The smiling boy in this photo grew up to be one of America’s most evil men
The “Night Stalker” had arrived.
Between March 1985 and August 1985, he unleashed a reign of terror across California. He broke into homes at random, killing men, women, and children alike.
His attacks were brutal – some shot, others bludgeoned or stabbed — and he often assaulted his female victims.
Selected his targets at random
But what truly horrified the public was his obsession with Satanism.
He forced victims to swear allegiance to the devil, scrawled pentagrams on walls, and carved symbols into flesh.
In one case, he gouged out a woman’s eyes and kept them as a trophy. In another, he left the imprint of his sneaker on a victim’s face.
The press gave him a name that still chills people to this day: The Night Stalker.
Most of the Night Stalker’s attacks occurred in middle-class suburban neighborhoods around Los Angeles.
He seemed to select his targets at random, quietly entering through unlocked windows or doors and striking his victims as they slept.
A break in the case
As fear consumed California, police worked around the clock to connect the crimes. The big break came when a 13-year-old boy, James Romero III, spotted a suspicious man outside his Mission Viejo home late one night.
He jotted down the make, model, and partial plate of the car, an orange Toyota.
That tip led to the discovery of a fingerprint on the car’s mirror.
The print matched a 25-year-old drifter with a record of petty crimes: Richard Ramirez. On August 29, 1985, authorities released his photo to the public.
The next morning, the streets of Los Angeles turned into a manhunt.
