Notorious serial killer and rapist Richard Ramirez dubbed The Night Stalker, died of natural causes on June 7, 2013. The convicted murderer was serving time on death row in California’s San Quentin State Prison. Prison authorities moved him to Marin General Hospital north of San Francisco where the 53-year-old reportedly died of complications caused by a type of blood cancer.
According to CNN, Ramirez served decades on death row, awaiting execution. His conviction came in 1989 for multiple murders, attempted murders, sexual assaults, and burglaries he committed. He was also called the demonic serial killer for leaving satanic signs and mutilated bodies at crime scenes.
Richard Ramirez or The Night Stalker died awaiting execution
Reportedly, Richard Ramirez, aka The Night Stalker, had been serving time on death row at California’s San Quentin State Prison for decades when he died. In 1989, he was convicted on charges stemming from 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. He reigned terror in Southern California in the mid-1980s until residents chased him down and beat him in 1985.
According to USA Today, Ramirez died of a form of cancer on June 7. Prison authorities took him to the hospital for treatment of liver failure where he died of complications from B-cell lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. The Marin County coroner’s office mentioned his health was also impacted by other “significant conditions” such as substance abuse and hepatitis C.
The outlet reported that assistant chief deputy coroner Lt. Keith Boyd said, “That’s chronic drug use prior to incarceration. There’s nothing to support any kind of drug use while incarcerated.” Boyd further added that the drug use likely caused the hepatitis C infection: “It’s likely something that he has been dealing with for years. It’s killing your liver.”
Besides the abovementioned crimes he committed in 1984 and 1985, Ramirez’s offenses also included rape, sodomy, and oral copulation. During his trial, prosecutors revealed gory details about the way he mutilated the victims.
Ultimately, the media nicknamed the serial killer ‘The Night Stalker’ because residents were warned to lock their doors and windows in the summer of 1985. That was when Ramirez’s killings peaked. He would reportedly enter homes using unlocked windows and doors and murder victims with a gun or knife. The killer also burglarized the homes and raped the female victims.
