Starting in June 1984, San Francisco and Los Angeles went through an entire year of terror and fright, thanks to one person – the infamous Night Stalker. His real name was Richard Ramirez, and we will chronicle his early life, the gruesome crimes he committed in the 1980s, and his life in prison. So let’s travel back in time!
The Childhood That Shaped The Killer
Born in El Paso, Texas, on February 29, 1960, Richard Ramirez didn’t have an idyllic childhood. His earliest memories are of his father, and they are not great. Julián Ramirez was a raging alcoholic who continuously beat his wife and children. To escape this hell, Richard Ramirez spent time with his cousin Miguel Ramirez, also known as Mike.
Young Richard Ramirez
In normal circumstances, having a role model would’ve been perfect for young Ramirez. Unfortunately, Mike wasn’t a good influence on the impressionable boy. Mike Ramirez was a war veteran and a former Green Beret who served in the Vietnam War. But he was more occupied with committing war crimes during his time in the army.
Mike had a collection of Polaroid images of his rape victims and the women he brutally murdered in Vietnam. Richard enjoyed viewing those photos with his cousin and didn’t feel repulsed by the gore. Mike Ramirez shot his wife in the head in front of a thirteen-year-old Richard and was found not guilty. He suffered from PTSD, and his lawyers pleaded insanity.
Even though he was getting used to gruesome scenes, Ramirez didn’t forget this murder. He became even more withdrawn and continued to do unusual things. For instance, Ramirez preferred to sleep at a cemetery instead of his own home, thanks to his father. As the youngest of five, Ramirez could’ve moved in with his sister Ruth, and that’s precisely what he did.
Once again, Ramirez found a horrible role model. His sister Ruth was married to Roberto, who was a voyeur. Roberto didn’t hide this from Richard and even started taking him along for his peeping tom adventures. In 1974, while living in Ruth’s home, Ramirez started using LSD. He smoked weed since he was ten, but now it was time for something more potent.
It seems like 1974 was a very formative year for Ramirez because that’s when he discovered hard rock and metal; he became a self-proclaimed Satanist at this time. When Ramirez was in high school, he found a part-time job at Holiday Inn. But things didn’t go well because Ramirez was all about violent fantasies, and having a master key gave him plenty of opportunities.
Valuable items started disappearing from the guest rooms. The hotel manager couldn’t connect Ramirez to this theft until an attempted assault. One of the guests discovered Ramirez in his room, trying to rape his wife. The pair didn’t press any charges because they lived in another state and were unable to travel frequently for the trial.
Ramirez didn’t graduate from high school. Instead, he dropped out and moved to California in 1982 when he was 22 years old.
The Crimes
After arriving in California, Richard Ramirez refused to settle in one place. He would frequently stay in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Ramirez stopped using LSD and moved to cocaine. Considering that the latter was expensive in the eighties, Ramirez had to find a way to support his growing addiction. So, he began breaking into houses and stealing valuables.
Ramirez started terrorizing the west coast in April 1984. His first victim was a nine-year-old girl named Mei Leung, who was lured into a basement by Ramirez. He physically and sexually assaulted the girl and then stabbed her. The first murder happened in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, where Ramirez lived at the time.
Mei Leung
Then on June 28, 1984, Ramirez committed his first murder in Los Angeles. He broke into an apartment through a window, leaving his fingerprints on the screen. Inside he found Jennie Vincow, who was sound asleep. The woman was stabbed violently all over her body, and her home was also burglarized. Ramirez laid low for almost a year afterwards.
From March to August 1985, Ramirez committed seventeen attacks. The sheer terror in the community forced every local to keep their windows closed during hot summer nights in Los Angeles. He had already established his pattern but didn’t have a specific type of victim. Instead, Ramirez attacked everyone, which made him unpredictable.
On March 17, 1985, Ramirez was in Rosemead, California. There he shot Maria Hernandez in the face after she parked her car. Hernandez survived the attack, but her roommate Dayle Yoshie Okazaki wasn’t so lucky. Ramirez entered the house and killed her. One hour later, Ramirez was in Monterey Park, where he shot and killed Tsai-Lian Yu. The witnesses gave descriptions of the attacker, and the local media picked it up.
Ten days later, Ramirez broke into a house in Whittier, California. He was there before and knew his way around in the dark. He killed the homeowners, Vincent and Maxine Zazzara. Their mutilated bodies were found by their son. The police made the connection with the previous attacks thanks to the bullets found at the scene. But they also had another clue – footprints made by a specific brand of sneakers.
In May 1985, Ramirez attacked three times within the limits of Los Angeles County. Out of six victims, four survived. He tortured and sexually assaulted the survivors, leaving satanic symbols for the police to find. Ramirez then went into hiding in June 1985 and emerged the following month.
On July 2, 1985, Ramirez arrived in Arcadia and found the home of Mary Louise Cannon. He snuck inside and bludgeoned the sleeping woman. Unsatisfied, Ramirez stabbed her dead body. Three days later, on July 5, 1985, Ramirez was in the Sierra Madre. He attacked Whitney Bennett, a teenager, by hitting her with a tire iron. The Night Stalker then tried to strangle her with a cord but got spooked. The teen survived the attack.
Ramirez was back in Monterey Park on July 7, 1985. First, he killed Joyce Nelson by stomping on her face. Then he broke into Sophie Dickman’s home, tried to sexually assault her, and stole all her valuables.
Armed with a newly purchased machete, Ramirez drove to Glendale on July 20, 1985. He broke into Lela and Maxon Kneiding’s house, attacking them with a machete and then shooting them. The Night Stalker drove to Sun Valley after robbing the Kneiding’s residence. There he entered the Khovananth house and killed Chainarong Khovananth right away. Ramirez sexually assaulted Somkid Khovananth, who survived the attack.
On August 6, 1985, Ramirez arrived in Northridge, where he picked out Chris and Virginia Peterson’s house. After finding his way inside, Ramirez shot both of them. Chris fought back despite his injuries and tried to catch Ramirez. The couple survived the shooting. Two days later, Ramirez was in Diamond Bar, looking for his next victim. He found the Abowath residence and shot Elyas, the husband, immediately. Ramirez then sexually assaulted Sakina Abowath, who revealed the locations of all valuables in the house. Both she and her son survived the attack.
Meanwhile, the media covered the killing spree and Ramirez knew he had to flee from Los Angeles. He then traveled north to San Francisco and attacked Peter and Barbara Pan on August 18, 1985. Peter was asleep, and Ramirez shot him as he entered the bedroom. Then Ramirez proceeded to assault Barbara. Luckily, she survived. Ramirez once again left his footprints at the crime scene, and the investigators identified the model of the sneakers. Surprisingly, they were rare in North America.
Ramirez found out that the police knew about his footwear since all of the TV stations were reporting the news, therefore, he threw his sneakers off the Golden Gate Bridge. He was back in Los Angeles County soon after. The so-called Night Stalker attempted two more attacks on August 24, 1985. He drove a stolen vehicle to Mission Viejo and stalked the Romero residence. Luckily, James Romero III noticed someone in the garden and woke up his father. Ramirez sped away in his car.
He then broke into the Bill Carns’ home. Carns lived with his fiancée Inez Erickson. Ramirez shot Carns three times, and then sexually assaulted Erickson. He left the house with the valuables, leaving Ericson tied up. She freed herself and ran to find help for her fiancé.
The Arrest
Erickson’s detailed description of Ramirez helped police in identifying the Night Stalker. The investigators also found the stolen vehicle he used to get to Mission Viejo. Even though Ramirez was careful not to leave any fingerprints, he failed to wipe the car clean this time. The fingerprint was then entered into a brand new database, and the police got the match.
Ramirez was visiting his brother in Arizona at the time and had no idea that law enforcement was after him. He arrived in Los Angeles on a bus and saw his face on the front pages of all newspapers as people around him openly stared. Clearly in distress, Ramirez tried to run away by hijacking cars.
A group of citizens chased after Ramirez and caught him in Boyle Heights. Enraged by everything Ramirez had done, people were beating him in the street. The police arrived to find the infamous Night Stalker surrounded by hundreds of angry residents. In the end, Richard Ramirez was taken to the Hollenbeck police station.
The Trial and The Aftermath
The trial began in the summer of 1988, and Ramirez was once again back in the media thanks to his courtroom antics that included satanic symbols and Satan. The jury reached the verdict on September 20, 1989, and Richard Ramirez was found guilty of all charges. They included thirteen counts of murder, five attempted murders, eleven sexual assaults, and fourteen burglaries. Ramirez received the death penalty.
