SERIAL KILLER: The Night Stalker Pt. 2

Richard Ramirez believed Satan protected him, but he couldn’t outrun justice forever. In Part 2, we explore "The Night Stalker’s" gruesome 1985 killing spree, the chilling trail of clues left in his wake, and the courageous community that ended his reign of terror in an unforgettable showdown. Killer Minds is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. For ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Don’t miss out on all things Killer Minds! Instagram: @killerminds https://www.instagram.com/killerminds/ | @Crimehouse https://www.instagram.com/crimehouse/ TikTok: @Crimehouse https://www.tiktok.com/@crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios https://www.facebook.com/crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia https://x.com/crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios https://www.youtube.com/@crimehousestudios

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Vanessa Richardson?

  Hi, everyone. Before today's episode, there's another show I want to tell you about. It's called What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson from Netflix's Love on the Spectrum and Carter Roy. Every week, they take three unbelievable true facts from history and tell you the full story behind them. Plus, Connor's infectious energy that'll make you realize history is the most fascinating thing on earth. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.

• 0:36Speaker 01

  This is Crime House.

• 0:42Vanessa Richardson?

  When we confront the shadows of our past, we often use the term "overcome our demons." Whether it's dealing with lingering trauma, ending a problematic relationship, or moving on from something hanging over our heads, it's a way to acknowledge that we all have burdens that haunt us. Richard Ramirez was no exception. Whether it was his father's abuse, or his cousin's obsession with murder and sexual violence, Richard's past hung over him, like demons lurking behind his shoulder. But instead of battling those demons, Richard embraced them. And in doing so, he unleashed a reign of terror on an entire

• 1:27Vanessa Richardson?

  city.

• 1:40Vanessa Richardson?

  The human mind is powerful. It shapes how we think, feel, love, and hate. But sometimes it drives people to commit the unthinkable. This is Killer Minds, a Crime House original. I'm Vanessa Richardson.

• 1:56Tristin Engels?

  And I'm Dr. Tristin Engels. Every Monday and Thursday, we uncover the darkest minds in history, analyzing what makes a killer.

• 2:05Vanessa Richardson?

  Crime House is made possible by you. Please rate, review, and follow Killer Minds. To enhance your listening experience with ad-free, early access to each two-part series and bonus content, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. A warning: This episode contains depictions of murder and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised. Today, we conclude our deep dive on serial killer Richard Ramirez. After a childhood full of violence and trauma, Richard was consumed by darkness. Fueled by an obsession with Satan, he went on a sadistic killing spree throughout California in 1984 and 1985.

• 2:50Vanessa Richardson?

  His brutal crimes and penchant for attacking his victims under the cover of darkness earned him the nickname "The Night Stalker."

• 2:58Tristin Engels?

  As Vanessa goes through the story, I'll be talking about things like the concept of Satanism and its impact on Richard's psyche, why some killers show immense pride in their crimes, and how a killer's bravado can lead to their downfall.

• 3:12Vanessa Richardson?

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• 3:54Vanessa Richardson?

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• 4:36Vanessa Richardson?

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• 5:18Vanessa Richardson?

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• 5:56Vanessa Richardson?

  In 1985, Richard Ramirez was likely having the best summer of his life. The 25-year-old had convinced himself that he was carrying out a mission in Satan's name to kill as many people as possible, as brutally as possible. And as far as he was concerned, he was accomplishing his goals. By August, he'd killed nearly a dozen people around Los Angeles County and two more up in San Francisco. After many of those crimes, Richard left evidence of his devotion to the devil behind. In at least two of his attacks, he drew pentagrams at the scene, and in other cases, some surviving witnesses said he mentioned Satan multiple times.

• 6:42Tristin Engels?

  Let's revisit why Richard would be drawn to Satanism in the first place. When we think about it, it makes sense from a psychological and developmental standpoint. People often assume Satanism is about evil, but in Richard's case, it's providing a framework, a belief system that validated his violent impulses, justified his lack of empathy, and gave his crimes a sense of meaning. It gave him permission to embrace his cruelty, view his sadism as strength, and see empathy or mercy as weaknesses. Satanism allowed Richard to build a belief system around his most dangerous impulses, which gave him the ability to celebrate them. And leaving pentagrams at the scene was a signature for him, and it was reinforcing his identity.

• 7:25Tristin Engels?

  He wants his crimes to be perceived as intentional, as righteous, and a mission with purpose.

• 7:31Vanessa Richardson?

  Whatever was driving Richard's obsession with Satan, it gave the police a lot of leads to follow. After his double homicide in San Francisco in August of 1985, the authorities in L.A. were able to connect it to his crimes in Southern California. It was a late-night break-in, a pentagram was drawn at the scene, and the bullet shells looked like the ones they'd found at his other crime scenes. Within hours of making this connection, the lead investigator on the Night Stalker case, Detective Frank Salerno, boarded a plane in mid-August with his partner Gil Correio and flew to San Francisco. After taking a look at the crime scene, Frank and Gil went to the city's police headquarters,

• 8:14Vanessa Richardson?

  where they met with local detectives and compared notes from their investigations. The next morning, they gave this information to San Francisco's mayor, Dianne Feinstein. Her first concern was her constituents' safety, so she quickly called a press conference to warn the public that the Night Stalker was loose in their city. She offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who had information that helped catch the killer. But during this press conference, she also revealed a few key details that the police hadn't shared with the public, namely, the make of the killer's gun and the brand and size of his shoes, which they'd identified through footprints at a few of his crime scenes.

• 8:57Vanessa Richardson?

  When Frank Salerno found out, he was livid. He was afraid the Night Stalker would start destroying evidence, or worse, flee the country and they'd be back to square one. And he was half-right. Richard saw the press conference on TV. When he realized the police were on to him, he went to the Golden Gate Bridge and dropped his gun and shoes over the side.

• 9:22Tristin Engels?

  Up until this press conference, Richard was operating under the belief that he was protected by Satan, which gave him a sense of invincibility and allowed him to commit these unspeakable acts without shame, fear, or even hesitation. Now, that illusion is shattered. Suddenly, Richard was a man on television. He's being named and hunted, and that's when something changed in his psychology. Learning that he's not invincible could be very destabilizing, almost crisis level. Panic and disorganization could set in, and his grandiosity is certainly challenged. And by that, I mean, Richard believed he was serving some cosmic purpose, that he was guided and protected by Satan and therefore unstoppable. But when a very human agency of law enforcement caught up with him, it

• 10:06Tristin Engels?

  forced him to reevaluate, and that's why he disposed of those items. He knew they were incriminating, which is actually a very significant moment from a forensic psychology lens, because it demonstrates that Richard has an awareness of consequence.

• 10:20Vanessa Richardson?

  Do you think that his faith in Satan now is wavering, or was this just a practical reaction to finding out the police were on to him, so he's got to get rid of the evidence?

• 10:29Tristin Engels?

  Yeah, this reaction makes me question whether or not these were clinical delusions to begin with in terms of psychosis, because if they were, generally speaking, I would expect to see him become defensive reactive, even double down by looking for distorted evidence. To continue supporting the delusions, even when that evidence is contradictory, like it is right now. Instead, he panicked and he tried to dispose of incriminating evidence. Richard was rooted in reality enough to want to avoid getting caught and was watching the news for updates on his own manhunt. And this is diagnostically important information. So to answer your question, was his faith wavering? Perhaps to a degree. His belief in Satanism was functional. And once that function was challenged, it was as strong enough

• 11:13Tristin Engels?

  to override basic survival instincts. The second he saw he was on police radar, he dropped the ritual and he became pragmatic. He became practical. He worshipped Satan in theory, but only until self-preservation took over. This was a practical reaction and his interest in Satanism appears to, again, have been purely for identity validation, inflating his ego and justifying his cruelty. And so as a result, I really don't think that he was delusional in a psychotic sense.

• 11:42Vanessa Richardson?

  After ditching his shoes and gun, Richard decided to lay low for a while. He spent the next few days smoking pot, listening to heavy metal and visiting adult movie theaters in the area. But before long, he got restless. Richard couldn't contain his urge to kill. He knew he couldn't stick around San Francisco, though. There was too much heat on him there. So on August 24th or 25th, about a week after Dianne Feinstein's press conference, Richard drove his stolen Mercedes back to LA. Once he got there, he dumped the car, then stole an orange 1976 Toyota. With his new ride, Richard went out that night looking for someone to hurt. Around 1 a.m.,

• 12:26Vanessa Richardson?

  he ended up in Mission Viejo, a city about 50 miles south of Los Angeles, and chose a house at random. In a nearby yard, a 13-year-old boy, James Romero, was up late fixing his scooter. James saw the Toyota pull into his neighbor's driveway. Then he watched Richard, a tall, long-haired man wearing gloves, get out of the car and disappear into the shadows.

• 12:53Vanessa Richardson?

  Richard didn't notice James, though. He was focused on entering the house he'd chosen, which belonged to a computer engineer named Bill Karns and his fiancee Carol. Like everyone else in the city, Bill and Carol knew about the Night Stalker and had taken precautions. They'd locked their doors and closed their windows. But Richard didn't let that stop him. Somehow, he was able to remove a window pane and slip inside. He crept from room to room until he found the bedroom. Then he went in, took out a new gun, and aimed it at Bill's head. As soon as Bill woke up, Richard shot him three times. Carol had been sleeping next to him.

• 13:36Vanessa Richardson?

  When she heard the commotion, she tried to hide under the covers, but Richard had already seen her. However, he didn't kill her. Instead, he ripped off the blanket, dragged Carol out of bed, and gave her a command. "Profess her love for Satan," or he would kill her. Carol did as she was told, but Richard wasn't satisfied. He bound her with neckties, then raped her, all while insisting she swear her loyalty to Satan. When he was finished, he ransacked the house. Throughout it all, Carol waited for him to finally kill her. But after taking some money and briefly mocking her, Richard disappeared.

• 14:18Tristin Engels?

  So Richard went from being in self-preservation mode and destroying evidence to, once again, killing and doing so carelessly. Given that he has shown he is capable of self-awareness of consequence, this is not just a matter of him not being able to stop. He just doesn't want to, and that's terrifying. His behavior has escalated to the point where the act of domination itself became addictive to him. Each time he got away with a crime, it reinforced the idea he was untouchable. And now it's become compulsive. And we know from his childhood, his impulsivity, and his history of head injuries, that neurologically and biologically, Richard lacked the internal mechanism that most people have to regulate this behavior.

• 15:03Tristin Engels?

  And he was operating in a fantasy world where Satan was his shield and control was all that mattered. And it's important to remember that there is no one in his life still, at this point, who can hold him accountable or who's monitoring his behavior. And all of this contributes to why he continued to kill even when he was so close to being caught.

• 15:24Vanessa Richardson?

  As soon as Carol was sure Richard was gone, she was able to free herself from her restraints and ran to a neighbor's for help, which was when she saw the orange Toyota speed away. She wasn't the only one who saw Richard take off. Her young neighbor, James Romero, was still fixing his scooter outside and had also seen the Toyota leave. James had been unsettled by Richard's arrival in the first place, so when the car peeled out, he wrote down the license plate number. He told his parents about the whole encounter the next morning, and they called the police. Richard had no idea he'd been spotted. He cruised back to Los Angeles, convinced he'd just pulled off yet another murder for Satan.

• 16:09Vanessa Richardson?

  But as he drove, his adrenaline and the hot Southern California summer started getting to him. And at some point, he took off the gloves he was wearing to air out his hands. Then he headed to the Wilshire area in the center of Los Angeles, where he wiped the car down and abandoned it. But when he did this, Richard missed something and left behind a major clue. On the outside of the rearview mirror, there was a single fingerprint.

• 16:45Speaker 01

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• 17:16Vanessa Richardson?

  En los inicios del 27 de agosto de 1985, Richard Ramirez atacó a Bill Karnes y su esposa Carol en su hogar en Mission Viejo, California. Ambos sobrevivieron al ataque y Carol pudo llamar a la policía. El siguiente día, los investigadores comenzaron a procesar la escena de crimen. Bill estaba en condición crítica, pero Carol estaba bien lo suficiente para responder algunas preguntas. Lo que le dijo a ellos era algo alarma, algo que habían estado escuchando todo el verano. Su atacante era un hombre alto, con cabello y un respiro terrible, que estaba obsesionado con Satanás. Esto tenía que ser el Night Stalker.

• 17:56Vanessa Richardson?

  Y esas sospechas fueron confirmadas después de que los investigadores hablaron con James Romero, el chico de 13 años que vio a Richard salir y venir de la casa de Bill y Carol antes de despegar en la Toyota Orange robada. Después de las declaraciones de Carol y James, la policía lanzó una alerta local para que los oficiales estuvieran alertos por el vehículo. Mientras esperaban noticias sobre el carro, las autoridades obtuvieron un informe aún más prometedor. Un hombre llamado Jesse Perez llamó a la estación y dijo que creía que había conocido al Night Stalker. Tan pronto llegara el informe, Frank Salerno envió a un par de oficiales a la casa de Jesse en el este de LA. Creía que el Night Stalker era un tipo llamado Rick,

• 18:40Vanessa Richardson?

  que Jesse había conocido en un depósito de autobús del mes pasado. Jesse quería venir más pronto, pero tenía un historial criminal por sí mismo y preocupado por hablar con los policías. Aún así, su hija insistió en decir algo porque había muchas similitudes entre el hombre que había conocido y las descripciones que los medios proporcionaban sobre el Night Stalker. Este Rick era alto, con cabello y dientes terribles, y le dijo a Jesse que era un asesino. Rick también habló mucho sobre Satanás y admitió a Jesse que había hecho cosas terribles, como matar a dos mujeres asiáticas en 1984.

• 19:20Tristin Engels?

  So why would Richard reveal himself like this? I think people underestimate how heavy the burden of secrets can be. Richard built his entire identity around his crimes and his allegiance to Satan, but identity is meaningless if it can't be shared. He may have felt compelled to hint at the truth as a way to maintain that identity, not for accountability, but for recognition. He also saw himself as powerful, feared and invincible, and someone like this would want the opportunity to boast when he could. And this is not uncommon for serial killers. But also, he was compulsive and risky, and telling Jesse was both of those things. It allowed him to test his limits and see just how far he could get to being discovered without facing any consequences.

• 20:05Vanessa Richardson?

  Do you think he possibly saw a kindred spirit in Jesse, who was also a former criminal?

• 20:11Tristin Engels?

  So if a serial killer decides to confide in someone, the person they choose to do this with, even if it's superficially, is significant. It can tell us a lot. I think to Richard, Jesse represented someone who had a similar moral code. Regardless of what Jesse was convicted of previously, they had a shared criminal identity in some way, and this could have created a false sense of safety or sense of solidarity for Richard. But also, we need to remember Richard's history with Miguel. Miguel spoke to Richard in the same way. He boasted about his criminal acts and framed them as honorable. And in this interaction with Jesse, Richard is modeling that same behavior. It's the only way he knew how to socialize. And Jesse likely represented someone who would, quote, "get it."

• 20:55Tristin Engels?

  And perhaps Richard thought that this would make him feel honorable in return. It's definitely an indication that he's emulating what he was taught from Miguel.

• 21:07Vanessa Richardson?

  Regardless of what drove Richard to share this information with Jesse, it gave the police a bona fide lead. And not only did Jesse give a good description of the Night Stalker, Richard had sold him one of his guns, a 22 caliber pistol. The Night Stalker had used at least four different guns during his spree, and a 22 caliber was one of them. Unfortunately, Jesse said he gave the gun to a female friend for protection when she went on a trip to Tijuana. Still, it was a promising lead, and it wasn't the only one. Before the authorities could try and track down the gun, they got another break in the case. On August 28th, the day after Bill and Carol were attacked,

• 21:50Vanessa Richardson?

  police found the stolen orange Toyota. It was at a shopping center off Wilshire Boulevard, right where Richard had dumped it. When they scoured the car for evidence, they found most of it had been wiped clean, except for one small spot on the rearview mirror where Richard had left his fingerprint behind. Authorities had found prints at some of the other crime scenes, but hadn't been able to do anything with them. Until this point, there was no digitized searchable system, which meant they needed to identify a suspect in order to compare the prints. But California had just finished building a new computerized database, and with this print, they were able to run it through that system

• 22:34Vanessa Richardson?

  and compare it to all the other fingerprints that were on file. When they did this, the print was a match from an incident in December 1984, when a man had been arrested for driving around Los Angeles in a stolen vehicle. The name on that file? Richard Ramirez. After months of mysterious, puzzling murders, police could finally give the notorious Night Stalker a name. They immediately put the word out and released the mugshot from Richard's 1984 arrest to the public. As the authorities waited for any tips to come in, they scoured every inch of LA and even posted officers in the cities where his family members lived.

• 23:17Vanessa Richardson?

  But Richard had skipped town, not because he knew the police were on to him, but because he decided to take a trip to Tucson, Arizona with his older brother. He had no idea that while he was on vacation, the rest of the country was looking for him. But he caught on pretty fast once he got back into town. Richard took a bus back to Los Angeles on August 31st, and when he got there, he saw the station was swarming with officers.

• 23:46Tristin Engels?

  Wow, so Richard spent months believing that he was above consequence. He was the hunter, but when he saw that police presence, suddenly he was the one being hunted. And that's a huge shift. That realization would have created a massive psychological conflict. Because on one hand, he believed that he was doing Satan's work. On the other, he's now seeing that Satan was once again not protecting him. And that internal contradiction likely sparked panic, confusion, and possibly rage. But more than likely, it sparked survival mode, since that is what happened historically. Like when he went to the bridge and he threw over evidence. There's also a degree of public humiliation. And for someone with narcissistic and psychopathic traits,

• 24:28Tristin Engels?

  the idea of being seen as weak or hunted can be more intolerable than the fear of actual punishment. Richard wasn't just caught off guard, he was exposed. And that can be psychologically destabilizing, especially for someone who had built his entire sense of self around dominance and control.

• 24:44Vanessa Richardson?

  Whatever was going on in Richard's mind here, he somehow managed to avoid the massive police presence and disappear into the crowd. And if he didn't know that he was the one authorities were looking for, it became crystal clear shortly after. Because that afternoon, Richard went into a liquor store in downtown LA to buy a coffee and saw his face on the front of a newspaper. Before he could decide what to do, an elderly shopper looked up and immediately recognized him. She shouted out "El Matador", the Night Stalker's Spanish nickname. It literally means "the killer". Richard froze as everyone in the shop turned towards him. Then, the store owner grabbed the phone to call 911,

• 25:29Vanessa Richardson?

  and Richard bolted. He fled on foot to Boyle Heights, a predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood in East LA. As he ran, all Richard could think about was stealing a car and heading for Mexico. That's when he spotted a woman, Manuela Villanueva, sitting in a running vehicle. He charged over to her and tried to pull her out, shouting in Spanish and English. Manuela fought with Richard and called for help until her boyfriend ran out of a nearby bakery. The two men started brawling, and a local barber came out to see what all the noise was. He recognized Richard immediately and joined the fray.

• 26:09Vanessa Richardson?

  At some point, Richard managed to pull away from the men and take off, but there was no running now. Richard had been unmasked, and the people of Boyle Heights weren't about to let him get away.

• 26:23Vanessa Richardson?

  With a crowd of people hot on his heels, Richard tried to hijack another vehicle owned by a man named Faustino Pignone. Faustino fought back too, so Richard ran to a nearby driveway where a woman named Angel de la Torre was getting into her car. She recognized Richard immediately and screamed "El Matador", as he grabbed the keys out of her hand. Before he could get away, Angel's husband rushed out of their house and started beating him with a metal bar. Richard managed to crawl away and struggle to his feet, but there was nowhere left to run. His pursuers caught up to him and gathered around Richard, pummeling him until he sank to the ground bleeding.

• 27:07Vanessa Richardson?

  The Night Stalker's reign of terror had finally come to an end.

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• 28:19Speaker 04

  Did you know that if your spouse goes missing and you don't tell anyone, that's not necessarily a crime? That surprising fact is at the heart of the brand new season of Bear Brook, the critically acclaimed true crime podcast from New Hampshire Public Radio. I'm your host, Jason Moon. In this season, Bear Brook investigates another New Hampshire mystery. A Christmas tree farmer with dementia vanishes. His wife never reports him missing. Can he still be found? Don't miss it. Follow Bear Brook wherever you get your podcasts.

• 28:51Vanessa Richardson?

  After trying to run from police on August 31, 1985, Richard Ramirez was finally caught by a group of citizens in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles. Soon sirens filled the air as police cruisers got to the scene. Sheriff's Deputy Andres Ramirez, who had been raised a few blocks away, was the first to arrive. He knelt down by Richard, who was still surrounded by the locals who had captured him. As soon as Andres saw Richard's face, he knew it was true. This was the Night Stalker. Richard was arrested and thrown into the back of a squad car. He didn't bother trying to deny what he'd done. On the way

• 29:32Vanessa Richardson?

  to the station, he hummed the song Night Prowler by AC/DC. Once investigators had him in an interrogation room, Richard told them his gun was in a locker at the Greyhound station, and he asked for the electric chair.

• 29:49Tristin Engels?

  So humming Night Prowler wasn't a random act. It was a form of self-identification. The song had become associated with his media nickname, and by referencing it, Richard appeared to be reinforcing that persona. This behavior is similar to something we call a narcissistic collapse, when a person's grandiose self-image is suddenly confronted by reality and begins to fall apart. Instead of expressing remorse or denial, Richard seemed to accept his capture with a kind of resignation. His attitude conveyed not "I'm sorry," but something closer to "You got me. Now let's get on with it." Improviding the location of his weapon wasn't a full confession, but it was a meaningful behavioral

• 30:30Tristin Engels?

  shift. It indicated he understood, once again, the reality of a situation, and that the illusion of control or invincibility had been broken. We often see this kind of shift in individuals whose identities are built around power and violence. Once that structure collapsed, either through capture or loss of control, they may not fight it. Instead, they disengage, having no clear sense of self outside the role that they've constructed. It certainly wasn't about remorse or redemption, but rather resignation, which also explains why he asked for the electric chair.

• 31:02Vanessa Richardson?

  While other officers went to the bus depot to collect the gun, Detective Frank Salerno and his partner Gil Corillo came down to the station to question Richard. When they entered the interrogation room, he was sitting at the table scratching something into the surface. To Frank's surprise, Richard recognized him from an article he'd read in the paper. Frank tried to use that familiarity to engage Richard in a conversation, but all of a sudden, Richard wasn't interested in talking. He just asked for a lawyer and continued to scratch the table. However, when Gil spoke to Richard in Spanish, he opened up a little.

• 31:42Vanessa Richardson?

  Richard told Gil about his abusive father and his cousin Miguel, who taught him to burglarize and kill. He also explained how he came to love Satan, but he stopped just short of a full confession. When the detectives got up to leave, they saw what Richard had been scratching into the table while they spoke. It was a pentagram. But Satan wasn't coming to save him. Richard was fingerprinted, booked, and charged with 14 counts of murder and 31 other felonies, including burglary, rape, and robbery. Shortly after officers returned from the bus depot, they'd searched Richard's locker and found his gun.

• 32:26Vanessa Richardson?

  It wouldn't be the last weapon they found. Police followed up on the lead from Jesse Perez, who'd bought a gun from Richard, then given it to a friend in Mexico. In early September, authorities located that gun in Tijuana and eventually connected it to at least one of Richard's victims. Just a few days later, on September 9th, officers questioned Richard's family in El Paso, Texas. The night stalker was national news by this point, and the Ramirases were shocked to learn this terrifying killer was their sweet, sensitive Richard. They could only hope that this was all some kind of mistake and police had the wrong guy.

• 33:07Tristin Engels?

  Families almost always struggle to accept that a loved one could be responsible for violent crimes, especially something as horrific as serial murder like this. The Ramirez's reaction is very typical in cases like this. This kind of response is a form of cognitive dissonance. It's incredibly difficult, sometimes emotionally impossible, to reconcile the person you know intimately with the kind of brutality described in the news. And even if there were warning signs, most families are not equipped to interpret them as precursors to violence on this scale. And when the public narrative and private image are so vastly different, the emotional gap between who they thought he was and who he actually became is often too wide to process, especially all at once.

• 33:51Vanessa Richardson?

  Do you think it's possible that Richard really did disguise his true nature that well? Or does this seem more like maybe they were in denial?

• 33:59Tristin Engels?

  I think it's likely both. It's very probable that he hid his true self very well. I can't imagine that he ever openly expressed these fantasies with them, let alone confessed anything he had done. Especially, his family's Catholic. I don't see him sharing with his family his, you know, allegiance to Satan. But not to mention, he endured abuse and neglect from his family. Generally, parents are aware of who their children spend time with and who they are influenced by, and they knew Miguel's history. Richard was a teen, and it doesn't sound like they attempted to protect him in any way, especially from Miguel's grooming. So it's equally probable that his family, who were very religious, were incapable of

• 34:41Tristin Engels?

  seeing the signs or acknowledging them, or neglected to see them. There could have been some form of denial on their part as well.

• 34:49Vanessa Richardson?

  While any hope of this being an unfortunate mistake was dispelled at Richard's arraignment on October 24th, 1985, during the proceedings, Richard showed the court and the cameras a pentagram he drew on his hand and yelled, "Hail Satan." But even though he was embracing the spotlight, that didn't mean Richard was owning up to his crimes. And thanks to a slew of logistical hurdles, he wouldn't go on trial for another four years. During that period, the legend of the Night Stalker only continued to grow. While Richard was committing his crimes, the United States was in the midst of what would later be called the Satanic Panic.

• 35:33Vanessa Richardson?

  It was a time when there was a lot of fear around satanic cults and the devil, making Richard's crimes even more fearsome. So when his televised trial finally began on January 30th, 1989, the whole country was watching. Over the next three months, prosecutors made their case, presenting over 400 pieces of evidence. They included stolen pieces of jewelry that Richard had taken from his victims and sold or pawned, the fingerprint found on the Toyota, and other prints found at multiple murder scenes, and plenty of witness testimonies. Richard had started this legal process with a lot of bravado, but four years later, and in the face of a pile of mounting evidence,

• 36:17Vanessa Richardson?

  he slowly lost it. He appeared gloomy and despondent, and kept a pair of dark sunglasses over his eyes at all times.

• 36:27Tristin Engels?

  There might be a few reasons why that is. So during the peak of a serial offender's activity, especially someone like Richard, there's this sense of power, control, and psychological or sexual gratification. They often feel entitled and above the law. They have emotional detachment, they feel invincible, and they're energized by planning and fantasizing, and then executing their crimes. By the time they're on trial, that entire psychological structure begins to unravel. The courtroom isn't just a place of judgment, it's a space where the offender becomes powerless. They're exposed, and they're redefined by others. This explains why they may appear emotionally withdrawn, or flat, despondent, defensive, or posturing, but this is often compounded by the helplessness

• 37:12Tristin Engels?

  and lack of control they experience being incarcerated as well during pre-trial proceedings. For once, individuals who need to feel in power and control are at a total loss of it in every way imaginable. It's also worth noting that Richard may be trying to maintain appearances. Sure, he started off with bravado, but as that evidence continued to show the nation that he was killing because of his satanic beliefs, maybe he felt he needed to maintain his appearance. Maybe wearing sunglasses, brooding, and appearing despondent was his way of showing the world he was unaffected and still in allegiance with Satanism.

• 37:47Vanessa Richardson?

  How would Richard's brain have processed committing crimes than seeing them laid out in front of him like that? Could that have changed the way he thought of what he'd done? Or maybe did seeing that evidence only reinforce the reason he'd done it in the first place?

• 38:01Tristin Engels?

  It's possible that over time, as the evidence piles up and the attention fades, he might begin to feel the reality of what happened. But for someone so deeply entrenched in grandiosity and externalizing blame, it wouldn't necessarily translate into remorse. More likely, it would become bitterness, resentment, or some kind of inward collapse, not responsibility. For most people, seeing the damage they've caused would lead to shame, grief, or guilt. But Richard's brain wasn't wired for that kind of moral processing. If anything, the courtroom likely served to give his violence a spotlight, a legacy, and in his mind, a twisted form of validation and recognition. Remember, he was taught that crime was honorable.

• 38:42Vanessa Richardson?

  The trial went on for about six months until the end of July 1989. The jury was sent away with over 8,000 pages of transcripts and 655 exhibits to consider. But before they could come to a decision, one of the jurors was shot dead inside her home. The others were terrified it was one of Richard's so-called satanic admirers and worried that they would be next. However, the killer turned out to be a jealous boyfriend. After a two-month hiatus, the deliberations resumed, and on September 20, 1989, Richard

• 39:21Vanessa Richardson?

  Ramirez was convicted of 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, 11 counts of sexual assault, and 14 burglaries. He was sentenced to death. After he was sentenced, Richard had this to say: "Death doesn't scare me. I'll be in hell with Satan."

• 39:45Vanessa Richardson?

  After his sentencing, Richard was taken to San Quentin Prison and joined the 262 other inmates on death row. While he was awaiting his execution, he developed a series of serious medical conditions and passed away in 2013 at the age of 53. Richard's reign of terror, deemed by some as "Satan's Summer in the City of Angels", has gone down as one of the most horrifying crime sprees in history. The residents of Los Angeles spent the summer of 1985 in near-total lockdown. When they went to sleep at night, no one was sure if they'd be woken up in the dark to the stench of rotten breath and the face of a killer looming over them.

• 40:30Vanessa Richardson?

  Thankfully, that nightmare eventually came to an end, though not before over a dozen innocent people lost their lives. But thanks to the efforts of investigators like Frank Salerno and Gil Corillo, along with the collective will of an entire community, Richard Ramirez's reign of terror was eventually stopped. And an entire city could sleep peacefully once again.

• 41:10Vanessa Richardson?

  Thanks so much for listening. Join us next time for a deep dive into the mind of another murderer.

• 41:16Tristin Engels?

  Killer Minds is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on Instagram @KillerMinds. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow Killer Minds wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference.

• 41:37Vanessa Richardson?

  And to enhance your listening experience, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode of Killer Minds ad-free, along with early access to each thrilling two-part series and exciting Crime House bonus content.

• 41:54Vanessa Richardson?

  Killer Minds is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson, and Dr. Tristin Engels, and is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Killer Minds team: Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Lori Marinelli, Natalie Pritzowski, Sarah Kemp, Kate Murdock, Meredith Allen, Sarah Tardif, and Carrie Murphy. Thank you for listening.

• 42:26Vanessa Richardson?

  If you're looking for your next podcast, check out What the Fact with Connor Tomlinson from Netflix's Love on the Spectrum and Carter Roy. Every week, they take three unbelievable true facts from history and tell you the full story behind them. Follow What the Fact wherever you listen, or subscribe on YouTube at What the Fact Pod.