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PAGE TITLE: http://law.rightpundits.com/?p=2131
ARTICLE
TITLE:
Peter
Anthony Cantu Executed For Murders Of Jennifer Ertman And Elizabeth Pena
(Video)
DATE: Tuesday 17 August
2010
AUTHOR: JoAnne Thomas
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
at 4:31 pm
Peter Anthony Cantu Executed For Murders Of Jennifer Ertman And Elizabeth Pena (Video)
By JoAnne Thomas
Huntsville,
Texas
Peter
Anthony Cantu, 35, was executed by lethal injection at 6:17 PM this evening,
August 17, 2010.
Cantu
was the leader of a gang of six people convicted of the rape and murder of
14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena in June of 1993.
The
horrific nature of the crime shocked Houston to it’s core.
Peter
Anthony Cantu Executed For Murders Of Jennifer Ertman And Elizabeth Pena
(Video)
Peter
Anthony Cantu lived longer in prison than either girl lived on earth. This
evening’s lethal injection was the last of executions related to the barbaric
murders of two beautiful teens, 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old
Elizabeth Pena back in June of 1993.
Pena
and Ertman had taken a shortcut through the woods to make it home by their
11:30 PM curfew.
Cantu’s
gang, known as the ‘Black and White’ was in a wooded area near T.C. Jester Park
to initiate a new member into the cold-blooded group. They allegedly spotted
the girls crossing a railroad bridge and one gang member grabbed Elizabeth
Pena—Jennifer Ertman ran to her aid.
What
happened next is incomprehensible and in my opinion, justification for the
death penalty imposed on five of the gang members.
In
what police later would describe as a sadistic frenzy, the girls were
gang-raped for more than an hour. They were forced to perform oral sex. They
were kicked, teeth knocked out and hair pulled out and ribs broken. A red nylon
belt, with an attacker tugging at each end, was pulled so tightly around
Ertman’s neck the
belt snapped. Shoelaces were used to strangle Pena.
Evidence
showed Cantu kicked one of the girls in the face with his steel-toed boot.
Their
brutalized and tortured bodies were discarded and found four days later. The
Ertman / Pena murders were the catalyst in changing the laws regarding victim’s
rights. This case made it possible for families of victims to be present at
executions.
The
tragic part about the death penalty in this particular case is that two of the
sadistic defendants were only 17 at the time of the crime and SCOTUS ruled
people under 18 can no longer be executed. One of the six defendants was 14 and
received 40 years.
Two
defendants were executed prior to Cantu; Derrick Sean O’Brien in 2006, and Jose
Medellin in 2008, both by lethal injection.
You
might recall the outcry against Medellin’s execution a few years ago—-not
because he was innocent, but because he was a Mexican citizen.
O’Brien
and Medellin both apologized in their final words, their apologies rightfully
rejected by the girl’s families.
Last
night, attention seeking, anti-death penalty folks had a little protest, daring
to use a memorial to Jennifer Ertman And Elizabeth Pena as a back-drop for their
worthless cause. Shame on them.
We’re not saying he’s innocent,” said Gloria Rubac with the Texas Death Penalty Abolition
Movement. “He is one of the worst of the worst, but the
point is we have a fallible human system. So lock Peter Cantu up. He’s obviously a deranged person that no one wants as a
neighbor. But lock him up. Texas is filled with prisons. Don’t execute him.”
Food
for thought—the recent Arizona escapees, 3 convicted murderers, are linked to
the gruesome murders of Linda and Gary Haas. Although 2 have been captured,
John McCluskey and his accomplice girlfriend/ first cousin Casslyn Welch remain
on the loose.
Had
the death penalty been enacted, Gary and Linda Haas, good family people from
Oklahoma, would not have had to die because our too politically correct society
thinks it can fix everyone.
You
can’t fix evil! Get it through your brain or heart or whatever it is that
motivates you into thinking warm fuzzies for criminals can cure all ills.
Can
anyone say with 100% certainty that Cantu would never escape?
Peter
Anthony Cantu has been executed and it should be the final chapter in the
nightmare the Pena and Ertman families have been living through, but it’s not.
Venancio
Medellin, who was 14 at the time of the murders, has been serving a 40 year
sentence. He becomes eligible for parole every few years.
Raul
Villareal and Efrain Perez, whose death sentences were commuted to life in
prison, will be up
for parole in 2028.
If
the families want these men to stay in prison, they need to appeal to the Texas
Board of Pardons and Paroles each and every time
Why
can’t the death penalty opponents take a moment and shed a tear or two for the
families of these children? They are the ones serving a life sentence in hell.
What
do you think? Please leave your thoughts on ‘Peter Anthony Cantu Executed For
Murders Of Jennifer Ertman And Elizabeth Pena’ in the comment section beneath
the video.
Petra.
NCADP- Statement from Diann Rust-Tierney
Wed Aug 18, 2010 13:41
78.35.112.215
To:
NCADPAffiliates
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Statement from Diann Rust-Tierney, Executive Director
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
Regarding News Conference at Memorial for
Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman
August 17, 2010 - The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) is deeply disappointed that a few anti-death penalty voices chose to hold a news conference near a memorial at Houston's Waltrip High School for murder victims Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman.
The memorial to these slain victims was erected to honor them and serve as a reminder of the tragedy of their murders. We recognize the devastation wreaked on their families, this school, and the community and the memorial should be accorded deep respect.
Whether one is for or against the death penalty, this action was highly inappropriate, and insensitive to Pena's and Ertman's families.
In our work to promote respect and dignity for all human life, there are boundaries that should never be crossed under any circumstances. This news conference disrespected the lives of two murder victims, and as such, crossed a boundary.
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Statement from Diann Rust-Tierney, Executive Director
National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
Regarding News Conference at Memorial for
Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman
August 17, 2010 - The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) is deeply disappointed that a few anti-death penalty voices chose to hold a news conference near a memorial at Houston's Waltrip High School for murder victims Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman.
The memorial to these slain victims was erected to honor them and serve as a reminder of the tragedy of their murders. We recognize the devastation wreaked on their families, this school, and the community and the memorial should be accorded deep respect.
Whether one is for or against the death penalty, this action was highly inappropriate, and insensitive to Pena's and Ertman's families.
In our work to promote respect and dignity for all human life, there are boundaries that should never be crossed under any circumstances. This news conference disrespected the lives of two murder victims, and as such, crossed a boundary.
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