How Long Did Richard Ramirez Kill For?

Prolific serial killer Richard Ramirez began his series of killings in April 1984. His first known victim was Mei Leung, a nine years-old Chinese-American girl. She was murdered in the San Francisco hotel’s basement where Ramirez was staying at the time. The killer had raped and stabbed Lung to death before hanging her body from a pipe. According to Refinery29, detectives used DNA found at the crime scene to link him to the murder in 2009.

The outlet reported that Ramirez, dubbed the Night Stalker, killed multiple victims in Southern California throughout the mid-80s. His killings peaked in the summer of 1985 and, reportedly, lasted for over a year until his arrest. Residents of an East Los Angeles neighborhood beat up and captured him in August 1985. The killer’s capture resulted in his ultimate conviction on murder, rape, burglary, and other charges.

Richard Ramirez’s killing spree spanned across April 1984 until August 1985

As mentioned above, Richard Ramirez began his killing spree on April 10, 1984. The media nicknamed him the Night Stalker because residents, during his reign of terror, would lock their doors and windows. Ramirez’s killings peaked during the hot summer of 1985, per Fox 11. He had started entering homes through unlocked windows and doors. The killer murdered his victims using a gun or a knife, burglarized the homes, and sexually assaulted his female victims.

The outlet reported that Ramirez left satanic symbols at murder scenes. He even forced some victims to “swear to Satan.” Finally, in August 1985, the residents of an East Los Angeles neighborhood caught him as he attempted a carjacking.

Ramirez’s trial began in July 1988, and he was convicted on a string of charges, including 13 counts of murder, in September 1989. The remaining charges were of rape, sodomy, oral copulation, burglary, and attempted murder. He received the death penalty in the same year.

Fox 11 further reported that San Francisco police confirmed that DNA linked Ramirez to the April 10, 1984, murder of Mei Leung, 9, in 2009. He allegedly stayed at nearby hotels while committing the murders. Investigators have also tied him to the Northern California shooting deaths of 66-year-old Peter Pan and his wife, Barbara, in 1985. He committed the killings shortly before authorities arrested him in Los Angeles but was never tried for the murders.

Reportedly, the killer remained on death row at the San Quentin State Prison and died at a hospital due to liver failure on June 7, 2013.