Richard Ramirez By: Ben Steinberg

Background Born in El Paso, California on February 28, 1960 Born to a Mexican- American railway worker Grew up very poor Father was abusive as an early child Born as the youngest of seven children As a young boy he began experimenting with drugs, often smoking marijuana At a young age he became fascinated with the stories his cousin told of murdering and raping women in the Vietnamese war

Background – Continued Present when the same cousin, by the name of Mike, murdered his own wife Having had these hardening early experiences, he became entranced in heavy LSD use Led him to commit deeply into Satanism Although he was enrolled in high school, he dropped out as his interest in violence grew After dropping out, he began his life of crime and cruelty

Crimes convicted of

Evidence against Ramirez Final attack on August 24, 1985 Attacked an engaged couple in their home, shot the man 3 times in the head A victim got away from him and identified his stolen car Police I.D’d Ramirez’s fingerprints on the stolen vehicle Matched the bullets from his .25 caliber handgun to the bullets in the mans head Child from across the street identified Ramirez as being the man he had seen the night prior

Sentencing Ramirez was convicted on 13 counts of murder, 5 attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries Sentenced to death in California gas chambers On death row for 23 years, however died at the age of 53 due to B-cell lymphoma and Chronic hepatitis C viral infection

Criminal quote When sentenced to death, Ramirez states: “Big deal. Death always went with the territory. See you in Disneyland”

Criminal Nickname Ramirez was dubbed “The Night Stalker” by almost all major news stories/articles in California.

Criminal Sociological Theory Richard Ramirez was a ruthless killer throughout the 1980’s in Los Angeles, California. To best explain Ramirez in terms of a sociological perspective, one could possibly connect him with the theory that is known as the Differential Association Theory. This theory explains how some people have become the way that they are due to the people that they were surrounded with as they were growing up in the environment that they were placed in. Richard Ramirez, for example, was born into a heavily abusive family; his father often beating him and his six other siblings (of which he was the youngest) due to a heavy drinking problem. This, I believe, was a reason that heavily influenced Ramirez to grow up having a darker than usual view of the world. Furthermore, Ramirez was often times around a cousin that had had experience in the Vietnam war. His cousin would often times tell him stories of how he brutally raped and killed many Vietnamese woman while he was away at war. Ramirez states that this is what started his fascination with murdering and Satanism (the religion he later delved deeply into). Having been so young hearing the gruesome tales that his cousin was glorifying to him, it is almost certain that this was the greatest influence as to why Ramirez then grew up to become known as “The Night Stalker”. Ramirez nearly mirrored the crimes that his cousin told him of when he was younger, which is why I believe that the Differential Association Theory is what best describes Ramirez’s actions as an adult.

Books on Ramirez The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez – Philip Carlo

Movies about Ramirez “The Night Stalker” 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpjsaBdG6Uc

Songs tied to Ramirez Going Going Gone" – Exodus "Killer" – King Diamond "Night Stalker" – Macabre "Night Stalker" – Super Heroines "The Night Stalker" – Bewitched "Richard Ramirez Died Today Of Natural Causes" - Sun Kil Moon "Where Evil Dwells (Richard Ramirez)" – Church of Misery "Nightstalker" - Impact Unit

Songs - continued "Noche Acosador" – John 5 "Nocturnal Predator" - Legion of the Damned "Rock Around The Clock, Richard Ramirez" - Adolf Sasquatch "See You In Disneyland" - Adolf Sasquatch "Jack the Knife" - The Electric Hellfire Club "Ramirez" - The Acacia Strain "Shut Up And Spoon Me"-The World Famous Crawlspace Brothers "Knight Stalker" - Shadow Project "Smooth Criminal" - Michael Jackson