The Night Stalker: Richard Ramirez, The Devil’s Spawn
As an enthusiast of true crime, I have encountered numerous unsettling stories. Among them, the chilling tale of Richard Ramirez stands out as one that sends shivers down my spine.
Richard Ramirez, born Ricardo “Richard” Levya Munoz Ramirez, gained notoriety as a serial killer who terrorized the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco during the mid-1980s. Often referred to as the “Night Stalker” or “The Valley Intruder,” Ramirez’s heinous acts were further associated with his identification as a Satanist.
Employing an array of weapons such as thumb cuffs, knives, handcuffs, and others, Ramirez employed a range of murder methods. These methods included stomping a victim to death while she slept and torturing another by shocking her with an electrical cord. Notably, he took pleasure in subjecting surviving victims to humiliation, forcing them to profess their love for Satan and swear that there were no valuables in their homes. Ultimately, Ramirez was convicted of 13 counts of murder, 5 attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. In 1989, he was sentenced to death and succumbed to B-cell lymphoma while awaiting execution in San Quentin Prison, California, in 2013.
The question arises: what could drive an individual like Richard Ramirez to commit such heinous acts? Studies suggest that his abusive childhood played a significant role in shaping his adult life. Ramirez’s father, Julian Ramirez, an alcoholic prone to fits of anger, subjected his wife and children to physical violence. It is worth noting that Julian himself had experienced domestic abuse. Additionally, Ramirez’s siblings were born with birth defects resulting from their mother Mercedes working in a boot factory and being exposed to toxic chemicals while heavily pregnant with Richard. Notably, Richard suffered multiple head injuries during his early childhood, experiencing epileptic fits from a young age. These injuries included an incident where a dresser fell on his head at the age of two and a fall from a swing at the age of five.
It is believed that Ramirez’s crimes were heavily influenced by his cousin Miguel Ramirez, a combat veteran who returned from the Vietnam War when Richard was 12 years old. Miguel had become a serial killer and rapist during his time in the United States Army, frequently boasting about his war crimes, which included acts of rape, mutilation, and decapitation. Prepubescent Richard was exposed to photographs of Miguel’s victims, which seemed to arouse him. Miguel also imparted military skills to Richard, teaching him techniques such as silent killing and remaining concealed in the darkness effectively.
Richard’s exposure to violence escalated further when Miguel shot his wife, Jesse, in front of Richard during a verbal argument. Curiously, rather than traumatizing Richard, the incident fascinated him. Miguel was found not guilty of Jesse’s murder by reason of insanity and PTSD resulting from his experiences during the war. Following the traumatic event, Richard sought refuge by sleeping in a nearby cemetery, attempting to escape from his father’s abusive environment.
Subsequently, Richard moved in with his sister Ruth and her husband Roberto. Unfortunately, Roberto turned out to be an obsessive voyeur, engaging in peeping tom activities and involving Richard in his “hikes.” Miguel would occasionally join them after his release from the Texas State Mental Hospital. At the age of 14, Richard started experimenting with LSD, bonding with Miguel over their shared interest in drugs and alcohol. It was during this time that Richard also developed an interest in Satanism.
Richard soon began acting on his fantasies, reportedly finding employment at a local Holiday Inn where he exploited his access to guests’ rooms using a master key to steal from them. He faced accusations of molesting two children in the elevator, although he evaded trial for these crimes. However, his employment at the hotel was terminated when he attempted to rape a woman but was apprehended by her husband.
At the age of 22, Richard relocated to California and fell into a cocaine addiction. Adopting a nomadic lifestyle, he frequently traveled between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Initially committing burglaries to sustain his drug habit, his criminal activities eventually took a darker and more sinister turn.
In the summer of 1984, Ramirez embarked on a killing spree, brutally taking the lives of over a dozen people. His acts included stomping on a woman’s face repeatedly and fleeing a scene where he was strangling a 16-year-old victim upon noticing sparks from an electric cord and believing that Jesus had come to save her. Ramirez would often draw pentagrams using his victims’ lipstick and retain macabre souvenirs, such as the eyes of a victim who had resisted him and attempted to shoot him.
One of his most horrifying acts involved abducting a 6-year-old girl named Anastasia Hronas, whom he repeatedly raped over several days before finally releasing her. Hronas, now 41 years old, bravely recounted the incident in the Netflix true crime series “Night Stalker.” She recalled Ramirez looking at her in a way that conveyed conflicting emotions, implying regret for his actions while refusing to stop. To this day, she remains uncertain as to why he spared her. Remarkably courageous, Anastasia played a vital role in identifying Ramirez after his capture. Detective Gill Carrillo was moved to tears by her bravery, and she expressed her willingness to testify in court to ensure that Ramirez could no longer harm young girls like herself.
The Night Stalker exhibited a high level of cunning, leaving no fingerprints at his crime scenes. The only leads available to the police were shoe prints matching an Avia size 11/12 shoe found at multiple crime scenes, Ramirez’s distinct dental features, and sketches provided by surviving victims. Aware that Ramirez followed the news, authorities kept the information about the shoe prints confidential. In fact, Ramirez instructed one of his victims to inform the police of the presence of the Night Stalker.
Ramirez’s reign of terror eventually met its end when a 13-year-old boy spotted him at 3 a.m. and recognized him as the unknown person depicted in media reports. The boy promptly recorded the license plate number and contacted the police. The car was determined to be stolen, and Ramirez’s fingerprint was discovered on the rearview mirror, leading to the circulation of his photograph.
Unaware of this new development, Ramirez had traveled to visit his brother in Tucson, Arizona. Upon his return, he encountered his own image in newspapers, accompanied by fearful identifications from a few Hispanic women referring to him as “el matador” (the killer in Spanish). In a panicked attempt to evade capture, Ramirez engaged in carjacking and threatened to kill residents until a mob and angry groups of people in Hubbard block subdued him. He was eventually apprehended by law enforcement on August 31, 1985, while helicopters and police officers closed in on his location. During his arrest, Ramirez displayed no remorse for his crimes and instead boasted to the police, claiming to have killed more than 20 people. His courtroom appearances turned him into a celebrity of sorts, with female admirers captivated by his looks and charm regularly visiting him.
Ramirez’s notoriety extended to his personal life, even while in prison. He engaged in romantic relationships and corresponded with numerous pen pals. Notably, he had a particular foot fetish and would request that women send him photos of their toes painted red. Doreen Lioy, one of his pen pals, wrote 75 letters to him during his incarceration, leading to
their eventual marriage in San Quentin. Ramirez opted not to wear a gold band on his finger, as it contradicted his beliefs as a Satanist. Their relationship continued until 2009 when Ramirez’s DNA was linked to the rape of a 9-year-old girl named Mei Leung.
Regarding his time in prison, Ramirez exhibited a lack of discipline and engaged in inappropriate behavior. He frequently exposed himself and masturbated in front of visitors and guards, leading to his placement behind a partition to prevent physical contact. Disturbingly, he even exposed himself to his 7-year-old niece, Shelly Ramirez, causing her to feel disgusted and refuse further visits.
Lieutenant Sam Robertson, the spokesperson for San Quentin, described Ramirez as nothing short of a monster behind bars. His strong desire for freedom prompted multiple escape attempts. The first known attempt occurred on September 21, 1993, while he was being transported between San Quentin and a San Francisco court. During a routine scan with a handheld metal detector, guards discovered that Ramirez had concealed a syringe, a ballpoint pen, a handcuff key, and a sticker bearing the message “I luv chocolate” in his rectal cavity. The second escape attempt took place in 1998 and was reportedly in its early stages when authorities intercepted a fan letter suggesting that the sender was aiding Ramirez’s plan. The sender was subsequently added to a restricted list, denying her access to the prison.
Ramirez’s interactions with other inmates, particularly their visitors, were severely restricted in 2004 after he exposed himself to a young girl in the visitor’s room. Although some privileges were later reinstated, they were revoked once again in 2007. By 2010, he had lost all personal visitation privileges. Despite a subsequent restoration of visitation rights, Ramirez refused to receive any visitors, leading to extended periods of solitude. Additionally, he was isolated from other death row inmates since around 2000, following a fight he started in the prison yard.
In his final days, a witness reported that Richard Ramirez appeared pale and emaciated, with a greenish hue resembling a highlighter pen. The observer had seen him performing stretches in his bed. It was later discovered that he had been suffering from Hepatitis C. Ramirez passed away on June 7, 2013, while on death row.
Ultimately, his death brought an end to a dark chapter in criminal history, leaving behind a legacy of fear and fascination.
