Night Stalker Richard Ramirez tied to SF victim through DNA

[McJag]

He is scum and should have been long dead. What a wasteland of human life he let behind.

[MohandasKGanja]

What kind of world do we live in where this guy has women vying for his attention? See passage below:

The long-haired brunette who longed to be the Night Stalker's bride had first contacted Ramirez after his arrest in 1985 and had written him nearly 75 letters during his incarceration. He finally proposed to her in 1988, but prison rules delayed their wedding. Other women tried to steal him away from her, visiting him in prison and lavished him with all kinds of attention. Doreen often ran into them when she came to for her visits, and at least one woman threatened physical violence if Doreen didn't abandon her claim on the Night Stalker. But Doreen persevered, and in the end she got her man.

She claimed to be a virgin at the time of their wedding, and marrying Ramirez wouldn't change that because conjugal visits are not permitted for death-row inmates. According to Philip Carlo, author of The Night Stalker, Ramirez was drawn to her precisely because she was a virgin. Doreen had been raised a Roman Catholic, but she considered herself an agnostic and could accommodate Ramirez's professed Satanism. When she had purchased their wedding rings, she'd bought a gold band for herself but a platinum band for her husband-to-be. "Satanists don't wear gold," he'd explained to her.

[Sylkyn]

He's gotten married since being in prison, too. What fools some women are. He should have been dead eons ago...how many appeals could he possibly have left??

[mrs.v]

Pure evil.

[Shinola]

Originally Posted by Nevan

I think the scariest of serial killers for me are the ones that stalk and enter your home. Outside of your "element," say, walking down the street, or walking to your car, or even being parked out in your car with your boyfriend or whatever .... I don't know, I just never have felt completely at ease in those situations (but I am paranoid and a true crime buff, so I've read a LOT about serial killers). But being in your home, the place you're supposed to feel your safest ... and someone breaks that sanctity ... that's what scares me the most about that style of a killer.

This is exactly how I feel, too, Nevan. I used to live in an area of a city that had its own local rapist, and he entered houses through windows at night. It was scary. I think if I survived an attack like this, I'd have a harder time recovering psychologically if it took place in my home.

I'm a very cautious person and stay attuned to my environment, and I don't trust strangers. If someone like a Ted Bundy approached me and tried to win my trust, I would be very suspicious. But what can you do if someone is on a rampage and is known to come in through the window? Especially in an area where you need the windows open to get fresh air and regulate the temperature in your house.

[McJag]

Originally Posted by Shinola

This is exactly how I feel, too, Nevan. I used to live in an area of a city that had it's own local rapist, and he entered houses through windows at night. I think if I survived an attack like this, I'd have a harder time recovering if it took place in my home.

I'm a very cautious person and stay attuned to my environment, and I don't trust strangers. If someone like a Ted Bundy approached me and tried to win my trust, I would be very suspicious. But what can you do if someone is on a rampage and is known to come in through the freaking window? Especially in an area where you need the windows to get fresh air and regular the temperature in your house.

You know you can get those things at the hardware store to allow your window to be opened,but only so far? Just ask. Also,when I was single I used not only those, but a rubber door stop under the bedroom door. Someone could kick it down of course,but you'd have plenty of time to call for help.

[Shinola]

^^^^^^^^^^ You quoted my horrifying typos before I fixed them.

I've never heard of of those window things, but it's good to know they exist. I live in a very secure place right now, but back when I was a single city dweller, I often felt unsafe. 'Round here, also, you pretty much have to open your window as wide as possible at night to let in cool air, then close the windows in the mornings to keep it inside. Just opening it a little won't do.

[sharky]

This is really creepy but true. My husband's coworker from a long time ago married a girl who went out on one date with the Night Stalker.

Luckily she is now alive, married the coworker and has 2 children.

My husband and I were living in the SF Sunset District at the time he was striking. We kept a shotgun next to our bed. He seemed drawn to yellow houses.

It's weird, but I just saw a TV special on him a few nights ago. Apparently his mother worked in a factory exposed to numerous toxins. Two of his brothers were disabled (probably from the toxins). Ramirez could also have suffered brain damage from the toxins when he was in utero. He would have frequent severe epileptic seizures in the class and the class was well experienced on what to do for him. Frequent prolonged seizures alone can cause permanent brain damage.

His father had been a Mexican policeman and now worked as a laborer for minimum wage and beat his wife and children. Richard tried to protect his disabled brothers from the beatings. Initially he was a good kid and protective of his brothers.

Then, as a young boy, his mother enlisted the help of a tutor for school work who sexually abused him creating rage.

Then when he was growing up as a teen, a relative befriended him who was a soldier in the Vietnam War. Apparently, he would take women into the jungle, tie them to a tree, sexually assault them and then mutilate them. He had countless photographs that he would show Richard and discuss details with him. At that time, when teens begin to form who they are, he began to idolize Satan. He began to equate sex with violence.

He has been convicted with 19 death sentences. I don't know what this latest charge will yield. He would probably LOVE to be in the spotlight again.

Ramirez needs to be dead, but I can definitely see the events in his life that made him relate to Satan. His life is a cookbook on how to create a serial killer.

[Shinola]

Sharky, what a story! I'm so glad I didn't live in California when he was active.

For anyone who's interested in psychopathic criminals, here's a link to a good article from the New Yorker:

A Reporter at Large: Suffering Souls : The New Yorker

This forensic psychologist named Kent Kiehl has been doing MRIs of inmates' brains and is showing how the psycopathic ones all have a specific type of brain dysfunction. (The article is a year old, so Kiehl should have a lot more data by now.) There's lots of good information in there on the history of psychopathy, and on how the psychiatric profession in general has ignored this subject. The descriptions of the inmates are pretty interesting, too.

[buttmunch]

^^That was a really interesting article. I found it shocking to read that 100 times the research money goes to schizophrenia than psychopaths and that so many that reasearch the area have never actually met one. Amazing.


Of course, this was most interesting, mainly because it reminded me of my favorite vertically challenged Scientologist:

After dinner, we went to Hare’s room at the hotel and drank Scotch, while he showed me videos of psychopaths which he had on his computer. “It’s their eyes that are the most remarkable feature,” he said. “How they drill into you.”

[Shinola]

I was surprised at the disparity in funding levels, too. I know it's not popular to feel sorry for psychopaths, but in a way I do, because it seems so obvious that something is really wrong with them, and they don't seem able to understand the harm they do. I don't mean to minimize what their victims have gone through, or to argue that we have any option other than to handle psychopathic criminals like any other criminals. But this article made me hopeful that people will eventually be able to detect and help psychopaths before they ever have a chance to hurt others.

[buttmunch]

I feel sorry for anyone with a mental illness because it must be frightening as hell on some level, even for a psychopath. Of course the victims are of primary importance but also important is finding a way to help these people. That article really was fascinating.

[sharky]

Originally Posted by Shinola

Sharky, what a story! I'm so glad I didn't live in California when he was active.

For anyone who's interested in psychopathic criminals, here's a link to a good article from the New Yorker:

A Reporter at Large: Suffering Souls : The New Yorker

This forensic psychologist named Kent Kiehl has been doing MRIs of inmates' brains and is showing how the psycopathic ones all have a specific type of brain dysfunction. (The article is a year old, so Kiehl should have a lot more data by now.) There's lots of good information in there on the history of psychopathy, and on how the psychiatric profession in general has ignored this subject. The descriptions of the inmates are pretty interesting, too.

It seems when you live in/near a major city you have a higher frequency of encountering these high-profile criminals. Charles Ng visited my husband's kung fu school. 4 mother's at my job including me had children in school during school violence- guns, bombs, etc.

Perhaps if they find the exact cause either chemical or surgical procedures could intervene. Psychotherapy will always be an adjunct therapy.

[Shinola]

Originally Posted by sharky

Psychotherapy will always be an adjunct therapy.

Yes, I don't know if it was in that article I linked to, but I've read before that psychotherapy is known to make psychopaths worse.

[Wiseguy]

I've always been opposed to the death penalty, but in this case, I've changed my mind.