I'll see you in Disneyland.". Richard Ramirez started smoking marijuana at the age of 10, and things really started going downhill when his cousin started hanging out with him. He destroyed lives. Ramirez was said to have been staying at two hotels in the general area at that time, and DNA evidence linked him to the crime. Netflix has truly mastered the art of the true-crime documentary, and its newest offering, dealing with the Night Stalker, is no different. Mike was later found not guilty of Jessie's murder by reason of insanity, with the shooting attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in Vietnam; he was confined for several years at the Texas State Mental Hospital. His first murder wasnt confirmed until 2009, 11. He is survived by his wife Doreen Lioy, one of his supporters that he married in 1996. He often attacked elderly pensioner couples and at one time raped and murdered a nine-year-old girl. He was the youngest son of Julian and Mercedes Ramirez among the five children. He attempted to have sex with her body, but found himself so shaken by her attempting to shoot him that he was unable to achieve an erection. Ramirez took the little girl inside a house where she was forced to walk through a room with a couch, where "everything was dark and kind of slimy", according to Hronas. James raced outside and noted the color, make, and style of the car, as well as a partial license plate number. He then ran across the Santa Ana Freeway, and attempted to carjack a woman but was chased away by bystanders, who pursued him. On August 30, 1985, Ramirez took a bus to Tucson,Arizona, to visit his brother, unaware that he had become the lead story in virtually every major newspaper and television news program across California. He turned to Satanism after moving toCaliforniain the late 1970s and was arrested several times for drug possession, burglary, and auto theft. He made a crucial mistake during his final crime, 13. The murderer received a lot of publicity as the body count grew in the years 1984 and 1985. [111], Based on a statement Ramirez made to an investigator, he is also a suspect in the San Francisco double murder of Christina and Mary Caldwell. Perhaps one of the most astonishing facts about Richard Ramirez is that his murder spree actually started earlier than initially thought. [102] After stealing what he could find, Ramirez dragged Erickson to another room before raping her. A string of brutal murders and sexual assaults followed. its lack of detail around the killer himself. He was born in El Paso, Texas Richard Ramirez was born as " Ricardo Leyva Muoz Ramrez " on February 29, 1960, in El Paso, Texas. He used numerous weapons to murder his victims, 5. At his first court appearance, Ramirez raised a hand with a pentagram drawn on it and yelled, "Hail Satan! Doreen Lioy, also known as Doreen Ramirez, was one of them. [118] After running across the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5),[119] he attempted to carjack an unlocked Ford Mustang but was pulled out by angry resident Faustino Pinon. Thinking there was a prowler, James, after observing Ramirez through his bedroom window, went to wake his parents, and Ramirez fled the scene. He eventually ended up proposing to one of these women named Doreen Lioy, who started writing to him in 1985. [2] Ramirez never expressed any remorse for his crimes. Richard Ramirez received hundreds, if not thousands of letters from girls and women who want to start a relationship with him, even after he got sentenced to death on November 7, 1989, after being convicted of all charges against him, including 13 murders and 11 rapes! On September 20, 1989, Ramirez was convicted of all 43 charges: thirteen counts of murder, five attempted murders, eleven sexual assaults, and fourteen burglaries. A judge later described Ramirez as particularly "callous and cruel". Ramirez was also prone to accidents. Inside the house, her roommate, Dayle Yoshie Okazaki, age 34, heard the gunshot and ducked behind a counter when she saw Ramirez enter the kitchen. He was called The Night Stalker by the media, 12. In 1989, Ramirez received a death sentence after being convicted of 13 counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries, perCNN(hedied of lymphoma in 2013 at age 53). Digital Spy has launched its first-ever digital magazine with exclusive features, interviews, and videos. Ramirez left footprints from a pair of Avia sneakers in the flower beds, which the police photographed and cast. One of the main hypotheses argues that the Ramirezes were victims of the long-term consequences of the federal government's testing of nuclear bombs in nearby New Mexico, per Grise. One particular photo showed Miguel posing with a woman's severed head. Richard and Miguel smoked marijuana together while the latter shared heinous details, including graphic photos, of his war activities. He later became a laborer on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. After seeing him on television following his arrest, she started writing him letters. [citation needed], On April 10, 1984, Ramirez murdered Mei Leung, a 9-year-old Chinese-American girl, in the basement of his apartment building in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. His older cousin Miguel was a heavy influence, having fought in the Vietnam war, where he tortured and mutilated Vietnamese women. Perhaps one of the most horrific facts about Richard Ramirez is that he used various weapons to attack and murder his victims. He bludgeoned her into unconsciousness with a lamp and then stabbed her to death using a 10-inch butcher knife from her kitchen. Addicted to drugs at a young age, Richard was also fueled by cocaine. Ramirez was captured by authorities in 1985 after he was badly beaten by East L.A. residents while attempting two carjackings. [60] He mutilated her body by cutting an inverted cross into her chest, then removed her eyes with the knife and placed them in a jewelry box. [113], On August 30, 1985, Ramirez took a bus to Tucson, Arizona to visit his brother, unaware that he had become the lead story in virtually every major newspaper and television news program across California. [5][6] His father Julin, a Mexican national and former Ciudad Jurez policeman who later became a laborer on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway,[7] was an alcoholic who was prone to fits of anger that often resulted in physical abuse towards his wife and children. Knowing further detail about his earlier years might help to piece some of it all together. The Night Stalker died from cancer on June 7, 2013, before his execution could be carried out. At 13 years old, Ramirez watched his cousin murder his wife. [79], At approximately 4:15 am, he broke into the home of the Khovananth family. The days of The Night Stalker were finally over, and California breathed a sigh of relief! The Night Stalker is available on Netflix. Maria Hernandez, Richard Ramirez victim, 22 (shot with a .22 revolver) Credit: . He didnt feel much for school, so he dropped out of the Jefferson High School in South-Central El Paso in the ninth grade. On August 14, the trial was interrupted because one of the jurors, Phyllis Singletary, did not arrive at the courtroom. While Richard undoubtedly had a difficult childhood, his experiences cannot be used to justify his actions. His cousin, though, was acquitted of murder for reasons of insanity. He was an opportunist! [95] At the crime scene, Ramirez used lipstick to scrawl a pentagram and the phrase "Jack the Knife" on the bedroom wall. [112] While incarcerated, Ramirez openly bragged to a prison officer and other inmates about having killed "more than 20 people". Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as The Night Stalker, is the latest true-crime figure to get the Netflix documentary treatment. Given that he's been credited with being one of America's deadliest serial killers, re-writing textbooks with the scope of his crimes, the only real surprise is that it's taken the streaming giant this long. It was confirmation of Ramirez's involvement in this rape and murder that ended his marriage to Doreen Lioy. [118], After noticing a group of elderly Hispanic women fearfully identifying him as "el matador" (literally "the killer" in Spanish), Ramirez saw his face on the front page of the newspaper La Opinion with a headline calling him "Invasor Nocturno" (Night Invader)[116] and fled the store in a panic. His victims ranged from age 6 to 82. He even taught Richard about stealth attacks, something he would use later on during his assaults. There's no excuse for murder, not even a terrible childhood. Of course not! [61] Surprising Doi in his bedroom, Ramirez shot him in the face with a .22 semi-automatic pistol as Doi went for his own handgun. During his time in prison, Richard Ramirez hatched two secret plots to escape so he could continue his murder spree. And it was right around the age of 13. He frequently traveled between the northern and southern areas of California both before and during his yearlong crime spree. [3], Ricardo "Richard" Leyva Muoz Ramirez[4] was born in El Paso, Texas, on 28 February 1960, at 2.07 a.m., to Julin and Mercedes Ramirez, the youngest of their five children. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 (www.nspcc.org.uk). His face was all over the news in Los Angeles shortly after his stolen car was discovered and his fingerprints were matched. While he began the string of crimes in June of 1984 with the murder of 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, Ramirez remained in the shadows for nine months. On multiple occasions, Richard joined the voyeur on his nightly escapades, which is the exact behavior he would replicate during his own assaults. [97] With five of them shipped to locations in Arizona, and one shipped to a shoe store in Los Angeles, it was evident that the one pair of its size and kind in the state of California then belonged to Ramirez. He shot her fiance before the woman called the police and provided a detailed description of her assailant. As he already spent some time in jail in 1984 for car theft, the fingerprint connected the dots. On top of that, other characteristics are being indifferent towards emotions and the preference to live a solitary and sheltered life, far away from social gatherings and as secretive as possible. Richard Ramirez, in full Ricardo Leyva Muoz Ramirez, byname Night Stalker, (born February 29, 1960, El Paso, Texas, U.S.died June 7, 2013, Greenbrae, California), American serial killer, rapist, and burglar who murdered at least 13 people in California in 1984-85. Ramirez had an impoverished childhood that included physical abuse and the early on-set of drug use. A member of the jury got shot to death during the trial, 15. So when he moved to Los Angeles, he broke into houses to steal goods which he sold to buy more drugs. However, his first known murder occurred as early as April 1984; this crime was not connected to Ramirez, nor was it known to be his doing, until 2009. The youngest of five children, Ramirez often witnessed his father beat his older siblings when they got into trouble, especially for substance abuse, per Digital Spy. At the time, Ramirez responded,"Hey, big deal, death always comes with the territory. On February 29, 1960, Richard Ramirez was born to his parents. Ramirez, who was convicted in the late 1980s, died in prison in 2013. The best El Paso TX information website. By the time he started committing his own murders, he used a wide variety of weapons, including handguns, knives, a machete, a tire iron, and a hammer. "[103] Erickson untied herself and went to a neighbor's house for help. "After a while, we stopped on the side of the road and he said, 'there's a gas station over there. Before leaving the home, Ramirez told Erickson, "Tell them the Night Stalker was here. Mike was found not guilty of Jessie's murder, by reason of insanity, and was released after four years in a state hospital to once again become an influence in Richard's life. It was around this time that his cousin Miguel (also known as Mike) returned from the Vietnam war, providing Richard with someone to look up to. Its assumed that he became a psychopath and wasnt born one, 7. His father, a former Juarez, Mexico police officer, was often angry and physically abused his children, according to the book The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez by Philip Carlo. [18], When he reached adolescence, Richard Ramirez began to meld his burgeoning sexual fantasies with graphic violence including forced bondage/BDSM, murder, mutilation, and rape. His cousin was perhaps even a worse psychopath, 9. The two bonded over joints and gory stories, and according to Philip Carlo's The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez, Mike taught his younger cousin some of the military tactics he had picked up during his time in Vietnam, such as killing with stealth. Richard then moved to live with his sister and her husband, who was apparently a peeping Tom. Ricardo "Richard" Leyva Muoz Ramirez (/rmrz/; February 28, 1960 June 7, 2013), dubbed the Night Stalker, the Valley Intruder (as his attacks were first clustered in the San Gabriel Valley), and the Walk-In Killer was an American serial killer and sex offender whose crime spree took place in California between June 1984 and August 1985. His first known victim was 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, who was sexually assaulted, stabbed and killed during a burglary in her own home. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website. On the other hand, when Ramirez's mother was pregnant with him, she worked at a boot factory, which required her to handle pigments and chemicals. [65] Finding a hammer in the kitchen, he bludgeoned and bound Lang in her bedroom, then bound and bludgeoned Bell before using an electrical cord to shock the woman. At 13 years old, Ramirez watched his cousin murder his wife. [8] Richard began smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol at the age of 10. On March 27, 1985, Ramirez entered a home that he had burglarized a year earlier just outside of Whittier, California, at approximately 2 a.m. and killed the sleeping Vincent Charles Zazzara, age 64, with a gunshot to his head from a .22 caliber handgun. Even though Ramirez put in a lot of effort to wipe the car and ensure there would be no fingerprints on it, police still managed to find one in the back window. She had been raped and murdered. [11][12] Richard would later state while incarcerated that he was fascinated, rather than repulsed, by the images and stories Mike shared with him. [104] The print was positively identified as belonging to Ramirez, who was described as a 25-year-old drifter from Texas, with a long rap sheet that included many arrests for traffic and illegal drug violations. The Caldwell sisters were found stabbed to death in their Telegraph Hill apartment on February 20, 1985. EEAAO star gives tearful speech after historic win, The best Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom deals, Ed Kemper's true story, according to FBI agent, Knives Out 3: Everything you need to know, Outer Banks: Where else to watch the cast. [70] Ramirez also repeatedly ordered her not to look at him, telling her at one point that he would "cut her eyes out". By the time he'd turned 12, Richard's older brothers had moved out of the family home. The Truth About Richard Ramirez's Childhood, considerable attention was brought to his personal life, The Night Stalker:The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1989. He often left pentagrams or other occult symbols on the walls of his crime scenes, where he tortured his victims with knives, hammers, tire irons, thumb cuffs, and pistols, Esquire reports. Fast-forward to 1985 and once Richard Ramirez, now the Night Stalker, was taken into police custody, he refused to talk about anything relating to his crimes. [127], By the time of the trial, Ramirez had fans who were writing him letters and paying him visits. Richard, the youngest, witnessed a lot of what was going on in the house and was said to have been deathly frightened of his father. Nine months later from Vincow's murder on March 17, 1985, he attacked Maria Hernandez, who managed to escape his . [86], On August 8, 1985, Ramirez drove a stolen car to Diamond Bar, California, and chose the home of Sakina Abowath, age 27, and her husband Elyas Abowath, age 31. It wouldn't be long before Ramirez himself seeing the brunt of his father's beatings. The Night Stalker Detectives Are Still Renowned for Their Work in the Case, Women Were so Obsessed With the Night Stalker, He Was Nicknamed "Death Row Romeo", You Could Say That "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez Had a Killer Smile. He was on death row for 24 years before he died from cancer on June 7, 2013, at age 53. Ramirez grew up in El Paso, Texas. His brother Robert also started to experiment with substance abuse, and Julian's disciplining of his children started to edge into abuse. "All of [Richard's] older brothers were away from home, and Mike took it upon himself to show Richard the ways of the world and the ways of war: how to fight to win, and how to protect himself. Mike taught his young cousin some of his military skills, such as killing with stealth and effectively staying hidden in the dark, especially at night. However, it was ultimately determined that Ramirez was not responsible for Singletary's death, as she was shot and killed by her boyfriend, who later committed suicide with the same weapon in a hotel. The group held Ramirez down and relentlessly beat him until the police arrived and took him into custody. Interested in Digital Spy's weekly newsletter? Are Perfect Match's Joey and Kariselle together? Not much else is known about Ramirez's siblings aside from the fact that his sister Ruth, his brother Joseph, and Joseph's teenage daughter attended his 1996 wedding in California's San Quentin Prison to Doreen Lioy. He punched, pistol whipped, and strangled many of his victims, both with his hands and in one instance a ligature, stomped at least one victim to death in her sleep, and tortured another victim by shocking her with a live electrical cord. venusdances 2 yr. ago. By the time he had left his home in Texas and moved to California at the age of 22, he had begun frequently using cocaine. The youngest of 5 children, he was referred to as " Richie " as a child. She was found dead at the scene. Digital Spy participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. After the shooting, Richard became sullen and withdrawn from his family and peers. [20] On at least one occasion, Ramirez molested two children in an elevator at the hotel, but he was never reported or prosecuted for this act. He was beaten up by an angry mob just before being arrested, 14. 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