On August 31, 1985, Ramirez was captured in East Los Angeles after being beaten and subdued by area residents. Police then released a mugshot of Ramirez at a televised press conference, announcing, “We know who you are now, and soon everyone else will. Fįingerprint evidence from the stolen car, as well as evidence from a simple burglary of the home of prominent dentist Jack Saroyan, gave police what they needed.
#I5 KILLER VICTIMS LICENSE#
Inez ran to the neighbors’ house for help, discovering that their 13-year old son had written down part of the assailant’s license plate number. His victims that night were Bill Erickson, who survived being shot in the head twice, and his wife Inez, who suffered the aforementioned satanic rape. I had always heard that he also threw away the handgun that night but have not been able to confirm that.Īfter disposing of the evidence, Ramirez proceeded to drive 76 miles south of Los Angeles, to Mission Viejo, where he committed his final acts of violence. Ramirez, who had indeed been watching the press, dropped his size 11 ½ Avia sneakers over the side of the Golden Gate Bridge that night. He remained in the area for a few more days before heading back to the L.A. This leak infuriated the detectives in the case, as they knew that the killer would be following media coverage and have an opportunity to destroy crucial forensic evidence. The Wikipedia entry (citation omitted) on Ramirez, among other sources, details the ramifications of Feinstein’s irresponsibility: Sometime after the murder of Peter and Barbara Pan on August 18, then-San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein caught wind of the firearm and shoe evidence and proceeded to announce as much on a televised press conference. You can probably see where this is going. This information was known only to law enforcement and should have remained so. And, perhaps more importantly, they had discovered prints at multiple crime scenes from a particular Avia aerobic sneaker with a unique tread pattern. 25-caliber semi-automatic handgun, which ballistics determined had been used in several of the murders. They did have a couple of critical pieces of evidence, though.įirst, they knew that the killer or killers’ preferred weapon was a. The public was desperate to see him captured.īy July of 1985, Ramirez had already committed some 13 murders, 5 rapes including sodomy, and 3 attempted murders, yet it seemed police were still far from catching him. Ramirez was so aggressive and cocky, scrawling pentagrams on walls in victims’ homes and even making his final known rape victim swear allegiance to Satan. Few Americans had seen anything like it in their lifetimes.
#I5 KILLER VICTIMS SERIAL#
Ramirez was a serial killer who terrorized the populations of Los Angeles and San Francisco from June of 1984 to August of 1985, claiming 14 victims. Even those who were not alive or old enough to know may have since heard of him by his notorious epithet – the Night Stalker. Those who were around back in the ’80s may remember the name Richard Ramirez. But most spectacularly, in August 1985 she effectively tipped off a notorious Satanic serial killer, enraging San Francisco detectives who were hot on his trail, and allowing him to evade capture for a few more murderous months. In 2014, her infamous release of the CIA “torture” report divulged information that put Americans’ lives at risk.