"The Bitemark; Justice for Eglena"

It happened in 1992, in the small town in Texas where I then lived. It took 10 years to solve her murder. This investigation was profiled last night, 27 September 2005 on A&E's "Cold Case Files."

I knew back then that the perpetrator was a local, amid rumors that it wasn't. How I knew, I can't say... just a 'gut feeling.'

Did I know her? No. But people I did business with did, like my insurance agent, whose family was close to Eglena DeLeon's family.

Young Eglena was taken away forcefully from a street fair that was being put on in downtown Seguin to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a celebration of the independence of Mexico from Spain.

The street festival was a gay scene, with good eats, beverages, dancing & carnival fun. Eglena's murder, which took place in a church courtyard not even a block away, became a blight to the small community & its future celebrations.

As I watched the episode, I saw many familiar locations. I don't really miss the area much. There are too many bad memories connected with that city, like the murdering of several of my kitties by a neighbor family. I also never liked the oppressive heat & humidity of the region... 60% average humidity & temps in the 90° range for nearly 6 months out of the year & winters, still with high humidity, but temps often dropping 20 - 40° within an hour with the passing of cold fronts, from mid 70° to 80°. This is what makes people ill, along with them wearing outerwear (heavy coats & jackets) while indoors, for example while shopping.

There are a few good memories of the area, but those are far outweighed by the bad. I'm relatively happier here in Hawaii, where the people are less judgmental & much more tolerant of differences (natural to the fact that everyone's different than anyone else). Our violent crime rate here is also much lower than that Texas region, with their weekly drive-by shootings, child abductions & rapes, monthly murders, home invasions & burglaries. The community of Seguin, Texas (Guadalupe County) has approximately the same number of people as the Hilo District here on the Big Island of Hawaii. I find nothing in Seguin of value in my life other than my sister, who still (unhappily) lives there with her husband & second son.