SERIAL KILLER: Richard Ramirez (PART 1)

 “We've all got the power to kill in our hands, but most of us are afraid to use it. Those who aren't, control life itself.”

― Richard Ramirez

And this man was not afraid to use it!

Richard Ramirez as a young boy suffered hits in the head and an unstable home life

EARLY LIFE

Ricardo (Richard) Leyva Muñoz Ramírez was born on February 29th, 1960 to parents Julian and Mercedes Ramirez. He was the youngest of five children. His father was Mexican and used to be a police officer in Juarez, Mexico. However, he ended up moving to United States and was working on the Santa Fe Railroad in Texas, USA. 

Julian was a hard working man, but he was susceptible to fits of anger which led to him abusing his wife and children. His mother worked in a fabric factory. While she was pregnant, she was exposed to toxic fumes from the factory, which led to the children being born with various congenital issues.

When Richard was two years of age, he was struck in the head with a falling dresser. This led to him getting 30 stitches at the hospital. When he was five years old, he was again hit in the head, with a swing. He was knocked unconscious by this accident, and unfortunately it led to young Richard suffering from seizures from this point on. 

At the age of ten years old, Richard would often sleep in cemeteries to escape his father's abuse. That is also where he had his first experience of drugs, marijuana in particular.

As a twelve-year-old, young Richard would spend a lot of his time with his cousin, Miguel Ramirez (Mike). They would bond over joints. Mike was a decorated Green Beret combat veteran who served in the Vietnam war. He would brag to Richard about all the awful abuses, rapes and escapades he participated in while stationed in Vietnam. 

He would show him Polaroid pictures of his victims, and it is said he even had a picture of him holding the severed head of a woman he just mistreated. This probably influenced and impressed the prepubescence Richard into a dark future. Mike taught Richard some of the skills he learned in the army like capturing and killing people without being detected.

Ramirez at his sister Rosa's wedding, with his parents and brother, in 1973

On May 4th, 1973, Richard was hanging out at Mike's house when Mike got in an argument with his wife, Jessie. Mike ended up fatally shooting her in the face with a .38 caliber revolver. He was arrested and taken to prison. However, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and ended up spending four years in a mental institution. 

After this shooting, Richard became withdrawn and sad from his family and those close to him. Later that year, Richard moved in with his sister Ruth and her husband, Roberto. Ruth's husband was a notorious ''peeping tom'' and would often take the young boy with him on his nightly exploits. From Roberto, Richard learned to move around the neighborhoods without being heard or seen, and how to stalk victims effectively.

Miguel "Mike" Ramirez, Richard's cousin 

As a teenager, Richard started pairing his sexual fantasies with violence, like forced rape or bondage. While he was at school, he started to work part-time at a Holiday Inn Hotel. He would use his passkey to access hotel rooms, where he would rob the guests or just sneak in while they were sleeping and watch them. 

One evening, he broke in the room of a female guest and attempted to rape her. Thankfully, her husband returned and interrupted Richard before he could do anything. The husband actually beat Richard to a pulp and police were notified. Although, as the couple were from out of town and did not want to return, Ramirez was released as the police could not press charges due to the missing victims. He lost his job at the hotel.

Richard ended up dropping out of high school at 9th grade. When he was 22 years old, he moved to California. Not much is know what he did in between this time.

Ramirez did not take care of his basic hygiene and had bad teeth and strong body odor

MURDERS

When Richard moved to California, first he settled in the Tenderloin district of San Diego. There, he lived in the basement of a hotel. On April 10th, 1984 Ramirez committed his first known murder. He raped and beat nine-years-old Mei Leung before stabbing her to death and hanging her body from a pipe. 

Unfortunately, this case was not connected to him initially and went unsolved for many years. In 2009, through DNA evidence, Ramirez was matched to a sample that was found at the crime scene. In 2016, a second set of DNA was found, but police has not named a second suspect, that was believed to be a juvenile, because they did not have enough evidence. After that, Ramirez moved to Los Angeles.

Mei Leung, who was 9 years old when she fell victim to Ramirez

On June 28th, 1984, 79-years-old Jennie Vincow, was found horrifically murdered in her home in Glassell Park, Los Angeles. It is reported that she was stabbed in her bed repeatedly, and her throat was cut so badly that she was almost decapitated. The perpetrator's fingerprint was found on a window, and that was believed to be the access point.

On March 27, 1985, Ramirez attacked 22-years-old Maria Hernandez outside of her house in Rosemead, California. He shot her in the face with a .22 caliber shotgun after she pulled in her garage. She survived the bullet after it ricocheted off her keys, that were in her hands, as she lifted them up to protect herself. 

Her roommate, Dayle Yoshie Okazaki was inside the house. She ducked behind a counter when she saw Ramirez enter the kitchen. He shot her in the head fatally when Dayle lifted her head slightly to see where the shooter was. Ramirez went through the house to find all the cash and jewelry he could find and left.

Within the hour, Ramirez shot and killed another victim. He ambushed 30-year-old Veronica Yu, in Monterey Park, forced her out of the car, and shot her in the face with a .22 caliber gun. Ramirez fled the scene after that. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. 

Dayle Yoshie Okazaki, another unfortunate victim of Ramirez

Two murders and an attempted third in the same day brought a lot of media attention. Reporters dubbed him as ''The Valley Intruder'' and ''The Walk-In Killer'', and he was described as a curly-haired with bulging eyes, and wide-spaced rotting teeth.

On March 27, 1985, close to Whittier, California, Ramirez entered the home of Vincent and Maxine Zazzara. He robbed this house one year before. At around 02.00am, Richard shot the sleeping Vincent, aged 64-years-old, with a .22 caliber handgun to the head. 

Maxine was awaken by the gunshot, and Ramirez tied her up and beat her and demanded that she tell him where all her valuables are. While he was plundering the room, Maxine escaped her ties and grabbed a shotgun that was stashed under the bed. Unfortunately, the gun was not loaded. 

Ramirez was not scared of the gun, but more annoyed. He shot her 3 times with the .22 handgun and then grabbed a large carving knife, and mutilated her body with several stabbings. He finished by gouging her eyes out and leaving them in the jewelry box. The Zazzaras' bodies were found by their son, Peter. 

Vincent and Maxine Zazzara

Ramirez left footprints in the flower beds at the Zazzara property. These shoe prints were of a pair of Avia sneakers, which police photographed and cast. This was the only piece of evidence that the police had. The bullets were matched to the previous attacks, so the police determined that a serial killer was at large.

Ramirez returned to Monterey Park on May 14, 1985, and broke in the home of 66-years-old Bill Doi, and his disabled wife, Lillian, who was ten years his junior. Ramirez surprised Bill and shot him in the face with a .22 caliber hand while Bill was reaching for his own handgun. He beat the mortally wounded man to unconsciousness. Then, he went to Lillian's bedroom, tied her up with thumbcuffs, raped her and raided their home. Bill Doi died in hospital from his wounds.

On May 29, 1985, Ramirez stole a Mercedes and drove to the house of Mabel Bell, aged 83, and her disabled sister, Florence Lang, aged 81, located in Monrovia. He battered Florence with a hammer that was found in the kitchen, and bound her in her bedroom. After that, he went to find Mabel and beat and tied her up, too. He then found an electrical cord and shocked her with it.  

Ramirez raped Florence. When he was done sexually assaulting her, he took Mabel's lipstick and drew a pentagram on her thigh, and also on the walls of both bedrooms. Two days later, both ladies were found unconscious but alive. Unfortunately, Mabel died of her injuries later on.

On July 2, 1985, he drove to Arcadia, and by chance, chose the house of widowed grandmother Mary Cannon. She was aged 75-years-old. After creeping quietly into the house, he found the sleeping woman and bludgeoned her to a comatose state with a lamp. Ramirez then repeatedly stabbed his victim with a 10-inch butcher knife from the kitchen. Mary was deceased when the police arrived.

Joyce Lucille Brown Nelson, died on July 7, 1985 aged 60 years old. 

A few days later, on July 7th, 1985, Richard Ramirez breaks into the home of 60-years-old Joyce Nelson, in Monterey Park. . She was asleep on the couch when Ramirez broke in. He beat her to death using his fists and by kicking her in the head. He left a clear Avia shoe print on her face. 

After driving around several other neighborhoods, he comes back to Monterey Park and breaks into the home of Sophie Dickman. He attacked her at gunpoint, tried to rape her and stole all her jewelry. At this time, Sophie swore that he looted everything valuable, but he made her to ''swear to Satan.''

After that, on July 20, 1985, Richard decides that he needs a better tool to commit these crimes. He find a machete that will fulfill this purpose. After buying his chosen weapon, Ramirez stole a car and drove to Glendale, California. He enters the house of couple Lela and Maxon Kneiding. He goes to their bedroom, where the couple is asleep, and begins to slash at them with the machete. After, he executes them with a .22 caliber handgun. Then, he further disfigures them with the machete before ransacking the house of all valuables he could steal.

On the same night, at 4.15am, he breaks in the house of the Khovanath family. He begins by executing the husband with a .25 caliber handgun and then binds and rapes the wife. They had an eight-years-old son, that Ramirez tied up. Then, he dragged the bound and terrified wife around the house, demanding all their money and valuables. He made her swear to Satan that she was not hiding anything from him. The little boy managed to escape and ran to a neighbor's house for help.

On August 8th, 1985, he chooses the house of husband Elyas Abowath, aged 31, and his wife, Sakina Abowath, aged 27. He shot the husband straight away, and tied up and raped the wife repeatedly. Then, he dragged her around the house to steal all the valuables and made her ''swear on Satan'' that he took everything. At some point of the rape, the couple's frightened 3-year-old son walked in on them, and Ramirez tied him up in a corner of the bedroom, and continued to rape his mother.

Elyas Abowath

Police were scrambling to solve the murders and piece them together with the limited evidence they had. There was constant media coverage on these cases, and they tried to limit the information released. They were afraid that if the killer knew that they were onto him, he would either run away or dispose of crucial evidence. 

They were sure that Ramirez was following the media coverage like a hawk. The ace in their toolbox was the Avia shoe print at most of the crime scenes, and this was a piece of information that the media did not know.

Ramirez was following the media coverage, as predicted, and when he felt that he was about to be exposed, he fled to San Francisco from Los Angeles. On August 18, 1985, he shot Peter and Barbara Pan. Peter was shot immediately, but Barbara was beaten and assaulted before succumbing to death. From ballistics and the familiar Avia shoe prints found at the scene, police determined that the crime was committed by the same killer as the ones in Los Angeles. 

Unfortunately, there was a media release and then-mayor of San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein spilled the beans. She told media that police linked the crimes through the Avia sneakers and she also divulged the ballistics of the weapons. 

Of course, Ramirez found out and he went to the Golden Gate Bridge and threw his sneakers over the side into the dark depths of the water. He spent a few more days in the area, after returning to Los Angeles.

Dianne Feinstein, Mayor of San Francisco at the time

On August 24, 1985, Ramirez was driving on the outskirts of Los Angeles, lurking around the home of James Romeo Jr. His 13-year-old son happened to be awake at the same time that Ramirez was lurking in the backyard. Thinking it was someone up to no good, he went to wake up his parents. Hearing the commotion in the house, Ramirez fled the scene. Before he could get away, the son noted down the model, make and colour of the car as well as a partial number plate. His dad reported it to the Police, believing that his son chased away a robber.

After this, he went to the home of Bill Carnes, aged 30, and his fiancée, Inez Erickson, aged 29. Subsequently, he shot Bill three times, and then he beat and raped Inez. He made her swear to Satan and told her that he was the ''Night Stalker.'' Once he stole all the cash and jewelry he could find, he fled. Inez was able to free herself from her binds, and went to the neighbors to seek help. Bill survived his injuries after doctors removed two bullets from his head.

Inez was able to give a clear description of her attacker to the police. They were also able to obtain a footprint from the Romeo home. The stolen car reported by the Romeos was found abandoned, and despite taking care, Ramirez left a single fingerprint on the rear-view mirror. Police were able to successfully trace the fingerprint as belonging to Richard Ramirez, who as described as a mid-twenties drifter with a long and sordid criminal record. They decided to release his 1984 arrest mugshot at a media conference and told him that they are coming for him and he has no place to hide.

In Part 2, we will take a look at how this monster was finally captured, his trial and the eventual demise of Richard Ramirez.