Richard Ramirez “The Night Stalker”: To Catch A Monster

Some Killers Are Made, Not Born

Content Warning: This episode talks about extreme violence and topics related to Satanism. Most of the graphic details have been censored but the reader’s discretion is still advised.

His generally preferred style of killing was to burglarize the home, kill the husbands, and then rape the wives. He said in interviews that he liked the excitement he got from seeing the fear in his victims before killing them.

He even would hide at times and make a noise on purpose to make his presence known so he could watch the fear in the victims faces before carrying out the execution.

Richard Ramirez’s Modus Operandi

An emergency warning was broadcast to all of the radio stations in Los Angeles, California. The authorities warned the people to stay indoors as much as possible and to ensure that all of their doors and windows were secured. Those who had the capabilities were encouraged to purchase additional firearms to protect themselves. Fear gripped the hearts of every resident staying in LA in the mid-1980s.

Weeks before the warning was issued, news spread about a series of violent murders happening throughout the greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay area. The victims were chosen seemingly at random by a killer the media dubbed “The Night Stalker.”

What made this monster especially terrifying was that he would wait to break into the homes of unsuspecting individuals and put them through a series of sadistic mind games before killing them in the most horrific way possible.

In the dead of the night when all seems quiet and you think you’re safe that’s when evil comes out to play.

Criminal File investigates, Case #17 — Richard Ramirez “The Night Stalker”

A Series Of Head Trauma

Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramirez was born on February 29, 1960, in El Paso, Texas to parents Julián Tapia Ramirez and Mercedes Muñoz Ramirez. He was the youngest of five and his father, a former policeman was known to be extremely abusive towards his wife and kids. The constant abuse suffered by Richard at the hands of his father drove him down a very dark path.

Richard suffered a horrific accident at the age of 2 when an entire dresser fell on him resulting in a concession that researchers believe may have hindered his mental development. When he was 5, he suffered yet another head injury when he was hit in the head, it is unknown whether this was an accident but the incident resulted in epileptic fits which followed him throughout his teenage years. His grades suffered throughout his schooling days and by the age of 10, he was already abusing substances and alcohol.

The Man Who Helped Train A Killer

Ramirez’s cousin, Miguel “Mike” Ramirez was a U.S. Green Beret who served during the Vietnam War. He used the excuse of war to commit horrific war crimes in which he sexually assaulted and murdered women before taking Polaroid photos of them as trophies.

When Mike returned home, he took 12-year-old Ramirez under his full-time care. Mike told Ramirez stories of his exploits in Vietnam and even taught him military tactics to kill in stealth. He also showed Ramirez photos of his victims who were often shown decapitated or mutilated.

I just want to emphasize that these happened when Ramirez was just 12 years old.

On May 4, 1973, Mike got into a heated argument with his wife Jessie in front of Ramirez and proceeded to shoot her in the face. Mike was found not guilty on reasons of insanity and was committed to the Texas State Mental Hospital. Ramirez became sullen and isolated himself from his family and friends after witnessing the murder. He later shared how he felt a sense of fascination from that incident.

A Monster Is Born

After Mike was institutionalized, Ramirez was first sent to Los Angeles to live with his brother Ruben who taught him how to break into apartments by picking locks. After an unknown period, he was sent to his sister Ruth’s house to live. Ruth’s husband Roberto, was a compulsive peeping tom and often brought Ramirez along for his nightly exploits.

Following Mike’s release in 1977, he taught Ramirez how to stalk and spy on women through their windows whilst undetected. By the time he was 14, Ramirez was hooked on LSD and developed an obsession with Satanism. As a result of his ‘role models’, he began associating sexual gratification with acts of violence.

He took up a part-time job at a local Holiday Inn where he reportedly molested two children in an elevator but for reasons unknown, escaped prosecution. On another occasion, he broke into the room of a female guest with the master key and attempted to assault her, fortunately, her husband returned in the nick of time and beat the living hell out of Ramirez. The couple decided not to press charges as they were from out of town and Ramirez again, went unpunished.

He dropped out of high school in ninth grade and later moved to California at the age of 22. He spent most of his days traveling between northern and southern California where he committed a series of burglaries and grand theft auto. Perhaps due to his heavy reliance on alcohol and substances, he had deformed teeth and his breath smelt like death which was a factor commonly brought up by people who knew him in their interrogations.

Psychiatrist Michael H. Stone described Ramirez as someone who became evil as a result of his environment rather than being born evil such as in the case of Ted Bundy. Ramirez was also diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder which caused him to feel indifferent or unable to feel empathy towards his victims.

Side trivia here, Ramirez was not the only killer to be given the nickname of “The Night Stalker”. Joseph James DeAngelo aka “The Golden State Killer” was first given the moniker of Night Stalker and he was also active during the same period as Ramirez.

The reason why Ramirez was able to continue killing for as long as he did was that he constantly switched up his M.O. making it difficult for the police to link the deaths to each other. Some victims were assaulted and shot while others were stabbed and robbed. And add to that his victims were all chosen at random without prejudice.

The next section will discuss the methods that Ramirez used to kill. Please skip ahead to his capture if you’re not comfortable. Again, I have done my best to censor the details without ruining the narrative but still, mentally prepare yourself before reading.

The Victims (Part 1)

• Ramirez murdered his first victim on April 10, 1984, when he lured 9-year-old Mei Leung into the basement of his apartment building in San Francisco. Once she was in the basement, he assaulted her before stabbing her to death with a switchblade. Her body was hanging from a pipe by her blouse. Her death was not linked to Ramirez until much later in 2009 when his DNA matched the samples found at the crime scene. There are more graphic details surrounding her death which I have excluded to protect my readers. Please consider that before researching this case.
• On June 28, 1984, Ramirez broke into the home of 79-year-old Jennie Vincow in Glassell Park, Los Angeles. She was stabbed in the head, neck, and chest whilst sleeping and was nearly decapitated.
• On March 17, 1985, 22-year-old Maria Hernandez was attacked outside her home and was shot point blank in the face with a .22 caliber handgun. Miraculously her keys deflected the bullet when she raised her hands to protect herself and she survived by playing dead.
• Her roommate 34-year-old Dayle Yoshiie Okazaki was not as lucky, Ramirez found her hiding behind a counter and shot her in the head.
• Within the hour, Ramirez had found his next victim, 30-year-old Tsai-Lian “Veronica” Yu was dragged out of her vehicle by him in Monterey Park and she was shot twice. She survived but later succumbed to her injuries in the hospital.
• On March 27, Ramirez broke into the house of 64-year-old Vincent Charles Zazzara. Charles was shot dead in his sleep while his wife, 44-year-old Maxine Levenia Zazzara was beaten savagely and before being restrained. Ramirez searched the house for valuables during which time, Maxine managed to free herself and grabbed the shotgun hidden under the bed. Tragically, the shotgun was not loaded as Charles had taken the rounds out when their grandchildren came for a visit. Maxine, unaware of this, pulled the trigger with the gun aimed squarely at Ramirez only to hear a loud click. In a fit of rage, Ramirez unloaded his handgun and with a large kitchen knife proceeded to mutilate her and carved an inverted cross on her chest. Her eyes were removed and placed in a jewelry box. He tried to sexually assault her afterward but couldn’t get it up and fled.
• On May 14, Ramirez broke into the home of 66-year-old Bill Doi and his disabled wife, 56-year-old Lillian Doi, and shot both of them with a .2 semi-automatic pistol. He sexually assaulted Lillian before leaving with their valuables.
• Ramirez drove his stolen Monrovia and discovered the house of 83-year-old Mabel “Ma’ Bell and her disabled sister, 81-year-old Florence “Nattie” Lang. He broke into the house, bludgeoned both women with a hammer, and sexually assaulted Lang. He drew Satanic symbols on their thighs and bedroom walls with Lang’s lipstick. Lang survived the ordeal but her sister unfortunately didn’t.
• The next day, 42-year-old Carol Kyle was sexually assaulted repeatedly while her 11-year-old son was restrained with handcuffs. The child was in the same room when it happened and Kyle was ordered not to look at her son or he would gouge her eyes out. Both mother and son survived the ordeal.
• On July 2, 75-year-old Mary Louise was bludgeoned with a lamp and stabbed to death with a 10-inch butcher knife he found in his apartment.
• On July 5, 16-year-old Whitney Bennett was bludgeoned with a tire iron while she was sleeping. He then strangled her with a telephone cord but when electrical sparks emanated from the cord, he let her go, believing that Jesus Christ had intervened to save her life. She survived but required 478 stitches.
• On July 7, 60-year-old Joyce Lucille Nelson was stomped repeatedly on her face by Ramirez whilst in her sleep. A shoe print from an Avia sneaker was left imprinted on her. Ramirez continued to prowl the area and found 63-year-old Sophie Dickman in her home, he sexually assaulted her at gunpoint and left with her jewelry after making her “swear to Satan” that she had nothing of value left to steal.
• On July 20, 66-year-old Lela Kneiding and her husband, 68-year-old Maxon Kneading were asleep when Ramirez burst through their door and hacked them viciously with a machete before shooting them to death. He then broke into the home of 32-year-old Chainarong Khovananth and shot him to death with a .25 caliber handgun before sexually assaulting his wife, 32-year-old Somkid Khovananth. In both cases, he had robbed the homes before leaving.
• On August 6, 27-year-old Virginia Peterson was shot in the face while 30-year-old Chris Peterson was shot in the neck in their bed, Chris fought back and Ramirez quickly fled, the couple survived.
• On August 8, 31-year-old Elyas Abowath was shot to death in his sleep while his wife, 27-year-old Sakina Abowath was handcuffed and beaten before sexually assaulted. He forced her to “swear on Satan” not to scream during the ordeal. Ramirez then tied up their 3-year-old son before continuing his assault on Sakina. Both mother and son survived.
• All of the crimes had happened in Los Angeles but when media coverage of his killings blew up, he fled to San Francisco. On August 18, he shot 66-year-old Peter Pan with a .25 caliber handgun and sexually assaulted his wife, 62-year-old Barbara Pan. He then carved the words “Jack the Knife” and a pentagram on the bedroom walls. An Avia shoeprint was left at the scene.

A Fatal Mistake

By this point, the task force led by Lead Detectives Frank Salerno and Gil Carrillo had tracked down the manufacturer of the Avia shoes. The shoes were rare and only 6 of them were made in size 11½. The Detectives knew all they had to do iso track down the buyer of the shoes in Los Angeles to find the killer.

Unfortunately, the then Mayor of San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein went public with all the information that the police had of the suspect. Salerno and Carrillo knew, the minute they heard the mayor speak, that all their efforts had gone the drain. Ramirez was obsessed with media coverage about his crimes so the minute he heard Feinstein’s speech, he threw his Avia sneakers in the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Victims (Part 2)

• On August 24, 45-year-old James Romero Jr. had just returned to Los Angeles from a family retreat in their truck and had decided to unpack the next morning. In the middle of the night, James went to his truck to retrieve some items when he heard footsteps on the other side of his house. He went to investigate the noise and saw Ramirez stalking his parents outside their bedroom window. James yelled at Ramirez who promptly fled the scene. He was able to remember the color and model of Ramirez’s stolen orange Toyota but was not able to get a good look at the car plate.
• The disgruntled Ramirez continued prowling the nearby streets and found 30-year-old Bill Carns and his fiancée, 29-year-old Inez Erickson asleep in their bedroom. He broke into their house and shot Carns thrice in the head. He then grabbed Erickson, forcing her to proclaim her love for the dark lord before introducing himself as “The Night Stalker.” Erickson was beaten and bound before being sexually assaulted by Ramirez who promptly left after taking all of their valuables. Carns was able to survive the gunshots.

Suspected Victims

• On June 27, 1985, 32-year-old Patty Elaine Higgins’ body was discovered in her home after she failed to show up to work. She was sodomized and her throat was slashed. Investigates initially charged Ramirez for the death of Higgins but they later revoked the charges due to a lack of evidence.
• In February 1985, 58-year-old Christina Calwell and her sister, 70-year-old Mary Caldwell were found stabbed to death in their apartment in San Francisco, Ramirez was suspected to be responsible but never charged.

Mob Justice

Thanks to the detailed description provided by Inez Erickson of her assailant and the DNA evidence that police found on an abandoned stolen Toyota in Koreatown, Los Angeles on August 29, 1985, they were able to match the prints and description to Ramirez. The police had his records in the system from his previous burglary charges. Law enforcement officials released his mug shots to the media and within hours, Ramirez’s face was plastered everywhere.

“We know who you are now, and soon everyone else will. There will be no place you can hide”

Statements from the Police Press Conference held following the identification of Ramirez

Ramirez returned to Los Angeles on the morning of August 31, 1985, after failing to meet his brother in Tucson, Arizona the previous day, since Ramirez was out of town he was unaware that news of his crimes was headlining practically every newspaper and television network.

He even walked past a couple of police officers who were waiting for the killer at the bus terminal. You see, the police were expecting Ramirez to flee Los Angeles and not return to the city hence they failed to notice him when he was exiting an inbound bus.

He continued walking when he noticed his face on a newspaper stand, then stopped to take a look, a nearby group of elderly women started whispering and saying the words “el matador” which roughly translates to the killer or kill while pointing straight at him. Soon a crowd was attracted by the noise and gathered around a panic-stricken Ramirez who tried to flee but was pulled back by the mob.

The group of over ten residents chased and beat the ever-living s*** out of Ramirez while he desperately tried to run down Hubbard Street in Boyle Heights. Had the police not been called, his life would have ended there.

The Night Stalker, Officially In Custody

Ramirez showed up to his first court appearance with a pentagram drawn on his hand while shouting “Hail Satan!” on July 22, 1988. The entire trial took over a year and on September 20, 1989, Richard Ramirez was sentenced to thirteen counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, eleven counts of sexual assaults, and fourteen counts of burglaries. He was sentenced to death in California’s gas chamber.

“Big deal. Death always went with the territory. See you in Disneyland.”

Ramirez’s statements in response to the death penalty.

He was unremorseful till the end and even smiled and smirked during his interrogations and interviews. He ultimately died of health complications while in prison on June 7, 2013.

Closing Out The Case

Despite the cruel nature of his crimes, Ramirez had no shortage of ‘fans’ outside of court. Most notably Doreen Lioy one of his biggest fans who at one point wrote up to seventy-five letters to him during his incarceration wound up marrying Ramirez while he was held in San Quentin State Prison. She finally came to her senses when news broke about Ramirez’s involvement in the death of 9-year-old Mei Leung and broke it off.

The media’s obsession with and serialization of Richard Ramirez’s life and crimes created a distorted view of him where some ‘fans’ saw him as some sort of anti-hero. A behavior that I absolutely cannot comprehend or wrap my head around. As we close out this case, let us remember and honor the memories of his victims. Until next time, Detective.

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