NIGHT Stalker Richard Ramirez horrified the world with his diabolical crimes in the 1980s.
The serial killer and rapist murdered at least 13 people before he was caught by police in the summer of 1985. Here’s what you need to know about Ramirez’s background.
Where did Richard Ramirez live?
Richard Ramirez was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1960 and grew up in the southern state.
At the age of 22, he moved to California and stayed there until his arrest in 1985.
The majority of his crimes took place in Los Angeles and parts of California.
Where did Richard Ramirez grow up?
Richard Ramirez grew up in El Paso, Texas, the youngest son of Julian and Mercedes Ramirez’s five children.
His dad Julian – a former Mexican policeman – was prone to angry fits, often beating his children.
Ramirez was said to be terrified of his father’s violence and began sleeping in a local cemetery to escape his family life.
He began smoking marijuana at the age of 10 and was exposed to gruesome war stories by his older cousin, Mike, who fought in the Vietnam War.
Mike showed the young Ramirez graphic images of his exploits in Vietnam and later taught his young cousin some of his military skills, such as killing with stealth.
Ramirez was present on May 4, 1973, when his cousin Mike fatally shot his wife, Jessie, in the face with a .38 caliber revolver during an argument.
Then aged 13, Ramirez became withdrawn from his family and later began using LSD and cultivated an interest in Satanism.
Ramirez dropped out of Jefferson High School in the ninth grade and moved to California aged 22.
What did Richard Ramirez do?
Between the summer of 1984 and 1985, Richard Ramirez killed at least 13 people and raped and tortured at least two dozen.
His first known victim was 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, who was sexually assaulted, stabbed and killed during a burglary in her own home.
Nine months later from Vincow's murder on March 17, 1985, he attacked Maria Hernandez, who managed to escape his clutches.
Callously, he went on to kill her roommate, Dayle Okazaki.
What followed was a spree of brutal murders that followed the same pattern: shooting, brutal sexual assault, and stabbing.
He often attacked elderly pensioner couples and at one time raped and murdered a nine-year-old girl.
What happened to him?
Richard Ramirez was arrested after an extended chase on August 31, 1985.
The serial killer was badly beaten by East L.A. residents while attempting two carjackings as he tried to escape police.
During his trial, Ramirez attracted a cult-like following of Satan worshippers who idolized him.
On September 20, 1989, the jury finally returned a unanimous guilty verdict on 43 charges, including 13 counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, 11 sexual assault charges and 14 burglary charges.
The judge handed him the death sentence.
He was sent to California's San Quentin Prison where he lived out his sentence before he passed away.
Ramirez was on death row for 24 years before he died from cancer on June 7, 2013, at age 53.
He is survived by his wife Doreen Lioy, one of his supporters that he married in 1996.
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