THE DEATH OF RICHARD RAMIREZ

Article BY Stephen J. Giannangelo

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Richard Ramirez. The "Night Stalker." One of the classic, iconic names in serial murder lore, is dead. An ignominious end after over two and a half decades in a prison cell at age 53. At the end, Ramirez remained readily recognizable, and still had his shock of black long hair. He did not provide a gradual, visual graying fade like another member of his California brethren of death, Charles Manson. The basic preservation of this image could serve to cement his historical status... a serial killer Elvis, if you will.

Ramirez died on June 7, 2013 at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, California of complications secondary to B-cell lymphoma. At the time of his death Ramirez had other significant conditions, including “chronic substance abuse and chronic hepatitis C viral infection,” according to the coroner’s report. Ramirez had been on death row for more than 23 years, still pursuing appeals while awaiting execution by the state of California.

Alan Yochelson, who prosecuted Ramirez, said that although the state did not execute Ramirez, "some measure of justice has been achieved" because he had to live out his life behind bars.

Is that true?

Did half a life on death row pay for the spectacular murders committed by Ramirez?

Is that what people think?

Ramirez' story is not a new one. He committed a rampage of violent assaults, home invasions and killings from June 1984 to August 1985 that paralyzed the Los Angeles area... causing citizens to block their doors at night and not take out the garbage after dark. Movie theatres grew empty while sales of home alarms spiked. His crimes also cast the region under a national spotlight.

His assaults were gruesome. He was nicknamed the "Night Stalker" as he attacked most of his victims after invading their homes at night. He cut out the eyes of one victim, left a Devil-worshipping pentagram at the crime scene of another, and raped and murdered women after shooting the men they were with.

It's believed he killed at least 14 people, ranging from age 9 to 83. He beat 2 elderly women to death with a hammer. He drew signs and slogans like "Jack the Knife" at scenes. He committed countless violent sexual assaults and killed by bludgeoning, knife attacks and shooting. He forced a female victim to swear her love for Satan.

After his conviction, he famously quipped, "I'll see you in Disneyland."

Responses to Ramirez' death were varied.

One of his final attack victims, Bill Carns, told TMZ the death was a "reason to celebrate" and that he was headed out for a Mexican feast. He said, "I feel better already... I feel like I lost 50 pounds, like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders... Saying that I’m happy he's dead is too simple."

Shelly Ramirez, niece of the deceased killer, said after the death, "I felt free. What he did was sick. I’m sorry about what happened to the families.”

Ms. Ramirez recounted an incident when during a visit at San Quentin he masturbated in front of her. He said he would "fuck her any day" if she wasn't his niece. He became angry during the same visit because she was wearing a gold necklace with a cross, declaring "Satanists don't wear gold."

Ramirez apparently had a habit of masturbating in front of staff, young girls and others. An official stated there were several incidents of exposure at the prison and sexual acts in front of others. His personal visits were curtailed in 2004 after masturbating in front of a young girl, and again in 2007 for a similar offense. He reportedly has not had much visitation since then; none in 2010 and recently had refused to visit with anyone.

Still, it's difficult to think that the Night Stalker has received justice for the sentence of a life behind bars.

The scrawny kid from a terrible background with rotting teeth and breath so foul people would turn their heads, still managed to live the life of a celebrity, one many people in this fame-fueled world would take in a heartbeat, thank you.

Ramirez was still receiving bags full of mail over 20 years after entering San Quentin's death row and more than 15 years after marrying wife Doreen, who wrote him 75 letters. The demand for visitation requests never waned.

The constant correspondence and requests for artwork, which Ramirez often happily obliged, never slowed. Online murderabilia related to Ramirez was (and is) always in demand. Here's a piece of signed art I obtained earlier this year by Ramirez:

Something a high-school kid might doodle on the back of a science notebook. But in this case, an artifact worthy of value, from a star?

While his acts were positively repulsive, Ramirez' dark brooding looks and California notoriety made him a star during his trial, and he relished every moment of it. Many people: kids, women admirers and even some men will always revel in the allure of a counter-culture icon and the fame that accompanies him. It's understandable why the sunglasses-adorned rock star killer gained so much attention in 1989.

But it's 2013. You could still buy a Richard Ramirez T-shirt very quickly and easily-- even before his death.

Night Stalker song lyrics are found on the Internet in an instant.

On tumblr, a site named "Bitches love Ramirez" reveals rabid fandom by girls and kids born years after The Night Stalker was busy raping and murdering women in California.

And in recent years, rumors circulate that Hollywood Star James Franco has agreed to star and direct a movie about Ramirez' life.

Not too shabby an ending to a script that started out pretty badly.

"A measure of justice achieved?"

What do you think?