He was born on February 29, 1960, in El Paso, Texas — the youngest of five children in a hardworking immigrant family. Though his early life seemed ordinary, it was marked by hardship, instability, and emotional distress. His father’s volatile temperament and the family’s financial struggles created a tense household that left lasting emotional scars.
As a child, Richard experienced several head injuries, which doctors later believed might have influenced his behavior and impulse control. In his teenage years, he began drifting away from school and family, increasingly drawn to isolation and rebellion. A traumatic encounter with a relative exposed him to violence at a young age, shaping much of his later outlook on life.
By early adulthood, Richard’s life had taken a darker path. He became involved with drugs and petty thefts, often living on the streets. After moving to California, his fascination with destructive behavior grew, and between 1984 and 1985, a series of violent incidents in Southern California drew national attention and widespread fear.
When Richard Ramirez was captured in 1985, media coverage identified him as “The Night Stalker.” Convicted of multiple serious offenses, he spent the remainder of his life in San Quentin State Prison, where he passed away in 2013. His story stands as a somber reminder of how trauma, environment, and unaddressed mental health issues can profoundly alter the course of a life.