Richard Ramirez Biography

Ricardo "Richard" Ramirez, aka "the Nightstalker," was the fifth and last child born in El Paso, Texas to Julian and Mercedes Ramirez. Richard's father was violent and beat his four sons regularly. Richard often ran away and slept in the local cemetery to avoid his father's temper. He was described as a lonely child. He sniffed glue and smoked marijuana before he started high school. He witnessed the murder of his cousin's wife at age twelve. While Richard was raised by his parents to be a strict Roman Catholic, he developed a fascination with Satanism. He was drawn to heavy metal music with satanic lyrics. He was a high school dropout at age fifteen.

Richard left El Paso forever at age eighteen. He took a bus to Los Angeles. While he sometimes stayed with his oldest brother Reuben and his wife, most of the time he rented rooms in seedy hotels, slept in stolen cars, or just slept in the street. He increased his abuse of drugs and started injecting cocaine. Without an education or job, Richard supported himself through a series of burglaries and thefts.

In June 1984, Ramirez's crimes took a particularly vicious, violent turn. He broke through an open window into the home of 79 year old Jenny Vincow, leaving his fingerprints on the window. Finding nothing of value, he pulled out a six inch hunting knife and repeatedly slashed and stabbed the elderly woman to death in her bed.

Over the next fourteen months, the Nightstalker terrorized the city of Los Angeles. His brutal crimes increased in frequency. His most frequent mode of operation was to break into a home through an unlocked or open window at night. However, unlike other serial killers, his crimes were particularly frightening because they had no pattern. His victims were random ones of chance and opportunity. In some crimes he used a handgun, in others a knife, a crowbar or even his fists. Some victims were sexually assaulted. Some victims were murdered, but others were permitted to live.

Police eventually identified him through the use of composite sketches from the descriptions from the survivors and through the use of the then newly established computerized fingerprint identification system in Sacramento, California. The computer was only in operation for three minutes when it matched his prints to his criminal records. Taking a chance that he would run, police released his name and photo to the media. His face appeared on the cover of newspapers and magazines. On August 31, 1985, the killing spree ended. He was identified by citizens in a Hispanic neighborhood in Los Angeles and chased through the streets. Four young men caught, subdued, and beat him.

After a lengthy trial with many delays, Ramirez was convicted by a Los Angeles jury in 1989 of the murders of nine women and four men between the ages of 30 and 83. In addition, he was convicted of 33 other serious felonies including rape, robbery, and burglary. He was sentenced to receive the death penalty in nineteen of his crimes. In addition, he received six years for each of the other 33 conviction. He awaited the death penalty in San Quentin prison.