Satanic rituals. Gang rape. Child abuse. All words used in one of the most bizarre cases to ever go through our legal system. If you were enthralled with the shocking case seen on Making a Murderer, then this is really going to blow your mind.
This is the true story of four women, nicknamed The San Antonio Four, and their journey through hell and back. Filmmaker Deborah S. Esquenazi chronicled the outrageous brush with the justice system in a new documentary, Southwest of Salem: the Story of the San Antonio Four. Unlike the TV series covering Steven Avery's protracted legal battle, this story is being told as a feature film, and it premiered last week at the Tribeca Film Festival
The film retells the 1994 trials of Elizabeth Ramirez, Anna Vasquez, Cassandra Rivera, and Kristie Mayhugh. The four women were accused of sexually abusing two young girls, who were also the nieces of Ramirez. The two girls claimed they were gang raped by the women over the course of multiple days and had satanic rituals performed on them.
The accusations came as a shock to all of the women — two of them, Ramirez and Rivera, being mothers themselves. They never thought the case would make it to trial, but sure enough all four were found guilty and sentenced to prison.
The film asserts that the women's sexual orientation had to do with the trial ever coming to pass: All four are gay. The words "lesbian," "gay," and "homosexual" came up countless times in court documents, which point to some major bias. It's unlikely their trial was fair and just. And like Steven Avery, they are still fighting to prove their innocence.
With the help of Innocence Project of Texas, Esquenazi conducted intimate interviews with all the women, their family members, and their legal counsel over the course of a decade. Their story is one to hear. It's jaw-dropping, heartbreaking, and at times deeply chilling.
The film is currently running the festival circuit, and will be released widely soon. Watch a trailer below.
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