True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

(Richard Ramirez. Picture credit: elpasotimes)

Richard Ramirez remains a chilling figure in criminal history. Like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer etc, there's been a number of books and documentaries that have been made about him over the years. The media called him 'The Night Stalker' and he struck fear into the hearts of many Americans during his reign of terror in the early 1980s. 

What made him extra terrifying was that nobody was safe, his victims were both male and female of various ages. It seemed back then that he could strike at any time and anywhere and in many situations he did. He was eventually caught and sentenced to death but died in prison of natural causes in 2013.

In this post which is my third instalment in this series (10 Facts You May Not Know About Serial Killers) I have included just some of the shocking facts about Richard Ramirez. Some of the details you may know and some you may not but I hope that you find this post informative. 

1) One of the crucial pieces of evidence that also linked Ramirez to his numerous horrific crimes was survivors descriptions of his badly rotting teeth. Richard had horrendous teeth which matched his personality. He had dental treatment during his time on death row and was quite proud with the improvement ensuring that he made a show of them if a camera happened to be present. 

2) Numerous women attended his trial and wrote to him in prison declaring their undying love for him. It's shocking to think that anyone could have a kind thought about a monster such as Ramirez but unfortunately we know that serial killers often have groupies. I previously wrote about a woman who had struck up a 'relationship' with Richard through letters and also shared his sick fantasies with him. When the time came for her to actually visit the prison to meet him, reality set in. She soon realised that Richard Ramirez was not quite the exciting fantasy that she had built up in her head, he terrified her so much so that she could not wait to leave the prison vowing to never contact him again. 

3) Richard was popular with a lot of unstable women and was married behind bars to a serial killer groupie by the name of Doreen Lioy who was also a journalist. She claimed that the world did not know him the way she did. Publicity seeker? or lonely, sad desperate woman? you be the judge. 

4) The actor Sean Penn had some wild days when he was younger and had found himself behind bars due to reckless driving and an assault. In a bizarre twist of events he stumbled across a letter which Richard Ramirez (a fellow inmate) had written to him. It appeared that Richard was a huge fan but Sean was having none of that, he promptly wrote back that he hoped that Ramirez died in the gas chamber. 

5) One of Richard Ramirez's favourite songs was 'Eyes Without A Face' by Billy Idol.

6) Richard Ramirez died at the age of 53 without setting foot in the gas chamber. He passed away from natural causes (liver failure)

7) Richard was obsessed with pentagrams and claimed to be a dedicated satanist. At his crime scenes he was known to draw pentagrams on his victim's walls, he would also draw the symbols on his hands which could be seen in pictures from his courtroom appearances.

8) Richard's eventual capture was not by investigators it was by brave members of the public after he had been spotted in a neighbourhood. Some residents had recognised him from the endless newspaper headlines. The residents were able to hold him until authorities arrived on the scene. 

9) After Richard Ramirez passed away in prison of natural causes his body was cremated and put in an undisclosed location, nobody came to claim his remains, not even his so-called groupies or the 23 year old writer that he was said to have been engaged to up until his death (Doreen was no longer on the scene at this point). 

10) Richard was said to have written approximately 75 letters whilst he was in prison and a few of them have ended up on true crime memorabilia auction sites. 

Bonus fact: 11) As mentioned previously 'The Night Stalker' nickname that was given to Richard was also previously given to another serial killer who was active during the 1970s, Joseph James DeAngelo (let me know if you would like me to write about him in a future post)

I would like to take this moment to remember the known victims of Richard Ramirez and the survivors. Also to any of the unidentified possible victims that we don't yet know about and maybe will never know but I always say to never give up hope. As I type this, coming to the end of this post I have been notified that a unsolved murder that had been left open for many years has now been closed and the serial killer connected with that horrendous crime has been further charged so I will be updating my original post on that case. The case in question is related to British Serial Killer Steve Wright

Further Reading & Sources:

 (John Wayne Gacy: Picture credit: bbc)

Before I get into this post I would just like to say a big thank you for the amazing feedback on my last posting in this series which focused on 10 Facts You May Not Know About Serial Killer....Ted Bundy as well as the post I had written about him last year which went into his background, crimes, trial, aftermath etc. I always receive numerous messages and comments on my Social Media Platforms in regards to my posts on various serial killers. It's amazing that no matter how many books we may have read, documentaries we may have watched, there always seems to be information that we come across that we didn't know previously. I'm always appreciative when people reach out to me to say that they enjoy my work and have found out some more details they never knew about a certain case before. 

I often get asked the question ''Who is your favourite serial killer?'' and in all honesty, that question is quite a pet hate of mine. I believe it to be in poor taste. I'm not a fan of a serial murderer, an individual who has taken lives in horrific ways and destroyed families as well as leaving survivors behind with a lifetime of trauma. I think some people often get the lines between reality and fantasy blurred and that's when you get ''fans'' of these types of people. There's women who talk about Ted Bundy like he was Donny Osmond and guys who will drool over the likes of Jodi Arias. I think it's the fantasy of being with this type of person in a sexual manner but of course I assume in their fantasies that they escape or are spared? The truth of the matter is that they could have been so easily a victim themselves of these types of people, any of us could. 

So when asked that question I don't want to be rude and not answer it so I tend to respond with, ''the serial killer that I find interesting to study is...'' and then I respond with who that individual is and why. If you've been a reader of mine for a while you will know that the serial killer who I find intriguing in a psychological way as well as to research, is John Wayne Gacy. The response to this is often shock because they assume that I will pick one of whom they deem to be 'handsome' and that's also where so much glamour has been placed onto these people via movies, culture, music etc. Possibly explaining in a way why some people see these monsters as celebrities. John Wayne Gacy himself though not what some would class as being a handsome fellow, has been glamourized too. 

The first time I ever came across John Wayne Gacy was in a TV movie based on his crimes and I still maintain that it is one of the best portrayals (next to the chilling movie, Henry) of a serial killer to date. I am of course (and you're probably fed up of me mentioning this but I'm going to say it again) talking about To Catch A Killer starring Brian Dennehy. I still get chills down my spine with Brian's performance. I was very young when I saw this movie and it wasn't until years later that I realised that the story was true and that John Wayne Gacy actually existed. And so I began to read books about him and watched his interviews. I couldn't believe that this guy had been responsible for such horrific things whilst putting on the act of being a pillar of his community. I started to become interested in the double lives of serial killers, how someone could act like the nicest person you could meet one minute but then be able to carry out the most nightmarish things that one wouldn't dare to imagine then next. 

So this is a pretty long intro into this post so I will end it here but I have covered John Wayne Gacy's crimes, background and aftermath before as well as sharing other facts. I'm including him here in this series along with a list of other serial killers that I have had requested from readers. I hope that you find this post an interesting read. 

1) John Wayne Gacy's starsign was Pisces 

2) Gacy is often referred to as 'The Killer Clown' because he would raise money for local children's charities by dressing up as a clown. He would visit hospitals and attend charity events. His clown names were 'Pogo The Clown' & 'Patches The Clown'

3) Gacy was a prolific note taker and would write down everything he ate, drank and did whilst in prison. He would record everything in a diary, including who visited him, what took place and what time they left. 

4) Gacy claimed that other accomplices were involved in helping him carry out his crimes as well as the disposal of the remains afterwards with many victims placed in the crawl space of his home.

5) Jason Moss was a young man who had become fixated on serial killers and took it upon himself to write to them in prison. John Wayne Gacy was one of the killers who responded and so a twisted web began to be weaved, check out the post I wrote about this shocking story: WHO WAS JASON MOSS?: THE SHOCKING & TRAGIC STORY OF THE YOUNG MAN WHO WROTE TO INFAMOUS SERIAL KILLERS & IT RUINED HIS LIFE

6) John Wayne Gacy was executed by lethal injection on the 10th of May 1994. He was 52 years old. 

7) Gacy's last meal was reported to have been KFC chicken, a dozen deep-fried shrimp, French fries, a pound of strawberries and Diet Coke. 

8) John Wayne Gacy never expressed remorse for his crimes and claimed that he was a victim himself.

9) Like Ted Bundy's execution, a large crowd gathered outside of the prison with t-shirts and banners in support of his death. 

10) There are still unidentified remains that were found in Gacy's crawl space. The remains have been kept in storage and have numbers assigned to them which is heartbreaking but to this day nobody knows who these young boys (estimated to be aged between 14 and 30) are. 

I hope that you found this second instalment in this series to be interesting and informative. As I mentioned before, for a more in depth look at John Wayne Gacy, his life and crimes, please check out my previous posts: John Wayne Gacy: ''I'm The 34th Victim.'' and The Jason Moss Story

I would just like to take a moment to remember some of the victims that we know about and who have been identified...so far. RIP:

John Butkovich (18)

Darrell Sampson (18)

Randall Reffett (15)

Samuel Stapleton (14)

Michael L. Bonnin (17)

William Carroll Jr (16)

Rick Johnston (17)

Gregory Godzik (17)

John A. Szyc (19)

John S. Prestidge (21)

Matthew Bowman (18)

Robert E. Gilroy (18)

John Mowery (19)

Russell Nelson (22)

Robert Winch (16)

Tommy Boling (20)

David Talsma (19)

William Kindred (19)

Timothy O'Rourke (20)

Frank Landingin (19)

James Mazzara (20)

Robert Piest (15)

Kenneth Parker (16)

Michael Marino (14)

Timothy Jack McCoy (16)

James Haakenson (16)

William George Bundy (19)

And the names we are yet to learn. Let's hope they are recognised one of these days. May they all rest in heavenly peace. 

Further Reading & Sources:

- Inside The Mind of A Serial Killer of John Wayne Gacy | Book by Brad Hunter

- The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey Into The Mind of A Serial Killer | Book by Jason Moss & Jeffrey A. Kottler

- To Catch A Killer | TV Movie Based On The John Wayne Gacy Case

- John Wayne Gacy: Documentary | Born To Kill

- John Wayne Gacy Talks: Part One | CBS Chicago

- John Wayne Gacy Talks: Part Two | CBS Chicago

- John Wayne Gacy Talks: Part Three | CBS Chicago

- John Wayne Gacy Talks: Part Four | CBS Chicago

- John Wayne Gacy Talks: Part Five | CBS Chicago

- John Wayne Gacy: News Report | Chicago Tribune

- John Wayne Gacy | Britannica

- John Wayne Gacy: Article | Mirror

- John Wayne Gacy | Murderpedia

- Conversations With A Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes | Netflix

- John Wayne Gacy: Article | New York Post

- John Wayne Gacy | Wikipedia

- Serial Killers: Article | CNN

- Serial Killers of The 70s | Book by Jane Fritsch

- the Big Book of Serial Killers: Volume 2 | Book by Jack Rosewood & Rebecca Lo

-  The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers | Book by Michael Newton

- John Wayne Gacy: Defending A Monster | Book by Sam L. Amirante & Danny Broderick

Thank for taking the time to read my second instalment in this series, if you would like to leave a comment below please do so or you can contact me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com 

If you would like to help keep my weekly content going (online costs, materials etc) please consider helping me out by buying me a coffee on my ko-fi page or by donating to my PayPal. Thank you so much!

Please stay safe and I hope you will join me in my third instalment in this series. I post new content every Sunday so keep your eyes peeled x 

 Ted Bundy collage. Picture credits: britannica / wikipedia / gq / denverpost / cosmopolitan / palmbeachpost

As you may be already aware I, like millions of others over the years have already written previously about Ted Bundy. I've talked about the horrendous details of his crimes, the victims, the trial and the aftermath but is there anything else that hasn't been covered when it comes to him? I've always said that, in my opinion he is the most over-glamourized serial killer in history (so far, at least). I've personally lost count of how many books, articles, podcasts, documentaries and movies have been made about him. Despite there being so much out there about his crimes, a lot of people are still unaware of other bits of information about him. I have put together a new series on my blog which focuses on some of the unknown facts of the Serial Killers that many of us know from the endless books and movies. 

[If you are not familiar with Ted Bundy and his shocking crimes, please check out my previous post on him]

So let's get into it in this first instalment of this series '10 Facts You May Not Know About Serial Killer.....Ted Bundy'.

1) Ted (full name Theodore Robert Bundy) confessed to the murders of 30 young women but the true number of his victims is unknown. He constantly toyed with investigators right up to his execution that there may have been more victims. 

2) Ted once worked on a crisis hotline as a volunteer with the best selling true crime author, Ann Rule. The pair became close friends and Ann would later write a book based on her friendship with him, his trial and his crimes. In her book 'The Stranger Beside Me', Ann recalled how Ted would be 'wonderful' on the phone with people who were depressed and suicidal, she said it was ironic that he had saved lives during those moments. 

3) Some people who knew Ted were shocked and in disbelief when his crimes were exposed. He was able to adapt his persona to whoever he was with at any given time. One of his ex girlfriends who had a young daughter, explained that Ted was a great father figure to her little girl and would often make breakfast for them in the morning. 

4) When Ted was a young child there were some red flags beginning to show including the time that he was staying with an aunt who had woken up to find that he had placed knives around her whilst she had been asleep in bed. She was shocked and disturbed by the discovery and also to Ted's reaction to it for he could not stop laughing. He found this strange act to be very amusing. 

5) Ted has a secret daughter whom he fathered whilst in prison with a groupie who would attend his trial. Carole Ann Boone was obsessed with Ted and was one of many of his 'fan girls'. He would write to many women in prison but Carole was the one he gained the most out of (obviously he was using her for his own gain). His daughter changed her name and has continued to live a private life. 

6) Ted Bundy was 42 years old when he died in the electric chair on the 24th of January 1989. 

7) Ted Bundy's youngest known victim was 12 year old Kimberly Leach 

8) The run up to Ted Bundy's execution was like a national event, t-shirts were printed, banners were made, countdowns to his death were arranged. Crowds of people and media were camped outside of the prison chanting ''Burn Bundy Burn''. When his death was announced and the hearse containing his body was being driven out of the grounds, people cheered and sang songs in celebration. 

9) 42 people reportedly came to watch the execution of Ted Bundy, many of them were relatives of the victims. 

10) Ted Bundy's brain was examined for any signs of abnormalities but none were found. Scientists were nowhere near any closer as to trying to understand Ted's remarkable intelligence but also his sickening and cruel thirst for violent sexual murder. 

So, I have covered just some of the facts about Ted Bundy in this piece along with my original post about him. If you would like me to write more future articles about Bundy please let me know. I always welcome comments below or emails: jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com 

RIP to Ann Marie Burr, Lonnie Trumbell, Lisa Wick, Joni Lenz, Lynda Ann Healy, Donna Gail Manson, Susan Elaine Rancourt, Brenda Baker, Roberta Kathleen Parks, Brenda Carol Ball, Georgeann Hawkins, Janice Ott, Denise Naslund, Caryn Campbell, Julie Cunningham, Denise Lynn Oliverson, Melanie Cooley, Shelly Robertson, Nancy Wilcox, Melissa Smith, Laura Aime, Debby Kent, Nancy Baird, Sue Curtis, Debbie Smith, Rita Lorraine Jolly, Vickie Lynn Hollar, Lisa Levy, Margaret Bowman, Kimberly Leach, Lynette Culver, Rita Curran & many unidentified others. 

Further Reading & Sources:

- The Many Faces of Ted Bundy | True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

- Hunting Humans | Book by Michael Newton

- The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers | Book by Susan Hall

- The Big Book of Serial Killers | Book by Jack Rosewood

- The Killer Book of Serial Killers | Book by Michael and Tom Philbin

- Journey Into Darkness | Book by John Douglas & Mark Olshaker

- The True Crime Dictionary | Book by Amanda Lees

- Serial Killers of The 70s | Book by Jane Fritsch

- Ted Bundy | Documentary | Born To Kill

- Ted Bundy | Wikipedia 

- Ted Bundy | Murderpedia

- Ted Bundy | Trial Playlist - YouTube

- The Stranger Beside Me | Book by Ann Rule

Thank you as always for taking the time to check out my latest post and the first instalment of this series. I hope you found it informative and an interesting read. If you would like to help support my weekly content by buying me a coffee, you can do so here or via my PayPal. Thank you so much!

Stay safe and I hope you'll join me in my next post x 

(Top left corner: Rebecca Spencer. Bottom left: Craig Price. Top centre: Craig Price. Below centre: Joan Heaton & her daughters, Jennifer & Melissa. Top right corner: Jennifer & Melissa. Collage created by me. Picture credits: Murderpedia & Medium)

As with anyone who writes about true crime cases will tell you, it never gets easier and you never become immune to the shocking details of each case. With this story I found myself horrified and questioning how such evil could exist in this world and some people think that I'd be used to horrible stories by now. I see each case differently because they are different and I care about each of the victims and sharing their story. I've had many people contact me over the years actually thanking me for sharing the story of what happened to their loved one. A sad fact in our world is that many cases make the press and some families of victims are supported but then suddenly the world moves on and people stop talking about the innocent people who've been taken from us in the most horrendous ways possible. A lot of families don't get justice, some families have to sit and watch the monster who took their loved one be released from prison and able to go about their lives. Why should a murderer be given a second chance at life when their victim or victims can't see another sunset or enjoy precious moments? 

I had a lady reach out to me because I had written about the death of her father. She thanked me for doing so because she was upset that nobody had talked about it in a very long time. Her father's horrific death occurred in the 1990's and his killer has been out now for a number of years. I can't imagine how that must feel to pick u a newspaper and see that the woman who murdered your father has since had plastic surgery and gotten married with a second chance at life. It doesn't seem fair. So, even though I have written about 100s of cases, I still remember them and I care about the people who are no longer here and the loved ones who had to go through such a horrific loss. It's important to tell these stories in respect of the victims and sharing their story. Nobody should ever forget what the evil killer/killers have done and the fact that we all need to be careful with our own safety. 

In this post I return to writing about serial killers and to my surprise, not much is out there about this particular individual. I'm shocked to say the least because I own quite a number of Serial Killer encyclopedias and his name is only mentioned in one of them. This person is an absolute monster, one of the most frightening and disturbing individuals to have walked this earth and that's not all, his first known killing occurred when he was just 13 years old. 

I am of course talking about Craig Price, a name that may be unfamiliar with a lot of you but when you read this post and check out the links below, you'll never forget him. Craig is currently 50 years old and to look at him you'd think that he couldn't hurt a fly but as we all know, you cannot judge a book by it's cover, especially when it comes to serial killers. 

Not much is known about his past other than that he was a troubled child, always involved in petty crime. He was born on the 11th of October 1973 in Warwick, Rhode Island (USA) and his first known murder occurred when he was 13. Craig had broken into the home of a 27 year old woman by the name of Rebecca Spencer in part to commit theft but also murder. He had previously been stalking Rebecca and had taken to looking through her windows. It was a brutal killing with the poor young woman being stabbed to death 60 times. For a 13 year old child to have committed such a sickening murder it's just too evil and incomprehensible. As I said before, this was his first 'known' murder but it was as if he had either meticulously planned it or had done it before. There were no leads on the case and it remained unsolved for a period of time.

According to investigators, it would be two years later when Craig struck again, and again with Rebecca Spencer's murder, the scene was brutal but this time it was even more horrifying. In 1989 he broke into a neighbour's house and brutally murdered a 39 year old woman (Joan Heaton) and her two young daughters, 8 year old Melissa and 10 year old Jennifer. As if the terrifying details of Rebecca's murder was not enough, this sickening rampage was indescribable. Like Rebecca, Joan had been stabbed ferociously 60 times in front of her two daughters. Craig was known to have stabbed his victims with such force that the handles of the knives would break and stay inside the victims. He would use knives and weapons that he would find at the scene. 

After the brutal murder of Joan, he turned his attentions to the two frightened girls. Both of the children were repeatedly stabbed continuously and he reportedly crushed 8 year old Melissa's skull. He then fled this nightmare scene and the bodies of Joan and her daughters were found a few days later by Joan's mother. The cops were quick in their investigation on this case which horrified and frightened the local community and beyond. During their investigation they questioned 15 year old Craig Price who feigned concern and disbelief at the murders. However, despite just being 15, the cops had their eye on him and noticed that he had an injury to his hand. 

As the investigation deepened the trail led back to Craig Price and shocked the local community that this young boy could have done such a thing. Investigators also discovered the similarities that the Heaton murder scene had with the murder of Rebecca Spencer. With all the pieces falling into place, Craig confessed to all four murders and claimed that he killed the victims because he (as an African- American) had previously been subjected to relentless racial abuse at the hands of white people. He claimed that on one occasion a gang of white youths had tried to drag him into a van whilst shouting racial slurs. He was able to escape the incident but he said that it left him with an intense feeling for revenge. He had no personal connection to the victims who were all white females. 

He had no remorse for anything that he had done and due to his age he was tried as a child in an American court of law. This meant that he could only be incarcerated until the age of 21 which terrified everyone especially as he began bragging that he couldn't wait to be released because he was going to ''make history''. 

The local community was horrified at the possibility of Craig Price walking their streets again so they set up a campaign to try and ensure that he would not be set free either at the age of 21 or before then. Craig, having an unending thirst for violence could not stay out of trouble whilst in prison and had been involved in countless brawls, stabbings and trouble. He had to be moved around prisons because of his danger to the other inmates. He ended up being sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2019 for stabbing a fellow inmate. 

Craig Price is one of the most frightening and dangerous serial killers that I have ever read or written about and to think that he carried out such sickening and heartless murders whilst he was just a child. In my view he should never be released, if he had carried out his crimes here in the UK I'm convinced he would have gotten a whole life order (meaning he would never be released for the safety of the public). It's plain to see that not only has he never shown remorse for the brutal murders of women and children, he's carried on with violence behind bars. His chilling words of wanting to make history if he is ever released doesn't bare thinking about. He is a ticking time-bomb and a danger to the public. 

The disturbing murders of the innocent women and children should never be forgotten and the way the community rallied around in support of him not being released, must have been of some support to the grieving families of the deceased. 

I for one will never forget this horrific case and I will be keeping an eye on any updates on this monster and praying that he never sees the outside of a prison wall again. 

RIP to the known victims:

Rebecca Spencer

Joan Heaton

Jennifer Heaton

Melissa Heaton

Further Reading & Sources: 

- The Big Book of Serial Killers by Jack Rosewood

- Craig Price | Wikipedia

- Craig Price | Murderpedia

- Craig Price | Crime Library

Thank you for taking the time to read my latest true crime post, if you would like to comment on this case or any of the cases that I have previously covered, please do so in the comment section below. If you prefer to share your views in private, you can email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com or message me on my Socials 

If you would like to help support my work, you can make a donation either here via My PayPal or my Buy Me A Coffee page where you can also keep up to date with my post and updates. Many Thanks!!!

Stay safe & I will see you (hopefully) in the next post x