Netflix’s new true crime series Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer traces the crimes of serial killer Richard Ramirez. But its approach is thoughtful. Ramirez was considered a sex symbol by some women during the '80s trial, and director Tiller Russell didn't want to bring him back into the spotlight, instead telling the story through the eyes of the two detectives who worked the case. . "It's really important to me not to fall prey to what I think are false myths," Russell told The Guardian . "This guy is not the Jim Morrison of serial killers. There's nothing cool about that."
In 1989, Ramirez was convicted of 13 counts of brutal murder, rape and burglary. Years after he was on death row, his DNA was linked to the unsolved rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl. He was never tried for the crime because he was already in prison, but it would mark the first of a series of mass killings he carried out across California from 1984 to 1985. Ahead of Night Stalker, here's what else you need to know about the case: The Hunt for a Serial Killer premieres.
Who is Richard Ramirez?
According to the New York Times , Ramirez was introduced to the world of murder through his cousin Miguel Ramirez, who returned from the Vietnam War with what he claimed was a rape, Photos of tortured and killed women. A year later, Miguel shot and killed his wife -- with 13-year-old Richard Ramirez present -- and was eventually sentenced to seven years in prison. Around this time, Ramirez began burglarizing homes and began committing his later crimes.
Richard Ramirez's victim did not fit a specific profile
According to the Guardian , Ramirez randomly selected targets during his burglaries, mostly by entering unlocked windows in the dead of night. According to Inside Edition, his victims ranged in age from 16 to 79 (excluding the 9-year-old child implicated in his death) and included both men and women, but not all of them died.
Maria Hernandez, 21, survived Ramirez's close-range shot in the face, which bounced off her keys, the Los Angeles Times reported. She later testified against him in court, helping to bring justice for the roommate who was killed by Ramirez. It was because of one of his survivors that Ramirez was eventually arrested. The New York Times reported that the victim glimpsed Ramirez's car as he attacked her and later described the situation to police, who issued an alert to the public. A teen later saw the same car and reported the license plate to police, who discovered the vehicle, took fingerprints from the vehicle and identified Ramirez. Soon, his picture was everywhere and when he tried to steal another car, a group of people recognized him and called the police.
According to UPI, Ramirez's final victims were Bill Carns and Inez Erickson in August 1985, although Carns was shot three times in the head , but they all survived Ramirez's attack. Erickson helped police identify Ramirez, who was eventually tried and sentenced to death.
Interview by Richard Ramirez
Many will never forget Ramirez's parting words to the jury that sentenced him to death. "What a big deal. Death comes with the territory. See you at Disneyland," he said on Inside Edition . Ramirez spoke of his "evil" nature in an interview with reporter Mike Watkis shortly after the sentencing. "Yes, I am evil. Not 100 percent, but I am evil," Ramirez said. "We are all evil in some form." He added that he had "no comment" on whether she had emotions.
In 1993, he was interviewed again by Inside Edition. He tried to defend the actions of serial killers, saying: "A serial killer is like a recipe, born out of his environment - poverty, drugs, child abuse. These things can cause depression and anger in a person throughout life. At some point, he exploded." However, Ramirez said he doesn't think that was the case in his case. "I don't blame society, my race, people or anything. Individuals like me should continue to try to get into whatever world they want to get into," Ramirez said. He also stood by his indifferent response to the death penalty, saying: "I don't care about myself, really. I don't care about what happens to me. I never have, really."
Author Philip Carlo also researched Ramirez extensively for his 1996 book Nightcrawler: The Disturbing Life and Chilling Crimes of Richard Ramirez interview. In it, Ramirez grimly explains at one point, “There are no set rules and there is no positive evidence that once you come into contact with a serial killer, you will survive the encounter… They have made up their minds before. "They even meet you and, well, there's no way out of it. "
wife of richard ramirez
Despite his crimes, Ramirez charmed many women, including magazine editor Doreen Leroy. After Ramirez was arrested in 1985, she began writing him letters and the two began a relationship, The New York Times reported . He proposed in 1988 and married in 1996. Carlo wrote that Leoi's family, including her twin sister, disowned her over the relationship, but she didn't seem to care too much. "Once Richard and I get married, I will have a new family; his family will become mine," she reportedly said. In an interview with CNN, she described Ramirez as kind, funny and charming . "I think he's a really great guy. He's my best friend; he's my buddy."
However, Leoi reportedly left Ramirez in 2009 after he was implicated in the 9-year-old girl's death.
Richard Ramirez dies
The serial killer spent the rest of his life on California's death row until his death from liver failure in 2013. He is 53 years old.
