September 25, 2018 ▸ People, True Crime

Episode 333: Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker

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On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we delve into the shadowy realm of true crime and look at one of the most rage-filled serial killers of all time, the Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez. Originally called the (much less impressive) Valley Intruder, Richard Ramirez ran on a violent, burglary filled murder spree through all of California. But to understand the crimes of this monster, it’s important to understand his beginnings.

If anyone was dealt a hand that promised they would become a brutal serial killer, it was Ramirez. His father was an ex-cop known for rage issues, and his mother breathed in so many harsh chemicals at work that all of her other 5 children had birth defects. Add to that an older cousin and role model who was an unstable soldier fresh from the Vietnam war.

Oh, and said cousin had photos of all the Vietnamese locals he raped and murdered and shared them with the young Richard Ramirez. And then there was the time his cousin murdered his wife with a pistol while Ramirez watched and the time his uncle showed him how to be a peeping Tom, take LSD, and worship Satan. So, yeah, serial killer.

Ramirez had his first taste of murder with a nine year old girl in the basement of a hotel he lived in, and from there, he began a murder spree of mostly older victims. He tended to break into people’s homes, rob them, shoot the husband in the face, and then rape and kill the woman with whatever he could find to use as a weapon. He didn’t care about leaving evidence, covering his trails, or anything many such killers worried about. He killed out of passion and rage, typically on the spur of the moment.

So, how many people did Richard Ramirez kill? Why were they typically retirees? What was up with eyeballs in a jewelry box? How come Ramirez had so many fan girls when he was on trial for his horrible crimes, and why did one marry him while on death row? What came of the suicide pact his wife took with him? Why did he scrawl pentagrams on his body before the trial, and how did this scumbag eventually die? Listen, laugh, learn.