The Night Stalker Richard Ramirez's Violent Cousin Miguel May Have Inspired His Crimes

The man that the media would later dub "The Night Stalker" began running afoul of the law shortly after dropping out of high school. Arrested for the petty offense of marijuana possession at age 17, Richard Ramirez's criminality quickly escalate to petty theft and burglary (per Biography). He was arrested on two separate occasions for auto theft, as well, before indulging in a murder-rape-burglary spree that sent waves of terror across the residents of Los Angeles in the mid-1980s.

In June 1984, Ramirez killed an elderly woman during one of his many burglaries — 79-year-old Jennie Vincow was sexually assaulted before being stabbed to death. The cocaine-fueled crimes that Ramierez would embark upon over the next 14 months yielded a death count of 13 people, as well as many more victims who survived attempted murder and sexual assault. After a lengthy trial, Ramirez was found guilty on all 13 counts of murder, 11 counts of sexual assault, five counts of attempted murder, and more than a dozen charges of burglary. Due to the seriousness of these offenses and the sheer brutality exhibited by Ramirez while they were commissioned, the jury handed him 19 death sentences. Ramirez was remanded to the maximum-security correctional facility in San Quentin, where he awaited his turn in the gas chamber.

Examining Ramirez's childhood, there might have been some factors that helped pave his way to a life of crime. Probably the most significant one involved an older relative with his own violent nature.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Richard Ramirez grew up in El Paso, Texas, the youngest of five children. His parents were immigrants from Mexico, where his father was at one time a police officer. Mamamia reports that Ramirez was the victim of physical abuse at the hands of the family patriarch.

As if having an abusive father wasn't bad enough, Ramirez fell under the influence of his older cousin Miguel as a boy. Miguel had returned from combat in Vietnam, telling Ramerez of the horrors he witnessed during the war. Miguel would brag to his younger cousin about all of the Vietnamese women that he and the other troops brutalized. It's alleged that Miguel showed the young Ramirez photos of the sexual assaults and murders he took part in, which might have left a pretty bad mark on the 12-year-old's mind (via Britannica). CBS News reports that one of the photos was Miguel posing with the severed head of a woman he had abused and killed.

But it gets so much worse than that. At 13, Ramirez was present when Miguel killed his wife in a rage with a handgun. Miguel was charged with murder but found not guilty by reason of insanity and served only four years in an institution before being set free. Ramirez soon moved in with his older sister Ruth and her husband Roberto. Ramirez soon learned that his brother-in-law was a peeping tom. Miguel would have the teenager accompany him on his excursions as a voyeur, further molding an already warped mind (via The Sun).

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Richard Ramirez began experimenting with drugs while still in his teens. The Sun reports that he began to use copious amounts of LSD beginning when he was only 15 years old. He was that age when he moved from his sister's home in Texas to an older brother's place in Los Angeles. The brother was no better an influence on Ramirez than any of the other aforementioned family members. It was he who first introduced Ramirez to cocaine. To pay for the addiction, his brother would commit burglaries and sell the goods to a fence. 

Ramirez followed in his brother's footsteps, this disastrous influence shaping his move from teenage years into adulthood. The serial killer began stealing on his own, including from the guests that were staying in the hotel that employed him. But thievery wasn't the only thing on his mind — Ramirez was arrested for attempting to sexually assault one of the hotel guests, only stopping when he was interrupted by the woman's husband. Ramirez suffered quite a beating from the man and was arrested. But he served no time for the offense as the married couple would not come back into the state to testify against him.

With his mind armed with the dangerous influences of a destructive childhood, Ramirez was on his way to becoming one of the most feared serial rapists and murderers of the 20th century. Though sentenced to die by the court, Ramirez never made the walk to the gas chamber. He died in 2013 of cancer while still incarcerated (per Biography).

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).