When And Where?: Los Angeles, California. June, 1984 -August, 1985
Who?: Richard Ramirez, twenty-eight years old. Ramirez was an unmarried drifter and self-confessed satanist. He was originally from El Paso, Texas. Photo
The Murders: The Night Stalker came by his moniker honestly. Ramirez would randomly choose a victim at night time, follow them to their place of residence and attack. His first stalking crimes were on the freeways of L.A., where he pursued intended victims, flashing his headlights until they pulled over. A roadside shooting would then take place. Soon, Ramirez moved his crimes indoors, breaking into private residences where males were usually shot or stabbed while they slept. Women were subjected to torture and sexual assault before being murdered. At some crime scenes, satanic symbols, such as a pentagram, were drawn on the walls of the home. Ramirez also, a la Manson, wrote messages above the bodies of his victims. In some cases, scrawlings such as these are 'red herrings', designed to throw police of the trail of a 'cunning' killer. In the Night Stalker case, these clues were valuable evidence that helped detectives establish the true killer's identity. Richard Ramirez worshipped Satan, and claims to have committed his crimes to please the Lord Of Darkness. In fact, it was his belief that Satan watched over and protected him from arrest. It seems however, that the lord of all that is naughty was out of town when eye-witness descriptions allowed police to come up with a composite drawing of the killer. Further leads allowed investigators to find a Ramirez fingerprint on the rear-view mirror of a car in one of the victim's garages. Police knew they had their man. A photograph of the Night Stalker was released to the general public, prompting panic from Ramirez. He was spotted by a grocery clerk and captured by an angry mob while attempting to steal a car. In fact, Ramirez was beaten with a steel pipe, and spared lynching only by the timely arrival of law enforcement officers.
Trial And Outcome: Richard Ramirez went to trial in September of 1989. He stood accused of 13 murders and several other felonies. The Night Stalker case became a media circus, largely because of the Satan-angle, but also because of the defendant himself. Ramirez made much of his allegiance to the devil, regularly shouting out 'hail Satan' and other clever things at trial. Ramirez seemed to have certain appeal too. He received much 'fan mail', and was even the object of desire for one female juror. She claims to have fell in love with the killer and kept up correspondence long after the trial was over. However, even this lovesick twistoid had to admit that there was overwhelming evidence against Ramirez. After a five month trial, Richard Ramirez was found guilty of thirteen murders, five attempted murders, eleven sexual assaults and fourteen burglaries. He was sentenced to die in a California gas chamber. After sentencing, Ramirez showed no remorse for what he had done. "Big deal", he remarked to reporters who had gathered to see him leave the courtroom. "Death always came with the territory. See you in Disneyland."
