"They Don't Know Him the Way I Do": Doreen Lioy on Her Wedding to Richard Ramirez, KRON 4, 1996

KRON 4 reporter Vicki Liviakis speaks with Doreen Lioy the day before she married Richard Ramirez on San Quentin's death row in 1996, and Lioy speaks again after the ceremony. Ramirez is not heard.

Subject

Ricardo Leyva Munoz Ramirez

Recorded

October 2, 1996

Runtime

1:20

The Interview

This is not an interview with Richard Ramirez, who is not heard. It is a short KRON 4 news item from October 1996, posted by the station on June 8, 2013, the day after Ramirez died. KRON reporter Vicki Liviakis puts it to Doreen Lioy that many see Ramirez as "the face of evil" while she sees "the man of your dreams," and Lioy answers. After the wedding at San Quentin the next day, Lioy speaks again about how she feels. Ramirez appears only in pictures of the couple.

Historical Context

Ramirez, known as "the Night Stalker", was convicted on September 20, 1989, of 13 murders and 30 other felonies committed in Los Angeles in 1984 and 1985, and was sentenced to death on November 7, 1989. Lioy, a magazine editor, began writing to him in 1985; he proposed in 1988.

Circumstances

Lioy married Ramirez at San Quentin State Prison on October 3, 1996. She spoke to KRON the day before; her remarks after the ceremony were apparently recorded outside the prison (inference from the footage). The introduction says Liviakis interviewed her "as part of a documentary on the Night Stalker"; whether that line dates from 1996 or from the 2013 upload has not been determined.

What the Interview Covers

To the suggestion that she sees the man of her dreams, Lioy answers: "I can't help the way the world looks at him. They don't know him the way I do." After the ceremony she says it "feels wonderful," that she is "so thrilled, very proud, and a little relieved" that the bulk of the day is over, and that she hopes to spend the rest of the day in peace with Richard's family.

What Makes the Recording Significant

Lioy's two remarks here are widely quoted in accounts of the Ramirez case; this is the original KRON footage in which she makes them.

Archival Importance

Original station footage of the 1996 death-row wedding, one of the best-known episodes of Ramirez's years at San Quentin, uploaded by the station itself. It pairs with KRON's 1990 report on women who followed him to court and its 2013 report on his death.

Important Caveats

Ramirez does not speak. The video contains only about 58 seconds of speech; the last 20 seconds are silent. The YouTube title's "didn't see evil in him" paraphrases the reporter's question, not Lioy's words. Who says "Who needs glasses here?" is a judgment call. Lioy and Ramirez later separated; that is not covered in the report.

Kron 4 Anchor: Reporter Vicki Liviakis has interviewed Doreen Lioy as part of a documentary on the Night Stalker.

Vicki Liviakis: There are many who would look at Richard Ramirez in the eye and say he is the, the face of evil. And yet you look at him and, and you see the man of your dreams.

Doreen Lioy: Yes. Who needs glasses here?

Doreen Lioy: I can't help the way the world looks at him. They don't know him the way I do.

Narrator: And the next day Doreen walked down the aisle, albeit a prison aisle, with her groom. Here's the couple, and her response to being the new Mrs. Richard Ramirez.

Doreen Lioy: It feels wonderful. I'm so happy. I'm, I'm so thrilled. Very proud, and a little relieved that, that the bulk of the day is over, and just hopefully I can enjoy the rest of my day in peace with Richard's family and think about the importance of what happened today. [00:59 to 01:20: no speech in Whisper; the captions show only a stray "TR" at 01:19; clip ends.] ---