Jesse Howell was 19 when he was killed on March 23, 1997, near railroad tracks in Belleview, Florida. He and 16-year-old Wendy Von Huben had been riding freight trains, reportedly looking for work picking oranges, when they encountered Ángel Maturino Reséndiz, who was traveling illegally by train that day. Howell was struck with a railroad air brake coupling and killed close to the tracks; Von Huben was strangled a few hours later and her remains were left wrapped in a blanket and camouflage jacket about 15 miles south of Howell’s location.

Howell’s body was found soon after his death. Reséndiz later confessed while on death row in Texas, and investigators uncovered Von Huben’s skeletal remains in Wildwood, Florida, in July 2000. Reséndiz admitted to multiple murders, many occurring near railroad lines; the confession included a stated belief that Howell and Von Huben were anti-Christian.

Are there readers who knew Jesse’s movements or saw anyone on the freight trains around Belleview on March 23, 1997?