Richard Muñoz Ramirez (born February 29, 1960 in El Paso, Texas) is a convicted serial killer awaiting execution on California's death row at San Quentin State Prison. Prior to his capture, Ramirez was dubbed the "Night Stalker" by the news media as he terrorized California with a series of car and home abductions, *****, and ******* during the first half of 1985.
THE EARLY YEARS
Ramirez was born in February 1960, he was the youngest of seven ******** and his ****** was a Mexican-American railway worker, Julian Ramirez, who lived in El Paso, Texas. Ricky, as he liked to be known, was a sad and solitary ***** who would play truant and spend hours in the town's video arcades, glue sniffing or smoking *********.
At a young age he began shoplifting, picking pockets and burgling homes to raise money for his **** habits and his school reports were woeful. He was sent to a home for juvenile delinquents in 1977, the same year that his criminal record began. Ramirez came to the police's attention several more times before finally being given probation in 1982 for possession of *********.
Fed up with El Paso, he quit and moved to San Francisco and later to Los Angeles. He developed an interest in guns and knives, got hooked on ******* and took an unhealthy interest in Satanism.
At this time, Ricky Ramirez was not a pleasant sight.
He ***** rough, wore dirty black t-shirts and jeans and had bad teeth and bad skin. He lived on a diet of junk food, cola and cakes.
But despite having no job he always had money.
He boasted to friends about possessing a master key to several cars, which he stole at whim. He burgled homes and warehouses for electrical appliances and jewellery, which he sold on to finance his ******* habit. Eventually the LAPD caught up with him and he spent time in jail for car theft.
Not long after his release in the spring of 1984 he embarked on the road to becoming a serial killer.
THE ******* SPREE
Richard Ramirezs random and inexplicable ****** spree began on June 28, 1984, in Glassel Park, Calif., a small suburban community in Los Angeles. He parked his car down the street and quietly made his way up to a two-story apartment building. His eyes began scanning the area looking for an easy target. A heat wave was moving through the area, so he had little trouble finding an apartment with an open window. The open window he chose belonged to 79-year-old Jennie Vincow.
****** was the farthest thing from his mind at the moment. He was more interested in stealing the womans valuables to support his growing **** addiction. With gloved hands, he quietly removed the screen from the window and crawled inside. According to Philip Carlos 1996 book, The Night Stalker, Ramirez immediately made his way to the bedroom and began looking through the drawers, careful not to make a sound. Nothing. There was not one thing of value for him there. He became enraged at the elderly woman ******** on the bed and decided to take his anger out on her. He quietly removed his hunting ***** from its sheath and made his way toward her bed. He stood over her momentarily and contemplated his next move. ******* was something new to him and he did not want to make any mistakes. He held the ***** up high and quickly brought it down on her chest. She immediately awoke and began screaming for her life, but he ignored her cries and continued to stab her again and again. After he tired of stabbing her, he placed his hand over her mouth and with one quick flick of the ***** slit her throat. It was suddenly over just as quickly as it began. The elderly woman was dead and her killer stood over her panting. The act had excited him beyond his expectations and the thrill of the **** aroused him sexually. He quickly disrobed and performed *********** on the corpse
Later that day, Mrs. Vincows *** discovered the grisly scene and reported it to police. Investigators were stumped. There was no apparent motive for the ****** and the suspect had left few clues behind.
Less than a year later, on the night of March 17, 1985, Ramirez struck again. Hiding in the shadows of a Rosemead condominium complex he waited and watched for a victim to appear. He did not have to wait long before spotting 20-year-old Maria Hernandez pulling into one of the driveways. As she stepped out of her car, Ramirez jumped out from the darkness and raised his ***. Maria pled for her life as she instinctively raised her hand to protect herself. Ramirez pulled the trigger. Maria fell to the ground and Ramirez stepped over her body and walked into her condo. But Maria was not dead. Amazingly, the bullet had deflected off the car keys she had been holding and she was only pretending to be dead. Upon entering the condo, Ramirez was taken off guard by the sight of Marias roommate, 34-year-old Dayle Okazaki. Ramirez quickly raised his *** and fired a shot directly at her head. A single bullet entered her brain, ******* the young woman instantly. Ramirez quickly fled, but in his hurry he dropped his baseball cap, with an AC/DC insignia. Maria, still badly shaken, described her assailant as tall, gaunt man with bulging eyes and widely spaced, rotten teeth. She also said she thought he might be Hispanic.
According to Clifford L. Linedeckers 1991 book, Night Stalker, Ramirez was angered by his foul up and waited less then an hour to strike again. He drove to the Monterey Park area and ambushed 30-year-old Tsai-Lian Yu. Ramirez **** the young woman out of her car and fired several shots in rapid succession. Afterward, he got into his own car and drove away just as quickly as he had appeared.
Less than two weeks later, on March 27, 1985, Ramirez broke into the home of 64-year-old Vincent Zazarra and his 44-year-old wife Maxine. Vincent was ******** on the sofa when Ramirez snuck up on him and shot him point blank in the head. Vincent died almost immediately, however his wife was not so lucky. Ramirez shot her three times and then began to continuously stab her all over her body. When he tired of the motions, he slowed down and began carving designs into her flesh. Afterward, he ransacked the house, and then, before leaving, he carved out both of Maxines eyes.
Carlo wrote that when investigators were summoned to the scene a few days later they discovered footprints in the flowerbed, which they photographed and casted. The bullets were later determined to have come from the same *** as the ones in previous attacks and investigators were now certain that they had a crazed serial killer on their hands.
The killer waited a little longer before striking again, but by April 14, 1985, he broke into the Monterey home of 65-year-old Harold Wu and his 56-year-old wife Jean. As Ramirez made his way towards the bedroom, he cocked his *** in anticipation. Chambering the bullet made a loud clicking noise, which immediately alerted Harold. As Ramirez entered the bedroom he noticed Harold reaching for his 9-millimeter ******. Ramirez quickly raised his own *** and fired one shot, striking the man just above the upper lip. Ramirez went to fire a second round, but his *** jammed. He then used his gloved fists to beat Harold ***********. Afterwards, he picked up the 9-millimeter ****** and set his sites on Jean, who was now awake and trembling. The elderly woman was unable to run away and Ramirez began to pummel the woman with his fists. After a few minutes he decided to have a look around and bound the elderly womans hands together with thumb cuffs. Ramirez ransacked the home looking for valuables, but found nothing of great significance. The thrill of the crime had excited him, so he returned to the bedroom and violently ***** Jean Wu. Afterwards, he kissed her and left the home with whatever belongings he could carry. Moments later, Harold came to and crawled to the telephone. He dialed 911 and when the operator answered he muttered, "Help, please help me," before *********** again.
Emergency personnel quickly arrived at the scene and began treating the elderly couple. Harold was in a dire state and Jean was in catatonic shock. At first they thought Harold was going to make it, but their best efforts were not enough to save him and he died during the trip to the hospital. Jean survived the ******, but was unable to tell investigators what had happened. Dark skinned man, bad teeth, and a black *** were about the only things they could get out of her. Once again footprints were discovered at the scene. The prints, along with the bullet, were later matched to those left behind at the other scenes. The Los Angeles Times dubbed the unknown killer "The Night Stalker."
On May 29, 1985, 83-year-old Malvia Keller and her invalid ******, 80-year-old Blanche Wolfe, were attacked in Keller's Monrovia home. Ramirez beat both women with a hammer and ransacked the home. Afterward, he took lipstick and drew a pentagram on Keller's inner thigh. He then drew a second one on the bedroom wall. Four days later a horrified gardener discovered the sisters and contacted the police. Keller survived, but Wolfe died soon thereafter. It was later revealed that Ramirez had tried to **** Keller during the ******.
On May 30, 1985, in Burbank, Ramirez attacked 41-year-old Ruth Wilson in her home. Linedecker wrote that after tying up the victims 12-year-old ***, Ramirez ***** and sodomized her. "Don't look at me," he snarled. "If you look at me again, I'll shoot you." Afterward, he slashed her once with his ***** and told her she was lucky. "I dont know why Im letting you live," he whispered. He then let her *** out of the closet and handcuffed them together. Ramirez left them there and later the young boy was able to get to a phone and call 911. When police later questioned Ruth she described her attacker as a tall Hispanic with long dark hair.
Just 10 years earlier Los Angeles had dealt with The Hillside Stranglers and now it was sheer panic all over again. The police department placed extra manpower in every area of the city. Sketched pictures of The Night Stalker were distributed throughout the region and police stopped and investigated numerous men who fit the bill. Residents began buying guns and hardware stores began selling out of locks and deadbolts. Nonetheless, Ramirez was not scared of being caught and felt that Satan himself was protecting him from danger.
On June 27, 1985, Ramirez ***** a 6-year-old girl in Arcadia and the following day the body of 32-year-old Patty Elaine Higgins was found in her Arcadia home. Ramirez had beaten the woman within an inch of her life and then slit her throat. Afterwards he ransacked her home. Just five days later, on July 2, Ramirez struck again and ******** 75-year-old Mary Louise Cannon. Like Patty Higgins, she had been beaten, her throat slit, and the house ransacked.
Three days later, On July 5, Ramirez attacked 16-year-old Deidre Palmer in Arcadia. He savagely beat the young girl with a tire iron and left her for dead. Amazingly, she survived her injuries. Just two days later, the body of 61-year-old Joyce Lucille Nelson was found in her home in Monterey Park. Ramirez had bludgeoned her to death. Later that same night, in Monterey Park, Ramirez attacked 63-year-old Linda Fortuna. He attempted to **** her, but was unable to maintain an erection. Frustrated, he quickly ransacked her house and left without ******* her.
On July 20, 1985, Ramirez broke into the Glendale home of 66-year old Maxson Kneiling and his wife Lela, also 66. Ramirez shot both of them in the head and ********* their corpses. Just hours later Ramirez struck again. This time in Sun Valley, where he broke into the home of 32-year-old Chitat Assawahem and his wife Sakima, 29. Ramirez shot Chitat as he ***** and then ***** and beat his wife. Ramirez then tied up Sakima and gathered up $30,000 in cash and jewelry. He was not yet ready to leave though and turned his anger on the couple's eight-year-old ***, whom he ******** sodomized before leaving.
Less than a month later, on Aug. 6, 1985, Ramirez broke into the Northridge home of 38-year-old Christopher Petersen and his wife, 27-year-old Virginia. Ramirez shot both of them in the head, but amazingly both survived. Mr. Petersen was a large man, and despite his injuries, he was able to chase the intruder away.
Ramirez waited just two days to strike again, this time in Diamond Bar, Calif. He broke into the home of 35-year-old Ahmed Zia and his wife, 28-year-old Suu Kyi. Ramirez quickly disposed of Ahmed with a bullet to the head and then ***** and sodomized Suu Kyi.
The police were now facing a barrage of criticism from the public. The crimes were becoming more frequent and the cooling-off periods were becoming even shorter. With all the added publicity about his crimes, and the manhunt to find the killer, Ramirez began to panic and fled north to continue his ****** spree.
On Aug. 24, 1985, Ramirez traveled to Mission Viejo, some 50 miles south of Los Angeles. According to Michael Newton, author of the Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, he then broke into the home of 29-year-old Bill Carns and his fiancée, 27-year-old Inez Erickson. Ramirez shot Carns in the head and then proceeded to **** Erickson. Afterwards, he demanded she swear her love for Satan and then he tied her up and left. Erickson quickly worked herself free of her constraints and ran to the window just in time to see the assailant get into an orange colored car. She then called 911. Earlier that same night, a young man had noticed an orange Toyota circling the neighborhood. It struck him as suspicious and he wrote down the license plate number. The following day he contacted the police about the car.
When investigators ran the license plate, they learned that the car had recently been stolen. An APB was immediately put out and two days later the car was found abandoned in a seedy Los Angeles neighborhood. Police spent the next several days watching the car, but their suspect never came back for it. Later, as crime scene specialists and finger print technicians went over the car they came up with a single print on the rearview mirror. It took several hours for the computer to match the print, but it eventually identified the suspect as Ricardo "Richard" Leyva Ramirez. Finally the police knew the Night Stalkers identity. Now they had to find him.
ARREST
When Ramirez stepped off a Greyhound bus in LA on Saturday 31st August after arriving from Phoenix (where he had been buying *******), he soon realised that his luck had run out.
As he walked into Tito's ****** Store in the Hispanic heartland of East LA to buy his usual sugary breakfast, a can of Pepsi and a packet of doughnuts, he glanced down at the newspaper rack. He saw his own photo staring back at him under the headline "Police Identify Stalker Suspect".
Ramirez knew the game was up.
He turned on his heels and ran for two miles. Police cars descended on the area amid reports that the Night Stalker had been spotted. Ramirez tried to commandeer a car but the driver fought him off and a group of bystanders rushed to her aid. He fled, jumping over fences and into the back gardens of homes in this tough East LA neighbourhood.
It was an area where many Hispanic fugitives from justice might expect to be hidden by locals simply because of their ethnic origins. But the Night Stalker's horrific and indiscriminate crimes granted him only hatred and contempt from the Mexican-American community.
Carpenter Luis Munoz hit him with his barbecue tongs when he emerged over his garden fence. But Ramirez escaped and found 56-year-old Faustino Pinon working on his car. He got into the driver's seat and was about to turn the ignition key when Mr Pinon gripped him in a headlock. Eventually Ramirez broke free and ran towards a car that Angelina de la Torres was just about to drive off in.
He ordered her out and shouted: "Te voy a matar! (I'm going to **** you!)"
"El Matador! El Matador! (The Killer!)", she screamed and whacked him with the car door. Her husband, Manuel, came to her aid and soon Ramirez was surrounded by a mob of neighbours, many of whom were armed with steel bars and tools. He ran but was soon cornered, beaten to the ground and then pinned there until police arrived and took him into custody. A mob had to be held back as they surrounded the police station and shouted: "Hang him!"
Ramirez is said to have told police, "I did it, you know. You guys got me, the Stalker."
He also hummed the tune of AC-DC's song Night Prowler and told detectives, "You think I'm crazy, but you don't know Satan."
It seemed like an open and shut case, but when it came to trial (after repeated delays caused by Ramirez firing his lawyers) he claimed he was innocent and a victim of mistaken identity.
His attorney, Ray Clark, said repeated use of pictures of Ramirez on television had contaminated the identification evidence of key witnesses.
Witness identification expert Elizabeth Loftus told the trial that research showed that people often have difficulty identifying people of a different race and often make mistakes when their attention is focused on his *** or *****.
Julian Ramirez also claimed his *** had been at home in El Paso on the night of Mabel Bell's ******.
THE EARLY YEARS
Ramirez was born in February 1960, he was the youngest of seven ******** and his ****** was a Mexican-American railway worker, Julian Ramirez, who lived in El Paso, Texas. Ricky, as he liked to be known, was a sad and solitary ***** who would play truant and spend hours in the town's video arcades, glue sniffing or smoking *********.
At a young age he began shoplifting, picking pockets and burgling homes to raise money for his **** habits and his school reports were woeful. He was sent to a home for juvenile delinquents in 1977, the same year that his criminal record began. Ramirez came to the police's attention several more times before finally being given probation in 1982 for possession of *********.
Fed up with El Paso, he quit and moved to San Francisco and later to Los Angeles. He developed an interest in guns and knives, got hooked on ******* and took an unhealthy interest in Satanism.
At this time, Ricky Ramirez was not a pleasant sight.
He ***** rough, wore dirty black t-shirts and jeans and had bad teeth and bad skin. He lived on a diet of junk food, cola and cakes.
But despite having no job he always had money.
He boasted to friends about possessing a master key to several cars, which he stole at whim. He burgled homes and warehouses for electrical appliances and jewellery, which he sold on to finance his ******* habit. Eventually the LAPD caught up with him and he spent time in jail for car theft.
Not long after his release in the spring of 1984 he embarked on the road to becoming a serial killer.
THE ******* SPREE
Richard Ramirezs random and inexplicable ****** spree began on June 28, 1984, in Glassel Park, Calif., a small suburban community in Los Angeles. He parked his car down the street and quietly made his way up to a two-story apartment building. His eyes began scanning the area looking for an easy target. A heat wave was moving through the area, so he had little trouble finding an apartment with an open window. The open window he chose belonged to 79-year-old Jennie Vincow.
****** was the farthest thing from his mind at the moment. He was more interested in stealing the womans valuables to support his growing **** addiction. With gloved hands, he quietly removed the screen from the window and crawled inside. According to Philip Carlos 1996 book, The Night Stalker, Ramirez immediately made his way to the bedroom and began looking through the drawers, careful not to make a sound. Nothing. There was not one thing of value for him there. He became enraged at the elderly woman ******** on the bed and decided to take his anger out on her. He quietly removed his hunting ***** from its sheath and made his way toward her bed. He stood over her momentarily and contemplated his next move. ******* was something new to him and he did not want to make any mistakes. He held the ***** up high and quickly brought it down on her chest. She immediately awoke and began screaming for her life, but he ignored her cries and continued to stab her again and again. After he tired of stabbing her, he placed his hand over her mouth and with one quick flick of the ***** slit her throat. It was suddenly over just as quickly as it began. The elderly woman was dead and her killer stood over her panting. The act had excited him beyond his expectations and the thrill of the **** aroused him sexually. He quickly disrobed and performed *********** on the corpse
Later that day, Mrs. Vincows *** discovered the grisly scene and reported it to police. Investigators were stumped. There was no apparent motive for the ****** and the suspect had left few clues behind.
Less than a year later, on the night of March 17, 1985, Ramirez struck again. Hiding in the shadows of a Rosemead condominium complex he waited and watched for a victim to appear. He did not have to wait long before spotting 20-year-old Maria Hernandez pulling into one of the driveways. As she stepped out of her car, Ramirez jumped out from the darkness and raised his ***. Maria pled for her life as she instinctively raised her hand to protect herself. Ramirez pulled the trigger. Maria fell to the ground and Ramirez stepped over her body and walked into her condo. But Maria was not dead. Amazingly, the bullet had deflected off the car keys she had been holding and she was only pretending to be dead. Upon entering the condo, Ramirez was taken off guard by the sight of Marias roommate, 34-year-old Dayle Okazaki. Ramirez quickly raised his *** and fired a shot directly at her head. A single bullet entered her brain, ******* the young woman instantly. Ramirez quickly fled, but in his hurry he dropped his baseball cap, with an AC/DC insignia. Maria, still badly shaken, described her assailant as tall, gaunt man with bulging eyes and widely spaced, rotten teeth. She also said she thought he might be Hispanic.
According to Clifford L. Linedeckers 1991 book, Night Stalker, Ramirez was angered by his foul up and waited less then an hour to strike again. He drove to the Monterey Park area and ambushed 30-year-old Tsai-Lian Yu. Ramirez **** the young woman out of her car and fired several shots in rapid succession. Afterward, he got into his own car and drove away just as quickly as he had appeared.
Less than two weeks later, on March 27, 1985, Ramirez broke into the home of 64-year-old Vincent Zazarra and his 44-year-old wife Maxine. Vincent was ******** on the sofa when Ramirez snuck up on him and shot him point blank in the head. Vincent died almost immediately, however his wife was not so lucky. Ramirez shot her three times and then began to continuously stab her all over her body. When he tired of the motions, he slowed down and began carving designs into her flesh. Afterward, he ransacked the house, and then, before leaving, he carved out both of Maxines eyes.
Carlo wrote that when investigators were summoned to the scene a few days later they discovered footprints in the flowerbed, which they photographed and casted. The bullets were later determined to have come from the same *** as the ones in previous attacks and investigators were now certain that they had a crazed serial killer on their hands.
The killer waited a little longer before striking again, but by April 14, 1985, he broke into the Monterey home of 65-year-old Harold Wu and his 56-year-old wife Jean. As Ramirez made his way towards the bedroom, he cocked his *** in anticipation. Chambering the bullet made a loud clicking noise, which immediately alerted Harold. As Ramirez entered the bedroom he noticed Harold reaching for his 9-millimeter ******. Ramirez quickly raised his own *** and fired one shot, striking the man just above the upper lip. Ramirez went to fire a second round, but his *** jammed. He then used his gloved fists to beat Harold ***********. Afterwards, he picked up the 9-millimeter ****** and set his sites on Jean, who was now awake and trembling. The elderly woman was unable to run away and Ramirez began to pummel the woman with his fists. After a few minutes he decided to have a look around and bound the elderly womans hands together with thumb cuffs. Ramirez ransacked the home looking for valuables, but found nothing of great significance. The thrill of the crime had excited him, so he returned to the bedroom and violently ***** Jean Wu. Afterwards, he kissed her and left the home with whatever belongings he could carry. Moments later, Harold came to and crawled to the telephone. He dialed 911 and when the operator answered he muttered, "Help, please help me," before *********** again.
Emergency personnel quickly arrived at the scene and began treating the elderly couple. Harold was in a dire state and Jean was in catatonic shock. At first they thought Harold was going to make it, but their best efforts were not enough to save him and he died during the trip to the hospital. Jean survived the ******, but was unable to tell investigators what had happened. Dark skinned man, bad teeth, and a black *** were about the only things they could get out of her. Once again footprints were discovered at the scene. The prints, along with the bullet, were later matched to those left behind at the other scenes. The Los Angeles Times dubbed the unknown killer "The Night Stalker."
On May 29, 1985, 83-year-old Malvia Keller and her invalid ******, 80-year-old Blanche Wolfe, were attacked in Keller's Monrovia home. Ramirez beat both women with a hammer and ransacked the home. Afterward, he took lipstick and drew a pentagram on Keller's inner thigh. He then drew a second one on the bedroom wall. Four days later a horrified gardener discovered the sisters and contacted the police. Keller survived, but Wolfe died soon thereafter. It was later revealed that Ramirez had tried to **** Keller during the ******.
On May 30, 1985, in Burbank, Ramirez attacked 41-year-old Ruth Wilson in her home. Linedecker wrote that after tying up the victims 12-year-old ***, Ramirez ***** and sodomized her. "Don't look at me," he snarled. "If you look at me again, I'll shoot you." Afterward, he slashed her once with his ***** and told her she was lucky. "I dont know why Im letting you live," he whispered. He then let her *** out of the closet and handcuffed them together. Ramirez left them there and later the young boy was able to get to a phone and call 911. When police later questioned Ruth she described her attacker as a tall Hispanic with long dark hair.
Just 10 years earlier Los Angeles had dealt with The Hillside Stranglers and now it was sheer panic all over again. The police department placed extra manpower in every area of the city. Sketched pictures of The Night Stalker were distributed throughout the region and police stopped and investigated numerous men who fit the bill. Residents began buying guns and hardware stores began selling out of locks and deadbolts. Nonetheless, Ramirez was not scared of being caught and felt that Satan himself was protecting him from danger.
On June 27, 1985, Ramirez ***** a 6-year-old girl in Arcadia and the following day the body of 32-year-old Patty Elaine Higgins was found in her Arcadia home. Ramirez had beaten the woman within an inch of her life and then slit her throat. Afterwards he ransacked her home. Just five days later, on July 2, Ramirez struck again and ******** 75-year-old Mary Louise Cannon. Like Patty Higgins, she had been beaten, her throat slit, and the house ransacked.
Three days later, On July 5, Ramirez attacked 16-year-old Deidre Palmer in Arcadia. He savagely beat the young girl with a tire iron and left her for dead. Amazingly, she survived her injuries. Just two days later, the body of 61-year-old Joyce Lucille Nelson was found in her home in Monterey Park. Ramirez had bludgeoned her to death. Later that same night, in Monterey Park, Ramirez attacked 63-year-old Linda Fortuna. He attempted to **** her, but was unable to maintain an erection. Frustrated, he quickly ransacked her house and left without ******* her.
On July 20, 1985, Ramirez broke into the Glendale home of 66-year old Maxson Kneiling and his wife Lela, also 66. Ramirez shot both of them in the head and ********* their corpses. Just hours later Ramirez struck again. This time in Sun Valley, where he broke into the home of 32-year-old Chitat Assawahem and his wife Sakima, 29. Ramirez shot Chitat as he ***** and then ***** and beat his wife. Ramirez then tied up Sakima and gathered up $30,000 in cash and jewelry. He was not yet ready to leave though and turned his anger on the couple's eight-year-old ***, whom he ******** sodomized before leaving.
Less than a month later, on Aug. 6, 1985, Ramirez broke into the Northridge home of 38-year-old Christopher Petersen and his wife, 27-year-old Virginia. Ramirez shot both of them in the head, but amazingly both survived. Mr. Petersen was a large man, and despite his injuries, he was able to chase the intruder away.
Ramirez waited just two days to strike again, this time in Diamond Bar, Calif. He broke into the home of 35-year-old Ahmed Zia and his wife, 28-year-old Suu Kyi. Ramirez quickly disposed of Ahmed with a bullet to the head and then ***** and sodomized Suu Kyi.
The police were now facing a barrage of criticism from the public. The crimes were becoming more frequent and the cooling-off periods were becoming even shorter. With all the added publicity about his crimes, and the manhunt to find the killer, Ramirez began to panic and fled north to continue his ****** spree.
On Aug. 24, 1985, Ramirez traveled to Mission Viejo, some 50 miles south of Los Angeles. According to Michael Newton, author of the Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, he then broke into the home of 29-year-old Bill Carns and his fiancée, 27-year-old Inez Erickson. Ramirez shot Carns in the head and then proceeded to **** Erickson. Afterwards, he demanded she swear her love for Satan and then he tied her up and left. Erickson quickly worked herself free of her constraints and ran to the window just in time to see the assailant get into an orange colored car. She then called 911. Earlier that same night, a young man had noticed an orange Toyota circling the neighborhood. It struck him as suspicious and he wrote down the license plate number. The following day he contacted the police about the car.
When investigators ran the license plate, they learned that the car had recently been stolen. An APB was immediately put out and two days later the car was found abandoned in a seedy Los Angeles neighborhood. Police spent the next several days watching the car, but their suspect never came back for it. Later, as crime scene specialists and finger print technicians went over the car they came up with a single print on the rearview mirror. It took several hours for the computer to match the print, but it eventually identified the suspect as Ricardo "Richard" Leyva Ramirez. Finally the police knew the Night Stalkers identity. Now they had to find him.
ARREST
When Ramirez stepped off a Greyhound bus in LA on Saturday 31st August after arriving from Phoenix (where he had been buying *******), he soon realised that his luck had run out.
As he walked into Tito's ****** Store in the Hispanic heartland of East LA to buy his usual sugary breakfast, a can of Pepsi and a packet of doughnuts, he glanced down at the newspaper rack. He saw his own photo staring back at him under the headline "Police Identify Stalker Suspect".
Ramirez knew the game was up.
He turned on his heels and ran for two miles. Police cars descended on the area amid reports that the Night Stalker had been spotted. Ramirez tried to commandeer a car but the driver fought him off and a group of bystanders rushed to her aid. He fled, jumping over fences and into the back gardens of homes in this tough East LA neighbourhood.
It was an area where many Hispanic fugitives from justice might expect to be hidden by locals simply because of their ethnic origins. But the Night Stalker's horrific and indiscriminate crimes granted him only hatred and contempt from the Mexican-American community.
Carpenter Luis Munoz hit him with his barbecue tongs when he emerged over his garden fence. But Ramirez escaped and found 56-year-old Faustino Pinon working on his car. He got into the driver's seat and was about to turn the ignition key when Mr Pinon gripped him in a headlock. Eventually Ramirez broke free and ran towards a car that Angelina de la Torres was just about to drive off in.
He ordered her out and shouted: "Te voy a matar! (I'm going to **** you!)"
"El Matador! El Matador! (The Killer!)", she screamed and whacked him with the car door. Her husband, Manuel, came to her aid and soon Ramirez was surrounded by a mob of neighbours, many of whom were armed with steel bars and tools. He ran but was soon cornered, beaten to the ground and then pinned there until police arrived and took him into custody. A mob had to be held back as they surrounded the police station and shouted: "Hang him!"
Ramirez is said to have told police, "I did it, you know. You guys got me, the Stalker."
He also hummed the tune of AC-DC's song Night Prowler and told detectives, "You think I'm crazy, but you don't know Satan."
It seemed like an open and shut case, but when it came to trial (after repeated delays caused by Ramirez firing his lawyers) he claimed he was innocent and a victim of mistaken identity.
His attorney, Ray Clark, said repeated use of pictures of Ramirez on television had contaminated the identification evidence of key witnesses.
Witness identification expert Elizabeth Loftus told the trial that research showed that people often have difficulty identifying people of a different race and often make mistakes when their attention is focused on his *** or *****.
Julian Ramirez also claimed his *** had been at home in El Paso on the night of Mabel Bell's ******.
