I never knew Leafie Mason, nor would I have known her if I had seen her face to face. Nevertheless, everytime I hear the train, I think of her.......
All Leafie ever wanted to do was to be a poet. She wanted to be published and her whole life she enjoyed writing poetry.
In October 1998 Mrs. Mason, 87, was murdered by the Railroad Killer, Angel Maturino Ramirez, 45.
Of the fourteen people he was to have murdered, all victims lived near or were walking near the railroad tracks. Each victim was beaten to death.
Mrs. Masons home is located six miles from our little town, and we drive by her home at least once a week. It was a pretty brick house with a well manacured yard, and friendly front porch. The hiway separates the homes from the railroad track.
Ramirez would ride the rails, and jump off when he felt like it, and then jump back on....His murders spanned from Texas to Kentucky to Illinois, and back to Texas....He chose late at night or early in the morning to do his killings.
Ramirez was tried and convicted in Houston in May, 2000 for the l998 killing of Houston physician Dr. Claudia Benton, 39. Dr. Benton was raped, stabbed and beaten to death in her home in West University Place, an affluent Houston neighborhood.
Ramirez said as he looked Dr. Benton's family in the eyes, "I want to ask if it is in your heart to forgive me. You do not have to. I know I allowed the devil to rule my life. I just ask you to forgive me and ask the Lord to forgive me for allowing the devil to deceive me. I thank God for having patience with me. I do not deserve to cause you pain. You did not deserve this. I deserve what I am getting......."
In spite of appeals, even to the United States Supreme Court, Angel Maturino Ramirez was executed at 8:05 p.m., June 27 at the prison in Huntsville, Texas. He faced the execution peacefully, and was accepting of his fate. The police chief of her little town, said "Justice has been served".
But in the wee hours of the morning when I hear that ol train, I just wonder, what Ramirez meant when he said he would be back after his execution. Maybe a stake in the heart would have been better justice....
