Ramirez is a Latino American whose parents are Mexican immigrants. As the youngest of six children in the family, Ramirez was once a good boy in the eyes of his father, but what initially ruined him was the same culprit that ruined many descendants of immigrants - drugs, which he had been taking for a long time since he was a teenager. Drugs turned Ramirez into a repeat offender before he became a killer. Ramirez's decision to move to Southern California was in fact a frequent visitor to the police department for thefts, robberies and drug abuse in his hometown of El Paso.
In the year from 1984 to 1985, Los Angeles and San Francisco were shrouded in an atmosphere of terror, all caused by a mysterious serial killer. He likes to sneak into other people's homes at night, then shoot or strangle adult men to death, and then violently rape, kill and dismember women and children. After he is done, he puts his symbol - an inverted five-pointed star on the wall. On the body, on the mirror, even on the dead body. Because he is different from other serial killers, he neither has a specific killing method (shooting, beating to death, slitting throats, beating to death with bare hands, strangling, etc.), nor does he target a particular type of person (the age of the victim) From a few years old to 70 years old, from all walks of life), there are no clues and the police are helpless against this indiscriminate murderer. Some citizens even believe that he has demonic superpowers.
The turning point of the whole case was that the police found a car that was believed to be used by the killer to carry his prey to the countryside (he also liked to take children to the countryside to hunt), and found a car belonging to a man in the car. Juvenile delinquent Richard Ramirez's fingerprints. Although the police immediately released his photos to the media, this arrogant, cruel and arrogant murderer was not arrested until August 1985. At that time, he was trying to pull a woman out of the car in the suburbs of Los Angeles, but failed. Her husband fought back to stop her, and then onlookers recognized him as the murderer. He was beaten severely before being handed over to the police. When he was sentenced to death, he still maintained his usual arrogance and arrogance, "Death penalty? How terrible! Do you want to scare me to death? Everyone will die. See you at Disneyland!"
First time crime
When Ramirez was 18 years old, he left his birthplace and came to Southern California to make a living, but he soon mixed up with some idle people in society, taking drugs and occasionally doing petty theft. The act of touching. Ramirez was arrested for car theft in 1981 and 1984, which may be the earliest criminal record against him by the police.
It can be seen that Ramirez was actually a "thief" who burglarized houses at the beginning, and his murders at the beginning were very similar to a typical crime of passion - on June 28, 1984, he Sneaking into the home of the first victim, 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, he robbed her. Perhaps because he had little "gain", he stabbed Jennie Vincow to death in her sleep and slit her throat in a rage. , walked away after raping the corpse.
After eight months of silence, Ramirez's animal nature awakened by blood made him need more stimulation.
An angel during the day and a devil at night
Since then, Ramirez began to move around at night looking for prey. He said: "I like the feeling of killing people at night, it's very exciting." It's exciting and challenging. I like to do it!" Indeed, he later developed the habit of killing people at night. During the day, Ramirez, who was very polite in dealing with others, was still willing to help others, and the neighbors were all happy. Call him "our sunshine boy."
At 11:30 pm on March 17, 1985, 20-year-old Angela Barrios returned to her home in northwest Los Angeles after a tedious day at work. Because she was so tired, she parked the car in a hurry and planned to go home and rest immediately. When she walked out of the garage, a tall, thin man wearing a black robe and a blue navy hat rushed in front of her from the dark and controlled Angela with the gun in his hand. The man put the muzzle of the gun against Angela's forehead and looked at her with a cold gaze. Poor Angela didn't dare to call out loudly, so she could only plead in a low voice to let her go. Angela was smart and tried not to look at the gangster's face to avoid irritating him. At the same time, the gangster seemed to be moved by Angela's plea. Just when Angela wanted to run away, the vicious gangster suddenly opened fire and Angela fell to the ground.
But Angela was not injured, and the bullet that hit her palm was deflected by the car key. The frightened Angela hurriedly ran away. The gangster then fired several more shots, but Angela still ran into the garage. Just as Angela, whose legs were weak, was waiting for death in the garage, she discovered that the mysterious gangster calmly put the gun back into his waist and walked away like nothing happened. This mysterious man was Richard Ramirez, and Angela became the first and only victim of Ramirez who was not harmed.
However, Angela’s roommate, 34-year-old Dali, was not so lucky. When the panicked Angela fled home to seek help, she almost fainted from the fright - Dali died in in the kitchen at home. According to Angela's recollection, Dali's body was soaked upside down in a wash basin filled with blood, and there were blood stains all over the kitchen floor and walls. Angela immediately ran out of the house and called the police. Later, the police who arrived after hearing the news found the navy hat worn by the murderer near the location where Angela was attacked. This navy hat was the birthday gift that the victim Dali had just received. Obviously, the murderer first broke into Angela's home, killed Dali and ransacked the house. Then he came to the garage door wearing Dali's hat and waited for Angela who came home from get off work.
While Angela was still in shock, on March 27, 1985, another horrific murder occurred in the local area. An elderly couple in their 60s were shot dead in their home. The male owner Zara was shot in the head and his body was abandoned on the sofa in the house. The condition of the hostess Maxine was even more horrific. She was shot by a gangster. After being shot in the abdomen, he was dragged out of the bedroom and then shot dead. The entire second floor was covered in blood. Even an experienced police officer was ordered to undergo psychological treatment because the murder scene was too bloody. A veteran detective who had participated in the on-site investigation of the case said: "It was like a bloody hell. The smell of blood permeated the entire second floor. Two colleagues and I started vomiting almost as soon as we entered the door."
In the next three months, seven similar murder cases occurred in Los Angeles. The methods and time of committing the crimes were surprisingly similar: the murderers all committed the crimes in the dead of night and the victims were all shot in the head. According to the survivor's description, the murderer was tall and thin, wearing a black robe.
Once the facts of the case were revealed, the whole city of Los Angeles was shocked, and the murderer was nicknamed the "Night Walker." At the same time, many citizens who originally lived alone have invited relatives and friends to move in with them at home. After dark, Los Angeles is like a pool of stagnant water. While the police were searching for the suspects, the "Dark Night Walkers" regarded the police as nothing and attacked again after a week of silence. The 83-year-old woman Mavela and her 80-year-old sister were attacked by the gangsters with heavy hammers. Mawela among them The head was smashed to pieces. A month later, the "Night Walker" raped a 6-year-old girl; a day later, 32-year-old Peddie was found dead at home, with her throat cut open with a sharp knife; on August 5, 60-year-old Dede Lei was severely beaten with an iron by the murderer...
Satan's Disciple
In just 5 months from March 17 to August 30, 1985, he committed crimes frequently. The victims ranged from 6-year-old girls to 69-year-old seniors, and there were as many as 14 victims.
Under the influence of devil worship, Ramirez gradually entered a crazy mental state. According to his own confession after the incident, after he completed the murder, he would play his favorite "AC/DC" band's record in the victim's room and paint around it while eating. Satanic symbol.
Victim Erickson, who narrowly survived Ramirez’s clutches, said that after Ramirez raped her, he forced her to swear that she loved Satan and was “obligated” to pray for the “disciples of Satan”. Ramirez gave oral sex; Erikson was one of the few victims who was not brutally tortured by Ramirez. Almost all other survivors were rescued when they were dying.
The murdered Chinese
Ramirez was convicted of murdering 13 people, including one who was shot dead in the street after visiting friends in Monterey Park late at night on March 17, 1985. Taiwanese immigrant Tsai-Lian Yu.
Yu Cailian, who worked as an editor for a Chinese-language newspaper in Montreal at that time, was killed in the late night of March 17, 1985 at No. 600 Alhambra Street in Montreal when the passing murder suspect Ramirez was ejected from his car. He was dragged out and shot several times. He died on the way to the hospital for emergency treatment. He was only 30 years old.
But Ramirez killed more than 13 people.
Two years after his arrest, the San Francisco police found through DNA comparison that he was also involved in the murder of 9-year-old Chinese girl Mei Linda Leung on April 10, 1984. She was murdered in the basement of a B&B in San Francisco's Tenderloin district, where Ramirez was staying at a nearby hotel. She may have been the first victim to be killed by Ramirez.
Devil worship
Some media and experts believe that Ramirez is so vicious because of genetic problems - his parents were exposed to atomic radiation when they were in Mexico, and his mother was After immigrating to the United States and becoming pregnant with Ramirez, she worked in a chemical factory for a long time; it was due to the dual effects of nuclear radiation and chemical toxins that his genes at birth were inherently violent. The studio's view that this evidence is far-fetched is clearly an irresponsible and possibly even racially charged assertion against Latin American immigrants.
I don’t know when Ramirez’s devil-worshiping mentality began, but there is no doubt that this twisted belief ran through his entire life (Ramirez was still high even when he was tried in court. Calling: "Long live Satan!"), he who worships the devil in this way will definitely not be recognized and accepted by society. Perhaps because he believed that he had become a member of the "Devil Family", as a Latin American immigrant, Ramirez began to develop a hatred for "people", or "Americans" (American society has a hatred for black people, immigrants, etc. Discrimination against disadvantaged groups is likely to be an important objective factor as well).
Ramirez once said, "You don't understand me, and you don't want to do this." The person who catalyzed Ramirez's transition from "hatred" to "killing" was his "idol" in his youth - his cousin Mike; Mike was a veteran who returned from the Vietnam War, Green Bailey. hat member. Mike often took Ramirez with him to take drugs and talked to him about the cruel scenes of the war. Until one day when Mike's wife complained about these two idlers, Mike shot his wife in front of Ramirez. Blood splattered on Ramirez's face. Life seemed so insignificant and vulnerable at this moment, which brought a huge shock to his young heart.
Arrested after beating
Ramirez is a loyal fan of the Australian heavy metal band "AC/DC". One of his favorite songs is "Night Prowler" ), maybe he felt that the content of this song seemed to be a glorification of his behavior at that time, or even a kind of praise. It's a pity that this "night thief" could not escape as calmly as the lyrics: On August 30, 1985, Ramirez tried to steal a car, but he didn't notice.
The car owner, Pinon, was lying under the car repairing the car. When Pinon heard his car being started, he immediately jumped out from under the chassis, grabbed Ramirez's neck and pulled him. Ramirez's face turned red due to suffocation but he still threatened him: "I have a gun!" The 56-year-old Pino didn't care about this because "no one can take my car!" Ramirez tried to drive away He drove Pino, but the strong and fearless car owner did not let him succeed: the car he drove first knocked down a fence, and then plunged into the garage. Pino then opened the door, pulled Ramirez out and Throw it on the street.
At this time, Ramirez crawled on the ground for a few meters in embarrassment and then got up and ran away. After crossing a street, he once again tried to rob 28-year-old Angelina de la Torres (Angelina de la Torres). La Torres' Ford sedan, he yelled threats to kill the Hispanic woman if she didn't hand over the keys to the car immediately. Torres's screams for help were immediately answered - her husband, 32-year-old Manuel, picked up several iron fence rods and rushed out of the backyard, hitting Ramirez with a club. Si's back.
The sudden and powerful counterattack made Ramirez completely panicked. He ran to another street. Only then did the "night thief" realize that he had become a street rat. Not only Manuel was chasing after him, but Jaime Burgoin (21 years old) and his brother Julio Burgoin (17 years old) who came to help after hearing the news also came from the side. The rear is gradually approaching.
After running exhausted, Ramirez turned around and prepared for a cornered animal fight, but this time he was no longer facing a helpless and vulnerable victim - yes, his pursuers had recognized him It was the serial murderer wanted by the police. This time, Ramirez faced a group of angry people.
The subsequent action scene that was supposed to be "thrilling" was actually very short. Ramirez was beaten to the ground with almost no chance to fight back. In fact, when the police arrived at the scene, At that time, Ramirez, who was lying on the ground, was already in a semi-conscious state. He admitted that he was a wanted murderer and begged the patrolman for protection. The "Night Hunter" who once terrorized the entire West Coast of the United States fell at the feet of the indignant people. Compared with his previous rampant murder and robbery, the embarrassing situation when Ramirez was arrested can be said to be almost funny - he may have It was then that I just realized: In fact, the consequences of offending public anger are more terrible than breaking the law.
Sentencing
Ramirez’s ensuing investigative trial took four years, despite his lawyers’ endless appeals on the part of the defense ) repeatedly delayed the trial process. On September 20, 1989, the Los Angeles Municipal Court made a verdict: Ramirez was found guilty on 43 counts, including theft, rape, sodomy... and 13 counts of murder; he was sentenced death penalty.
According to media reports, Ramirez did not want his lawyer to ask the court for him to be exempted from the death penalty. After he was sentenced to death, he once again made a arrogant face: "This does not count. What, everyone will die, see you in Disneyland!" "You don't understand me, and you don't want to do this, and you don't have the ability. I don’t believe in the hypocrisy and moral dogma of so-called civilized society. I don’t want to see liars, hateful people, killers, liars and cowardly bigots in the courts - these worms on the earth, everyone has their own. Standards. It disgusts me, hypocrites. We are all expendable for some reason, no one knows whether it is overt or covert policy that all governments in the world have. Kill you in the name of...I want revenge! The devil is hidden in each of us."
Waiting for 24 years of execution
The persistence of the deceased's family, movies and novels and other literary works continue. Remind that those bloody and reflective cases will not be forgotten. The reason why many unsolved cases become unsolved is that sometimes even if you get to the court and know that the person in front of you is the murderer, it is difficult to let him go because of the lack of key evidence. The murderer was severely punished as expected.
Just like Ramirez, who also stayed at the Cecil Hotel when he was arrested. What is the reason that allows this man, who was convicted of 43 crimes including theft and rape, and sentenced to death in 1989, to still be in prison?
Jury: For the sake of fairness, the trial date will be postponed
Since his arrest in 1985, Ramirez’s story seems to have just begun. After that began a long process of evidence collection and trial. Ramirez's family hired two lawyers, Daniel and Arturo, to represent Ramirez. Two lawyers have been trying to delay the trial.
The lawyers told the prosecutor that they need time to sort out and visit the crime scene and sort out the evidence; at the same time, they believed that because in Los Angeles, all middle-class families are immersed in the fear of "midnight stalkers", The jury will likely be motivated by strong emotions, so Ramirez will not face a fair trial.
By February 1988, the case had been delayed for six months. At this time, the lawyer stated that he had discovered that Ramirez had committed multiple felonies and applied for the Los Angeles court to investigate the Ramirez case again. Fang applied to reject the case on the grounds that it would "meaninglessly increase the burden on the police," but the Supreme Court did not heed the prosecutor's request. In this way, the case was postponed until July 22, 1988. Because Ramirez himself refused a test of whether he was insane and committed the crime, the trial had the opportunity to proceed.
Evidence: Key evidence is missing and the case is difficult to resolve
When Ramirez’s case entered the trial stage, the case had already cost more than $1 million and there was even one witness. Has passed away.
The two lawyers continued to stall for time by arguing that the jury was biased against Ramirez, but Los Angeles prosecutor Philip Hepling dismissed their reiterated demands as simply incomprehensible. However, Hepling also admitted that this was the "most complex criminal case" he had ever experienced. At the time, he had close to 1,000 potential witnesses and hundreds of pages of statements, reports and photos. At the trial on April 14, 1989, 137 witnesses were used and the scene was simulated 521 times, but still no solution was found. There were even cases where witnesses wondered whether they mistakenly thought someone else was Ramirez.
The evidence presented at the trial came from different crime scenes: a car with Ramirez’s fingerprints, Ramirez’s fingerprints taken from the victim’s thigh, etc. These are all Important evidence in tandem cases.
Police officer Thomas said that during the interrogation, Ramirez said: "Of course I did it, so what? Beat me to death." However, his defense lawyer said that the police did not investigate him at the time. Recording, so there is no evidence that can be used as tangible evidence.
The Los Angeles prosecutor also admitted that the evidence provided by the prosecutor was "inconclusive" and "flawed." Unidentifiable hair and blood samples were also found at various crime scenes that belonged to neither Ramirez nor the victims, they said. At the same time, prosecutors also said that the testimony of Ramirez's father showed that Ramirez was in a Texas city at least around May 24, 1985, and a rape victim claimed that he was raped by Ramirez during this time. Si was raped in Los Angeles. The prosecution lawyer also discovered that a police officer secretly pointed out to the witness where Ramirez was standing when the witness was identifying the suspect. The lack of key evidence is also the reason why this case has been pending for a long time.
Waiting for the death penalty, still queuing
On October 3, 1989, the jury finally made a seemingly unequivocal verdict. Ramirez was found guilty and should be executed. After learning the news, Ramirez said nonchalantly: "Death will not scare me. I will go to hell and be with Satan." He even told reporters: "I will wait for you at Disney World."
As of November 9, 1989, Ramirez had been officially sentenced to death 19 times. He discussed with the lawyer, and finally he said his "famous saying": "I transcend your cognition, and my behavior transcends the categories of sacredness and evil. I do not believe in the hypocrisy of the so-called civilized society and the dogma of Taoism." ”
But there is still a long “procedure” waiting for Ramirez on the road to execution. Generally speaking, there is a mandatory procedure for death row inmates to apply for clemency, and the governor has the right to spare his life. Ramirez was fortunate enough to be transferred to California's "prison of the living dead" San Quentin Prison. San Quentin Prison is the only prison in California that executes the death penalty for men. There is a limit on the number of executions every year. Prisoners sentenced to death Need to be queued for execution. According to a report in the Daily Mail, some death row inmates died of natural causes in prison before they could be executed.
Supporters: Marry a crazy fan, protected by human rights agencies
According to a survey of 300 people at the time of Ramirez’s arrest, more than 93% of the respondents said they Having heard of Ramirez, most people thought he was guilty. But what is strange is that a large number of Ramirez's "female fans" gathered outside a hearing in 1987. Some of these people firmly believe that Ramirez is innocent, while others simply think that he is handsome and cute.
It is even mentioned in one biography about him that a woman with an IQ of 152 wrote 75 letters of love to Ramirez after his arrest in 1985, and Ramirez finally decided to Marrying her, in 1996, 36-year-old Ramirez and 41-year-old Leo completed their marriage ceremony in San Quentin Prison. This marriage also continued Ramirez's life, which seemed to be about to end. Following appeals from human rights and women's protection agencies, the government postponed Ramirez's execution almost indefinitely. To this day, Ramirez's lawyers are still persisting in their appeals to prevent Leo from becoming a widow. It is for this reason that Ramirez's chances of survival have been greatly increased.
Death in prison
As the saying goes, good and evil will eventually be rewarded. The most notorious Satan worshiping serial killer in American history, Richard Ramire, known as the "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez died of liver failure in a California hospital on the morning of the 7th.