Richard Ramirez “The Night Stalker” By: Eliza Morgan "I love to kill people. I love to watch them die. I would shoot them in the head and they would wiggle and squirm all over the place, and then just stop. Or I would cut them with a knife and watch their faces turn real white. I love all that blood." Richard Ramirez “The Night Stalker” By: Eliza Morgan

What is a Serial Killer? A serial killer is a person who kills multiple people in a similar manner (for example: raping each victim or using a specific weapon). They may have a “signature” that they leave with every victim (ex: bite marks on body) A serial killer’s victims may often, but not always, have common characteristics (ex: male or female, specific age, etc.) Often serial killers have a dark past, or a certain background that leads them to become a killer Serial killers are often anti-social or seems strange to other people Serial killers do not a motive for who they kill. They may pick people at random that fit their killing standards. ***All of these are common or notable traits of serial killers, but may not necessarily apply to every single serial killer. A person can be considered a serial killer without having all of these traits

A Dark Background Even during his childhood, friends described Richard Ramirez as a loner. Ramirez, born of two working class Mexican immigrants, found a hero in his cousin, Mike, who was a Special Forces Vietnam War veteran. Mike and Ramirez spent time together smoking pot, while Mike showed Ramirez pictures of Vietnamese women whom he bragged about killing and torturing. Mike also taught Ramirez how to shoot and cut people with a “maximum effect.” The final straw: Mike killed his wife in front of Ramirez

The Background Ramirez was using drugs by the 8th grade ad dropped out of high school in 9th grade. During this time Ramirez also began worshiping Satan. This played a role in some of his murders and his murder style. The pentagram symbol played a role in his trial and his murders. He was arrested several times for drug possession and theft, and then moved to Southern California where he went from theft to breaking and entering in homes. He had bad hygiene and his teeth were rotting. This was all part of his purposely satanic appearance. He was nicknamed the “Night Stalker,” which came from his obsession with the ACDC song “Night Prowler.”

"Killing is killing whether done for duty, profit, or fun." Ramirez’s Style The police profiled Ramirez as killing any men that were present, and raping the women. He sometimes spared the woman’s life. It was also common for him to rob the house of the victim(s). His signature: he drew satanic pentagrams in lipstick on the walls of some of the victims’ homes and on a victim. "Killing is killing whether done for duty, profit, or fun." "Serial killers do, on a small scale, what governments do on a large one. They are products of our times and these are bloodthirsty times.”

The Victims Jennie Vincow (79), was the first victim. She was killed on June 28, 1984 in Los Angeles. Ramirez robbed her and sexually assaulted her. Dayle Okazaki (34)- killed March 1985, 10 months after the first killing. Roommate Maria Hernandez (22) was shot but not killed. Tsia-Lian Yu- killed March 1985, was taken from her car and shot. Vincent Zazzara (64) and Maxine Zazzara (44)- March 1985, Vincent was killed instantly by a gun. Maxine was found naked and her body had been mutilated with a knife after she was killed by a gunshot. Ramirez robbed the house as well. William (66) Doi- April 1985, Ramirez killed Mr. Doi and raped Lillian Doi (63), though she did not die. Malvia Keller (83) – May 1985, Ramirez drew pentagrams on Keller’s body and on the walls in the house. He raped Keller. Blanche Wolfe (80) was also attacked, but did not die.

The Victims Mary Louise Cannon (75)- July 1985, Cannon was beaten and her throat was slit. Joyce Lucille Nelson (61)- July 1985, she was beaten to death Lela and Max Kneiding (both 66)- July 1985, both of them were shot to death, and were mutilated with a machete after they were killed. Ramirez robbed their house. Elyas Abowath (35)- August 1985, Ramirez shot and killed Elyas, and then raped, sodomized, and forced Elyas’ wife, Sakina (29), to perform oral sex on him. She was not killed. Peter Pan (66)- August 1985, he was killed, and his wife, Barbara Pan (64), survived only to be a vegetable for the rest of her life. Again, there were lipstick pentagrams on the walls William (Bill) Carns (29)- August 1985, Ramirez killed Bill and raped his fiancée, Inez Erikson, twice. She was forced to swear to Satan before he fled from her house with the money he had found.

Capturing Ramirez The night Ramirez killed Bill Carns and attacked Inez Erikson, a teenager saw an orange Toyota driving suspiciously in his neighborhood. He wrote down the license plate number and later called it in to the police. This was the same car Erikson saw leave her house. They found that the car had been stolen and when they found it, they found Richard Ramirez’s fingerprint in it. This print matched a print that was left on a window at the Pan’s house. Ramirez came back in town and didn’t realize the police thought of him as a suspect until he heard someone yelled “El Asesino" (“The killer”), and they were talking about Ramirez. He tried to run away, but got in a scuffle with several people. He was finally caught.

The Conviction On September 20, 2989 he was found guilty of 13 counts of murder, 5 attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. On November 7, 1989, he was sentenced to death in California’s gas chamber. "No big deal, death always comes with the territory. I'll see you in Disneyland,”

Life After Trial After he was found convicted, he had fans writing him letters and visiting him. One of these people was Doreen Lioy who wrote him 75 letters. He proposed to her from jail in 1988 and they were married in jail in 1996. Lioy says she will commit suicide when Ramirez is executed.

Sources http://www.serialkillerdatabase.net/richardramirez.html http://www.angelfire.com/oh/yodaspage2/quotes.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ramirez http://crime.about.com/od/serial/p/nightstaker.htm