The man dubbed the ‘Railroad Killer’ finally turned himself in to authorities in 1999 and was later executed.
DALLAS — In the late 1990s, the sound of a train whistle would sometimes send fear through cities across the U.S.
There was a serial killer hopping on and off trains, finding victims who lived near the tracks and killing them. He became known as the Railroad Killer.
“I am dealing with it from the aspect of the crime and all I can say is this man is very very violent. The killings he’s committed are brutal and he has to be stopped,” said former Texas Ranger Drew Carter, 1999.
The FBI believes he began his killing spree in 1986 and murdered more than 20 people before authorities finally caught up with him in July 1999. He changed his name and appearance so often that law enforcement struggled to link the crimes together.
“This information has just come across that this individual has used over 30 aliases during the course of his criminality that we know of,” said Don Clark, former FBI Special Agent in charge in 1999.
His victims ranged in age from young to elderly. One of the most brutal crimes was the murder of 87-year-old Leafie Mason in Hughes Springs, Texas. She was beaten to death with an antique fire iron.
“My victim was 50 yards from railroad tracks and he entered through a window and chose a weapon of opportunity and he beat her to death,” said former Hughes Springs Police Chief Randy Kennedy,1999.
The crime shocked the small town and shattered their sense of security.
“Every time I drive by that house I get a sickening feeling. She was a good friend of mine,” said Ronnie Palmer, a friend of the victim,” said Ronnie Palmer, Mason’s friend.
Despite leaving behind fingerprints and DNA, he did not attempt to hide his identity. He played cat and mouse with authorities for decades and was arrested multiple times under different names in different states.
“There was not a great deal of care being taken to hide the fact he was there,” said Carter.
Between 1997 and 1998, he went on a killing spree. This prompted the FBI to form a task force and launch a nationwide search for him. At the time, they believed his name was Rafael Reséndiz Ramírez. They distributed flyers across the country and added him to their Ten Most Wanted list alongside Osama bin Laden.
“We were intent that there was not a place in this country where this person felt he could freely move around,” said Clark.
Eventually, authorities discovered that his real name was Ángel Maturino Resendiz after finding his birth certificate in Durango, Mexico. Police learned that he had illegally crossed into the U.S. dozens of times. In one year alone, he had been deported eight times. On June 1, 1999, he was in the custody of border patrol, but no one checked his fingerprints, so he was released. The FBI says he committed four more murders after that.
“He has been in our custody on many occasions. Obviously, had we known that we would have acted upon it,” said former INS Commissioner Doris Meissner.
There were at least eight victims in Texas, and Texas Ranger Drew Carter led the investigation. He tracked down Resendiz’s wife, Juliette Dominguez, in Rodeo, Mexico. The couple had a daughter together. While Reséndiz was on the run, she gave an interview expressing her shock at the accusations against her husband.
“He was very passive, he loved gardening in the yard when the seasons came he planted grapes and other fruits. He was very tranquil,” said Juliette Dominguez.
Carter convinced Resendiz’s wife and sister, who lived in New Mexico, to persuade him to surrender.
“They loved their brother and their relative and care for him deeply but at the same time — they have been cooperative in investigation and they felt they are doing the right thing,” said Carter.
On July 13, 1999, after terrorizing the country, Resendiz turned himself in at the international bridge in El Paso.
“He pulled up right over there in a pick-up truck.. he got out and got out with family members,” said an eyewitness at the time.
“All I want to say about that is the surrender was voluntary and something he did on his own and wishes of his family,” said Carter.
Resendiz was flown to Houston on a private plane, where he would eventually stand trial for capital murder. When he appeared in court, he was noticeably thin and small—far from the strong, imposing figure many had imagined given the brutality of his crimes.
While in jail, he wrote letters to WFAA. His messages were eerie, filled with drawings of angels—a chilling nod to his own name. Some letters were as long as 10 pages, written in broken English.
“I knew the FBI was looking for me when a man in his 60s or 70s showed me the wanted picture,” he wrote.
He described how he evaded authorities, claiming that Mexican soldiers once helped him return home and that he was repeatedly released because of technical errors.
“The police almost had me in another six or seven places,” he added.
He even watched as authorities searched trains for him. When asked why he finally surrendered, he said: “I turned myself to the FBI because of the threats against my family. If I did not turn myself in, the USA could send bounty hunters to get me.”
In May 2000, he stood trial for the murder of Claudia Benton, a 39-year-old wife and mother. Her death was particularly brutal.
“Claudia Benton had not gone to the clinic because she had been stabbed to death, beaten 19 times causing 4 fractures. She had defensive wounds over her body,” said former Harris County prosecutor Lyn McClellan in 1999.
DNA and fingerprint evidence irrefutably linked Resendiz to the crime.
“The chances are one in 6 billion that the contributor was anyone other than one man,” said McClellan.
His defense attorneys argued against the death penalty, claiming he was insane.
“The defendant has no remorse for any of these crimes. The defendant in his mind thinks these people are evil and deserve to die,” said Allen Tanner, Resendiz attorney.
He was sentenced to death while his family watched from the courtroom.
While on death row, I interviewed Resendiz. It was one of the most disturbing experiences of my career. He came off as calculating and utterly remorseless. He blamed his victims for their own deaths, which made much of our interview too unsettling to air.
“I damaged people that I have a reason or I have concluded a reason and I have a clear [conscience],” was one of the few quotes from that interaction.
Even in his final moments, he showed no remorse.
Ángel Maturino Reséndiz remains one of the most evil people I’ve ever met.
