Conviction of Houston's 'Railroad Killer' upheld

[softheart]

May 21, 2003


Associated Press

AUSTIN - The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, in a 7-2 decision today,
upheld the capital murder conviction and death sentence of "Railroad
Killer" Angel Maturino Resendiz, who has said he wants to expedite his
execution.

The 17-page majority opinion was delivered the day before the third
anniversary of his death sentence for the Dec. 17, 1998, rape-slaying of
Houston-area medical researcher Dr. Claudia Benton. Maturino Resendiz, a
rail-riding drifter from Mexico, unsuccessfully pleaded innocent by reason
of insanity and admitted to nine slayings to which he was linked at the
time.

That number has since grown to 13 and he says he's killed even more.

A dissenting opinion from Judge Paul Womack and joined by Judge Cheryl
Johnson agreed with appellate attorneys Robert and Jan Morrow that
Maturino Resendiz's trial lawyers should have been allowed to admit
graphic photographs of their client's other killings to illustrate "proof
of craziness."

The majority opinion, written by Judge Lawrence E. Meyers, said state
District Judge William Harmon acted within the rules when he excluded the
photos, saying they would distract jurors from the case at hand and would
cause "needless delay."

If Maturino Resendiz decides to stop his appeals, Harmon said last year he
would conduct a competency hearing to determine if he legally can do so.

------

Source : Associated Press