On October 4, 1998, 87-year-old white female Leafie Mason was brutally murdered in her home in Hughes Springs, Texas. Known in her community as a kind and firm woman, Mason lived alone in a red-brick house near the Kansas City-Southern rail line. Her death shocked the small town, which had never before experienced such a violent crime.
Mason was found bludgeoned to death in her bedroom.
Investigators determined that the assailant entered through a window and attacked her while she was likely asleep. She was struck repeatedly in the head with her own antique iron. Evidence at the scene suggested a struggle had occurred, and her body was later found covered with a blanket—a detail that would become a chilling signature in other murders linked to the same suspect.
The investigation eventually led authorities to Angel Maturino Reséndiz, a Mexican national and transient known for traveling the country by freight trains. He was suspected in multiple murders across several states, often targeting victims who lived near rail lines. In Mason's case, the proximity of her home to the tracks—just 70 yards away—was a key connection. Reséndiz, also known by the alias Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, was arrested in 1999 after surrendering to authorities.
Reséndiz was later convicted of capital murder in a separate case but admitted to killing at least nine people, including 87-year-old white female Leafie Mason. His method of operation—entering homes near railroads, using blunt objects to kill, and covering victims with blankets—was consistent across multiple crime scenes. Mason's murder was one of the earliest in his known spree and left a lasting impact on the town of Hughes Springs. Her death also had a profound personal toll: she had been the sole caregiver and daily visitor to her mentally disabled sister, who was left without family or support after the tragedy. Reséndiz was ultimately sentenced to death and executed in 2006. His crimes remain among the most disturbing examples of transient serial violence in modern U.S. history.
