Ramirez was now leaving his pentagram calling card at crime scenes and ordering victims to "swear on Satan" they weren't hiding valuables. Nobody seemed to be home; the garage and kitchen door were closed. Florence Lang, 80, Bell's invalid sister, also of Monrovia, beaten but survived, on May 29, 1985. Lastly, the pentagram. There were slimy food packages and take-out stuff around. Bystanders intervened and chased him away, then he attempted to carjack twice more. Most importantly, it was the preferred close-range weapon of professional hit men. Texan-born Ramirez grew up with an abusive dad, prone to violent rages. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. August 18, 1985: Peter and Barbara Pan were both killed and Barbara was raped. I say prayers a night and I list people. Florence Lang. Bell was killed. An eight-year-old had been taken from her bed, driven to a construction site and sexually assaulted. As indicated in the image above, the sisters had some property stolen: a cassette player/stereo, last seen by a relative at their house in the month before they were attacked. Mabel died on 15th July; the coroner ruled that she had been attacked with a hammer. Just six days after his last sickening crime, a group of people caught Ramirez in the middle of an attempted carjacking in LA. When Vincent and Maxine's son, Peter, found the bodies and called the cops, evidence at the scene revealed the brutal slayings were the work of a serial killer. There is a possibility that he made a mistake in saying he was there on 31st May and that he returned on 1st June, as that is when the sisters were discovered. At age 13, Richard, unable to cope with his father's abuse, moved in with his older sister Ruth and her husband Roberto Avala. Richard was allegedly seen by his father and a family friend on 29th May. July 20, 1985: Ramirez shot and killed Maxson Kneiding, 68, and his wife Lela, 66, in their home.Later that day, he shot and killed Chainarong Khovananth, 32, then raped his wife and son. Fleeing the scene in his stolen car, an emboldened Ramirez followed 30-year-old Tsai-Lian Yu onto North Alhambra Avenue. With Dayle Okazaki, he waited until he saw the fear in her eyes then he shot her. Edit. He left Kyle and her son bound together with handcuffs in the house and went on to kill more. Who was Caversham primary school headteacher Ruth Perry? Soon, he came to feel that Satan would approve of his secret self, and perhaps, the devil might be a more fitting deity for him to follow. Miguel regaled young Richard with violent tales and showed him graphic photographs of decapitations and war crimes. Still, other DNA found at the crime scene points to the possibility that Ramirez had an accomplice. Aug. 6, 1985: Ramirez shot both Christopher Petersen, 38, and his wife, Virginia, 27, in the head. Or even one of Solanos burglar friends attempting to stitch Richard up. While stopped at redlight, Ramirez entered Yu's vehicle from the passenger side. Elyas Abowath, 35, was shot to death in. With Maria Hernandez, he could have crept up silently and shot her. He beat her with a metal wheel brace - leaving her with multiple skull fractures - but miraculously she survived. Overwhelmingly, Ramirez's admirers were women. On May 29, 1985, in Monrovia, Calif., he bludgeoned 83-year-old Mabel Bell to death with a hammer and beat and raped her disabled 81-year-old sister, Florence Lang, who later died of her injuries. Bystanders intervened and chased him away, then he attempted to carjack twice more. If not him, then a copycat with knowledge of his crimes. While the murders stacked up, Gils colleagues at the LAPD reported the latest in spate of child abductions. Still, nothing could prepare the state for the brutality of a series of gruesome murders that gripped Los Angeles and San Francisco from June 1984 to August 1985. The sisters were discovered by Charles Valenzuela, who worked on their property. She had sustained head injuries, had two black eyes, facial bruising, a cut eyebrow and marks from the ligatures. Under cover of night, Richard went beyond peeping and began breaking into homes just to see if he could enter and escape undetected. Enraged when he found nothing of value, Ramirez descended on Vincow as she slept. They presented nothing to refute the other evidence. The defence knew about these other people as did the prosecution and the police but nothing was done to develop this angle. On the night of May 29, 1985, Ramirez drove a stolen Mercedes-Benz to Monrovia and stopped at the house of Mabel "Ma" Bell, 83, and her sister Florence "Nettie" Lang, 81.Finding a hammer in the kitchen, he bludgeoned and bound the invalid Lang in her bedroom, then bound and bludgeoned Bell before using an electrical cord to electrically shock the Undaunted, lead detective Gil Carillo was certain he was on the trail of a serial killer. Florence Lang (Sibling) Did you know. That was who I was - walking death.. She died on July 15, 1985 in Arcadia, California, USA. Death always went with the territory. Her captor raped her repeatedly before driving her to a local petrol station and letting her go. Ramirez then murdered 30-year-old Tsai 'Veronica' Lian Yu after pulling her out of her car. He'd steal a car, head for Mexico, and blend in. IN the dingy light of her garage, Maria Hernandez heard a bang on her car roof and turned to see the wild-eyed stare of a tall, dishevelled man pointing a gun at her face. Moments later, the killer - known as the Night Stalker - walked into Marias apartment and shot her flatmate, Dayle Okazaki, between the eyes. His slayings and rapes continued, sometimes ordering his helpless victims to "swear on Satan" they weren't hiding any more valuables from him. Thats what started me thinking about one man doing this.. He shot William in the head and ferociously beat Lillie, but she survived. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. A dutiful son, Jack lived on the second floor where he could tend to his mother's needs. July 7, 1985: Joyce Lucille Nelson, 61, was beaten in her home. Richard became more withdrawn and began getting into trouble at school. Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites. Mabel Bell, 84, and her invalid sister, Florence Lang, 81, had spent the last 25 years in the modest home framed with roses and a white picket fence on the outskirts of Monrovia. This time, he left a clear footprint in the earth outside the window. However, Richard Ramirez would not die in a California death chamber. May 14, 1985: Bill Doi was fatally shot and Lillian Doi was raped. Nickname. Ramirez then murdered 30-year-old Tsai 'Veronica' Lian Yu after pulling her out of her car. Ramirez's Satanic spree continued with Mabel Bell, 84, who he beat with a hammer before electrocuting her. With the heat on in L.A., he headed for San Francisco. Fortunately for Ramirez, the police arrived to take him into custody. 81-year-old Florence 'Nettie' Lang, an invalid, and her sister, 84-year-old Mabel Bell were both brutally beaten with a hammer. With each murder, the Night Stalker became bolder. Julian claimed his son had been with the family in El Paso on May 29 and 30, the days he raped and killed Florence Lang (81) and brutally raped Mabel Bell (83) and Carol Kyle (42). July 5, 1985: Whitney Bennett, 16, survived after being beaten with a wheel brace by Ramirez. Sisters Mabel Bell, 83, and Florence Lang, 81, were to become victims of that evil when they were bludgeoned with a hammer and raped. July 2, 1985: Mary Louise Cannon was stabbed repeatedly and died. Mar. His first adult victim was 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, who was asleep in her home in LA when Ramirez sneaked in through an open window during the night. Mei Leung's lifeless body was hung from a pipe. He didnt, he says. July 20, 1985: Maxon and Lela Kneiding were attacked then shot. Learn more about contributing; Bottom: Lisa DiMeo, Document 7-20. Beaten away by Robles and barber Arthur Benevedes, Ramirez fled on foot, bounding over fences and running through backyards. August 8, 1985: Sakina and Elyas Abowath were both attacked, with Elyas fatally shot and Sakina raped. This was just one of the many horrific crimes committed by Richard Ramirez, a serial killer and rapist who became known as The Night Stalker. Ramirez was now leaving his pentagram calling card at crime scenes and ordering victims to "swear on Satan" they weren't hiding valuables. Her head was covered in blood, with brain tissue protruding from her broken skull. Ramirez's Satanic spree continued with Mabel Bell, 84, who he beat with a hammer before electrocuting her. With Tsai-Lian Yu, the suspect wanted a confrontation, wanted to see that fear. His target was the first floor apartment of 79-year-old widow Jennie Vincow. However, concentric circles are a very common feature of countless shoes. In the Monrovia home of Mabel Bell and Florence Lang, a pentagram was drawn on a bedroom wall and on the thigh of one of the women. While the murders stacked up, Gils colleagues at the LAPD reported the latest in spate of child abductions. Mrs Zazzara's body was mutilated with several stab wounds and her eyes were gouged out. Ramirez was born in Texas in 1960, the youngest son of a former Mexican policeman. The date of this crime is unknown, occurring between 29th May and 1st June, the day they were discovered. May 14, 1985: Ramirez broke into the home of William and Lillie Doi. Ramirez's first murder victim was a child. I say prayers a night and I list people. On September 20, 1989, Ramirez was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to death. August 6, 1985: Christopher and Virginia Peterson were shot but survived. Under cover of night, he followed Hernandez into her garage. March 17, 1985: Dayle Yoshie Okazaki, 34, was shot in the forehead. Texan-born Ramirez grew up with an abusive dad, prone to violent rages. For over two decades, authorities assumed the Night Stalker murders began in June of 1984 with the slaying of 79-year-old Jennie Vincow. Ramirez drives a stolen car to Monrovia, CA, and breaks into Mabel "Ma" Bell and Florence "Nettie" Lang's home. May 30, 1985:Carol Kyle, 42, and her son were bound. His wife is beaten. Within days he killed again, this time by taking a hammer he found in the home of two sisters in their 80s, Mabel Bell and Florence Lang, who lived together. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Mei Leung was likely Ramirez's murder victim. "He was the color green," an unnamed source told theNew York Post. A pentagram was drawn on the wall above her bed. When a single fingerprint from the rearview mirror of a stolen car used by the killer was matched to Ramirez, the police knew they had their man. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Gil reveals his initial theories were dismissed by colleagues because of the sheer range of the depravity. (the killer!)" Ramirez, however, kept an eye on the local media. One of the child abductees was Anastasia Hronner, who was just six when she was taken from her bed in the middle of the night. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Gerald Burke said the shoes were different from the prints at the Zazzara crime scene. Suggest an edit or add missing content. He didnt, he says. August 6, 1985: Christopher and Virginia Peterson were shot but survived. In his teens, Ramirez began taking LSD, developed an obsession with Satanism and embarked in a string of petty crimes. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. "Her head was drooped and her chin down. Valenzuela went to the neighbours house to call the police. It's an incredible act of generosity towards a man who committed so much evil - and ruined so many lives. Incredibly, Maxine managed to get free of her bindings and scrambled to get hold of a shotgun Vincent kept under the bed but when she pointed it at Ramirez and pulled the trigger, she found to her horror that it wasn't loaded. As discussed in these posts, [X],[X] & [X], there is a good reason to believe Felipe Solano was protecting other burglars and potential suspects, all with a motive to point the finger at Richard. Miraculously, the small caliber bullet ricocheted off her keys. Desperate for escape, he attempted to carjack Manuela Villanueva while she waited for her boyfriend, Carmello Robles, outside a bakery. With Dayle Okazaki, he waited until he saw the fear in her eyes then he shot her. He slapped the top of her car so she would turn around and see him. Though he had raped women and stolen before June 1984, the killing spree that led to him being caught took place in the greater Los Angeles area and San Francisco until August 1985. Aug. 25, 1985: Ramirez shot Bill Carns, 29, and his raped his fiance, Inez Erickson, 29. Just 10 days later, Ramirez broke into the home of Vincent Zazzara, 64, and his wife Maxine, 44. Lucky to be alive, Hernandez slumped to the floor and played dead. Though he's not discussed as often as other murderers, it would be fair to call Richard Ramirez, aka the Night Stalker, one of the most prolific serial killers of the last 50 years. May 30, 1985: Carol Kyle, 42, and her son were bound. Not many people believed that, because wed never encountered anybody like that in criminal history.. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. But it was his cousin, Miguel, who opened Ramirez's eyes to sadistic brutality. Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Four days later, the stolen car was found with fingerprints inside. From Charles Manson to the Zodiac Killer, California seems to be a breeding ground for notorious psychopaths and murderers. As Ramirez entered adolescence, his sexual fantasies began to focus on violence, bondage, and death. As he pulled the trigger the terrified 20-year-old put her hands to her face and, miraculously, the bullet ricocheted off her keys, saving her life. Mabel Bells diary had been filled in for the 29th. His next victims were Bill and Lillian Doi. Looking into the garage, he saw an old faded car with what looked like a TV in the trunk. With Maria Hernandez, he could have crept up silently and shot her. Bell was killed. On August 24, 1985, he fled a burglary scene after house owner James Romero raised the alarm - noting the registration number of the stolen car Ramirez was driving. Mabel Gardiner Hubbard Bell, aeronautics financier, community leader, social reformer and advocate for the deaf (born 25 November 1857 in Cambridge, Massachusetts; died 3 January 1923 in Chevy Chase, Maryland). Thats what started me thinking about one man doing this.. Aug. 8, 1985: Elyas Abowath, 35, is shot to death in his home. The prosecution urged the jury to return a guilty verdict on the basis of the handcuff keys being similar to those at the Kyle incident on the same day. Here, we look at who he was and the crimes he committed. while raising his hand in the air, with a pentagram - an ancient symbol that's become associated with the occult - drawn on his palm. May 14, 1985: Ramirez broke into the home of William and Lillie Doi. She survived but had severe injuries. She was instrumental in giving a detailed description of Richard to the police. He slapped the top of her car so she would turn around and see him. The killer was no demon from the depths. Brandishing a razor-sharp hunting knife, he viciously stabbed the elderly woman, bringing the blade down again and again with the fury of a man possessed. On August 24, 1985, he fled a burglary scene after house owner James Romero raised the alarm - noting the registration number of the stolen car Ramirez was driving. After two failed attempts at the ninth grade, Richard left school at 17 with no direction, a juvenile record, and reputation as a thief. It is not too much of a stretch of the imagination to suggest this may have been him, with the satanic aspect merely being a decoy, inspired by the Satanic Panic. This is the last crime to be covered on this blog. It was weak evidence. Ramirez tormented California between 1984 and 1985, breaking into family homes in the dead of night in random attacks to carry out sick sexual fantasies. After mortally injuring Bill by beating him unconscious, he put Lillian in thumbcuffs metal manacles that lock round your thumbs and raped her. Now a version of his evil character features in the new FX series of American Horror Story: 1984. July 20, 1985: Ramirez shot and killed Maxson Kneiding, 68, and his wife Lela, 66, in their home.Later that day, he shot and killed Chainarong Khovananth, 32, then raped his wife and son. The more sadistic, depraved, and violent his acts, the more his evil master would smile on him and protect him. The sisters lived right at the bottom of the mountain trails. Bell was killed. Gil Carrillo now knew the identity of their serial killer, and issued a mugshot to the press. Defence: The Failed Alibi and Other Fatal Errors. "Tell them the Night Stalker was here," he said. A man came back to his hotel room to find Ramirez attempting to rape his wife. He said he returned the following day with police who showed him a car in the garage like the one he had seen on 29th. Although Richard was not named as a suspect at that time (he escaped), his appearance must have been noted, for it was after the Khovananth attack and her reporting that the killer had stained, gapped teeth, that the police began to morph their Night Stalker character into this mysterious Richard Mena. See this post for how the police engineered a change in the suspects appearance. (The table placed on Florence Langs chest). In a chilling voiceover the killer declares: I was in alliance with the evil that is inherent in human nature. Closing to a distance of two feet, he fired at her. Bell was killed. To avoid his father's erratic temper, Richard often slept in a nearby cemetery. She was driven across LA by a tall, thin man and smuggled into his "dark and dingy" house in a duffel bag. RICHARD Ramirez was dubbed the "Night Stalker" - a notorious serial killer from California. Who were Night Stalker Richard Ramirezs victims? News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 17, 1985: On March 17, 1985, Ramrez shot 20-year old Mara Hernndez before shooting Dayle Okazaki, age 34, dead. When he came home, Miguel would show Ramirez Polaroid pictures of Vietnamese people he'd killed, as well as women he'd raped during the war. He would, in most cases, commit his murders in the victims' homes and then steal their jewellery and valuables. Guilty of one count of murder, one count of . Mikity drove past the property at 5pm and noticed that the kitchen door and garage were now open. The terrified young woman instinctively raised her hands. With the description and evidence Ramirez left at the scene, police now knew the identity of their serial killer, and issued a mugshot of Ramirez to the press. Lying comatose for two days before being found, Lang survived in a vegetative state, but Bell soon succumbed to her injuries. Murder, burglary. Bell was killed. His autopsy also stated that a history of drug use and a hepatitis C infection also contributed to his death. He then turned his attention to Bill's 29-year-old fiancee Inez Erickson, telling her he was the Night Stalker and beating her, forcing her to say she loved Satan as he did so. Bay Area police were temporarily hamstrung in their investigation when San Francisco mayor Diane Feinstein leaked details about the crimes to the press, including the shoe print evidence. Leaving his mark for the first time,the murderer scrawled a pentagram on Bell's body and bedroom wallswith lipstick. He made two more attempts at carjacking. Initially, authorities believed that many of the murders were unrelated because of Ramirez's erratic, motiveless methods. The prosecution was using the shoe print as their primary evidence and as with all cases, the defence failed to bring a shoe forensics expert to trial and so it convinced the jury. (LogOut/ Lillian's bedroom, handcuffed the disabled woman and raped her after which he searched the house for valuables. He was sitting up in his bed doing stretches.". During his trial, he famously shouted "Hail Satan!" A Monrovia fire inspector, Steven Mikity, went to the house on the morning of 29th May, to tell the residents to remove brush from their property (it is a fire hazard in hot locations).