The youngest of 5 children, he was referred to as Richie as a child. While The Night Stalker did reference Ramirez's disturbing childhood, one of the documentary's biggest shortfalls is its lack of detail around the killer himself. Also, apparently no witnesses: https://ibb.co/H4PRHCw - Ramirez claims his two cousins (Miguel's children) were also there during the incident. Were "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez's heinous crimes a product of a difficult upbringing? His first known victim was 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, who was sexually assaulted, stabbed and killed during a burglary in her own home. Hisolder cousinMiguel was a heavy influence on his life, having fought in the Vietnam war, where he tortured and mutilated Vietnamese women. "I'd say 'can I go to the bathroom?'. Richard Ramirez leaves the courthouse after being sentenced to die in California's gas chamber. [59] The infuriated Ramirez shot her three times with the .22, killing her, then fetched a large carving knife from the kitchen. A shoe print from an Avia sneaker was left imprinted on her face. Growing up Richard was a troubled kid. A member of the jury got shot to death during the trial, 15. While Richard undoubtedly had a difficult childhood, his experiences cannot be used to justify his actions. Hronas explained. He was eventually found guilty. It was later said that this may have been part of his seizures. His father Julian was born in Mexico and used to be a police officer in Juarez, one of the most dangerous cities in the country. [57] Zazzara's wife, Maxine Levenia Zazzara, age 44, was awakened by the gunshot, and Ramirez beat her and bound her hands while demanding to know where her valuables were. His cousin, though, was acquitted of murder for reasons of insanity. All Rights Reserved. His father Julian was beaten extensively by his own father and his grandfather, which made him quiet and withdrawn. [76] He chose the home of Lela Kneiding, age 66, and her husband Maxon, age 68. [55] She was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The two bonded over joints and gory stories, and according to Philip Carlo's The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez, Mike taught his younger cousin some of the military tactics he had picked up during his time in Vietnam, such as killing with stealth. 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. His cousin boasted of raping and killing numerous women which fascinated Richard. The crime was not discovered until July 2, when she did not show up for work. [120] The crowd grew to several hundred people and was becoming unruly toward Ramirez, and responding officer Andy Ramirez (no relation)[116] stayed behind while officer Jim Kaiser drove Ramirez to the Hollenbeck police station.[116]. Night Stalker revisits Ramirez's crimes, which saw him break into the homes of innocent Californians at night and attack men, women, and children alike, sexually assaulting, mutilating, and murdering more than a dozen of them. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1989. His four brothers and sisters were called Robert, Ruth, Joseph, and Ruben, and were all born with birth defects due to the fact that their mother worked at a boot factory where she was exposed to chemical fumes while pregnant. [72] Bennett survived the savage beating and attempted strangulation, although 478 stitches were required to close the lacerations to her scalp. Richard was captured in 1985 and given 19 death sentences. His Childhood. He shot her fiance before the woman called the police and provided a detailed description of her assailant. [51] Ramirez's fingerprint was found on a mesh screen he removed to gain access through an open window. US Navy faces being totally outgunned by China in just seven years, says expert, Dances with Wolves actor pleads not guilty in 'sex cult' case, Star singer La Tigresa dies from a heart attack at 89 after storied career, TikTok star, 28, is charged with child abuse after 'attack on boyfriend', 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Serial killer Richard Ramirez pleaded not guilty to 68 felonies, including 14 counts of murder, Maria Hernandez, Richard Ramirez victim, 22 (shot with a .22 revolver), Richard Ramirez beat, raped and stabbed Mei Leung, 9, on April 10, 1984, docuseries Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer. After this incident, he started developing an interest in Satanism, something that would shape his worldview as an adult. He and Mike resumed bonding over their shared use of drugs and alcohol. He destroyed lives. On that day, he raped and murdered the 9-year-old girl Mei Leung in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, a tragic faith that remained a mystery for well over 2 decades. This puts him more in the category of Jeffrey Dahmer or even John Wayne Gacy because certain elements drove the individual over the edge. [100] This leak infuriated the detectives in the case, as they knew the killer would be following media coverage, which gave him the opportunity to destroy crucial forensic evidence. Plus, Mike boasted about the torture and rapes he had inflicted while in the U.S. Army by sharing Polaroid photos with Ramirez, including some where Mike posed with the severed head of a woman. It was around this time that his cousin Miguel (also known as Mike) returned from the Vietnam war, providing Richard with someone to look up to. His employment ended abruptly after Ramirez attempted to rape a woman in her hotel room and was caught in the act by the victim's husband. That means he basically just used whatever was available during his assaults. why was waylon jennings buried in mesa az; chop pediatric residency His older cousin Miguel was a heavy influence, having fought in the Vietnam war, where he tortured and mutilated Vietnamese women. He would have married anyone who would have married him, believed anything he said and done anything for him until he died. At the time, Ramirez responded,"Hey, big deal, death always comes with the territory. The serial killer is thought to have murdered at least 14 people, and raped and tortured dozens more before his 1985 capture. He bound the couple's 8-year-old son before dragging Somkid around the house to reveal the location of any valuable items, which he stole. After seeing him on television following his arrest, she started writing him letters. Some psychiatrists believe that he became one later on in life due to various elements coming together. [52] She survived when the bullet ricocheted off the keys she held in her hands as she lifted them to protect herself. US Navy faces being totally outgunned by China in just seven years, says expert, Dances with Wolves actor pleads not guilty in 'sex cult' case, Star singer La Tigresa dies from a heart attack at 89 after storied career, TikTok star, 28, is charged with child abuse after 'attack on boyfriend', 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Anastasia Hronas has told of her horrific assault. Mike would also brag about the women he had raped, showing graphic polaroid photos of his victims. Unlike for instance Ted Bundy, who can be considered to be the prototype of a born psychopath, its assumed that Ramirez wasnt a born psychopath at all. Finding her asleep on her living room couch, he beat her to death by stomping on her face repeatedly. Ricardo "Richard" Leyva Muoz Ramirez (/rmrz/; February 28, 1960 June 7, 2013), dubbed the Night Stalker, the Valley Intruder (as his attacks were first clustered in the San Gabriel Valley), and the Walk-In Killer was an American serial killer and sex offender whose crime spree took place in California between June 1984 and August 1985. Most of the incidents occurred in the homes of the victims themselves, as Ramirez entered in the dead of night . Thats one of the reasons why police had a difficult job connecting all these crimes initially. This was the first time he drew a pentagram on a victim's body. When Miguel returned from the Vietnam War, he regaled his young cousin with stories about his gruesome exploits, reported The New York Times. [104], Erickson gave a detailed description of the assailant to investigators,[105] and police obtained a cast of Ramirez's footprint from the Romero house. Not much else is known about Ramirez's siblings aside from the fact that his sister Ruth, his brother Joseph, and Joseph's teenage daughter attended his 1996 wedding in California's San Quentin Prison to Doreen Lioy. [66] The women were found two days later, alive but comatose and critically injured. [133] Ramirez had additional appeals pending until the time of his death. On a Monday, Richard Ramirez arrived on earth to his dad, Julin Ramirez, and her mother (Mercedes Ramirez). 3. The judge who upheld Ramirez's nineteen death sentences remarked that his deeds exhibited "cruelty, callousness, and viciousness beyond any human understanding". RICHARD Ramirez was an infamous serial killer who was given the nickname "Night Stalker" after his string of heinous crimes. His brother Robert also started to experiment with substance abuse, and Julian's disciplining of his children started to edge into abuse. While his actions are certainly hard to stomach, they need to be rooted in real-world context. ", "Supreme Court Minutes Wednesday, September 27, 2006, San Francisco, California", "California's 'Night Stalker' serial killer Richard Ramirez dies after decades on death row", "Netflix Releases Trailer for Richard Ramirez Doc 'Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer', Interview with Stela Vasques, Supporter and Friend of Serial Killer Richard Ramirez, "The Night Stalker", History Channel: Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Ramirez&oldid=1142184699, Mabel "Ma" Bell and Florence "Nettie" Lang, Both survived attack, but Bell later died of her injuries, Chainarong and Somkid Khovananth, and their 8-year-old son, Sakina and Elyas Abowath, and their 3-year-old son, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 00:09. Before leaving the home, Ramirez told Erickson, "Tell them the Night Stalker was here. Ramirez was born in El Paso, Tex. The days of The Night Stalker were finally over, and California breathed a sigh of relief! [21] Although the husband beat Ramirez at the scene, criminal charges were dropped when the couple, who lived out of state, declined to return to Texas to testify against him. Miguel was a decorated Green Beret veteran of the Vietnam War, but he was also a violent man who publicly displayed pride over having killed and assaulted Vietnamese civilians, according to Carlo's book. Does Unforgotten work without Nicola Walker? He died in 2013 due to cancer while on death row. "[109], On the night of June 27, 1985, 32-year-old Patty Elaine Higgins was murdered in her Arcadia home. Ramirez also cultivated a strong interest in Satanism and the occult. Leung was with her 8-year-old brother and looking for a lost one-dollar bill when Ramirez approached the girl and told her to follow him into the basement to find it. During his crime spree, he used handguns, knives, a machete, a tire iron, and a hammer. On August 30, 1985, Ramirez took a bus to Tucson,Arizona, to visit his brother, unaware that he had become the lead story in virtually every major newspaper and television news program across California. So when he moved to Los Angeles, he broke into houses to steal goods which he sold to buy more drugs. His father, a former Juarez, Mexico police officer, was often angry and physically abused his children, according to the book The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez by Philip Carlo. Richard once witnessed . He also had a son who died in 1973 during a gas explosion: https://ibb.co/kqbXt5V https://ibb.co/nnZwtw0 https://ibb.co/xqqx08P https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1272143/miguel-angel-valles-ramirez He later became a laborer on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. Hronas could hear German Shephards barking but said her attention quickly shifted back to her captor when he "made (her) get into a zipped-up duffel bag". According to The Crime Mag, Richard Ramirez did injustice to his own oral hygiene from a very early age. [46] He remained in the area for a few more days before heading back to the Los Angeles area. He apparently had a diet heavy on soft drinks and sugary foods, and wasn't one to brush his teeth too often. [122] Consequently, a metal detector was installed outside, and intensive searches were conducted on people entering. [84] He then shot Chris in the neck and attempted to flee; Chris fought back while avoiding being hit by two more shots during the struggle before Ramirez managed to escape. When he was outside he heard a rustling noise. By the time he had left his home in Texas and moved to California at the age of 22, he had begun frequently using cocaine. At his first court appearance, Ramirez raised a hand with a pentagram drawn on it and yelled, "Hail Satan! [92], Ramirez, who had been following the media coverage of his crimes, left Los Angeles and headed to San Francisco. That night, Ramirez raped a woman at her home and forced her to swear her love for Satan. He repeatedly demanded that she "swear on Satan" that she would not scream during his assaults. Ramirez grew up in El Paso, Texas. Are Perfect Match's Joey and Kariselle together? Instead, he looked for a job and found one at a nearby hotel. It wouldn't be long before Ramirez himself seeing the brunt of his father's beatings. This was something Ramirez wasnt aware of because he actually managed to get out of the city and took a bus to Tuscon in Arizona to visit his brother. However, the charges against him in the case were eventually dropped due to a lack of concrete physical evidence linking the Higgins murder to the Night Stalker crimes. Bell later died of her injuries in the hospital. So things would finally go back to normal, right? 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