At first glance, his childhood appeared ordinary. Born in El Paso, Texas, in 1960, he was the youngest in a hardworking immigrant family who practiced Catholic faith.
But behind the front door, life was terrifying. His father, a railway laborer, was a vi*lent alc*holic whose rage led to frequent beatings. The boy suffered severe head injuries before the age of six, later developing epilepsy.
Those close to the family recall brutal punishments. One family acquaintance said he was once tied to a cemetery cross overnight, left alone among graves while his father “taught him lessons” in the dark.
By age 10, he had already turned to marijuana and alc*hol. Anything to numb the fear inside his home.
Things grew darker when he began spending time with his older cousin, a military veteran who boasted about vi*lent crim*s during war. He showed the boy disturbing photographs that no child should ever see and taught him how to stalk women.
At age 15, the boy witnessed a horrific murd*r. His cousin shot his wife in the face during an argument as he watched in shock.
Authorities ruled the kill*r mentally unstable and he walked free. The boy never recovered from what he saw.
He dropped out of school, drifted between family members, and followed a brother-in-law on voyeuristic nighttime prowls. He was evolving and no one was stopping him.
By his early 20’s, he moved permanently to California. Coc*ine took control and to fund his addiction he broke into homes, slipping unnoticed through windows and doors.
He began to develop a sinister reputation among petty crimin*ls. The dr*gs, the tr*uma, and the thrill of power were slowly guiding him toward something monstrous.
His first known murd*r was in 1984. A nine year old girl was found brutally assaulted and killed in a San Francisco basement.
The link to her kill*r would not surface until many years later through DNA.
Months later, an elderly woman was found st*bbed in her Los Angeles home. Her throat was so deeply slashed she was nearly decapitated.
Then the real terr*r began. Between 1985 and 1986, Californians slept in fear.
Homes were invaded at random. Victims were sh*t, beaten, st*bbed, and ass*ulted. There was no pattern to the att*cks which made the p*nic worse.
A disturbing detail soon emerged. Investigators discovered pentagrams at multiple scenes. Survivors said the attack*r forced them to pledge their loyalty to Satan.
One victim recalled him shouting, “I love Satan” as he carried out his crimes.
He mutilated bodies, stole keepsakes, and used shock tactics designed to leave the entire state terrifi*d. Detectives described him as a pred*tor who “fed off fear”.
The press soon gave him a name that struck horror nationwide. He was “The Night Stalker”.
Police launched one of the largest manhunts in California history. A breakthrough came when a teenage boy spotted him outside his home and memorized the details of his getaway car.
Investigators found a fingerprint in the abandoned vehicle. It matched a young drifter with a crimin*l history and a chilling stare.
During a televised press briefing, officials issued a message directly to him: “We know who you are now. There will be no place you can hide.”
The next day, the city recognized the face that once belonged to that innocent little boy. After trying to flee in public, he was chased down and held by brave residents until police arrived.
His name was Richard Ramirez.
In court, he showed no remorse. He flashed a pentagram drawn on his palm and yelled: “Hail Satan” as cameras rolled.
He was convicted of 13 murd*rs, multiple attempted murd*rs, and numerous se*ual assaults and burglaries. The judge said his crimes displayed “cru*lty, callousness and viciousness beyond any human understanding.”
Ramirez smiled when he received the death penalty. He replied: “Death always went with the territory.”
He spent more than two decades on death row, idolized by disturbed fans who called him a dark celebrity. He passed away in 2013 from cancer at age 53.
Looking at his childhood photograph today, it is impossible to believe that the small boy with innocent eyes would one day become one of the most evil men America has ever known.
Featured image credit: The Scale Chamber,Los Angeles Times
