Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. So far, we deduce that Richard Ramirez is of White ethnicity. During this time, the high toxicity of these chemicals were not known. The judge who advocated Ramirezs nineteen death sentences remarked his deeds showed cruelty, callousness, and meanness beyond any human understanding. Richards father had a short temper and was often physically and mentally abusive to him. He killed Vincent and then tortured his 44-year-old wife Maxine Zazzara, before killing her. Born on February 29, 1960, Ramirez was raised in El Paso, Texas. FOX 11 got exclusive access to the evidence that led to the identification and arrest of Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Hearing the commotion, neighbors came outside and surrounded Ramirez. He used a wide variety of weapons and would leave behind satanic symbols. From evading police to then-San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinsteins crucial mistake, Netflixs new show delves into his crimes, (SPOILER ALERT: Do not read on if you dont want to know what happens in Night Stalker: Searching for a Serial Killer.). Richard, the son of Mercedes and Julian Ramirez, was born in El Paso, Texas on February 28, 1960. A child was taken from the Montebello area and assaulted at a nearby construction site. To persuade him to talk, they put him in the same cell as The Hillside Strangler, and he got excited. This is where police found their first clue to the identity of the Night Stalker a shoe print from a men's Avia sneaker. All his siblings had birth defects, ranging from respiratory difficulty to bone deformities. According to local police who first responded to reports of a fight in the area, the crowd was waving and pointing at newspapers saying that the man they were detaining was the Night Stalker. Ramirez is now known to have had extremely bad teeth, and in the stolen car, they found a business card for a dentists office. Ramirez, who was 25 when he was caught, married Lioy, 41, a freelance teen magazine editor from Burbank, California in 1996. 3 of 26 4 of 26 A 1986 file photo of Richard Ramirez in court. The first occurred when he was two years old; as he tried to climb a dresser, it fell on top of him. Shortly after the shooting, Richard moved in with his older sister, Ruth, and her husband, Roberto, an obsessive peeping tom who took Richard along on his nocturnal exploits. Satan was his friend, he said. (Carlo, 1996). Because of shady people like Ramirez coming by the Black House House unannounced, Lavey and his wife installed a security fence, video cameras and employed full-time security guards. Richard Ramirez was 24 years old at the time of his first known murder. The ordeal ended with rape, arson and a triple homicide. Both of his parents, Julian and Mercedes, worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. He was a native of El Paso, Texas, and was born on February 29, 1960. He had an older cousin, Mike, who moved in with him when he was twelve. The most traumatizing truth of the death spree was that the murderer was making quite a living out of it, sufficient to hold all his drugs expenses. PHOENIX Richard Ramirez, known as the "Night Stalker," is one of the most vicious serial killers the nation has ever seen. Carrillo and Salerno tracked that stolen Toyota to a nearby impound lot. He ran. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()). Although the photos were inaccurate, their description pointed to who Richard Ramirez appeared to resemble. He was sentenced to 19 death penalties. He was an American serial murderer, rapist, and burglar. Cancer and drug use may have been a factor. He was the youngest among seven children. The hitherto unidentified killer was now identified, and his prison photo was splashed across leading newspapers and television channels. He had yellow, gapped teeth. He told police about a man from El Paso, Texas, who went by Rick a man who openly bragged about still-confidential information about the Night Stalker murders. This Netflix true-crime doc looks into Henry Lee Lucas, known as one of America's most prolific serial killers, who admitted to hundreds of murders. Forns, Joan, et al. After the police determined that the attacks around the city were likely all by one assailant, they started looking into other similar cases from the same period. He couldve left us a signed signature, Salerno says. (Los Angeles Times) 3 / 19 Police cordon off the area on Hubbard Street in East L.A. where. Earlier on in his killing spree, a series of young children became stolen from their beds, assaulted and then abandoned. He was a student, Salerno said in the documentary. However, it's unclear when and if this ever happened. Again, the husband was executed. Richard Ramirez did not have any kids. Born to an abusive Mexican-American railway worker, Ramirez had a troubled childhood. Richard got fascinated, rather than repulsed, by the images and stories of Vietnam that Mike shared with him. After his release, Richard made it no secret that he followed Satan, drawing Pentagrams on his hands and arms. We cannot say much good came out from the household. (Note: What you are about to read might be disturbing and upsetting.). As a result, there is a possibility that Richard Ramirezs father is Of Spanish descent. More on that below. But before he left the courtroom, Ramirez raised his hand to show a drawing of a pentagram on his palm. The cement at the site was still wet, and the print was extremely similar to the one found at the Zazzara home. As a child, he did not have very many good role models. His father was an abusive man. Within a 10-day period, there had been five more attacks, with just one victim left alive. The offender was ruthless. Ricardo Leyva Muoz Ramrez, or Richard Ramirez, was born in El Paso, Texas, and was raised by Mexican immigrants. Over the span of several months in 1984 through 1985, Ramirez sexually assaulted and murdered dozens of people eventually earning the moniker "The Night Stalker" as his late-night crimes terrorized much of Los Angeles. Just like the fans, in 1985, a freelance magazine editor Doreen Lioy used to send him letters. Richard Ramirez was the youngest of five children of Julian and Mercedes Ramirez. Richard Ramirez initially claimed innocence despite the overwhelming evidence against him. Earlier on in his killing spree, there were a series of young children being taken from their beds, assaulted, and then abandoned. But then, he dropped out of High School in the ninth grade. Hairstyle changes. The gun used in the Kneiding murders matched the one used in the Dayle Okazaki case back in March. Meanwhile, Ramirez continued his spree by brutally attacking an aged couple named William and Lillie Doi in 1985. What Goes Up, Must Come Down: The Study on the Effects of Media in TodaysSociety, http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/types-epilepsy-syndromes/temporal-lobe-epilepsy-aka-tle, Follow Professor Ramos' Blog on WordPress.com. They were Mexican immigrants. She refused. It was around this time that the Los Angeles Herald Examiner dubbed the killer the "Night Stalker." They never were able to find the shoes after that. Ramirez,. He was reportedly abused by his father, and he sustained multiple head injuries as a child. Here is a drawing of the Night Stalker suspect by Los Angeles Police Department artist F. G. Ponce on the 26th of August 1985, showing him wearing a cap, added to the original hatless figure. Young Anastasia raised her hand and asked, "Do I write the word two or the number 2?". The line between life and death was right there in front of me. His mother worked at a boot factory, where she was exposed to chemical fumes when she was pregnant with him. By that point, Richard Ramirez was already considered the main suspect in the brutal "Night Stalker" murders that had terrorized California for over a year. In some cases, he would sexually assault a kid he came across in the house during a burglary. He once said, Killing is killing, whether done for duty, profit, or fun., The American Psychopath also mentioned that I gave up love and happiness long ago. Moreso, he stated, Weve all got the power to kill in our hands, but most of us are afraid to use it. Richard enrolled in Jefferson High School. Most of the incidents occurred in the homes of the victims themselves, as Ramirez entered in the dead of night . Cohen wrote seven theses to determine different qualities that a monster may have. Los Angeles detectives followed a tip from a local woman whose father believed he had befriended the killer. Meanwhile, while in Vietnam, Richards cousin had a history of torturing and mutilation that he had inflicted on several Vietnamese women. When Richard was 13, he watched as Miguel shot and killed his wife, Jessie, during an argument. In a study done by Shawna Cleary and Joan Luxenberg, it was found that psychological and/or physical abuse was an. But because he was incapable of shutting off his irrational thoughts, he became consumed by, and acted on, his more hellish instincts. The abuse may have played a role in their violent behavior. Earlier on in his killing spree, there were a series of young children being taken from their beds, assaulted, and then abandoned. Investigators put two officers in the dentists office to be ready. But San Quentin government caught wind of the plot and instantly cut off the groupies access to Ramirez. After moving to Los Angeles, Ramirez got a tattoo, a witchs star on his elbow. Richard went against what is morally okay; he brutalized dozens and took the lives of 14, all while having no remorse. Richard Ramirez did not have any children. A few days later, he broke into the house of 64-year-old Vincent Zazzara. Of course, Richard Ramirez should have a few extended family members. Before he became caught, there were many Sketches of him by the Police Department. Detective Gil Carrillo spotted the similarities between the children's description and the one given by Maria Hernandez. Richard was fascinated with Mike and his stories; he saw him as a hero, a male figure he could look up to. Ive admitted he was a thief, but Ive never agreed that he did the works they say he did, Julian Ramirez reported to the newspaper. University of Minnesota Press, 1997. Not everyone who grows up with a rough childhood is a psychopath, but the constant harshness in Richards childhood may have played a role as to why he ruined the lives of many in California during the years 1984 to 1985. Ramirez grew up in El Paso, Texas, the youngest of five children born to Mexican immigrants. Carrillo and Salerno now agreed: These attacks were being perpetrated by one man. A few days later, in Northridge, California, Ramirez walked through an unlocked door to the home of husband and wife Chris and Virginia Peterson and shot both in head. The documentary investigates whether Father Joseph Maskell had Sister Cathy killed because she was about to expose him and others for sexually abusing teenage students at Archbishop Keough High School. Feinstein gave up the caliber of gun, the type of shoe, and the fact that he left foot prints. Ramirez started breaking into homes during this time. Similarly, his zodiac sign is Pisces. Two nights after the botched Northridge attack, the killer broke into a home in Diamond Bar, a city in eastern Los Angeles County. A normal person can kill but to torture and rape then desecrate a corpse for days or weeks one needs to be truly deranged to do this. Jennie Vincow's throat had been slashed, and she had been stabbed repeatedly. The man, who claimed to be the son of Satan, murdered more than a . Kensington Books, 1996. As a young boy, he began smoking marijuana and fell under the influence of his older cousin Mike, a decorated U.S. Army Green Beret combat veteran, who fascinated Richard with gruesome stories of how he raped and tortured women during the Vietnamese War. Richard was also present when Mike murdered his wife. Police spoke to the press and tried to keep control of the group as Ramirez was escorted out of the station. . Back then, California's fingerprint system was not yet automated. Around this time, Richard sought escape from his fathers violent temper by sleeping in a local cemetery. The earth judged him, fairly or unfairly; It no longer matters. When Ramirez first learned that the court had sentenced him to death, he snarled, shown Polaroids of these terrified women performing fellatio on Mike as he looked to the camera and smiled. Soon after, police discovered alarming text messages from his girlfriend, Michelle Carter, which seemed to encourage him to kill himself. "We are mourning the loss of our son and brother, Richard Ramirez," the family told. Also, while growing up, he became influenced by his older cousin, Mike, who fought in the Vietnam War. Besides, he was also an alcoholic. As a child, he discovered he derived intense sexual arousal from his cousin's pictures and verbal accounts of rape and murder in Vietnam. After 14 months of his reign of terror, 25 year old Richard Ramirez, now dubbed the Night Stalker, was captured. In a bid to talk about the roots of Richard Ramirez, we would begin by determining his fathers ancestry, Julian and his mother, Mercedes. He's the youngest of five children. The youngest of five children to Mexican immigrants, his family lived in poverty in El Paso, Texas. Richards publicized home violation and murder spree terrorized the over fourteen months, Greater Los Angeles area residents and later the San Francisco Bay Area. I used this source to provide evidence on how Richards mothers exposure to toxic chemicals while pregnant with him may have contributed to his diagnosis of ADHD. Ramirez was responsible for the brutal murders . As A&E explained, Richard Ramirez was a sociopath whose thoughts and actions were shaped by childhood trauma. Ramirez would often commit thefts to support his drug addiction, many of which were characterized by murders, rapes, attempted murders, and assaults. Pentagram tattooed on his palm. Salerno is seen here, opening the squad car door for the handcuffed Buono. Richard belonged to a low-income family, majorly because of the lifestyle of drunkenness. That morning, Ramirez walked into a liquor store in downtown Los Angeles and saw his face on the front page of the newspaper. Ryan White's documentary series debuted in 2017 and explores the murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik, who disappeared in November 1969 and whose body was discovered in January of 1970. As a child, Ramirez suffered two major head injuries. In 2009, police matched Ramirez's DNA with a sample collected at the scene of an unsolved murder of a 9-year-old girl in San Francisco in 1984. Mercedes worked long hours on an almost daily basis in a boot factory mixing pigments for the footwear. He destroyed lives. So, police continued following other leads to track down the man now known as the Night Stalker. Two more Avia prints were found at the Sun Valley crime scene. An X-ray revealed that Ramirez had stuffed a handcuff key inside his rectum along with a ballpoint pen, a syringe, and, strangely, a sticker that read, I love chocolate.. Richard Ramirez famously stayed at the hotel during the height of his killing spree. Despite vowing not to treat his five children the same way, things turned violent if the children got into trouble. When she went down I saw it all in slow motion (Carlo, 1996). As soon as Ramirez started running, people recognized him from the newspapers. Notwithstanding, there is more to know about him. Richard Ramirez was raised by a violent father Netlfix Born Ricardo Leyva Muoz Ramirez in El Paso, Texas, Richard Ramirez was the son of Mexican immigrants, including a father who was. Serial killer Richard Ramirez murdered 13 people in California in the 80s Credit: YouTube The Satanic killer, who terrorized Los Angeles residents in the mid-eighties with his rampant killing. 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