Latest news with #NightStalker
Scottish Sun
19-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
‘Sex obsessed' Night Stalker killer sent me twisted doodles from jail… but constant chilling request turned my stomach
When pushed on whether he regretted any of his atrocious crimes, criminologist Alfie James was stunned by Ramirez's response SICK FANTASY 'Sex obsessed' Night Stalker killer sent me twisted doodles from jail… but constant chilling request turned my stomach RICHARD Ramirez shocked America when he displayed a pentagram on his palm during his trial for 13 murders and declared 'Hail Satan'. And Alfie James was also taken aback when the Night Stalker sent him a drawing of the same hand, alongside sketches of scantily clad women. Advertisement 18 Ramirez caused controversy in his trial, shouting 'Hail Satan' 18 He sent amature criminologist Alfie a series of crude pictures Credit: Alfie James 18 Ramirez was convicted of 13 murders, five attempted murders and 11 sexual assaults Credit: YouTube 18 Ramirez and Alfie wrote to each other for six years until Ramirez died Credit: Alfie James Britain's top amateur criminologist began writing to Ramirez after he was given the death penalty in a bid to explore what made him tick. Advertisement But Alfie never imagined the twisted requests that the sex attacker would make - and the sinister childlike drawings he would post to him from across the Atlantic. He said: 'I looked at the drawing of his hand and it sent a chill down my spine. 'His hand was massive and had played a part in the many murders and rapes he had committed. 'But that wasn't the only shocking thing that arrived in the post from him. 'As well as his own drawings of women wearing very little, he actually asked me to take photographs of women in real life. Advertisement 'He wanted me to take my camera when I went swimming to capture pictures of women and girls in bikinis. It made me feel sick – and I obviously said no.' After years of communicating with killers here in the UK – including Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and Moors Murderer Ian Brady – Alfie became intrigued by the 'Night Stalker' case after watching a documentary. He said: 'We don't have the death penalty here, of course, so I was fascinated by what life on death row was like. 'What does it do to someone's mind sitting there in a cell day after day, knowing that the only way out is the executioner's chair?' Netflix docu-series Night Stalker - The Hunt for a Serial Killer to track horrific murders of Richard Ramirez In 2007 he wrote to Ramirez at San Quentin Prison, California's oldest jail, which opened in 1854 and was where Charles Manson also served time. Advertisement Ramirez replied and they struck up a regular correspondence, swapping scores of letters over the next six years until the killer died of natural causes in 2013 before he could be executed. During that time, Alfie – who turned part of his vast true crime library into the definitive biography of Sutcliffe, I'm the Yorkshire Ripper, written with Sun reporter Robin Perrie – gained a fascinating insight into the mind of a killer. Violent upbringing 18 Ramirez had a violent upbringing in El Paso with an abusive father Credit: . 18 He started attacking people when he was just 22 years old after moving to California Credit: AP Born in El Paso, Texas, in 1960, Ramirez grew up in an abusive family – his dad was violent and he saw his cousin shoot his wife dead during an argument. Advertisement In 1982, when Ramirez was 22, he moved from Texas to California and two years later began attacking men, women and children, often breaking into their homes at night. He used guns, knives and his bare hands to kill his victims, telling one woman to swear 'to Satan' that she wouldn't look at him as he sexually assaulted her. He carved a satanic symbol into the wall of the home of another couple he attacked. Ramirez was arrested in 1985 after his photo appeared on the front of newspapers as part of a police appeal. Locals recognised him as he left a store and gave chase. He ran for six miles, trying to car jack vehicles to get away before a group of have-a-go-heroes surrounded him. Advertisement What does it do to someone's mind sitting there in a cell day after day, knowing that the only way out is the executioner's chair? Alfie James In the latest instalment of The Sun's Meeting a Monster series, Alfie revealed that the killer took a sick pride in his escape bid. Factory worker Alfie, 49, said: 'He was really proud of how far he had run. 'He ran for miles and miles away from a crowd that were after him after they recognised him in the newspaper. He was quite boastful about how far he ran. 'I first came across his story on a documentary and I thought being on death row is totally different to anything we have here. 'So I wrote to him and, just like the serial killers I had written to here in the UK, he replied. Advertisement 'He asked me as many questions as I was asking him. Where have you been, where are you going, how many are in your family? He sometimes wrote a list of questions for me to answer, and I'm thinking, 'Who's interviewing who here?' 'He would send a lot of drawings, mainly of females in bikinis, and he would say, 'Can you send some pictures of girls in underwear bikinis?' 'One time I said we'd been swimming he said, 'If you go again can you take some pictures poolside for me?' I thought, I'm not doing that." Sick obsession 18 Ramirez revealed his obsession with sex and scantily dressed women Credit: Alfie James 18 Despite his violent crimes against women, Doreen Lioy married him in 1996 Credit: AP Photo Advertisement Alfie said Ramirez was "clearly sex obsessed", adding: "It was constant. 'He also once mentioned he liked the Benny Hill shows. I immediately thought, 'It's not the jokes or sense of humour he likes, it's the girls in swimsuits and stockings and suspenders.' 'The girls he drew were always in stockings and suspenders or short skirts, and he said in one letter, 'Do you have any school yearbooks? If so send copy pages from the girls' sports section'.' In another, Ramirez wrote: 'Send pics of girls. Make 'em in bikini thong or lingerie from head to toe,' and he also asked Alife: 'Do you have a favourite sport? Mine to watch is girls' volleyball.' One time I said we'd been swimming he said, 'If you go again can you take some pictures poolside for me?' I thought, I'm not doing that Alfie James In yet another, he begged: 'Send pictures of naked girls. You can try covering naked spots by drawing a bikini.' Advertisement As well as his near X-rated drawings, he also sent more childlike sketches of cars and transformers. Alfie said: 'He came across as very young in many ways, sending drawings of things like transformers or the Green Goblin. 'I quizzed him about death row. You always think it is really noisy in prison, but he said death row was quiet because they had proper steel doors. 'He didn't seem scared about his execution, he seemed quite relaxed.' 18 Ramirez sent Alfie a series of childlike drawings with his letters Credit: Alfie James Advertisement 18 All of the paintings were signed by the serial killer Credit: Alfie James 18 Ramirez didn't demonstrate any remorse in his letters to Alfie Credit: AP Richard Ramirez's victims During his violent crime spree, Ramirez committed 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries. Here we list his murder victims. Mei Leung, nine, was murdered on April 10th, 1984 in the basement of her family apartment building. He proceeded to beat, strangle and then rape Mei before stabbing her to death. He was only linked to her murder by DNA in 2009. Jennie Vincow, 79, was murdered by Ramirez in her flat in Glassell Park, Los Angeles on June 28th 1984. Ramirez repeatedly stabbed her in the head, chest, and neck and then slashed her neck so deeply it nearly decapitated her. Dayle Yoshie Okazaki, 34, was shot in the head by Ramirez when fleeing his attempted murder of her roommate Maria Hernandez, 22, on March 17th, 1985. Tsai-Lian "Veronica" Yu, 30, was attacked by Ramirez an hour later on March 17th, 1985. He dragged her out of her car in Monterey Park, and shot her twice with a .22 caliber handgun. Vincent Charles Zazzara, 64, and his wife Maxine Levenia Zazzara, 44. Ramirez shot Vincent in the head on March 27th, 1985, then proceeded to beat and shoot Maxine in the head three times. He mutilated her dead body by carving an inverted cross into her chest, then removed her eyes and placed them in a jewellery box which he took with him. Bill Doi, 66, on May 14th, 1985. Ramirez shot Bill in the face with a .22 semi-automatic pistol and then beat him unconscious. He then raped Bill's disabled wife Lillian Doi, 56. Bill died in hospital from his injuries. Mabel "Ma" Bell, 83, and her disabled sister, Florence "Nettie" Lan, 81, were attacked at their home on May 29th 1985. He bludgeoned Florence with a hammer and then raped her. He then bludgeoned Mabel before electrocuting her. He used lipstick to draw a pentagram on Mabel's leg and the walls of the room. Both women were found alive and comatose. Mabel died on July 15 in hospital from her injuries. Florence died in August from hers. Mary Louise Cannon, 75, was stabbed to death by Ramirez in her home in Arcadia on July 2nd 1985. He bludgeoned her with a lamp until she was unconscious, then stabbed her to death with her own kitchen knife. Lela Kneiding, 66, and her husband Maxon Kneiding, 68, were shot dead and hacked with a machete by Ramirez while they were still alive on July 20th 1985. Chainarong Khovananth, 32, was shot dead by Ramirez the same night in Sun Valley, Los Angeles. He then repeatedly raped and beat Somkid Khovananth, 32. Elyas Abowath, 31, was fatally shot while asleep by Ramirez on August 8th 1985. He then attacked Elyas's wife Sakina Abowath, 27, and repeatedly raped her in front of the couple's three-year-old son. Peter Pan, 66, and Barbara Pan, 62, were shot by Ramirez at their home in Mission Viejo, on August 24th 1985. He raped Barbara before shooting her in the head. No regrets Unlike some of the killers Alife has corresponded with, Ramirez was reluctant to discuss the details of his crimes. But like almost all of them, he didn't express any remorse, and suggested he didn't have many regrets, only in the way his arrest had affected his own life. Alife said: 'The only time he ever hinted at any regret was when he said he 'came to California on a whim and as you can see, didn't turn out too good'. Advertisement 'It was like he was brushing off all of his crimes and was suggesting they only happened because had moved to California. 'It is typical of the self-absorption that a lot of serial killers exhibit. 'It was as if it was nothing, as if he had moved to LA for work and the job didn't work out. He was massively trivialising a lot of very serious crimes. 'And when I pushed him again on whether he had any regrets, he didn't mention murdering and raping all those people. 'He said the one regret that came to mind was not asking out more girls on dates when he was at school, which was incredible.' Advertisement 18 Mei Leung, 9 was beaten, raped, and stabbed by Ramirez in April 1984 Credit: . 18 60-year-old Joyce Nelson was murdered by Ramirez in July 1985 Credit: Netflix 18 Lela and Maxon Kneiding were murdered by Ramirez in Glendale, California in 1989 Credit: Netflix Ramirez was found guilty on all charges - 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries - in 1989 and given 19 death penalties. He died before he could be executed, from complications from health issues including lymphoma and hepatitis C. Advertisement Alife and Ramirez swapped their last letters just weeks before his death. He said: 'You always want to find out more about a serial killer. The next letter might finally contain that one nugget which explains why they did what they did. 'But with Ramirez, as with some of the others I have corresponded with, it wasn't easy to read their letters. 'I certainly didn't miss his non-stop requests for disturbing pictures of women and the stream of strange drawings he sent me. 'Or, like with so many others, his sense of self-importance. Advertisement When I pushed him again on whether he had any regrets, he didn't mention murdering and raping all those people. He said the one regret that came to mind was not asking out more girls on dates when he was at school, which was incredible Alfie James 'There are many complex reasons why anyone becomes a serial killer, but that is one common factor I have discovered. 'A lot of them have a massively over-inflated sense of their own importance, they think the world revolves around them. 'Whether it is a case of them enjoying the publicity that their crimes have afforded them or whether they were always like that, who knows? 'But they do tend to feel that conversations should always be about them and their feelings, as if they are always the most important person in the room, as if they are the celebrity of their hospital or prison. 'A lack of remorse is another common factor. Not one of them that I got to know expressed full and genuine remorse for their crimes and the terrible heartache they had caused their families. Advertisement 'In their minds, their cases involved another victim – and that was them.' 'I'm The Yorkshire Ripper' by Robin Perrie and Alfie James is published by Mirror Books and is available in paperback and as an ebook. Buy it on Amazon now. 18 Maria Hernandez survived Ramirez's attempt to murder her with a revolver Credit: . 18 Ramirez has never shown remorse for his catalogue of violent crimes Credit: Getty Images - Getty 18 Ramirez was held in the same prison that Charles Manson was incarcerated in Credit: AP:Associated Press 18 Richard Ramirez murdered sisters Mabel "Ma" Bell, 83, and her sister Florence "Nettie" Lang in their beds Credit: .
The Sun
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘Sex obsessed' Night Stalker killer sent me twisted doodles from jail… but constant chilling request turned my stomach
RICHARD Ramirez shocked America when he displayed a pentagram on his palm during his trial for 13 murders and declared 'Hail Satan'. And Alfie James was also taken aback when the Night Stalker sent him a drawing of the same hand, alongside sketches of scantily clad women. 18 18 18 18 Britain's top amateur criminologist began writing to Ramirez after he was given the death penalty in a bid to explore what made him tick. But Alfie never imagined the twisted requests that the sex attacker would make - and the sinister childlike drawings he would post to him from across the Atlantic. He said: 'I looked at the drawing of his hand and it sent a chill down my spine. 'His hand was massive and had played a part in the many murders and rapes he had committed. 'But that wasn't the only shocking thing that arrived in the post from him. 'As well as his own drawings of women wearing very little, he actually asked me to take photographs of women in real life. 'He wanted me to take my camera when I went swimming to capture pictures of women and girls in bikinis. It made me feel sick – and I obviously said no.' After years of communicating with killers here in the UK – including Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and Moors Murderer Ian Brady – Alfie became intrigued by the 'Night Stalker' case after watching a documentary. He said: 'We don't have the death penalty here, of course, so I was fascinated by what life on death row was like. 'What does it do to someone's mind sitting there in a cell day after day, knowing that the only way out is the executioner's chair?' Netflix docu-series Night Stalker - The Hunt for a Serial Killer to track horrific murders of Richard Ramirez In 2007 he wrote to Ramirez at San Quentin Prison, California's oldest jail, which opened in 1854 and was where Charles Manson also served time. Ramirez replied and they struck up a regular correspondence, swapping scores of letters over the next six years until the killer died of natural causes in 2013 before he could be executed. During that time, Alfie – who turned part of his vast true crime library into the definitive biography of Sutcliffe, I'm the Yorkshire Ripper, written with Sun reporter Robin Perrie – gained a fascinating insight into the mind of a killer. Violent upbringing 18 Born in El Paso, Texas, in 1960, Ramirez grew up in an abusive family – his dad was violent and he saw his cousin shoot his wife dead during an argument. In 1982, when Ramirez was 22, he moved from Texas to California and two years later began attacking men, women and children, often breaking into their homes at night. He used guns, knives and his bare hands to kill his victims, telling one woman to swear 'to Satan' that she wouldn't look at him as he sexually assaulted her. He carved a satanic symbol into the wall of the home of another couple he attacked. Ramirez was arrested in 1985 after his photo appeared on the front of newspapers as part of a police appeal. Locals recognised him as he left a store and gave chase. He ran for six miles, trying to car jack vehicles to get away before a group of have-a-go-heroes surrounded him. In the latest instalment of The Sun's Meeting a Monster series, Alfie revealed that the killer took a sick pride in his escape bid. Factory worker Alfie, 49, said: 'He was really proud of how far he had run. 'He ran for miles and miles away from a crowd that were after him after they recognised him in the newspaper. He was quite boastful about how far he ran. 'I first came across his story on a documentary and I thought being on death row is totally different to anything we have here. 'So I wrote to him and, just like the serial killers I had written to here in the UK, he replied. 'He asked me as many questions as I was asking him. Where have you been, where are you going, how many are in your family? He sometimes wrote a list of questions for me to answer, and I'm thinking, 'Who's interviewing who here?' 'He would send a lot of drawings, mainly of females in bikinis, and he would say, 'Can you send some pictures of girls in underwear bikinis?' 'One time I said we'd been swimming he said, 'If you go again can you take some pictures poolside for me?' I thought, I'm not doing that." Sick obsession 18 Alfie said Ramirez was "clearly sex obsessed", adding: "It was constant. 'He also once mentioned he liked the Benny Hill shows. I immediately thought, 'It's not the jokes or sense of humour he likes, it's the girls in swimsuits and stockings and suspenders.' 'The girls he drew were always in stockings and suspenders or short skirts, and he said in one letter, 'Do you have any school yearbooks? If so send copy pages from the girls' sports section'.' In another, Ramirez wrote: 'Send pics of girls. Make 'em in bikini thong or lingerie from head to toe,' and he also asked Alife: 'Do you have a favourite sport? Mine to watch is girls' volleyball.' In yet another, he begged: 'Send pictures of naked girls. You can try covering naked spots by drawing a bikini.' As well as his near X-rated drawings, he also sent more childlike sketches of cars and transformers. Alfie said: 'He came across as very young in many ways, sending drawings of things like transformers or the Green Goblin. 'I quizzed him about death row. You always think it is really noisy in prison, but he said death row was quiet because they had proper steel doors. 'He didn't seem scared about his execution, he seemed quite relaxed.' 18 18 Richard Ramirez's victims During his violent crime spree, Ramirez committed 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries. Here we list his murder victims. Mei Leung, nine, was murdered on April 10th, 1984 in the basement of her family apartment building. He proceeded to beat, strangle and then rape Mei before stabbing her to death. He was only linked to her murder by DNA in 2009. Jennie Vincow, 79, was murdered by Ramirez in her flat in Glassell Park, Los Angeles on June 28th 1984. Ramirez repeatedly stabbed her in the head, chest, and neck and then slashed her neck so deeply it nearly decapitated her. Dayle Yoshie Okazaki, 34, was shot in the head by Ramirez when fleeing his attempted murder of her roommate Maria Hernandez, 22, on March 17th, 1985. Tsai-Lian "Veronica" Yu, 30, was attacked by Ramirez an hour later on March 17th, 1985. He dragged her out of her car in Monterey Park, and shot her twice with a .22 caliber handgun. Vincent Charles Zazzara, 64, and his wife Maxine Levenia Zazzara, 44. Ramirez shot Vincent in the head on March 27th, 1985, then proceeded to beat and shoot Maxine in the head three times. He mutilated her dead body by carving an inverted cross into her chest, then removed her eyes and placed them in a jewellery box which he took with him. Bill Doi, 66, on May 14th, 1985. Ramirez shot Bill in the face with a .22 semi-automatic pistol and then beat him unconscious. He then raped Bill's disabled wife Lillian Doi, 56. Bill died in hospital from his injuries. Mabel "Ma" Bell, 83, and her disabled sister, Florence "Nettie" Lan, 81, were attacked at their home on May 29th 1985. He bludgeoned Florence with a hammer and then raped her. He then bludgeoned Mabel before electrocuting her. He used lipstick to draw a pentagram on Mabel's leg and the walls of the room. Both women were found alive and comatose. Mabel died on July 15 in hospital from her injuries. Florence died in August from hers. Mary Louise Cannon, 75, was stabbed to death by Ramirez in her home in Arcadia on July 2nd 1985. He bludgeoned her with a lamp until she was unconscious, then stabbed her to death with her own kitchen knife. Lela Kneiding, 66, and her husband Maxon Kneiding, 68, were shot dead and hacked with a machete by Ramirez while they were still alive on July 20th 1985. Chainarong Khovananth, 32, was shot dead by Ramirez the same night in Sun Valley, Los Angeles. He then repeatedly raped and beat Somkid Khovananth, 32. Elyas Abowath, 31, was fatally shot while asleep by Ramirez on August 8th 1985. He then attacked Elyas's wife Sakina Abowath, 27, and repeatedly raped her in front of the couple's three-year-old son. Peter Pan, 66, and Barbara Pan, 62, were shot by Ramirez at their home in Mission Viejo, on August 24th 1985. He raped Barbara before shooting her in the head. No regrets Unlike some of the killers Alife has corresponded with, Ramirez was reluctant to discuss the details of his crimes. But like almost all of them, he didn't express any remorse, and suggested he didn't have many regrets, only in the way his arrest had affected his own life. Alife said: 'The only time he ever hinted at any regret was when he said he 'came to California on a whim and as you can see, didn't turn out too good'. 'It was like he was brushing off all of his crimes and was suggesting they only happened because had moved to California. 'It is typical of the self-absorption that a lot of serial killers exhibit. 'It was as if it was nothing, as if he had moved to LA for work and the job didn't work out. He was massively trivialising a lot of very serious crimes. 'And when I pushed him again on whether he had any regrets, he didn't mention murdering and raping all those people. 'He said the one regret that came to mind was not asking out more girls on dates when he was at school, which was incredible.' 18 18 18 Ramirez was found guilty on all charges - 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries - in 1989 and given 19 death penalties. He died before he could be executed, from complications from health issues including lymphoma and hepatitis C. Alife and Ramirez swapped their last letters just weeks before his death. He said: 'You always want to find out more about a serial killer. The next letter might finally contain that one nugget which explains why they did what they did. 'But with Ramirez, as with some of the others I have corresponded with, it wasn't easy to read their letters. 'I certainly didn't miss his non-stop requests for disturbing pictures of women and the stream of strange drawings he sent me. 'Or, like with so many others, his sense of self-importance. When I pushed him again on whether he had any regrets, he didn't mention murdering and raping all those people. He said the one regret that came to mind was not asking out more girls on dates when he was at school, which was incredible Alfie James 'There are many complex reasons why anyone becomes a serial killer, but that is one common factor I have discovered. 'A lot of them have a massively over-inflated sense of their own importance, they think the world revolves around them. 'Whether it is a case of them enjoying the publicity that their crimes have afforded them or whether they were always like that, who knows? 'But they do tend to feel that conversations should always be about them and their feelings, as if they are always the most important person in the room, as if they are the celebrity of their hospital or prison. 'A lack of remorse is another common factor. Not one of them that I got to know expressed full and genuine remorse for their crimes and the terrible heartache they had caused their families. 'In their minds, their cases involved another victim – and that was them.' 'I'm The Yorkshire Ripper' by Robin Perrie and Alfie James is published by Mirror Books and is available in paperback and as an ebook. Buy it on Amazon now. 18 18 18
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
How Did Richard Ramirez Die? Here's Why the Night Stalker's Demise Didn't Happen on Death Row 12 Years Ago
Serial killer Richard Ramirez — known as the "Night Stalker" — murdered at least 13 people in the Los Angeles area from 1984 to 1985 He was sentenced to death in 1989 He died in in 2013 at 53 years oldRichard Ramirez — a.k.a. the Night Stalker — terrorized Los Angeles with his twisted crimes in the 1980s. From April 1984 to August 1985, Ramirez killed at least 13 people, sneaking into their homes in the middle of the night through open windows and unlocked doors, per CBS News. But his trail of terror didn't stop there: Ramirez also robbed, raped and beat many others, using a wide variety of weapons (including handguns, knives and even a tire iron) to inflict his brutality, according to CBS. The randomness of his attacks and methods left authorities perplexed — and allowed Ramirez to escape capture for more than a year. However, the Texas-born murderer was eventually caught on Aug. 31, 1985, as he attempted to steal a car in East L.A. An angry mob of citizens — who recognized him from media coverage as the Night Stalker — surrounded him, beating him with a steel rod until police arrived. It would take another four years for Ramirez to be brought to trial for his crimes. But on Sept. 20, 1989, the man known as the Night Stalker was found guilty of all 43 counts — including 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries. Ramirez was given a total of 13 death sentences, and was sentenced to be executed by gas chamber, The New York Times reported. Ramirez died in June 2013 at 53 years old, according to the Los Angeles Times. 'He never showed any remorse for what he had done,' Frank Salerno, one of the detectives who helped capture Ramirez, said in the 2017 Reelz docuseries Murder Made Me Famous. 'He was pure evil.' So how did Richard Ramirez die? From the Night Stalker's final days to his continued notoriety, here's everything to know about his death behind bars. Ramirez died while awaiting execution for the string of horrific crimes he committed in California between 1984 and 1985. Initially, California corrections officials stated that Ramirez died of natural causes, per the Los Angeles Times. However, a coroner's report released 10 days after his death revealed that he had died due to complications from blood cancer. According to the Marin County coroner's office, Ramirez had B-cell lymphoma — a common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It was not clear when Ramirez had been diagnosed with cancer or whether he had been receiving treatment for it. Additionally, Ramirez had other significant conditions at the time of his death, including 'chronic substance abuse and chronic hepatitis C viral infection.' The drug abuse occurred prior to Ramirez's imprisonment (more than two decades earlier) and was likely the cause of his hepatitis C infection, the Marin County assistant chief deputy coroner told USA Today. 'It's likely something that he has been dealing with for years,' the coroner said about Ramirez's hepatitis C infection, per USA Today. 'It's killing your liver.' Shortly after his capture and arrest, a friend of Ramirez's named Donna Myers confirmed that Ramirez had started to use cocaine the year prior, dissolving it in water and shooting it up. (Hepatitis C is often spread by the use of intravenous drugs, per USA Today.) 'He had cut marks, you know, tracks, running across his left arm,' Myers told PEOPLE about Ramirez's extensive drug abuse. 'He broke off a needle in his arm one day... he got so hooked on cocaine he just got wigged out.' Ramirez died at 9:10 a.m. on June 7, 2013, according to the Los Angeles Times. Ramirez died at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, Calif., according to the Los Angeles Times. He had been admitted to the hospital earlier in the week from San Quentin State Prison, where he had been on death row since receiving his sentence in 1989. Ramirez, who was born on Feb. 29, 1960, was 53 years old when he died. While Ramirez's final words before his death are unknown, his statements at his sentencing made it clear that he did not fear dying. When the jury recommended the death penalty on 19 different counts at his October 1989 trial, Ramirez appeared unbothered. 'Big deal,' he told reporters, per the Los Angeles Times. 'Death comes with the territory. See you in Disneyland.' At his sentencing one month later, in November 1989, Ramirez delivered a chilling monologue to the packed courtroom — which included members of his family, victims who survived his attacks and relatives of those he killed. 'You don't understand me. You are not expected to. You are not capable of it. I am beyond your experience,' Ramirez said, according to the Los Angeles Times. He continued, 'I am beyond good and evil. I will be avenged. Lucifer dwells in us all. That's it.' Emotions surrounding Ramirez's death were mixed. Some expressed relief over the end of the serial killer's life, while others felt disappointed that he did not face the execution by gas chamber that he was sentenced to. Law enforcement officials viewed the death of the notorious serial killer as the closing of 'a dark chapter in the history of Los Angeles,' NBC Los Angeles reported. Though Ramirez was never executed, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Alan Yochelson expressed to the Los Angeles Times that 'some measure of justice has been achieved,' since the notorious killer lived out the last two-plus decades of his life behind bars. Many of Ramirez's surviving victims and relatives of those he killed, however, felt that the killer known as the Night Stalker did not deserve to live as long as he did. 'It's about time,' Bill Carns, one of the last people attacked by Ramirez, told the Los Angeles Times. 'He should have been put to death an awful long time ago.' Reyna Pinon, the wife of one of the men who helped capture Ramirez, echoed a similar sentiment: 'To me, he had a better death than all those people whose lives he took,' she said. Doreen Lioy, a freelance magazine editor who Ramirez married in 1996 while in prison, declined to comment to reporters following Ramirez's death. However, Ramirez's relatives in El Paso, Texas, released a statement asking for privacy. 'We are mourning the loss of our son and brother, Richard Ramirez,' the family told the El Paso Times. 'The world judged him, whether fairly or unfairly, it no longer matters. He is now before the true judge, the judge that sees and knows all things. We ask that you respect our sorrow and grief.' Ramirez's reputation as one of the most notorious serial killers in history has lived on since his 2013 death — particularly in the L.A. area. Signs of the terror the Night Stalker inflicted on southern Californians in the 1980s still remain intact today. 'Everybody kept their windows open and he was crawling in windows,' Tiller Russell, who directed the 2021 Netflix docuseries Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, told PEOPLE. 'So to this day in L.A., when you drive around, that's why there are bars on the windows.' The haunting memory of Ramirez has also been kept alive through pop culture references, with his life and crimes inspiring songs, television shows, films and documentaries. Since Ramirez's death, the 2016 film The Night Stalker, the 2024 film MaXXXine, episodes of American Horror Story and multiple documentaries and docuseries have all told his sadistic story. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
People Are Sharing The First Major News Stories They Remember Living Through, And They Range From The Moon Landing To Princess Diana
Recently, Reddit user catpunsfreakmeowt posted to the popular Ask Reddit page to ask people, "What's the first major news story you can remember living through as a child?" The answers range from pop culture to major events. I found it so fascinating to see what sticks with people, so I thought I'd share some of the best! 1."The Challenger explosion. I was 6 and I'd just gotten home from a doctor's appointment, and my mom turned on the TV and there it was: the Challenger exploding in the sky." —MushLampMaker "I was home and sick for this. One of those days you never forget. AND I was home on 9/11/01. I was moving my mom out of my childhood home because of divorce. Weird takeaway: the sky was SO blue that day. No planes, nor pollution. It was a surreal experience. 3,000 people died. Life-changing, completely. And nature still being beautiful." —beachboyjedi "My dad let me stay home from school to watch it. I told him they launched fireworks instead because, at 6 years old, I didn't understand what had just happened." —halfgrow 2."The death of Princess Diana." —FourLiveBears "Wow, same. We were camping, and my buddy's dad came down from the lodge with the newspaper." —thewhiteboytacos "Yep. It was surreal. I was 10. The impact it had on the adults around me was wild." —Serious-Landscape-74 3."The assassination of President Kennedy. Yes, I'm old." —Lumpy-Visual-5301 4."JonBenét Ramsey and how much her case really upset my dad, and how serious he was about it towards me especially because I was his youngest and only daughter." "I remember how much it really upset and shook him, but I was too young to really understand at the time. I have a vivid memory of us in a grocery store and him looking at one of those tabloid magazines with her on the cover and just how upset he was, and trying to explain stranger danger to me and stuff, but I was just a little, little child and really didn't comprehend what he was saying." —luridweb 5."Apollo 11 landing on the moon." —prajnadhyana "I remember the moon landing. I didn't realize how big a deal it was, though. I was young. I can remember sitting with my cousins watching it on the black-and-white." —MiaEmilyJane 6."The fall of the Berlin Wall. Alas, I've lived to see people wanting to build walls anew." —medes24 "Same. My parents woke us up so that we could see. I still remember the PJs I was wearing and the fact that I brought my teddy bear along to watch." —Reisefuedli 7."The day that Nixon resigned the presidency was my first real news memory." —Brooklynalice75 8."The first major news story I remember was the Night Stalker, a serial killer whose real name was Richard Ramirez." "It was the year 1984, when I was 10 years old, and I was extremely frightened that he would come and harm me and/or my family. I recall writing a prayer and taping it outside our front door so we'd be protected." —catpunsfreakmeowt "My mom was about 13 and living in LA when the Night Stalker was at his height. Not only was she living in LA, but she lived in a yellow house next to the freeway he frequented. My grandparents insisted on keeping the windows open all night because it was summer and 'it wouldn't happen to them.' My poor mom slept with a knife under her pillow every night." —aud4f7 9."The Iran hostage crisis being on the news and my family talking about it is very prominent in my memories about the time I was 4 or 5 years old." —Jellybeans74 10."Tiananmen Square. I wasn't aware of how significant that was." —SomeGuyInSanJoseCa 11."The Mount St. Helens eruption." —imawizardslp87 "Same! An early memory that I thought was a dream until my dad, years later, confirmed where we were at the time and that the cloud was visible. I was 5 years old." —Snapesdaughter 12."Columbine. It was especially shocking since school shootings weren't an issue before then. It seemed to inspire other disturbed students, so shootings became, sadly, pretty routine." "Before, we had no real security. Over the years we began locking doors, using a metal detector to enter school, and getting school resource officers." —WastingMyLifeOnSocMd 13."9/11. I got annoyed because I thought it was one of those action movies, but it was on every channel. I was 10." Pop TV / CBC Television —Aggressive_Radish_13 14."I remember the JFK Jr. plane crash really well because it happened on my 8th birthday, and for some reason that really annoyed me, as if the news channels would have been covering my birthday were it not for this tragedy." ABC —TripAway7840 15."The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (1968) and my mother's uncontrollable crying while she combed my hair; police attacking crowds of singing Black people with dogs and fire hoses on TV. It was a time of fear and anxiety for me. I was 7 years old." —Genealoga 16."The Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. As third-graders, we would practice crawling under our desks in case of a nuclear attack." —Ok_Spare1427 17."The wedding of Charles and Diana." —AussieBlondage "I remember my mom waking me up when it was still dark out to watch it. It was pretty cool watching a real-life princess as a little girl." —Ambitious_Flower677 "I remember getting up really early to watch it. I had the flu that day so I was pretty miserable, but I was amazed by the whole thing." —lylisdad 18."The shootings of John Lennon and Ronald Reagan. They were three months apart." —wharleeprof 19."The Port Arthur Massacre. I was 5. It was Australia's worst mass shooting in history and the catalyst for gun control being enacted in the country." —Lunavixen15 20."The death of Michael Jackson. I remember it was all over the news and everyone at school was talking about it." —throwawaypatien "Same here. My aunt was treating us by taking us to a nail salon for pedicures and it was on the TV there. I remember it so vividly for some reason." —twinsnakess 21."Probably Kurt Cobain's death." —Consistent-Key-865 "I was a 10-year-old fan when that happened, and my stepdad told me through the bathroom door while I was pooping. Couldn't wait five fucking minutes." —RequirementQuick3431 22."The war in Bosnia. Some of the images from the news still haunt me." —satinsateesaltine 23."Polio in the early '50s. I was a little kid, and I remember how big that polio shot was! I was a happy little kid when they started using sugar cubes!" —Bubwheat "My parents took us to the junior high school gym to get a sugar cube. All the kids thought it was great to get a free sugar cube." —throwaway281409 24."The Vietnam War. I remember Walter Cronkite on the news on Fridays saying how many Americans were killed that week. I will never forget it." "My dad would always go silent and frequently just barely tear up and wipe his eyes a little. He didn't have to go because of me and my brother. I really didn't fully understand of course, but definitely understood '235 men died this week in Vietnam' from Walter. Makes me sad remembering that too. RIP vets." —FurnitureMaker58 "Yes, we ate dinner watching the evening news. My Uncle was in Vietnam; I was pretty young, and I would always look for him even though, at the time, I barely knew him. He has taught me a lot through all these years." —squidaor1 25."Reagan was shot when I was in fourth grade. They brought a TV into the classroom, and we watched it the rest of the day." —BennyG11 "I was 5 and was watching Tom and Jerry after school when the news bulletin came on." —u/DeadMoneyDrew 26."The Kennedy assassination. I was 4. Mom was in the dining room listening to the radio, and I was in the living room playing with my toy cars. I'll never forget Mom suddenly screaming, crying, and running into the den to turn on our black and white television." "I remember being very confused and scared because she never behaved that way, not before or since. I had no idea what happened, only that something really bad must have happened and that maybe I did it." —Artistewarholio finally: "The Rodney King riots. I lived in Los Angeles at the time and I remember seeing a lot of burned buildings. I was about 8 years old then." —sirleggy Let me know your thoughts down below! If you have your own historic memory you want to share, I want to hear that too. Or, if you want to share but prefer to stay anonymous, feel free to check out this anonymous Google form. Who knows — your answer might be included in an upcoming BuzzFeed article! Note: some comments have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Buzz Feed
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
People Are Sharing The First Major News Stories They Remember Living Through, And They Range From The Moon Landing To Princess Diana
Recently, Reddit user catpunsfreakmeowt posted to the popular Ask Reddit page to ask people, "What's the first major news story you can remember living through as a child?" The answers range from pop culture to major events. I found it so fascinating to see what sticks with people, so I thought I'd share some of the best! 1. "The Challenger explosion. I was 6 and I'd just gotten home from a doctor's appointment, and my mom turned on the TV and there it was: the Challenger exploding in the sky." — MushLampMaker "I was home and sick for this. One of those days you never forget. AND I was home on 9/11/01. I was moving my mom out of my childhood home because of divorce. Weird takeaway: the sky was SO blue that day. No planes, nor pollution. It was a surreal experience. 3,000 people died. Life-changing, completely. And nature still being beautiful." — beachboyjedi "My dad let me stay home from school to watch it. I told him they launched fireworks instead because, at 6 years old, I didn't understand what had just happened." — halfgrow 2. " The death of Princess Diana." — FourLiveBears "Wow, same. We were camping, and my buddy's dad came down from the lodge with the newspaper." — thewhiteboytacos "Yep. It was surreal. I was 10. The impact it had on the adults around me was wild." — Serious-Landscape-74 3. "The assassination of President Kennedy. Yes, I'm old." 4. " JonBenét Ramsey and how much her case really upset my dad, and how serious he was about it towards me especially because I was his youngest and only daughter." "I remember how much it really upset and shook him, but I was too young to really understand at the time. I have a vivid memory of us in a grocery store and him looking at one of those tabloid magazines with her on the cover and just how upset he was, and trying to explain stranger danger to me and stuff, but I was just a little, little child and really didn't comprehend what he was saying." — luridweb 5. "Apollo 11 landing on the moon." — prajnadhyana "I remember the moon landing. I didn't realize how big a deal it was, though. I was young. I can remember sitting with my cousins watching it on the black-and-white." — MiaEmilyJane 6. " The fall of the Berlin Wall. Alas, I've lived to see people wanting to build walls anew." — medes24 "Same. My parents woke us up so that we could see. I still remember the PJs I was wearing and the fact that I brought my teddy bear along to watch." — Reisefuedli 7. "The day that Nixon resigned the presidency was my first real news memory." 8. "The first major news story I remember was the Night Stalker, a serial killer whose real name was Richard Ramirez." "It was the year 1984, when I was 10 years old, and I was extremely frightened that he would come and harm me and/or my family. I recall writing a prayer and taping it outside our front door so we'd be protected." — catpunsfreakmeowt "My mom was about 13 and living in LA when the Night Stalker was at his height. Not only was she living in LA, but she lived in a yellow house next to the freeway he frequented. My grandparents insisted on keeping the windows open all night because it was summer and 'it wouldn't happen to them.' My poor mom slept with a knife under her pillow every night." — aud4f7 9. "The Iran hostage crisis being on the news and my family talking about it is very prominent in my memories about the time I was 4 or 5 years old." 10. " Tiananmen Square. I wasn't aware of how significant that was." 11. "The Mount St. Helens eruption." — imawizardslp87 "Same! An early memory that I thought was a dream until my dad, years later, confirmed where we were at the time and that the cloud was visible. I was 5 years old." — Snapesdaughter 12. " Columbine. It was especially shocking since school shootings weren't an issue before then. It seemed to inspire other disturbed students, so shootings became, sadly, pretty routine." "Before, we had no real security. Over the years we began locking doors, using a metal detector to enter school, and getting school resource officers." — WastingMyLifeOnSocMd 14. "I remember the JFK Jr. plane crash really well because it happened on my 8th birthday, and for some reason that really annoyed me, as if the news channels would have been covering my birthday were it not for this tragedy." 15. "The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (1968) and my mother's uncontrollable crying while she combed my hair; police attacking crowds of singing Black people with dogs and fire hoses on TV. It was a time of fear and anxiety for me. I was 7 years old." 16. "The Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis. As third-graders, we would practice crawling under our desks in case of a nuclear attack." — Ok_Spare1427 17. "The wedding of Charles and Diana." — AussieBlondage "I remember my mom waking me up when it was still dark out to watch it. It was pretty cool watching a real-life princess as a little girl." — Ambitious_Flower677 "I remember getting up really early to watch it. I had the flu that day so I was pretty miserable, but I was amazed by the whole thing." — lylisdad 18. "The shootings of John Lennon and Ronald Reagan. They were three months apart." 19. " The Port Arthur Massacre. I was 5. It was Australia's worst mass shooting in history and the catalyst for gun control being enacted in the country." 20. "The death of Michael Jackson. I remember it was all over the news and everyone at school was talking about it." Barry King / WireImage — throwawaypatien "Same here. My aunt was treating us by taking us to a nail salon for pedicures and it was on the TV there. I remember it so vividly for some reason." — twinsnakess 21. "Probably Kurt Cobain's death." — Consistent-Key-865 "I was a 10-year-old fan when that happened, and my stepdad told me through the bathroom door while I was pooping. Couldn't wait five fucking minutes." — RequirementQuick3431 22. "The war in Bosnia. Some of the images from the news still haunt me." 23. " Polio in the early '50s. I was a little kid, and I remember how big that polio shot was! I was a happy little kid when they started using sugar cubes!" — Bubwheat "My parents took us to the junior high school gym to get a sugar cube. All the kids thought it was great to get a free sugar cube." — throwaway281409 24. "The Vietnam War. I remember Walter Cronkite on the news on Fridays saying how many Americans were killed that week. I will never forget it." CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images "My dad would always go silent and frequently just barely tear up and wipe his eyes a little. He didn't have to go because of me and my brother. I really didn't fully understand of course, but definitely understood '235 men died this week in Vietnam' from Walter. Makes me sad remembering that too. RIP vets." — FurnitureMaker58 "Yes, we ate dinner watching the evening news. My Uncle was in Vietnam; I was pretty young, and I would always look for him even though, at the time, I barely knew him. He has taught me a lot through all these years." — squidaor1 25. " Reagan was shot when I was in fourth grade. They brought a TV into the classroom, and we watched it the rest of the day." Bettmann / Bettmann Archive — BennyG11 "I was 5 and was watching Tom and Jerry after school when the news bulletin came on." —u/ DeadMoneyDrew 26. "The Kennedy assassination. I was 4. Mom was in the dining room listening to the radio, and I was in the living room playing with my toy cars. I'll never forget Mom suddenly screaming, crying, and running into the den to turn on our black and white television." Three Lions / Getty Images "I remember being very confused and scared because she never behaved that way, not before or since. I had no idea what happened, only that something really bad must have happened and that maybe I did it." — Artistewarholio 27. And finally: " The Rodney King riots. I lived in Los Angeles at the time and I remember seeing a lot of burned buildings. I was about 8 years old then." Lindsay Brice / Getty Images — sirleggy Let me know your thoughts down below! If you have your own historic memory you want to share, I want to hear that too. Or, if you want to share but prefer to stay anonymous, feel free to check out this anonymous Google form. Who knows — your answer might be included in an upcoming BuzzFeed article! Note: some comments have been edited for length and/or clarity.
