Richard Ramirez “The Night Stalker”
Richard Ramirez was born on February 28, 1960 and was the youngest of seven children. He was known to have had a very troubles childhood. One of his cousins, named Mike, had served as a Green Beret in the Vietnam War. Mike came home to the adoration of his family for his service, but little did they know that he would be the flame to Richard’s fire that would start Richard down the path he would take. Mike would tell him stories of how he would torture and mutilate Vietnamese women and would even show Richard polaroid pictures of these assaults and killings. Fascinated by Mike, Richard would look up to him and the two would even smoke Marijuana together and talk about Satanism. Being the rebellious teen that he was, Richard would commit petty thefts to support his drug habit. This pushed him even further away from his Catholic parents, which, in turn, would see him spending even more time with his cousin, Mike. When Mike murdered his wife, Richard was present. This would undoubtedly sow the seeds for a future serial killer.
He would be placed in juvenile detention for a slue of petty crimes he committed. He would also go on to receive a probationary sentence for marijuana possession. From this, he progressed to cocaine and burglary. An interest in weapons and Satanism were next. In 1983, he was convicted of a car theft charge and would be sentenced to prison. He would be released a year later. A free man with no conscious, rotten teeth and a deep seeded interest in Satan would become a recipe for disaster.
From his deep-rooted hate and history of theft, he changed from a common thief into one of this Nation’s most notorious serial killers. He would be caught after his final murder when he tried stealing a car in East Los Angeles, but on lookers would not let him get away with it. They brutally beat Ramirez before the cops could get them and take him into custody. He would be found guilty on 43 charges, including 13 counts of murder, five counts of attempted murder, 11 sexual assault charges and 14 burglary charges. He was sentenced to death and spent 23 years on death row. He died of natural causes on June 7, 2013. He was 53 years old. What circumstances and/or behaviors in this case indicate the presence of mental health concerns?
From a young age, he was subjected to things that no adolescent should see or even hear about, yet his older cousin Mike would tell him these stories in detail and even show him photographs of gruesome things. This would undoubtedly have a huge impact on a growing mind and could influence him in a big way. Also, gouging out the eyes of victims after murdering them is not something a mentally stable human being would do.
Did the mental health issue contribute to the criminal conduct being charged in this case?
Yes. A mentally stable human being would not commit such acts upon another human being. From a young age, he was brain washed in a sense by his older cousin Mike, and was heavily influenced by what he heard and saw. Speaking in depth about Satanism with an adult while still a youth would definitely have an affect mentally on him as well, and would encourage his crime spree.
Was the mental health issue a main factor in the outcome of the case?
No. He was found to be competent. The outcome of his case would be determined by the actions he committed, not his mental state.
How do you think this case impacted the criminal justice system? In general, what are some of the major challenges that the criminal justice system faces due to mental health issues. Explain your answer.
I believe this case did not have much affect on the criminal justice system because of the fact that there have been serial killers for decades before Richard Ramirez came into the scene. It may have had an impact on local police departments where he was known to be committing his crimes, but other than that, I do not think so. The ways in which it may have had an