The Case of Richard Ramirez

1
The Night Stalker

• The Case of Richard Ramirez
• By Chase Straub

2
Contents

• Ramirezs childhood Case History
• Forensic techniques
• Fingerprints
• Footprint identification
• Ballistics
• Criminal profiling
• Superglue fuming

3
Childhood

• Richard Ramirez was born on February 28, 1960, in
  El Paso, Texas
• Strict, hard-working Catholic parents
• Ramirez feared his father and often slept in a
  nearby cemetery
• Cousin Mike, Vietnam veteran/ ex-Green Beret
• Ramirez looked up to Mike because he was a war
  hero
• Mike had a collection of photos that portrayed
  rape, torture, and mutilation
• Ramirez became fascinated with brutality, lost
  interest in school, and spent his days smoking
  pot with Mike
• Taught Richard how to fight, kill, and rape
• In an argument with his wife, Mike shot his wife
  in the face, killing her instantly, and covering
  Ramirez in her blood

4
Childhood

• Ramirezs favorite band was AC/DC
• He especially was gripped by one song, Night
  Prowler on the famous album, Highway to Hell
• Night Prowler lyrics correspond to his M.O.
• Began studying Satanism, using drugs heavily, and
  committing burglaries to support his changing
  lifestyle

5
Case History

• Jun 1984 - Jennie Vincow
• Mar 1985 - Dayle Okazaki
• Mar 1985 - Tsai Lian Yu
• Mar 1985 - Vincent and Maxine Zazzara
• May 1985 - Bill Doi
• Jun 1985 - Mabel Bell
• Jun 1985 - Patty Higgins
• Jul 1985 - Mary Cannon
• Jul 1985 - Joyce Nelson
• Jul 1985 - Maxson and Lela Kneiding
• Jul 1985 - Chainarong Khovananth
• Aug 1985 - Elyas Abowath

6
Case History

• On June 28, 1984, his burglaries turned into
  something far more evil. Ramirez entered through
  an opened window of Glassel Park resident, Jennie
  Vincow, age 79. He became angry after not finding
  anything of value to steal, and began stabbing
  the sleeping Vincow, eventually slitting her
  throat. The act of killing aroused him sexually,
  and he had sex with the corpse before leaving.

7
Case History

• Ramirez remained quiet for eight months, but the
  memory he savored of his last killing had run
  dry. He needed more.
• On March 17, 1985, Ramirez jumped 22-year-old
  Angela Barrio outside her condo. He shot her,
  kicked her out of the way, and headed into her
  condo. Inside, was roommate, Dayle Okazaki, age
  34, who Ramirez immediately shot and killed.
  Within an hour of killing Okazaki, Ramirez struck
  again in Monterey Park. He jumped 30-year-old
  Tsai-Lian Yu and pulled her out of her car onto
  the road. He shot several bullets into her and
  fled. A policeman found her still breathing, but
  she died before the ambulance arrived. Ramirez's
  thirst was not quenched. He then murdered an
  eight-year-old girl from Eagle Rock, just three
  days after killing Tsai-Lian Yu.

8
Case History

• On March 27, Ramirez shot Vincent Zazarra, age
  64, and his wife Maxine, age 44. Mrs. Zazzara's
  body was mutilated with several stab wounds, a
  T-carving on her left breast, and her eyes were
  gouged out. The autopsy determined that the
  mutilations were post-mortem. Ramirez left
  footprints in the flower beds, which the police
  photographed and cast. Bullets found at the scene
  were matched to those found at previous attacks,
  and the police realized a serial killer was on
  the loose.

9
Case History

• Two months after killing the Zazzara couple,
  Ramirez attacked again. Harold Wu, age 66, was
  shot in the head, and his wife, Jean Wu, age 63,
  was punched, bound, and then violently raped. For
  unknown reasons, Ramirez decided to let her live.
  Ramirez's attacks were now in full throttle. He
  left behind more clues to his identity, and was
  named, 'The Night Stalker,' by the media. Those
  who survived his attacks, provided the police
  with a description - Hispanic, long dark hair,
  and foul smelling.

10
Case History

• On May 29, 1985, Ramirez attacked Malvial Keller,
  83, and her invalid sister, Blanche Wolfe, 80,
  beating each with a hammer. Using lipstick, he
  drew a pentagram on Keller's thigh and on the
  wall in the bedroom. Blanche survived the attack.
  The next day, Ruth Wilson, 41, was bound, raped,
  and sodomized by Ramirez, while her 12-year old
  son was locked in a closet. Ramirez slashed
  Wilson once, and then bound her and her son
  together, and left. The killing spree continued
  and he made ten more hits before August 20th.

11
Case History

• On Aug. 24, 1985, Ramirez traveled 50 miles south
  of Los Angeles, and broke into the home of Bill
  Carns, 29, and his fiancée, Inez Erickson, 27.
  Ramirez shot Carns in the head and raped
  Erickson. He demanded she swear her love for
  Satan and afterwards, forced her to perform oral
  sex on him. He then tied her and left. Erickson
  struggled to the window and saw the car Ramirez
  was driving. A teenager wrote down the license
  plate number of the same car, after noticing it
  cruising suspiciously in the neighborhood. The
  information from Erickson and the young man
  enabled police to locate the abandoned car, and
  get fingerprints from inside. A computer match
  was made of the prints, and identification of the
  Night Stalker became known. On August 30, 1985,
  the arrest warrant for Richard Ramirez was issued
  and his picture released to the public.

12
Case History

• On August 30, 1985, an arrest warrant for Richard
  Ramirez was issued and his face revealed to the
  public. Ramirez, unaware that his picture was all
  over the newspapers, got off of a Greyhound bus,
  and walked into a liquor store. The woman working
  inside recognized him and began yelling that he
  was the Night Stalker. Shocked, he quickly fled
  the store and headed toward the heavily populated
  Hispanic area of east Los Angeles. A small mob
  had formed and were following close behind him.
  He was subdued, while some of the mob beat him,
  until the police arrived. Reportedly, Ramirez
  raised his hands to the police, begging for
  protection, and identified himself as the Night
  Stalker.

13
Fingerprints

• Lifting fingerprints from a crime scene is
  crucial in determining a possible suspect. There
  are three types of prints at a crime scene
  plastic prints, visible prints, and true latent
  or invisible prints. Plastic prints are ridge
  impressions left on a soft material such as wax,
  putty, soap, or dust. While visible prints are
  made by fingers touching a surface after the
  ridges have been in contact with a colored
  material such as blood, grease, ink, or paint.
  Finally latent prints are impressions caused by
  the transfer of body perspiration or oils present
  on finger ridges to the surface of an object
• There are several different methods for
  visualizing a latent print the one of choice
  depends on the surface that is to be examined.
  Prints on hard and nonabsorbent surfaces (such as
  mirror, tile, glass, and painted wood) are
  developed with the application of powder. While
  soft and porous surfaces (such as cloth, paper,
  and cardboard) are made visible by the treatment
  of a chemical.

14
Footprints

• Visible prints Print visibly seen by the naked
  eye without any other aids
• Plastic Prints Impressions that occur when the
  footwear steps into a soft surface, creating a
  3-D print
• Latent Prints Most overlooked print generally
  found on smooth surfaces
• Interior Search
• Surfaces where suspect entered and existed should
  be carefully examined
• The interior should be made as dark as possible
  so a strong white light can be used to shine on
  any latent prints
• Police found the same avia tennis shoes prints at
  every scene, leading them to believe there was
  serial killer on the loose.

15
Footprints

• Most castings done with Dental Stone.
• Marks in porous and granule materials are
  difficult to cast and require prior treatment
  with a sealing agent to prevent the dental powder
  mixture penetrating the surface of the mark.
• Marks in Blood (Non-porous Surface) Treat
  impression with a protein stain
• Investigators began to first see evidence of a
  serial killer because of the same distinctive
  Avia pattern in the blood of the murder scenes
• Marks in Blood (Porous Surface) May require
  lifting and treating with ninhydrin
• Investigators successfully took a print off a
  bloody face
• Marks in Snow Snowax is most commonly used
• Water-filled Marks (Under water, e.g., in a mud
  puddle) Can be cast using the dry dental stone
  powder
• Used for the prints in flower gardens that were
  found outside the windows of the victims houses

16
Ballistics

• Used a .22 Caliber to kill many of his victims
• Ramirez used the same gun at most of the scenes,
  and therefore investigators were able to link
  certain crimes together
• Caliber refers to the diameter of barrel bore
• Identifying Characteristics Bullet, shell, and
  serial number restoration
• The marks on the edges of the bullets shells are
  distinctive to a certain gun
• Below it is easy to see the differences in striae

17
Criminal Profiling

• Profiling Inputs Involves the collection and
  assessment of all of the materials relating to
  the specific case
• Decision Process Models Involves arranging all
  of the information gathered into a logical and
  coherent pattern
• Crime Assessment Involves the reconstruction of
  the sequence of events and the specific behaviors
  of both the victim and the perpetrator
• The Criminal Profile Process of providing a list
  of background, physical and behavioral
  characteristics of the perpetrator
• The Investigation Actual profile is provided to
  requesting agencies and incorporated into the
  investigation
• The Apprehension Cross check the profile
  produced with the characteristics of the offender
  once they are apprehended.
• M.O. Ramirez killed the male right away and all
  his attention was focused on the female.
  Considering he didnt have many female
  relationships, there were some intense power
  issues going on here.

18
Superglue Fuming

• A.K.A. The Cyanoacrylate Fuming Method
• Method used to make the invisible latent prints
  visible enough to capture in a photograph
• One type of chemical treatment for fingerprint
  development is Super Glue fuming, which produces
  a white-appearing latent print. 
• You need four components
• superglue
• aluminum foil
• low-level heat source
• fuming chamber
• Super Glue is approximately 98 to 99 percent
  cyanoacrylate ester. The process of superglue
  fuming is accomplished by placing the item to be
  processed, along with a container of liquid
  superglue, into a sealed chamber. A catalyst,
  either chemical or thermal is employed to
  accelerate the fuming process. It is the fumes
  from the superglue that adheres to the moisture
  content of a latent print. As the fumes adhere
  to the surface of the latent print, they lightly
  coat the surface of latent print causing the
  print to develop into a chalky white color.

19
Superglue Fuming

• Police put out an all points bulletin (APB) on
  the Toyota and two days later it was found in a
  car park in the Rampart suburb of LA.
  Revolutionary technology (superglue fuming) was
  used in an attempt to obtain the Night Stalker's
  fingerprints. A saucer of Superglue was placed
  inside the car, which was then locked up with the
  windows tightly shut. The theory was that the
  fumes from the Superglue would spread throughout
  the car and reacted with moisture to show up any
  latent prints, which would then be enhanced by a
  laser beam which was focused on the car.
• They unlocked the car and found a single print.
• A copy was sent off to a new California state
  computer in Sacramento where it came up with an
  almost instant match - 25-year-old Richard
  'Ricky' Ramirez, who had been previously
  convicted in 1983 of car theft.
• The mugshot was splashed across the front of the
  Los Angeles newspapers