Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III

Railroad Killer: Angel Maturino Resendez

Angel Maturino Reséndiz (August1, 1959 – June 27, 2006), also known as The Railroad Killer,The Railway Killer or The Railcar Killer, was aMexican-American itinerant serial killer suspected in as many as 23murders across the United States and Mexico during the 1990s. Somealso involved sexual assault. He became known as "TheRailroad Killer" as most of his crimes were committed nearrailroads where he had jumped off the trains he was using to travelabout the country.

On June 21, 1999, he briefly became the457th fugitive listed by the FBI on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitiveslist before surrendering to the Texas authorities on July 13, 1999.He was convicted of murder and was executed by lethal injection.

Reséndiz had many aliases but waschiefly known and sought after as Rafael Resendez-Ramirez. One of hisaliases, Ángel Reyes Reséndiz, was very close to the name ÁngelLeoncio Reyes Recendis listed on his birth certificate. He was bornin Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico.

Murders and methodology

By illegally jumping on and off trainswithin and across Mexico, Canada and the United States, generallycrossing borders illegally, Reséndiz was able to evade authoritiesfor a considerable time. United States government records show thathe had been deported to Mexico at least four times since firstentering the U.S. in 1973.

Reséndiz killed at least 15 peoplewith rocks, a pickaxe, and other blunt objects, mainly in theirhomes. After each murder, he would linger in the homes for a while,mainly to eat; he took sentimental items and laid out the victims'driver's licenses to learn about their lives. He stole jewelry andother items and gave them to his wife and mother, who lived in Rodeo,Durango, Mexico.

Much of the jewelry was sold or melteddown. Some of the items that were removed from the homes werereturned by his wife and mother after his surrender. Money wassometimes left at the scene. He raped some of his female victims;however, rape served as a secondary intent. Most of his victims werefound covered with a blanket or otherwise obscured from immediateview.

Victims

Unidentified woman, F, Unknown,Unknown date in 1986: Bexar County, Texas: Shot four times witha .38-caliber weapon, with her body dumped in an abandoned farmhouse.Reséndiz stated that he met the woman at a homeless shelter. Theytook a motorcycle trip together, bringing a gun along to fire fortarget practice. Reséndiz said that he shot and killed the woman fordisrespecting him.

Unidentified man, M, Unknown,Unknown date in 1986, Bexar County, Texas: Supposedly theboyfriend of the previous victim. Reséndiz said he shot and killedhim and dumped his body in a creek somewhere between San Antonio andUvalde. Reséndiz said that he killed the man because the man wasinvolved in black magic. This man's body has never been found, andnothing is known about him except what Reséndiz told authorities.Reséndiz confessed to these first two murders in September 2001, inhopes that doing so would speed up his execution.

Michael White, M, 22, July 19, 1991,San Antonio, Texas: Bludgeoned to death with a brick. His bodywas found in the front yard of an abandoned downtown house. Reséndizalso confessed to this murder in September 2001. During thisconfession, he drew a map of the crime scene and claimed that hekilled White because he was homosexual.