Intro. Richard Ramirez, born Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramirez on February 29, 1960, in El Paso, Texas, was an American serial killer infamously known as the Night Stalker. The youngest of five children to Mexican immigrant parents, he endured a turbulent childhood marked by physical abuse from his violent father and traumatic exposure to violence. At age 12, his cousin—a Vietnam War veteran—showed him graphic photos of war atrocities, including rape and murder; the following year, Ramirez witnessed the cousin fatally shoot his wife. These experiences, combined with early drug use, epilepsy from head injuries, and dropping out of high school, shaped his descent into crime.
Relocating to Los Angeles, Ramirez supported himself through burglary and theft while developing a heavy cocaine addiction and fascination with Satanism and the occult. His killing spree began in June 1984 with the rape and murder of 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, escalating in 1985 to a series of brutal home invasions.