28
06
2006
The end
Convicted serial killer Ángel Maturino Reséndiz was put to death by lethal injection last night at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville. I am both relieved and troubled. I believe this action was just, and yet it is never easy—nor should it be—to condone the death of another human being.
His likely victims numbered 14. Among the nine people Maturino Reséndiz is known to have killed is a college acquaintance of mine, Noemí Dominguez. The murder was committed just a couple of miles from where I’m sitting right now. I’m relieved that justice has been done, but I grieve for the family and friends of the victims for whom last night’s events are little comfort. 
I also was caught up in this event, it haunted me last night (more on that later).
I didn’t know Noemí, but knew someone who knew her. A dear friend who was also an English major at Rice, also a teacher, also at Will Rice College, and was living by train tracks at the time of Noemí’s murder. She was shaken. She told me that her father had given her a handgun and although she never imagined herself being able to use it, took it out shortly after the murder just to make sure she knew where it was.
We were out at dinner not long after the murder and she convinced me to stay at her apt that night. I stayed on the couch and hoped that she wouldn’t have a need to take out that gun.
Last night, I did something strange and morbid. I looked up Noemí on the Rice Alum web site. Under her “status” it lists, “This alum is deceased.”. Then I searched other friends who have since passed away. I found two, both friends from Rice who died at a young age. Each left a spouse… imagine a widow or widower at the age of 30.