Richard Ramirez was an American serial killer, rapist, and burglar. He became known as the "Night Stalker" before his real identity was exposed. An aggressive and brutal criminal, he broke into people's homes at night, viciously attacked them, raped women, and murdered most of his victims. Initially, he terrorized the residents of the greater Los Angeles area and later moved to the San Francisco area once the police began pursuing him in Los Angeles. Born to an abusive Mexican-American railway worker, Ramirez had a troubled childhood. As a teenager, he fell into the company of an older, sadistic cousin who boasted of raping and killing numerous women, which fascinated Ramirez. Inspired by his cousin, he embarked on a sadistic and brutal spree of burglaries, rapes, and murders. He was finally arrested after a two-year rampage. Counted among the most vicious and cold-blooded murderers ever to operate in the United States, Ramirez was a staunch Satanist who never expressed remorse for his crimes. Despite his notoriety, he had some fans, one of whom married him while he was imprisoned. After a long trial, he was convicted of 13 murders and sentenced to death. He died of illness while on death row.
