(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:
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