney General—wary of the controversy miring the many confessions and recantations by Henry Lee Lucas—remarked of Reséndiz that "I hope they don't start pinning on him every crime that happens near a railroad track."[1] (http://www.ble.org/pr/archive/headline0625a.html) Henry Lee Lucas (right) and Ottis Toole Henry Lee Lucas (August 23, 1936 - March 13, 2001) was an American criminal, convicted of murder and once listed as Americas most prolific serial killer. ...

External links

• Article on Ángel Maturino Reséndiz (http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial2/railroad/)
• Article about Reséndiz's admission to two murders (http://www.courttv.com/archive/national/2000/0609/resendiz_ap.html)
• PolkOnline article about Reséndiz's admissions (http://www.polkonline.com/stories/072499/sta_rrkillr.shtml)