Devil In The City Of Angels: The Horrifying Tale Of "The Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez

In the early 1980s, an elusive and sadistic killer known as "The Night Stalker" terrorized residents of Los Angeles with savage murders and brutal assaults that shook the city to its core

Depiction of Richard Ramirez aka “The Night Stalker”

A Dark Beginning

On February 29th, 1960 in El Paso, Texas, Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramirez was born, the youngest of five children. Ricardo, later known as Richard or Ricky, was born to Mexican immigrants Mercedes and Julian Ramirez.

It was far from a happy home life for the young boy, who claims to have suffered extensive physical abuse at the hands of his father. According to Ramirez’s own statements, repeated head trauma in the first years of his life led to the onset of epileptic seizures, which began after he was knocked unconscious by a blow.

To escape from the abuse at home, a young Richard often sought the company of an older cousin by the name of Miguel. Miguel had moved back to the El Paso area after serving in the Vietnam War.

While one might think this a blessing for the young boy, it was anything but. Miguel was an avid marijuana user, and he had no problem letting Richard, then just a child, use drugs.

Even more troubling, Miguel loved to captivate young Richard with stories of his time in Vietnam. But these were not honorable tales. While overseas, Miguel had tortured, mutilated, raped, and killed several Vietnamese women. He had taken photos of the aftermath of these horrific crimes, which he happily showed to Richard, who was only twelve years old.

Photo of Richard Ramirez (El Paso Times)

Criminal Tendencies

Unsurprisingly, Miguel did not change his ways after returning home from the war. When Richard was thirteen, he watched as Miguel fatally shot his wife. Miguel was arrested, but he was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Rather than serving time in prison, Miguel was sent to a mental hospital for four years.

With no sense of safety at home and having already been through numerous traumatic experiences, Richard began acting out. Reports say it was around this time that he began breaking into homes and burglarizing them.

Teenage Richard continued to abuse marijuana; a habit he had picked up from his cousin. In the ninth grade, Richard dropped out of school. He was arrested in 1977 on drug possession charges but being a minor, did not serve a prison sentence.

Shortly thereafter, Richard moved to California. His drug use only worsened, turning to harder substances. Richard became addicted to cocaine and began to escalate the frequency of his burglaries, likely to feed his addiction.

He was arrested two additional times in 1981 and 1984, both times for vehicle theft. It was during this period that Richard Ramirez developed a newfound interest in Satanism, and reports say that he had begun to severely neglect his personal hygiene, which was only made worse by his drug use.

First Killing

Following his secondary arrest for automobile theft, Ramirez returned immediately to his thieving ways. On June 28th, 1984, Richard Ramirez broke into the home of 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, a widow. However, this time was different. Despite his lack of self-care and drug addiction, Vincow could not possibly have posed a threat to Richard, who was then in his mid-twenties.

Yet, for whatever reason, Ramirez escalated the crime. Rather than simply robbing Vincow, Ramirez sexually assaulted and fatally stabbed the elderly woman. This would kick off a spree of horrific crimes that would haunt the Los Angeles area for years to come.