Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, the suspected railway killer, surrendered to U.S. border authorities  MAP:   Map of crime trail VIDEO CNN's Charles Zewe reports on the man suspected of being the railway killer Windows Media 28K 80K

July 13, 1999
Web posted at: 3:09 p.m. EDT (1909 GMT)

In this story: Sister calls Texas Ranger Wife, family worried Suspect in at least 8 killings, maybe more In and out of custody RELATED STORIES, SITES

EL PASO, Texas (CNN) -- Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, the rail-riding fugitive suspected of killing at least eight people, crossed from Mexico into the United States on Tuesday and surrendered, following secret negotiations between law enforcement personnel and the suspect's sister in New Mexico.

"Mission accomplished," said Don Clark, the Houston-based FBI agent in charge of the investigation. He thanked "the American public for being so responsive to our pleas and requests for assistance in this investigation."

The Mexican-born suspect was initially held in El Paso, where he appeared at a brief court hearing on a burglary warrant related to one of the murders. Later, he was put in a van to be taken to the El Paso airport for a flight to Houston, where authorities suspect him of two killings last year.

Resendez-Ramirez, 38, wearing dirty blue jeans, leather work boots, a striped shirt and gold-rimmed glasses, was escorted into the courtroom in handcuffs and chained around his waist. He said nothing during the proceeding.

Texas authorities said the sister, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, had been in touch with her brother through an intermediary.

They said she called Texas Ranger Drew Carter on Sunday to arrange the surrender, which took place at 9 a.m. at the Immigration and Naturalization Service port of entry in Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, Texas, near El Paso.

Carter, along with an FBI agent and a deputy U.S. marshal met with the sister Sunday night and Monday to handle negotiations.

The surrender "was based on some negotiations that we've been conducting over the last few days," FBI Director Louis Freeh told a congressional hearing in Washington.

As the surrender unfolded on Tuesday, Resendez-Ramirez's brother, a Mexican citizen, walked across the international bridge with him. Carter was there, too.

"Carter told me that he extended his hand, they shook hands, and they handcuffed him. He was very pleasant, not aggressive," said Texas Department of Public Safety Capt. Bruce Casteel. "He was in Mexico, I can't tell you how long he's been there."

The surrender agreement with Resendez-Ramirez included assurances of family visitation rights, a psychological evaluation and promises that he would be safe in jail, Casteel said. But, he said, the agreement does not shield Resendez-Ramirez from the death penalty.

Freeh says the surrender of Ramirez came after several days of negotiations (1 MB/12 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

Julieta Dominguez, the suspect's common-law wife, was questioned last week in Houston, where she was flown from her home in Rodeo, Mexico. Sources told CNN she provided information about Resendez-Ramirez and his frequent travels.

She has urged her husband to give himself up, worried that bounty hunters might kill him, the sources said. A $125,000 reward was posted for the fugitive's arrest after he was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list two weeks ago.

Clark has described Dominguez and her family as distraught over the allegations against Resendez-Ramirez. "She would like to see this come to a halt so her life can regain its normalcy," he told CNN on Sunday.

Texas Rangers have seized jewelry and clothing from the couple's home in Mexico that authorities believe may be linked to his victims. The items include 100 pieces of jewelry -- rings, bracelets, earrings and watches.

Resendez-Ramirez has been charged with two murders in Illinois and is wanted for questioning in six others -- five in Texas and one in Kentucky. All of the victims were killed in homes near railroad tracks.

In addition, he is a possible suspect in at least 14 other murders throughout the country, sources have told CNN.

Resendez-Ramirez is one of many aliases the suspect has used.

Julieta Dominguez, the suspect's common-law wife, was flown to the United States last week for questioning

His real name is Angel Leoncio Reyes Recendis, according to a birth certificate. But because most of the public knew the wanted man as Resendez-Ramirez, the FBI continued to use that name.

Up until the surrender, his ability to elude law enforcement had been an embarrassment, topped by his release to Mexico by Border Patrol agents June 2, although he was wanted by the FBI, and the Houston police had earlier told the immigration service it wanted him for questioning in a murder.

Two days after his release, authorities believe, he killed a 73-year-old woman west of Houston. The following day, they say, he killed a 26-year-old Houston schoolteacher at her home.

His fingerprints then were found June 15 in Gorham, Illinois, at the scene of the slaying of a 79-year-old man and his 51-year-old daughter, police said.

In addition, Lexington, Kentucky, police obtained warrants last month for Resendez-Ramirez' arrest in connection with the August 1997 murder of University of Kentucky student Christopher Maier, who was attacked with his girlfriend as they walked near some railroad tracks.

The girlfriend, who was raped, survived. The charges are murder, two counts of first-degree robbery and single counts of rape and assault.

The Maier slaying was the earliest of the eight killings in which Resendez-Ramirez has been charged or is wanted for questioning.

INS officials said that when Resendez-Ramirez was in the custody of the Border Patrol, which apprehended him for illegal entry into the country, they didn't have any information on his criminal records or of any outstanding warrants.

But Immigration Commissioner Doris Meissner said the INS, parent of the Border Patrol, had multiple entries on Resendez-Ramirez in a computerized photo and fingerprint database that provides immediate identification of aliens apprehended by the Border Patrol.

That computer system also is supposed to record lookouts for individuals wanted by other law enforcement agencies but neither the FBI nor Houston police interests in him were recorded there.

The Justice Department inspector general has been ordered to investigate why the computer did not contain those requests.

INS first encountered Resendez-Ramirez in 1976 after he was arrested in Michigan. He was returned to Mexico, but since that time has been deported from the United States on three occasions -- in 1985, 1987 and 1991. He was also apprehended by Border Patrol agents eight times since January 1998.

Meissner said the Justice inspector general would look at why Resendez-Ramirez "was not detained and whether INS knew about Resendez-Ramirez criminal activities after being contacted by local law enforcement earlier this year."

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