The fact that ngel Maturino Reséndiz is among the worst serial killers of the retro era due to the extreme violence and pointlessness of his deeds is one thing that nobody can ever, ever dispute. After all, he used blunt weapons present in almost every home to murder at least nine or as many as 23 people, as shown in Netflix’s “Catching Killers: End of The Line – The Railroad Killer.” Although what gave him his nickname and made him a monster in every sense of the word was the way he blatantly depended on the railway system to find a victim whenever he felt like it.
Who Were Angel Maturino Reséndiz’s Victims?
The Railroad Killer was born on August 1, 1959, as Angel Leoncio Reyes Recendis in Puebla, Mexico, although he never made the city his permanent home, despite the fact that the majority of his family members did. That was probably due to the trauma he had experienced here, beginning with his single mother sending him away to live with an aunt and uncle from the time he was six years old until the time he was molested. He was reportedly taken advantage of by a gang of older boys during a swim session at a nearby river when he was 13 or 14 years old, which prompted him to flee into the United States in 1973.
In reality, Angel was a complete loner who hardly ever got into problems in his native country; however, this last characteristic completely changed as soon as the seventh-grader crossed international boundaries without authorization. He accomplished this frequently by boarding and disembarking trains in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He was also reportedly deported at least four times before being apprehended in 1999. However, it was never revealed that he was a killer as well, that he frequently killed people when travelling in houses close to railway tracks, either during his time in ICE detention or during the expulsion proceedings.
Due to the obvious MO, the authorities were aware they were dealing with a horrific serial killer, but it took them a long time to link Angel to his use of the identity Rafael Resendez-Ramirez. This method of murder entailed The Railway Killer bludgeoning his victims to death with blunt things like rocks, a pickaxe, statues, etc. before lingering in their peaceful homes. Typically, he covered the bodies of these visitors with blankets, made sure their identification was nearby and face up, took some of their valuables, such jewellery, and ate a bite or two before leaving.
According to reports, Angel’s victims began with two unnamed individuals back in 1986. They were allegedly a couple he met at a homeless shelter and promptly shot dead for their rudeness and involvement in voodoo. Then there was the openly confessed hate crime against Michael White on July 19, 1991; the 22-year-old was killed in the front yard of a foreclosed San Antonio, Texas, house by being struck to death with a stone because he was gay. Due to their claimed “anti-Christian” behaviour, 19-year-old Jesse Howell and his 16-year-old fiancée Wendy Von Huben were next in Ocala, Florida, on March 23, 1997. This time, the latter was also sexually attacked.
Despite being suspected of being Angel’s sixth victim on July 5, 1997, California vagrant Roberto Castro was never legally charged or detained in relation to the 54-year-old man’s plywood beating death. On August 29, 1997, while they were strolling along some railway tracks in Lexington, Kentucky, the serial killer later struck 21-year-old college student Christopher Maier and his girlfriend Holly Dunn Pendleton with a large rock. Thankfully, Holly Dunn Pendleton survived. Then, on October 4, 1998, in Hughes Springs, Texas, there was 87-year-old Leafie Mason, and on December 10, 1998, in Carl, Georgia, there was 81-year-old Fannie Byers; these two incidents established his method of operation.
On December 17, 1998, in West University Place, Texas, Angel killed a 39-year-old paediatric neurologist named Claudia Benton. Soon after, he killed a 46-year-old pastor and his 47-year-old wife inside their United Church of Christ parsonage in Weimar, Texas. On June 4, 1999, Noemi Dominguez, 26, of Houston, Texas, was supposed to be victim #13, but instead, 73-year-old Josephine Konvicka of Dubina, Texas, was murdered on the same day. However, unlike the previous two victims, neither of these women were sexually assaulted, indicating that this was not the serial killer’s primary motive. On June 15, 1999, George Morber Sr., 80, of Gorham, Illinois, was shot to death, and on the same day, Carolyn Frederick, 52, also a resident of Jackson County, was bludgeoned with the same shotgun.
How Did Angel Maturino Reséndiz Die?
The fingerprints found during the investigations into the death of Claudia Benton linked Angel to these railway homicides, sparking a massive hunt that ended with his surrender on July 12, 1999. According to sources, he was only suspected of being involved in nine killings at this point, but he later confessed to many more in an effort to wrap up this entire chapter as swiftly as possible. He was consequently found guilty of capital murder in connection with solely the 1998 killing of Claudia, for which he was subsequently given a death sentence in the state of Texas.
In the years that followed, Angel attempted to get his conviction overturned, but to no avail, and he was shortly scheduled for execution by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, on June 27, 2006. “I want to ask if it is in your heart to forgive me,” were his final words. You are not required. I am aware that I let the Devil control my life. I merely beg your pardon and the pardon of the Lord for having allowed the Devil to trick me. I give God praise for his perseverance with me. You shouldn’t have to deal with my pain. This is not what you deserve. I am receiving what I deserve. In the end, Angel, alias The Railroad Killer, was declared dead on June 27, 2006, at 8:05 PM CDT.
