“There are some people who travel so far beyond the pale of conventional morality that their actions seem like desperate works of fiction. Richard Ramirez is one such person; a Satan-worshipping drug addict who carried out one of America’s most brutal and horrific crime sprees.”
Born on Leap Day—February 29, 1960, to illegal immigrant parents, as Ricardo Ramirez. It’s unclear when he adopted the Americanized version of his name.
Abusive and neglectful household. Multiple head injuries (most likely TBIs) as a very small child, coupled with untreated epilepsy…despite multiple grand mal seizures that occurred publicly.
Richard had an early fascination with the dark, the macabre, and the bloody.
His first rape was at age 15. He moved to Los Angeles at 18. From marijuana to LSD to an expensive cocaine habit—he began mainlining the drug.
Discovered PCP and the Satanic Bible. Felt a closeness and camaraderie with the Devil.
This book gets fairly gory. 🔪 🩸 Stolen cars, stealthy entries, burgling skills, rapes, murders, tortures, maimings, mutilations…
Apparently you used to be able to buy Uzis and machetes and bodegas. Those must have been the days.
Richard was smelly. Hygiene was not his strong suit. And lots of ED issues. 🍄
Of all things, James Romero, just 13, spotted the Night Stalker—and led to his ultimate undoing.
Richard died of lymphoma in 2013 while awaiting/appealing his execution. He’d been on Death Row for 23 years.
My only disappointment is that there’s no real exposition into the phenomenon that he became after capture, especially in the media and popular culture. So many women were obsessed with him. And he’s so objectively gross-looking.