Houston police accused of not responding to call about parolee who beat woman to death with bat

HOUSTON – Family members of murder victim Charlene Cadwell said the victim called Houston police repeatedly for help the night her parolee boyfriend allegedly beat her to death with a baseball bat, but that help never came.

Paul Ramirez, 63, allegedly admitted chasing Cadwell, 60, from her home in the 300 block of North Sidney Street in the early morning hours of Oct. 8, and beating her to death. Ramirez was a wanted man at the time.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice issued a warrant for his arrest more than a month earlier after he cut off the electronic ankle monitor he was forced to wear as a condition of his parole for armed robbery.

In July, two other parolees, Jose Rodriguez and Garry Jenkins, allegedly killed a total of four people after removing ankle monitors, triggering warrants for their arrests.

Andy Kahan with Houston Crime Stoppers said the killings show the current system of policing parolees is broken.

"Issuing a warrant is great. Following up to see that proper authorities are given notice would probably be more prudent," Kahan said Wednesday.

But in Cadwell’s death, Houston police apparently were told a warrant for Ramirez’s arrest had been issued and that he was threatening Cadwell.

The sister of the woman hit and killed with a baseball bat Sunday has identified the victim as 60-year-old Charlene Cadwell. Houston police said Cadwell and her boyfriend got into an argument at a home in the 600 block of Sidney Street when he hit her.

Cadwell’s sister, Patrice Erickson, was spending the night at the victim's house the night of the killing.

“She called the cops and no cop showed up,” Erickson said.

Erickson said Ramirez was enraged because Cadwell had kicked him out earlier in the evening and he returned several times -- threatening Cadwell and demanding to be let in.

“He was screaming at the top of his lungs that she 'shouldn’t have f***** with me.' And he kept saying that over and over again,” Erickson said.

Erickson said Cadwell called Houston police three times that night, telling them Ramirez was wanted for a parole violations and asking for help. But she said a patrol car never arrived.

“When he broke in through the window, he chased her out of the house with a baseball bat and that’s when he started beating her with a baseball bat,” Erickson said.

Houston police said at least three calls were received from Cadwell the night she was killed. They said they’re still trying to determine if an arrest warrant for Ramirez was in the system at the time, and if any officers were dispatched to make contact with Cadwell.