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Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez
The shocking true story behind the serial killer case that inspired the hit Netflix series!
Painstakingly researched over three years, based on nearly one hundred hours of exclusive interviews with Richard Ramirez on California's Death Row, The Night Stalker is the definitive account of America's most feared serial murderer.
From Ramirez's earliest brushes with the law to his deadliest stalking expeditions to the unprecedented police and civilian manhunt that resulted in one of the most sensational trials in California history, The Night Stalker is an eerie and spellbinding descent into the very heart of human evil.
It is more than epic nonfiction at its most brutally real - it is true crime masterpiece.
Painstakingly researched over three years, based on nearly one hundred hours of exclusive interviews with Richard Ramirez on California's Death Row, The Night Stalker is the definitive account of America's most feared serial murderer.
From Ramirez's earliest brushes with the law to his deadliest stalking expeditions to the unprecedented police and civilian manhunt that resulted in one of the most sensational trials in California history, The Night Stalker is an eerie and spellbinding descent into the very heart of human evil.
It is more than epic nonfiction at its most brutally real - it is true crime masterpiece.
592 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published May 1, 2006
1403 people are currently reading
19363 people want to read
About the author
Philip Carlo
14 books201 followersPhilip Carlo was the author of The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, his New York Times bestselling book about Richard “Ice Man” Kuklinski, murderer of 200 people and a favorite among all seven of the East Coast crime families. He was also the author of Gaspipe, The Butcher, and The Night Stalker, which chronicles the brutal career of serial killer Richard Ramirez. Carlo grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, amidst the world’s highest concentration of Mafia members. When he was 16, Carlo was shot in the head in a gang war, and while recuperating, he read voraciously, discovering the magic of books for the first time. His intimate knowledge of Mafia culture—their walk and their talk—helped Carlo become a successful crime writer. He died in 2010 from ALS.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 735 reviews
May 31, 2025
"I am beyond your experience...I will be avenged...legions of the night, night breed, repeat not the error of the night prowler and show no mercy." pg 395, spoken by The Night Stalker at his sentencing of 19 death sentences issued by the State of California.
I was very intrigued by this story from the beginning. The book is broken into four sections: the murderous rampage, his early life, his capture, the trial and the epilogue. The author did an excellent job of giving the detailed account of the Night Stalker's gruesome story.
Richard Ramirez grew up in low-class working family. Though his parents did the best they could to work and provide outside factors would play a part in molding him into the monster he became. He witnessed domestic violence and physical abusive father from his father. His delinquent older brothers (drugs, truancy, B&E) caused tension and sparked abuse in the home. Richard Ramirez had two separate head injuries. At age two, a dresser fell on top of him rendering him unconscious and with a bleeding head gash. At age five, he was hit in the head with a swing at the playground. He remained unconscious and bloodied for several hours. He would later be diagnosed with epilepsy and would have grand mal seizures in school. After encounters of sexual abuse by a school teacher and exposure to early and inappropriate eroticizing, he began to spend more time alone. He did well in school, would smile yet was shy, and was generally liked. It all changed when he was thrown off the grade school football team for his seizures and blackouts. His grades began to slip and he became more withdrawn.
His older cousin Mike returned from Vietnam and developed a bond with Richard Ramirez. At 11-12, he learned about the brutality of Vietnam: killing, rape, torture, and even was shown pictures of the rapes of Vietcong women fighters. This further skewed his arousal template and eroticized him towards violence: he began to fuse sexual intimacy with forceful violence. Cousin Mike, a Green Beret, "taught the boy tricks and nuances of jungle warfare: showed him how to become invisible; how to kill with stealth and absolute certainty. Richard was a willing, particularly bright pupil." (pg 153) Throughout his teenage years he developed a habit for lurking at night, peering into windows, and developed fantasies of women being tied up, pleading for mercy as he assaulted them. After moving to Los Angeles at 17, continued burglarizing, car stealing, drug use, escalation in his sexual fantasies, and further involvement in Satanism eventually made him the Night Stalker.
Throughout the trial he had numerous female admirers and marriage proposals. "The guy was fiercely good-looking and dangerous. Since the beginning of time women have never been able to resist that combination." pg 372, said by Doreen Lioy who would marry him while on death row in 1996.
The last 20-some odd pages are the author's interview with Richard Ramirez and was the perfect wrap-up to the whole book. These pages show us an intelligent and cunning individual, loyal to Satan until the very end. I felt this was definitely a worthwhile read about the notorious Night Stalker. Thanks!
I was very intrigued by this story from the beginning. The book is broken into four sections: the murderous rampage, his early life, his capture, the trial and the epilogue. The author did an excellent job of giving the detailed account of the Night Stalker's gruesome story.
Richard Ramirez grew up in low-class working family. Though his parents did the best they could to work and provide outside factors would play a part in molding him into the monster he became. He witnessed domestic violence and physical abusive father from his father. His delinquent older brothers (drugs, truancy, B&E) caused tension and sparked abuse in the home. Richard Ramirez had two separate head injuries. At age two, a dresser fell on top of him rendering him unconscious and with a bleeding head gash. At age five, he was hit in the head with a swing at the playground. He remained unconscious and bloodied for several hours. He would later be diagnosed with epilepsy and would have grand mal seizures in school. After encounters of sexual abuse by a school teacher and exposure to early and inappropriate eroticizing, he began to spend more time alone. He did well in school, would smile yet was shy, and was generally liked. It all changed when he was thrown off the grade school football team for his seizures and blackouts. His grades began to slip and he became more withdrawn.
His older cousin Mike returned from Vietnam and developed a bond with Richard Ramirez. At 11-12, he learned about the brutality of Vietnam: killing, rape, torture, and even was shown pictures of the rapes of Vietcong women fighters. This further skewed his arousal template and eroticized him towards violence: he began to fuse sexual intimacy with forceful violence. Cousin Mike, a Green Beret, "taught the boy tricks and nuances of jungle warfare: showed him how to become invisible; how to kill with stealth and absolute certainty. Richard was a willing, particularly bright pupil." (pg 153) Throughout his teenage years he developed a habit for lurking at night, peering into windows, and developed fantasies of women being tied up, pleading for mercy as he assaulted them. After moving to Los Angeles at 17, continued burglarizing, car stealing, drug use, escalation in his sexual fantasies, and further involvement in Satanism eventually made him the Night Stalker.
Satan, he began to vehemently believe, would approve of the thoughts and feelings he was having, and he started to think maybe Satan would be a more appropriate god, a power, for him to follow and worship. pg 153For me the intriguing part was his commitment to devil worship and the power of Satan. According to him worshipping the devil helped him accomplish the home invasions, robberies, murders, & rapes. Stalking, lurking in the shadows of the night, and experimenting with drugs brought him closer to Satan (pg 162). The Night Stalker was unique in that he believed his pact with the devil offered supernatural protection (pg 178) and allowed him to continue his killing spree. Richie Ramirez completely believed his murderous violence acted as an offering to the devil and an error in ritual would remove that protection (pg 426).
Throughout the trial he had numerous female admirers and marriage proposals. "The guy was fiercely good-looking and dangerous. Since the beginning of time women have never been able to resist that combination." pg 372, said by Doreen Lioy who would marry him while on death row in 1996.
The last 20-some odd pages are the author's interview with Richard Ramirez and was the perfect wrap-up to the whole book. These pages show us an intelligent and cunning individual, loyal to Satan until the very end. I felt this was definitely a worthwhile read about the notorious Night Stalker. Thanks!
June 26, 2025
A Montage of Sin, Bloodlust, and Satan’s Son!
“Somewhere between blood, belief, and broken bones, this book unravels a monster. And asks you to watch.”
I don’t know how to explain this without sounding completely unhinged, but here goes: I’m obsessed with true crime. Not in a cute, casual, “I watch Dateline with dinner” way. I mean deep dives. Late-night interrogation videos. Reddit threads. Court transcripts. The Menendez brothers? I’ve rewatched their testimonies like it’s required viewing. Dahmer? Studied his psychology like I was writing a thesis. Jennifer Pan? That interrogation video lives in my head rent-free.
It starts with a flicker — a streetlamp trembling in the California night. The city sleeps, but something else stirs. Something rancid. Something ancient. Not quite man, not quite myth. Just footsteps echoing down cracked pavement, carrying the scent of metal, sweat, and rot.
You don’t know his name yet.
But he’s already chosen yours...
And There’s something unhinged and primal about this book—something that doesn’t scream so much as it whispers in the walls. You feel him. You smell the sweat in the LA heat. The sulfur. The blood. The cigarette smoke. The dread. And you know what’s worse than a killer you don’t understand? A killer who makes no sense. No pattern. No mercy. No warning.
-Let's get into the madness shall we!?...
First of all Who was he!?
Ramirez wasn’t your "typical" serial killer. He didn’t stalk a type. He didn’t kill for a specific reason. He didn’t even operate under a pattern.
He was what happens when Satanism, childhood trauma, drug addiction, sadism, and absolute lawlessness blend into a walking nightmare.
Men. Women. Children. Young. Elderly.
He didn’t choose.
He violated.
He doesn’t break into homes. He walks in. Like the night gave him a key.
He doesn’t kill to silence. He kills to leave echoes.
⚡ Early Life: This is where the rot started.
Richard Ramirez was born into trauma. The book dives deep into his childhood in El Paso, Texas — a father with a temper, a cousin fresh out of Vietnam who showed him polaroids of mutilated women, and early exposure to drugs and violence.
He had petit mal seizures, was knocked out multiple times as a child, and started sleeping in cemeteries before he was even a teen. If you’re into neurological + sociological triggers, this is your playground. He didn’t just descend into darkness — he was born in its shadow
The Crimes?
I need you to understand—this book doesn’t shy away.
It’s explicit.
Not gratuitous, but truthful.
And the truth here? It’s terrifying.
Ramirez didn’t just kill.
He broke people open.
Shot an elderly woman in the face and then carved up her body.
Raped children—yes, children—and let them go because, in his words, “they wouldn’t be believed.”
Made a woman swear allegiance to Satan at gunpoint before raping her.
Used electrical cords to bind. Used fists, guns, hammers. Whatever was there.
And worst of all?
Los Angeles in the summer of 1985 had no idea where he’d strike next.
This wasn’t a backwoods serial killer story.
This was a metro nightmare. Apartments, suburbs, cities.
You locked your doors and still weren’t safe.
Beliefs: Satanism, Control, and Delusion.
Ramirez wasn’t just killing for pleasure — he genuinely believed he was serving Satan. He’d say things like:
“Lucifer dwells within us all.”
“I am beyond good and evil.”
He left pentagrams at crime scenes. He whispered “Hail Satan” in court. He thought he was chosen. He turned murder into ritual, but there was no grandeur in it — just cruel, impulsive brutality.
In court, he smirked, sneered, and threw Satanic hand signs like it was a joke.
“Big deal. Death comes with the territory. See you in Disneyland.”
That’s what he said when sentenced to death. He was completely detached from humanity.
☠️ Prison & Death: He got fan mail. Married. Died slow-
He was sentenced to death, but California doesn’t execute fast. In prison, he got letters from groupies, one of whom married him. Carlo dives into that too — the weird worship around him. He didn’t die by execution. He died in 2013, from B-cell lymphoma, after decades on death row.
The writing?Sharp. Clinical. But also haunted. You’re not just reading about murder—you’re reading about the unraveling of a city’s psyche. You feel how tired the detectives are. How desperate the victims’ families sound when they plead on TV. How the media turns fear into a circus. You’re dragged into this spiral of chaos where hope flickers, dies, and still—still—someone leaves a window open.
‼️“so many of these killers didn’t just break — they were shaped. by silence. by neglect. by parents who made home a hell. ramirez was no exception. and that’s the scariest part.”
Final Thoughts:
If you're a crime junkie like me—if you know the difference between pathology and psychopathy, if courtroom testimonies are your Netflix, if the word "unspeakable" makes you lean in rather than look away—Night Stalker is your next obsession.
“Somewhere between blood, belief, and broken bones, this book unravels a monster. And asks you to watch.”
I don’t know how to explain this without sounding completely unhinged, but here goes: I’m obsessed with true crime. Not in a cute, casual, “I watch Dateline with dinner” way. I mean deep dives. Late-night interrogation videos. Reddit threads. Court transcripts. The Menendez brothers? I’ve rewatched their testimonies like it’s required viewing. Dahmer? Studied his psychology like I was writing a thesis. Jennifer Pan? That interrogation video lives in my head rent-free.
It starts with a flicker — a streetlamp trembling in the California night. The city sleeps, but something else stirs. Something rancid. Something ancient. Not quite man, not quite myth. Just footsteps echoing down cracked pavement, carrying the scent of metal, sweat, and rot.
You don’t know his name yet.
But he’s already chosen yours...
And There’s something unhinged and primal about this book—something that doesn’t scream so much as it whispers in the walls. You feel him. You smell the sweat in the LA heat. The sulfur. The blood. The cigarette smoke. The dread. And you know what’s worse than a killer you don’t understand? A killer who makes no sense. No pattern. No mercy. No warning.
-Let's get into the madness shall we!?...
First of all Who was he!?
Ramirez wasn’t your "typical" serial killer. He didn’t stalk a type. He didn’t kill for a specific reason. He didn’t even operate under a pattern.
He was what happens when Satanism, childhood trauma, drug addiction, sadism, and absolute lawlessness blend into a walking nightmare.
Men. Women. Children. Young. Elderly.
He didn’t choose.
He violated.
He doesn’t break into homes. He walks in. Like the night gave him a key.
He doesn’t kill to silence. He kills to leave echoes.
⚡ Early Life: This is where the rot started.
Richard Ramirez was born into trauma. The book dives deep into his childhood in El Paso, Texas — a father with a temper, a cousin fresh out of Vietnam who showed him polaroids of mutilated women, and early exposure to drugs and violence.
He had petit mal seizures, was knocked out multiple times as a child, and started sleeping in cemeteries before he was even a teen. If you’re into neurological + sociological triggers, this is your playground. He didn’t just descend into darkness — he was born in its shadow
The Crimes?
I need you to understand—this book doesn’t shy away.
It’s explicit.
Not gratuitous, but truthful.
And the truth here? It’s terrifying.
Ramirez didn’t just kill.
He broke people open.
Shot an elderly woman in the face and then carved up her body.
Raped children—yes, children—and let them go because, in his words, “they wouldn’t be believed.”
Made a woman swear allegiance to Satan at gunpoint before raping her.
Used electrical cords to bind. Used fists, guns, hammers. Whatever was there.
And worst of all?
Los Angeles in the summer of 1985 had no idea where he’d strike next.
This wasn’t a backwoods serial killer story.
This was a metro nightmare. Apartments, suburbs, cities.
You locked your doors and still weren’t safe.
Beliefs: Satanism, Control, and Delusion.
Ramirez wasn’t just killing for pleasure — he genuinely believed he was serving Satan. He’d say things like:
“Lucifer dwells within us all.”
“I am beyond good and evil.”
He left pentagrams at crime scenes. He whispered “Hail Satan” in court. He thought he was chosen. He turned murder into ritual, but there was no grandeur in it — just cruel, impulsive brutality.
In court, he smirked, sneered, and threw Satanic hand signs like it was a joke.
“Big deal. Death comes with the territory. See you in Disneyland.”
That’s what he said when sentenced to death. He was completely detached from humanity.
☠️ Prison & Death: He got fan mail. Married. Died slow-
He was sentenced to death, but California doesn’t execute fast. In prison, he got letters from groupies, one of whom married him. Carlo dives into that too — the weird worship around him. He didn’t die by execution. He died in 2013, from B-cell lymphoma, after decades on death row.
The writing?Sharp. Clinical. But also haunted. You’re not just reading about murder—you’re reading about the unraveling of a city’s psyche. You feel how tired the detectives are. How desperate the victims’ families sound when they plead on TV. How the media turns fear into a circus. You’re dragged into this spiral of chaos where hope flickers, dies, and still—still—someone leaves a window open.
‼️“so many of these killers didn’t just break — they were shaped. by silence. by neglect. by parents who made home a hell. ramirez was no exception. and that’s the scariest part.”
Final Thoughts:
If you're a crime junkie like me—if you know the difference between pathology and psychopathy, if courtroom testimonies are your Netflix, if the word "unspeakable" makes you lean in rather than look away—Night Stalker is your next obsession.
September 24, 2008
The first half of the book is great, following the 13 murders and couple of near fatal rape-assaults of Richard Ramirez in LA in 1984-1985. Though some might find him a more dynamic or interesting serial killer because of his allegiance to Satan; I find him more boring and more of a coward than most psychopath serial killers. The author Carlo pushes his oxymoronic subtle sermons (views/themes) all too often and almost seems to make excuses for how Ramirez came about. Richard hit his head and had epileptic fits when he was a boy. The government tested atomic bombs in New Mexico and the fallout effected all their children, some physical, maybe some mental. Richard witnessed a murder at 12. His dad yelled at him and had rage. His brothers were a bad influence. In fact, the only avenue in which Carlo doesn't exploit is Ramirez possibly being possessed (because I'm sure he doesn't himself believe in Heaven or Hell), which is surprising because of all the sensational roots to a serial killer demonic possession has the most appeal. Also, it wouldn't be far fetched because Richard believed Satan would protect him, drew pentagrams at some of the scenes of the crime, and made the victims he raped and murdered continuously swear to Satan as opposed to God.
The second half of the book, the trial, is too long. Carlo following the trial while cross-cutting to the cult (lonely and/or abused women) following of Ramirez. They wrote him letters. They confessed their love. He even married one of them. It's interesting but not worth 300 pages. The book is twice as long as it should be, however, it is the most accurately researched book on the Richard Ramirez, aka, the Night Stalker. The sheer brutality of the murders has enough shock value to keep the pages turning.
The second half of the book, the trial, is too long. Carlo following the trial while cross-cutting to the cult (lonely and/or abused women) following of Ramirez. They wrote him letters. They confessed their love. He even married one of them. It's interesting but not worth 300 pages. The book is twice as long as it should be, however, it is the most accurately researched book on the Richard Ramirez, aka, the Night Stalker. The sheer brutality of the murders has enough shock value to keep the pages turning.
December 14, 2021
Richard Ramirez left thirteen dead and paralyzed the city of Los Angeles in the 1980s, his name is still synonymous with fear, torture, and sadistic murder
Richard Ramirez is the reason I will never sleep with my windows open or unlocked. The whispers of the Night Stalker invokes terror in people even decades after his sadistic reign of evil in Los Angeles. This has to be one of most detailed book on Ramirez I have read. There is even an actual interview between the author and him at the end. Highly recommend!
Richard Ramirez is the reason I will never sleep with my windows open or unlocked. The whispers of the Night Stalker invokes terror in people even decades after his sadistic reign of evil in Los Angeles. This has to be one of most detailed book on Ramirez I have read. There is even an actual interview between the author and him at the end. Highly recommend!
June 17, 2021
The scariest serial killer of them all for me. And this is truly the definitive account of his crimes! 4.5 stars.
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February 9, 2021i went into this book knowing a lot of information but i thought because it was 600 pages (on my kindle) i thought that i might learn more? i didn’t and i kinda felt as though it was a bit long? i get why but at the same time the writing just made it feel a lot longer than what it was
April 14, 2023
When it comes to American serial killers I've had more of an interest in older cases like that of Earle Nelson (the Gorilla Man), who killed 22 people in the U.S. and Canada between 1926 and 1927, and Ed Gein (the Butcher of Plainfield), whose crimes spanned a 10 year period from 1947 to 1957, rather than the sickos in my lifetime; the likes of Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer and Richard Ramirez. Other than a few pictures online (one where he looks kind of like a coked-up gaunt faced Mexican version of Sid Vicious) and the fact he was a sadistic rapist, burglar and murderer who prayed to Satan, there wasn't much else I really knew about him. So going into this true crime classic more than 90% of what I was reading was all news to me. From the heart-pounding and chilling crimes themselves and the back story of Ramirez's childhood, to his eventual capture in a residential neighbourhood in L..A. and the subsequent media-frenzied trial thereafter, I have to say it was a highly fascinating, terrifying and gripping read. One I'll not be forgetting any time soon. And to think, the slippery Ramirez was more than once on the verge of being caught before he finally was, with one occasion being when he was pulled over for a traffic violation. The huge police operation and hunt for the killer was like nothing I've come across before, but the fact it was a group of neighbours who chased down Ramirez with clubs and held him in a civil arrest was great. What ever happened to community spirit? Most people don't even speak to their neighbours these days; most now would just turn a blind eye - afraid of being labelled a racist or sued for manhandling someone. Nearly as disturbing as the killer himself were the Night Stalker groupies. The thousands of women who were driven towards the brutal murderer by their dark and twisted sexual desires. Never have I descended into the true heart of darkness; into the epitome of human evil in a book like I have here. Ramirez though was not a particularly clever person. He was no Hannibal Lecter. In fact, he was rather stupid in his ways and had the luck of the Irish tenfold to continue his crimes in the manner in which he did. I can now crack on with the Night Stalker series on Netflix having read the book.
December 17, 2021
An intriguing true crime recounting of a fairly sick individual. Recommend for anyone who enjoys serial killer tales
January 13, 2022
Detailed account of the deeply disturbing crimes committed by a twisted sick individual.
February 5, 2012
Wow. This was recommended to me awhile ago and since I have this thing with fat mass markets I let it sit. I didn't see how Carlo could possibly fill 592 pages with interesting information but I'll be damned if he didn't do just that.
I fall into the category of people who are much more into the actual crime and life of the people involved rather than the long, drawn out, boring court cases. So not the case here. The long, drawn out court case was just as interesting as all the rest. What surrounds this case will make your head spin. I'm still trying to figure out this whole 'murderers are so sexy' thing. This man cut an elderly woman's eyelids off in order to better cut out her EYES. Then he took her EYES with him. This is who you find "sexy? Do the world a favor and shoot yourself asap. We don't need you here.
This review is going to be long, it's going to jump around an ramble in places and in some instances I'm going t direct my comments to certain people - like they're sitting reading them right this very second. And I hope they do some day.
So, at least a few other reviewers on this site and others mention the fact that at times it almost seemed like Carlo was trying to "explain" Ramirez's actions. He was hit in the head, he fell down, etc. At first I thought that was Carlo's goal as well but I changed my mind early on. I honestly think he was trying his best to be unbiased. I mean, that could have had something to do with him being the way he was. IMO it probably didn't and I think Carlo would agree, but there's no way to know and to leave these things out of the book wouldn't have been justified in any way. The best part of sticking up for what you believe in is knowing - knowing you've looked at everything and still believe. I'm glad I know he was hit in the head. Because I still believe he'd have turned out the same without that having happened.
I mean, this is a family where when someone got mad at themselves they bashed their skulls against brick walls until they were bloody. A family where the father, shamed because of the charges against his son, doesn't decide to end his own life (the one who he actually has the right to end IMO) but decides he'll take his wife along with him and tells his other kids just that! This never was a normal family.
Jump! Did we know that some criminals are allowed to have crime scene photos of their victims in their cells? To help with their defence of course! Oh, and also to masturbate to. Oh, and to scare other inmates and guards with. Can't forget those little benefits. And this is legal. Why you ask? Because criminals have more rights than a victim ever has, dead or alive. That's why in a nutshell.
Here's another showing of the same thing - tell me why crime scene photos shouldn't be shown to the jury. In their entirety. Because they're brutal? They'll "inflame the jury"? THAT'S THE POINT!!! If the crime was committed the jury should see this - case closed.
There was a part in the book telling about Sean Penn being jailed next to Ramirez (protection being needed because he was a star and couldn't be put into the general population). I gained some respect for Penn at the same time I lost some for Madonna. After having learned who the "good looking guy" was she said that "yeah" she'd "still like to meet him". One can only hope it was a a joke but look who said it. Penn, on the other hand, giving Ramirez his autograph, mentioned how easy it is to feel close to the people you're locked up with. He said "I feel absolutely no kinship with you." Good for him.
Okay, on to the crazy ass hoes who hate themselves and need any kind of attention so desperately that they'll do literally anything to get it. Doreen Lioy/Ramirez, Cynthia Haden, Laura Kendall with your Glamour Shot-looking-ass, and all the rest - I'm not going to say get help. You're beyond help. Just die. Do not breed and just die. You're taking oxygen and other resources away from normal people. People like you do not deserve to live. Yes, I sure am harsh. My sympathy lies with the victim and the families of those victims, not with sluts who just want a little attention from anywhere they can get it. Women like you are a shame to humanity as a whole and if I thought I had even the smallest thing in common with any of you I'd be ashamed to be a woman.
Carlo had women the world over asking how to get in touch with this prick. This prick who raped and sodomized elderly women. This prick who tied up small children. This prick who raped those same children's mothers. This prick who shot the men dead so he wouldn't have any resistance. This is the prick these women claim to "love". Bitches, you've never known love.
Doreen, the trashy, piece of shit broad who married Ramirez, the one who actually touched this mans hands, the same hands that did these awful, awful, awful things, said this, "There's something in his eyes - like a little boy who needs help. He's so sexy."
And my point is made. Doreen, normal women do not think little boys who need help are sexy. You don't belong here.
Patty, who thinks/thought Ramirez was in love with her, said he's "gentle like a lamb".
Patty, ask some of his surviving victims if they'd agree.
Doreen thinks it was fate that she moved t L.A. and was there for this. Doreen thinks this is why God kept her a virgin. Doreen says that this was her one goal in life - to meet Richard Ramirez.
Again, you don't belong here. You obviously have no life - why keep living in limbo? Move on. Please.
Women admitted to Carlo that they fantasized about being raped by Ramirez. Women who lived in L.A. during the time he was loose. Why couldn't he have found them instead of the innocent women and men he did find? Sometimes I wonder where God is.
Here's a good one - a real live human being said this by the way - Tamara has an altar to Richard in her bedroom. She supposedly sleeps in a coffin and has had her canine teeth filed into points. As if that's not enough I'll go on.
Tamara' greatest fantasy is to have sex with Ramirez. Oh, but there's a twist. You see, Tamara can't be normal, she wants to have sex with Ramirez in a cemetery, at night, on a black tombstone, under the moon. She wants their "sex to be lubricated with the blood of one of his victims."
Now I have to come to terms not only with the fact that we have Ramirez's and Anton LaVey's, LaVey's daughter and "parishioners",the Doreen's, Patty's, Cynthia's and all the other busted bitches, but now I have to come to terms with the fact that "women", like this Tamara, inhabit the world with myself and my daughter.
Tamara says no one has the right to judge her. Fuck you. I'm judging bitch. All day long. She says if her feelings were wrong she wouldn't be able to feel them. Right. Intelligent. The fact that she desires this makes it not only right but okay. I say okay, let them have sex. And let it be HER life's blood on his nasty dick. Let her enjoy that fantasy of hers for a minute before she dies.
It's enough to make you cry. How can this be? How can it happen? If we won't kill them why can't we cram them all together, they want to be anyway, and let them fuck and kill each other? Save society the expense an trauma and get rid of these monsters all at once.
I fall into the category of people who are much more into the actual crime and life of the people involved rather than the long, drawn out, boring court cases. So not the case here. The long, drawn out court case was just as interesting as all the rest. What surrounds this case will make your head spin. I'm still trying to figure out this whole 'murderers are so sexy' thing. This man cut an elderly woman's eyelids off in order to better cut out her EYES. Then he took her EYES with him. This is who you find "sexy? Do the world a favor and shoot yourself asap. We don't need you here.
This review is going to be long, it's going to jump around an ramble in places and in some instances I'm going t direct my comments to certain people - like they're sitting reading them right this very second. And I hope they do some day.
So, at least a few other reviewers on this site and others mention the fact that at times it almost seemed like Carlo was trying to "explain" Ramirez's actions. He was hit in the head, he fell down, etc. At first I thought that was Carlo's goal as well but I changed my mind early on. I honestly think he was trying his best to be unbiased. I mean, that could have had something to do with him being the way he was. IMO it probably didn't and I think Carlo would agree, but there's no way to know and to leave these things out of the book wouldn't have been justified in any way. The best part of sticking up for what you believe in is knowing - knowing you've looked at everything and still believe. I'm glad I know he was hit in the head. Because I still believe he'd have turned out the same without that having happened.
I mean, this is a family where when someone got mad at themselves they bashed their skulls against brick walls until they were bloody. A family where the father, shamed because of the charges against his son, doesn't decide to end his own life (the one who he actually has the right to end IMO) but decides he'll take his wife along with him and tells his other kids just that! This never was a normal family.
Jump! Did we know that some criminals are allowed to have crime scene photos of their victims in their cells? To help with their defence of course! Oh, and also to masturbate to. Oh, and to scare other inmates and guards with. Can't forget those little benefits. And this is legal. Why you ask? Because criminals have more rights than a victim ever has, dead or alive. That's why in a nutshell.
Here's another showing of the same thing - tell me why crime scene photos shouldn't be shown to the jury. In their entirety. Because they're brutal? They'll "inflame the jury"? THAT'S THE POINT!!! If the crime was committed the jury should see this - case closed.
There was a part in the book telling about Sean Penn being jailed next to Ramirez (protection being needed because he was a star and couldn't be put into the general population). I gained some respect for Penn at the same time I lost some for Madonna. After having learned who the "good looking guy" was she said that "yeah" she'd "still like to meet him". One can only hope it was a a joke but look who said it. Penn, on the other hand, giving Ramirez his autograph, mentioned how easy it is to feel close to the people you're locked up with. He said "I feel absolutely no kinship with you." Good for him.
Okay, on to the crazy ass hoes who hate themselves and need any kind of attention so desperately that they'll do literally anything to get it. Doreen Lioy/Ramirez, Cynthia Haden, Laura Kendall with your Glamour Shot-looking-ass, and all the rest - I'm not going to say get help. You're beyond help. Just die. Do not breed and just die. You're taking oxygen and other resources away from normal people. People like you do not deserve to live. Yes, I sure am harsh. My sympathy lies with the victim and the families of those victims, not with sluts who just want a little attention from anywhere they can get it. Women like you are a shame to humanity as a whole and if I thought I had even the smallest thing in common with any of you I'd be ashamed to be a woman.
Carlo had women the world over asking how to get in touch with this prick. This prick who raped and sodomized elderly women. This prick who tied up small children. This prick who raped those same children's mothers. This prick who shot the men dead so he wouldn't have any resistance. This is the prick these women claim to "love". Bitches, you've never known love.
Doreen, the trashy, piece of shit broad who married Ramirez, the one who actually touched this mans hands, the same hands that did these awful, awful, awful things, said this, "There's something in his eyes - like a little boy who needs help. He's so sexy."
And my point is made. Doreen, normal women do not think little boys who need help are sexy. You don't belong here.
Patty, who thinks/thought Ramirez was in love with her, said he's "gentle like a lamb".
Patty, ask some of his surviving victims if they'd agree.
Doreen thinks it was fate that she moved t L.A. and was there for this. Doreen thinks this is why God kept her a virgin. Doreen says that this was her one goal in life - to meet Richard Ramirez.
Again, you don't belong here. You obviously have no life - why keep living in limbo? Move on. Please.
Women admitted to Carlo that they fantasized about being raped by Ramirez. Women who lived in L.A. during the time he was loose. Why couldn't he have found them instead of the innocent women and men he did find? Sometimes I wonder where God is.
Here's a good one - a real live human being said this by the way - Tamara has an altar to Richard in her bedroom. She supposedly sleeps in a coffin and has had her canine teeth filed into points. As if that's not enough I'll go on.
Tamara' greatest fantasy is to have sex with Ramirez. Oh, but there's a twist. You see, Tamara can't be normal, she wants to have sex with Ramirez in a cemetery, at night, on a black tombstone, under the moon. She wants their "sex to be lubricated with the blood of one of his victims."
Now I have to come to terms not only with the fact that we have Ramirez's and Anton LaVey's, LaVey's daughter and "parishioners",the Doreen's, Patty's, Cynthia's and all the other busted bitches, but now I have to come to terms with the fact that "women", like this Tamara, inhabit the world with myself and my daughter.
Tamara says no one has the right to judge her. Fuck you. I'm judging bitch. All day long. She says if her feelings were wrong she wouldn't be able to feel them. Right. Intelligent. The fact that she desires this makes it not only right but okay. I say okay, let them have sex. And let it be HER life's blood on his nasty dick. Let her enjoy that fantasy of hers for a minute before she dies.
It's enough to make you cry. How can this be? How can it happen? If we won't kill them why can't we cram them all together, they want to be anyway, and let them fuck and kill each other? Save society the expense an trauma and get rid of these monsters all at once.
May 22, 2025
I'm your night (Night) prowler
I sleep in the day
Night (Night) prowler
Get out of my way
Yeah, I'm the night (Night) prowler
Watch out tonight
Yes, I'm the night (Night) prowler
When you turn out the light, oh
~Night Prowler by AC/DC from the album Highway to Hell (Bon Scott's last).
Highway to Hell and Back in Black by AC/DC were two of the Night Stalker's favourite albums, Night Prowler his favourite song because he found it biographical.
California, U.S.A. The Hillside Strangler, The Golden State Killer, The Zodiac and Charles Manson and his followers. Some of the many serial killers that have roamed the streets of California, mostly Los Angeles. Seems weird to say, but they pale in significance to Richard Ramirez - The Night Stalker.
He 'created' 19 scenes in 15 months in 1984/85. 13 murders, many rapes, beatings and non fatal shootings. He had the police at a loss, he moved from county to county, stole cars to do the crimes and then dumped them, returning on the public transport network. He left very few clues, a shoeprint, the use of the same gun but always wore gloves. He was a Satanist, believing Satan had his back and would protect him so he had no fear of those he bashed and raped, but left alive.
I have read other true crime books by Philip Carlo. They were entertaining but basically just stated fact after fact. The Night Stalker is completely different. So well researched, so many interviews with surviving victims, jury members, police officers and even Richard Ramirez as he sat on death row. Obviously this book was his true magnum opus, I compare it equally to Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, the book on the Charles Manson murders.
Philip Carlo passed away in 2010.
I sleep in the day
Night (Night) prowler
Get out of my way
Yeah, I'm the night (Night) prowler
Watch out tonight
Yes, I'm the night (Night) prowler
When you turn out the light, oh
~Night Prowler by AC/DC from the album Highway to Hell (Bon Scott's last).
Highway to Hell and Back in Black by AC/DC were two of the Night Stalker's favourite albums, Night Prowler his favourite song because he found it biographical.
California, U.S.A. The Hillside Strangler, The Golden State Killer, The Zodiac and Charles Manson and his followers. Some of the many serial killers that have roamed the streets of California, mostly Los Angeles. Seems weird to say, but they pale in significance to Richard Ramirez - The Night Stalker.
He 'created' 19 scenes in 15 months in 1984/85. 13 murders, many rapes, beatings and non fatal shootings. He had the police at a loss, he moved from county to county, stole cars to do the crimes and then dumped them, returning on the public transport network. He left very few clues, a shoeprint, the use of the same gun but always wore gloves. He was a Satanist, believing Satan had his back and would protect him so he had no fear of those he bashed and raped, but left alive.
I have read other true crime books by Philip Carlo. They were entertaining but basically just stated fact after fact. The Night Stalker is completely different. So well researched, so many interviews with surviving victims, jury members, police officers and even Richard Ramirez as he sat on death row. Obviously this book was his true magnum opus, I compare it equally to Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, the book on the Charles Manson murders.
Philip Carlo passed away in 2010.
March 28, 2021
I have never read a book with so many crazy people in it, and they're all somehow real
also a highlight of this book was definitely Sean Penn roasting the Night Stalker while they were in jail together, loved that
also a highlight of this book was definitely Sean Penn roasting the Night Stalker while they were in jail together, loved that
December 31, 2021
A fascinating/horrifying deep dive into American serial killer Richard Ramirez’s troubled early life, grisly crimes, and eventual capture and trial. My only complaint is that the section which covers his trial—roughly half the book, or about 300 pages of material—is just too damn long, tending to veer off into straight up minutiae more often than not. Other than that, however, this was a nearly unputdownable read.
Ultimately, it’s hard to say what I found more disturbing about the whole thing: Ramirez himself, or the shitload of female fans he had, women who knew exactly what kind of monster he was and adored him anyway. One woman from France, for instance, was so “in love” with him that she legally changed her last name to Ramirez. Yeah. I think they were almost scarier than he was.
Ultimately, it’s hard to say what I found more disturbing about the whole thing: Ramirez himself, or the shitload of female fans he had, women who knew exactly what kind of monster he was and adored him anyway. One woman from France, for instance, was so “in love” with him that she legally changed her last name to Ramirez. Yeah. I think they were almost scarier than he was.
July 10, 2022
Richard Ramirez and people like him are the reason why my mother always told me it was safer to live in a building vs a house where anyone could just break in. Of course, you're not completely safe in a building either, but you're safeer.
I've been interested in this case for at least half of my life, and I've been wanting to read this book for just as long, I'm glad I finally got the chance.
There's not a single thing I mind about this, other than the fact that the crimes happened and that it took a while to catch him.
Everything is very detailed, Richard's life pre crimes and that of his family (which wasn't a very normal family, mind you), then his crimes, arrest and trial. I don't remember reading anything this in-depth about him before, so it was all interesting.
Around ten or so years ago I was on Tumblr, and there was someone who actually wrote to Richard and then posted the letters she got from him on her blog.
From his replies I wouldn't say she was anything like the groupies described in this book, just someone interested in his brain and why he did what he did.
I remember people asking her if she'd ever consider selling those letters and she said she never would. I hope she's doing good now and living her best life.
The reason I mentioned this, is that back then I thought it was so strange that someone who committed crimes almost 30 years ago was still receiving letters from people up until his death.
I think I was more surprised that he was STILL alive after being sentenced to death, than the letters actually. Because he was so famous, and most famous serial killers were already dead by the time I found out about them. So it was like a weird timeline crossover experience, if that makes sense.
So my impressions of Richard all those years ago and Richard after reading this book are similar, except now I know a lot more.
Also, I really like this exchange from the interview at the end of the book:
Carlo: Do you think young children, young teenagers, actually, should be kept away from music like that?
Ramirez: No, because I believe that a person that ... a person that is destined or inclined to be evil will be evil with or without music. Music I don’t believe has a part in anything.
Carlo: Even young, impressionable minds?
Ramirez: Yes, yes ... because I believe that it is the environment that will determine who a child will grow up to be.
Basically the author was asking him about his love of heavy metal music, which you absolutely CAN NOT miss by how many times he mentions it in the novel, and this was the response and I 100% agree. I am of course biased as a child raised on rock and metal, but I firmly believe that the music you listen to will not turn you bad if you weren't already bad, you know?
There are so many factors that could've helped turn Richard evil that are explored in the book, but music is not one of them friends. But I also don't think that all of those factors (or just one) were to blame, I think he would've turned out this way either way.
Anyway, the audio was amazing, and it kinda pushed me to finish this faster because the narrator barely took breaks between chapters, so I'd be like okay I'm stopping at this chapter and then suddenly that chapter would start and I'd go "well I can't just stop now that it started can I?". I'll be getting a physical copy for sure.
I've been interested in this case for at least half of my life, and I've been wanting to read this book for just as long, I'm glad I finally got the chance.
There's not a single thing I mind about this, other than the fact that the crimes happened and that it took a while to catch him.
Everything is very detailed, Richard's life pre crimes and that of his family (which wasn't a very normal family, mind you), then his crimes, arrest and trial. I don't remember reading anything this in-depth about him before, so it was all interesting.
Around ten or so years ago I was on Tumblr, and there was someone who actually wrote to Richard and then posted the letters she got from him on her blog.
From his replies I wouldn't say she was anything like the groupies described in this book, just someone interested in his brain and why he did what he did.
I remember people asking her if she'd ever consider selling those letters and she said she never would. I hope she's doing good now and living her best life.
The reason I mentioned this, is that back then I thought it was so strange that someone who committed crimes almost 30 years ago was still receiving letters from people up until his death.
I think I was more surprised that he was STILL alive after being sentenced to death, than the letters actually. Because he was so famous, and most famous serial killers were already dead by the time I found out about them. So it was like a weird timeline crossover experience, if that makes sense.
So my impressions of Richard all those years ago and Richard after reading this book are similar, except now I know a lot more.
Also, I really like this exchange from the interview at the end of the book:
Carlo: Do you think young children, young teenagers, actually, should be kept away from music like that?
Ramirez: No, because I believe that a person that ... a person that is destined or inclined to be evil will be evil with or without music. Music I don’t believe has a part in anything.
Carlo: Even young, impressionable minds?
Ramirez: Yes, yes ... because I believe that it is the environment that will determine who a child will grow up to be.
Basically the author was asking him about his love of heavy metal music, which you absolutely CAN NOT miss by how many times he mentions it in the novel, and this was the response and I 100% agree. I am of course biased as a child raised on rock and metal, but I firmly believe that the music you listen to will not turn you bad if you weren't already bad, you know?
There are so many factors that could've helped turn Richard evil that are explored in the book, but music is not one of them friends. But I also don't think that all of those factors (or just one) were to blame, I think he would've turned out this way either way.
Anyway, the audio was amazing, and it kinda pushed me to finish this faster because the narrator barely took breaks between chapters, so I'd be like okay I'm stopping at this chapter and then suddenly that chapter would start and I'd go "well I can't just stop now that it started can I?". I'll be getting a physical copy for sure.
March 26, 2024
3 stars ✨ I wanted to give it 4 since the first half of the book is great and very detailed about his childhood and the crimes he committed, but once you get to the trial, it is drawn out and exhausting to get through. I just now returned to this book after not reading it for months because I lost interest. I ended up skimming most of it just so I could finish it.
If you find trials interesting, then you will probably love this book. That just wasn’t the case for me.
If you find trials interesting, then you will probably love this book. That just wasn’t the case for me.
October 15, 2021
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
The Night Stalker is, a very good true crime book.
I loved it!
I highly recommend it!
Narration 5/5
The Night Stalker is, a very good true crime book.
I loved it!
I highly recommend it!
November 25, 2012
I love true crime and serial killers and the first half of this book was OK. Great detail about the individual crimes and the men and women hunting the killer.
The second half of the book was boring as hell. You're essentially reading the transcripts from the trial and they aren't interesting. It reiterates everything you already read in the first half. I skimmed all of it looking for something interesting.
It would have been nice if the author had given us the highlights of the trial, and not mixed in all the details about The Night Stalkers groupies and eventual wife in with the court transcripts. That should have been a section of the book unto itself.
The author goes into endlessly needless detail about the most unimportant things. He's no Anne Rule, I'll say that. I feel like he's the kid who highlights everything in the textbook because he can't discern what's important from what's not.
His interview with the killer was equally boring and repetitive. There were whole paragraphs in this book I swear he wrote twice. And why is there no update on the status of The Night Stalkers marriage? Is he still married? Is her family still shunning her? What happened with the female juror who had the hots for him that he confessed his love to? She just dropped out of the story and it all feels left undone.
Where's Richard's family now? No mention of an execution date or further appeals. What happened to his incompetent lawyers? Again, we really didn't need a blow by blow of every court postponement and lunch break.
Super disapointed with this book. I hope Anne Rule wrote one so I can get some better information.
The second half of the book was boring as hell. You're essentially reading the transcripts from the trial and they aren't interesting. It reiterates everything you already read in the first half. I skimmed all of it looking for something interesting.
It would have been nice if the author had given us the highlights of the trial, and not mixed in all the details about The Night Stalkers groupies and eventual wife in with the court transcripts. That should have been a section of the book unto itself.
The author goes into endlessly needless detail about the most unimportant things. He's no Anne Rule, I'll say that. I feel like he's the kid who highlights everything in the textbook because he can't discern what's important from what's not.
His interview with the killer was equally boring and repetitive. There were whole paragraphs in this book I swear he wrote twice. And why is there no update on the status of The Night Stalkers marriage? Is he still married? Is her family still shunning her? What happened with the female juror who had the hots for him that he confessed his love to? She just dropped out of the story and it all feels left undone.
Where's Richard's family now? No mention of an execution date or further appeals. What happened to his incompetent lawyers? Again, we really didn't need a blow by blow of every court postponement and lunch break.
Super disapointed with this book. I hope Anne Rule wrote one so I can get some better information.
April 21, 2013
I can't think of anything or anyone who terrifies me quite as much as Richard Ramirez, The Night Stalker. Responsible for a wave of brutal murders that left LA panicked and paralysed in the mid '80s, the Stalker was a home invader. Breaking into houses in the early hours, he would usually kill any men found on the premises before turning his horrifying attentions to the women, and any children left. Even though Ramirez is now thankfully in prison, and even though I live in an entirely different country, I'll now be stepping up my home security.
This excellent book, well researched and also based on a hundred hours of interviews with Ramirez himself, drops us straight into the Night Stalker's reign of terror and we travel around LA with him in stolen cars, casing houses and listening to heavy metal, before following him inside, where we come face to face with some of the most pants-wettingly awful crimes you could read about. Testimony from surviving victims gives us an idea of what it might have been like to be woken up by the Night Stalker: "He put the lights on and charged her bed. She woke up with him running at her from the doorway." Fuuuck. Heart-stopping, right?
A very accomplished burglar who always wore gloves, thankfully he did leave behind a few clues for the detectives struggling to apprehend him - size 11 1/2 prints from an Avia Aerobic shoe (the only shoe of that size and description sold in LA), an AC/DC cap left at the scene of one of his crimes, bullet casings from victims and the descriptions from those who survived - a tall, thin man with bad teeth and a bad smell, dressed in black with shaggy hair. Frustratingly, as usual with this sort of book we also get to see how bad the police initially are at sharing information between departments and working together, much to the dismay of our lead detectives.
The second part of the book takes us back to young Richard, his family and upbringing in El Paso. The youngest of five children born to hardworking parents, his father was prone to hugely self-destructive rages (one anecdote tells of him beating himself in the face with a hammer when unable to fix the kitchen sink while his horrorstruck children looked on) and frequently crossed the line from correction to abuse when disciplining the children. More importantly though, Richard looked up to his older cousin Mike. Having served with Special Forces in Vietnam, Mike had a huge collection of stories and photographs of the rapes and murders he perpetrated during that war and regaled a young and aroused Richard with them constantly. Training him how to hunt, kill and move stealthily, Mike went even further in his making of a young serial killer by shooting his wife in the face while a 12 year old Richard looked on. Later, sister Ruth would go on to marry a Peeping Tom who took Richard out with him on his nightly forays. And here I was thinking my family was dysfunctional...
Leaving El Paso at 18, Richard moves to LA finding it sordid and exciting, and much more suited to his interests which by now already number burglary, attempted rape and Satanism. His behaviour soon escalates.
Parts Three and Four take us through Richard's extraordinary capture, in which he was apprehended and almost beaten to death by citizens who'd recognised him from the mugshots by now circulating in the media, and the events leading up to and including his eventual trial, in which his lawyers will try to cause a mistrial by dragging their feet and not bothering to show up for court (amongst other astoundingly shitty tricks). By this point all number of satanists have flocked to his cause, and thousands of completely fucking mental women have 'fallen in love' and start sending fan mail, turning up at court and making googly eyes at him while he snarls and laughs at the evidence and deeply upsetting testimonies of surviving victims. Even certain members of the jury will send him Valentine's and start a relationship with him. Meanwhile, he has crime scene photographs of his victims taped to his cell walls and constantly excites himself with them - as noted by Sean Penn who had the misfortune of being briefly jailed next to him while serving his sentence for punching a pap.
A completely shocking and horrifying portrayal of complete evil, as well as just how fucked up it would seem 'normal' people are too, I certainly won't be forgetting this one when I'm locking up the house tonight.
This excellent book, well researched and also based on a hundred hours of interviews with Ramirez himself, drops us straight into the Night Stalker's reign of terror and we travel around LA with him in stolen cars, casing houses and listening to heavy metal, before following him inside, where we come face to face with some of the most pants-wettingly awful crimes you could read about. Testimony from surviving victims gives us an idea of what it might have been like to be woken up by the Night Stalker: "He put the lights on and charged her bed. She woke up with him running at her from the doorway." Fuuuck. Heart-stopping, right?
A very accomplished burglar who always wore gloves, thankfully he did leave behind a few clues for the detectives struggling to apprehend him - size 11 1/2 prints from an Avia Aerobic shoe (the only shoe of that size and description sold in LA), an AC/DC cap left at the scene of one of his crimes, bullet casings from victims and the descriptions from those who survived - a tall, thin man with bad teeth and a bad smell, dressed in black with shaggy hair. Frustratingly, as usual with this sort of book we also get to see how bad the police initially are at sharing information between departments and working together, much to the dismay of our lead detectives.
The second part of the book takes us back to young Richard, his family and upbringing in El Paso. The youngest of five children born to hardworking parents, his father was prone to hugely self-destructive rages (one anecdote tells of him beating himself in the face with a hammer when unable to fix the kitchen sink while his horrorstruck children looked on) and frequently crossed the line from correction to abuse when disciplining the children. More importantly though, Richard looked up to his older cousin Mike. Having served with Special Forces in Vietnam, Mike had a huge collection of stories and photographs of the rapes and murders he perpetrated during that war and regaled a young and aroused Richard with them constantly. Training him how to hunt, kill and move stealthily, Mike went even further in his making of a young serial killer by shooting his wife in the face while a 12 year old Richard looked on. Later, sister Ruth would go on to marry a Peeping Tom who took Richard out with him on his nightly forays. And here I was thinking my family was dysfunctional...
Leaving El Paso at 18, Richard moves to LA finding it sordid and exciting, and much more suited to his interests which by now already number burglary, attempted rape and Satanism. His behaviour soon escalates.
Parts Three and Four take us through Richard's extraordinary capture, in which he was apprehended and almost beaten to death by citizens who'd recognised him from the mugshots by now circulating in the media, and the events leading up to and including his eventual trial, in which his lawyers will try to cause a mistrial by dragging their feet and not bothering to show up for court (amongst other astoundingly shitty tricks). By this point all number of satanists have flocked to his cause, and thousands of completely fucking mental women have 'fallen in love' and start sending fan mail, turning up at court and making googly eyes at him while he snarls and laughs at the evidence and deeply upsetting testimonies of surviving victims. Even certain members of the jury will send him Valentine's and start a relationship with him. Meanwhile, he has crime scene photographs of his victims taped to his cell walls and constantly excites himself with them - as noted by Sean Penn who had the misfortune of being briefly jailed next to him while serving his sentence for punching a pap.
A completely shocking and horrifying portrayal of complete evil, as well as just how fucked up it would seem 'normal' people are too, I certainly won't be forgetting this one when I'm locking up the house tonight.
Read
March 3, 2008I couldn't read this book fast enough, it kept me interested all the way through it. The author even did a god job making the reader feel the frustration of the jury through the defense teams inept arguments....
Made me want to write to Richard Ramirez, which is a scary thought in itself. To be honest, the book portrays him as a rather intelligent individual that's pleasant to be around....when he isn't raping and killing you, that is.
Made me want to write to Richard Ramirez, which is a scary thought in itself. To be honest, the book portrays him as a rather intelligent individual that's pleasant to be around....when he isn't raping and killing you, that is.
February 15, 2012
Such a well researched book. This case has always fascinated me, probably because I remember being scared of the Nightstalker when I was younger. I remember we made sure to lock our doors and windows at the time. You could sense the whole city being on edge when all this was taking place. The book is very detailed and it is a very good read. Hard to put down.
October 22, 2011
I liked this book, it's well written, a lot of detail was put down on every crime Richard committed. The only thing a had a problem understading was almost at the end, when Philip Carlo is writing about these women that were attracted to this Richard Ramirez, one actually married him. For crying out loud!!!.. What the hell is wrong with them?!!... this a-hole beat and raped women in the commission of his crimes, how incredibly stupid can these idiots be?!!..What is so fricking attractive about a psychopathic scumbag filled with cowardice?!!..I don't understand this "bad boy image" shit they are talking about!!..I was actually repulsed by this section of the book... I read about Aileen Wuornos (highway hooker) and I didn't feel any admiration towards her...I only felt DISGUSTED and glad I never met her. I have nothing against the book, Philip Carlo is a great author. I just don't understand these broads!!!
December 22, 2022
the cringiest serial killer.
He’s seen as the coolest, most bad ass, attractive serial killer but he is so cringe and I get second hand embarrassment from him.
he’s like “ah shoot me now, I don’t want to go to jail pls mr jailer, just kill me. I want to die“ but also he’s always like “pls don’t kill me please I want to live in prison, no death sentence pls :((( omg I don’t deserve this :(“
Dude is weird. Glad he is dead!
Died at age 53 but he deserved to die earlier as his prison time was actually quite pleasant to him because of all the insane women who sent him nudes and letters, so much so that he had no room in his cell for all of them so he had to get people to put them into storage for him.
He should’ve had a worse prison sentence.
He’s seen as the coolest, most bad ass, attractive serial killer but he is so cringe and I get second hand embarrassment from him.
he’s like “ah shoot me now, I don’t want to go to jail pls mr jailer, just kill me. I want to die“ but also he’s always like “pls don’t kill me please I want to live in prison, no death sentence pls :((( omg I don’t deserve this :(“
Dude is weird. Glad he is dead!
Died at age 53 but he deserved to die earlier as his prison time was actually quite pleasant to him because of all the insane women who sent him nudes and letters, so much so that he had no room in his cell for all of them so he had to get people to put them into storage for him.
He should’ve had a worse prison sentence.
April 17, 2020
A very comprehensive and compelling account of the Night Stalker Richard Ramirez who terrorised LA for years and murdered 13 people in the process.
I am slightly baffled about why lots of women found him attractive, one of the jurors on his trial fell in love with him and he got married to 'another fan' if you can call them that!!!!
A good read none the less 4/5.
I am slightly baffled about why lots of women found him attractive, one of the jurors on his trial fell in love with him and he got married to 'another fan' if you can call them that!!!!
A good read none the less 4/5.
October 16, 2017
This is the superior of the two Night Stalker books on Richard Ramirez.
February 18, 2017
The writing style drove me crazy. I had to give up on this one.
April 15, 2020
Aaaah another book I liked during my serial killer phase!
September 14, 2020
This an incredibly thorough portrait of Richard Ramirez. He’s the most violent serial killer I’ve read about so far & I’ve read about quite a few. The first part takes you through his crimes as he evolves from a burglar into a serial killer/rapist. Richard is a satanist and he believed the more violent he was the more praise he would get from Satan. He also really enjoyed shooting cocaine which amped everything up a couple hundred notches obviously. Part 2 is his childhood which is just as insane. Part 3 is his capture (he’s taken down by citizens and it’s pretty awesome 👏🏼). Then his trial & follow-up which includes the authors interview with Ramírez after the trial. My only issue with the book was the trial portion, it’s long & sometimes tedious, which is why this ended up as 4 stars instead of 5. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I upped the speed to get through certain parts 😂 Overall, if you’re a true crime junkie like me, you’ll find this comprehensive book well worth the time invested...fair warning ⚠️ the book is long.
November 1, 2011
This book was amazing for someone like me whom is studying the forensic criminal justice field. To see how a serial killer mind ticks and his ways was really interesting to follow. The whole court system was really amazing how it went through. I would love if Philip would write a book about each of the famous serial killers. Because he interviews them in depth and he researches their story beyond reason. On top of it he also goes into psychosocial prospective to both sides of the argument of Richard, this is really interesting. It is a very detailed book and I will admit I read it at night which does make you get the creeps afterwards. Overall very an informative book, I used it to help write and present in my college class and received an A for the amount of research I had on hand. Because believe it or not there isn’t much information on Richard and Philip is about the only one that researched Richard.
November 29, 2011
WOW! The details in this book are very captivating. It's sad to know that this wasn't fiction.
Richard's childhood was a very odd one, starting with the sexual encounter he has with a cousin. The author of the books seems to insinuate that this is where Richard'd grotesque thoughts began.
The book was an amazing one from a True Crime reader's standpoint because of all the details of the crimes and cases Richard acted on. We got to knwo about the victim's and were told actual encounters on the crime scenes and how Richard would enter these homes.
The Richard Ramirez cases are interesting and if your a true crime reader, then this is a must to read!
Richard's childhood was a very odd one, starting with the sexual encounter he has with a cousin. The author of the books seems to insinuate that this is where Richard'd grotesque thoughts began.
The book was an amazing one from a True Crime reader's standpoint because of all the details of the crimes and cases Richard acted on. We got to knwo about the victim's and were told actual encounters on the crime scenes and how Richard would enter these homes.
The Richard Ramirez cases are interesting and if your a true crime reader, then this is a must to read!
November 5, 2011
As sleazy, trashy, sensationalized and exploitive as they tend to be I still have a weakness for true crime books. What Ramirez did was very disturbing and out and out evil. He did things like stab old ladies while they were sleeping and rape invalids. Almost equally as disturbing is this guy had female groupies fighting over him, including a juror, and Church of Satan nerds fawning over him and visiting him in prison.
In this book the author put it together by doing interviews with Ramirez, the Ramirez family, detectives involved in the case and other people connected to the case in one way or another so I think its pretty credible as far as what actually went down compared to a lot of other true crime books I have read.
In this book the author put it together by doing interviews with Ramirez, the Ramirez family, detectives involved in the case and other people connected to the case in one way or another so I think its pretty credible as far as what actually went down compared to a lot of other true crime books I have read.
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