The little boy in this photograph grew up to become one of the most evil men in modern history.
Born on February 29, 1960, in El Paso, Texas, he was the youngest of five in a Mexican immigrant family. His father, a violent alcoholic, frequently beat him—sometimes tying him to a cemetery crucifix overnight. Before six, he had suffered multiple head injuries and later developed temporal lobe epilepsy. By ten, he was already using drugs and alcohol to escape the abuse.
At 15, he witnessed his cousin Miguel shoot his wife in the face during an argument. The killer was declared insane, but the trauma left deep scars. Soon after, the boy dropped out of school and lived with his sister and her voyeuristic husband Roberto, joining him on disturbing late-night “peeping” trips. When Miguel was released, he sometimes joined them.
By 22, he had moved to California, addicted to coc**ne and surviving through burglaries. Homeless and drifting between cities, his crimes grew more violent.
The killings begin
On April 10, 1984, he murdered 9-year-old Mei Leung in San Francisco, a crime only linked to him decades later through DNA. Two months after, he killed 79-year-old Jennie Vincow in Los Angeles, slashing her throat nearly to decapitation.
From March to August 1985, he unleashed a year-long killing spree across California. Breaking into homes at night, he murdered randomly—shooting, bludgeoning, stabbing, and assaulting victims ranging from young women to the elderly.
Satanic obsession
He left pentagrams drawn in lipstick, forced victims to “swear to Satan,” and declared his love for the devil. In one attack, he mutilated Maxine Zazzara’s body and kept her eyes as trophies. He tortured elderly sisters with a hammer and electric shocks, leaving Satanic symbols on their bodies.
The manhunt
Dubbed the Night Stalker, he became California’s most wanted killer. Detectives Frank Salerno and Gil Carrillo led the massive search. The break came when 13-year-old James Romero III noted the car and plate of a suspicious man. A fingerprint from the abandoned vehicle led police to a 25-year-old drifter with a long arrest record.
On August 29, 1985, police revealed his face and name: Richard Ramirez.
The next day, Ramirez was spotted in East Los Angeles after seeing his photo in the newspaper. Locals recognized him, chased him through the streets, and beat him until police arrived.
Trial and death
At trial, he raised a hand marked with a pentagram and shouted, “Hail Satan!” He was convicted of 13 murders, multiple assaults, and burglaries, and sentenced to death in 1989. “Big deal,” he said. “See you in Disneyland.”
Ramirez spent 24 years on death row, marrying a supporter, Doreen Lioy, in prison. He died in 2013 at age 53 from lymphoma—unrepentant to the end.
Looking at that innocent childhood photo, it’s almost impossible to believe the monster he became.
