True Crime
Richard Ramirez: the Night Stalker and Satanic Panic in LA
In 1985 the Los Angeles area was terrified by Richard Ramirez. His reign of terror didn’t guarantee the safety of anyone; men, women, and children were all is victims.
In a time when serial killers were becoming household names, Richard Ramirez turned everything we knew about this breed of killer on its head. He was a mix of a serial killer, mass murderer, spree killer, and home intruder all wrapped up into one vicious and unpredictable killer. Netflix is currently streaming the documentary Night Stalker which chronicles Ramirez’s crimes up until his capture and death.
Richard Ramirez — also known as The Night Stalker — terrified Los Angeles during the first half of 1985.
Ramirez went against everything the criminal justice system knew about serial killers at the time. Unlike Bundy, Ramirez preyed on many different types of victims. Unlike most serial killers, Ramirez did not have one perfect type of victim. He raped women of all ages, sexually molested children of both genders, and killed men.
Ramirez also did not have a weapon of choice. The Night Stalker used guns, kitchen knives from the victims’ homes, and even a machete. He was also an opportunist when it came to finding items used to bludgeon his victims.
Ramirez would commonly steal jewelry and valuables after assaulting or killing the homeowner. He would then brazenly help himself to their refrigerator.
Finding an Identity Among the Media
The only common thread among Ramirez’s crimes was that he broke into these homes while the residents were asleep. This consistent trait lead to many different nicknames from the media: “The Walk-In Killer,” “The Valley Intruder,” and finally “The Night Stalker.”
Not having a signature M.O. to link the crimes together, it took a while before the LAPD realized all of these crimes were being committed by the same individual.
Once the LAPD knew they were looking for the same man, another problem arose: notoriety. LA is a patchwork of different counties and departments; since not all of the crimes took place in the same jurisdiction, it almost became a competition to see who was going to catch the notorious Night Stalker.
Ramirez was coming off of the heels of the recent capture of The Hillside Strangers — Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono — in 1978. Once captured, it became known that Ramirez idolized Bianchi. Since the arrest of the Hillside Strangers, police were becoming more familiar with the rare breed of killer — and the fame that accompanied it.
Lack of Communication Among the Police
Once the boys in blue knew they were looking for a serial killer, they each wanted to be the department to bring him to justice. This machismo made the police reluctant to share information with other departments, which only made the capture of Ramirez more difficult and drawn out.
While the different precincts didn’t necessarily want to cooperate with others, Ramirez’s capture inevitably came down to good police work. Ramirez had two pieces of evidence that worked strongly against him.
First, Ramirez wore a rare and signature sneaker that was found at many crime scenes: Avia. The second piece of evidence was a single fingerprint lifted from a car that the Night Stalker had stolen. With that particular fingerprint, the LAPD finally had an ID after matching it to his previous rap sheet.
Finally The Night Stalker is Identified
The morning of August 31, 1985, Richard Ramirez discovered that he was the headline of every major newspaper in the city. His mug shot stared back at him at every newsstand and convenience store. It was the beginning of the end for Ramirez.
Ramirez tried to board a bus leaving the LA area, but realized that at least one fellow rider on the bus recognized him. Abandoning the bus, Ramirez had no hopes of blending into the crowd. Everywhere he ran, citizens would shout and point ‘El Matador’ — meaning ‘The Killer’ — as they recognized the Night Stalker fleeing through their neighborhoods. He cut through backyards and jumped fences, but he could not escape the angry mob.
After a failed carjacking, Ramirez was hit over the head with a metal pipe by a citizen. A crowd soon formed and collectively began to beat the man that once terrorized their city. If it wasn’t for a patrol car arriving at the scene, the outraged citizens of Los Angeles may have very well beaten the Night Stalker to death.
The residents of Los Angeles were finally able to take back the power the Night Stalker had taken away from them.
Ramirez revealed to be a creature all his own.
Once in custody, Ramirez brandished a crudely drawn pentagram on his left hand for the cameras. He did not keep his belief and worship of Satan a secret.
Through testimony from surviving victims, it was revealed that Ramirez would tell his victims to “swear to Satan,” and even demanded they devote their love to Satan. Ramirez often spoke of Satan, good and evil, and his place amongst all of it.
One of his most chilling quotes in court was;
“I do not need to hear all of society’s rationalizations. I’ve heard them all before and the fact remains that was is, is. You don’t understand me. You are not expected to. You are not capable. I am beyond your experience. I am beyond good and evil.”
Ramirez also capitalized off of the female groupies who flocked to his trial to get a look at the dangerous killer. Many swooned at his sight and copied his pentagram onto their own skin. As Ramirez waited for his trial date, he appeared to cater to a rock star appearance, which made his fans go into a frenzy.
Once in prison, Ramirez had many female admirers who wrote him constantly, and he even married one of them.
The take away from this wretched man is the fact that not all men who kill are part of a specific formula. While there may be similarities in the form of a difficult or even abusive childhood, how they channel their anger will vastly vary between each individual. With his lack of a consistent M.O., and his unpredictable, erratic behavior, Richard Ramirez is a prime example of this.
For more true crime, check out “His Name Was Ted Bundy“.
News
‘Scream’ Murder Documentary Released on Hulu
The Scream Murder: A True Teen Horror Story is the latest true crime documentary released on Hulu. High school students Brian Lee Draper and Torey Adamcik’s murder of classmate Cassie Jo Stoddart is examined in the documentary.
Scream writer Kevin Williamson explained his inspiration for the movie came from real life serial killer Danny Rolling. Danny Rolling is also known as the Gainesville Ripper. When coupled with the writer’s own personal fear of home invasion, he found his inspiration for the script to his horror movie Scream.
Little did Williamson know, one decade later life in Pocatello, Idaho would imitate his creation.
The Night the Lights Went Out
In 2006, high school student Cassie Jo Stoddart was murdered by two of her fellow classmates. These two boys are Brian Lee Draper and Torey Michael Adamcik. Not only were they classmates, but they were friends of Stoddart and her boyfriend, Matt Beckham. In fact, it was Beckham who invited them over to Stoddart’s aunt’s house the night they killed her.
The four watched movies at the house until Draper and Adamcik left around 9:30p.m. to go to the movie theater. Little did the couple know, the two boys didn’t really leave the house at all.
Following their “departure”, the lights in the house kept flickering on and off. Furthermore, Beckham reported the two heard strange noises from the basement. He asked his mom if he could stay for the night to quiet Cassie’s fears of being alone. Unfortunately she said no. In addition, Cassie turned down Mrs. Beckham’s counteroffer to spend the night at her home instead. She wanted to stay faithful in her responsibility to watch the home as she promised her aunt.
Once Matt left for the night, the lights went out, and The Scream Killers executed their carefully thought out plan.
The next morning Cassie’s relatives returned home. Her 13 year old cousin found her in a pool of blood in the living room, deceased. The medical examiner later counted approximately 30 stab wounds focused around her upper torso. Twelve of those wounds were potentially fatal.
The Apprehension and Video Tapes
The 16 year old high school students were apprehended soon after the Scream inspired murder. It was when they were in custody when the extent of their sick obsession and plans were discovered. Brian Draper was first to confess to the killing. He led the police to the abandoned area where the two had buried their bloody clothing, masks, boots, and knives they used to kill Cassie.
There was one more thing the police had found. This was perhaps the most important and condemning piece of evidence in the cache; a video tape the two boys had made.
The high school juniors said on these videos how they wanted to recreate the opening Scream murders in real life. On their video they also spoke of their “Death List”. It some became apparent Stoddart was not their only intended victim. On their discovered “death list”, there were at least five names of other fellow students who they planned to kill.
The video then cuts to footage from the night of the murder. The video picks up right after the two got into Torey’s car. The boys were clearly exhilarated from their kill. Draper boasted jubilantly;
“We just killed Cassie. We just left her house. This is not a fucking joke. …I stabbed her in the throat. I saw her lifeless body. It just disappeared. Dude. I just killed Cassie. Oh, oh fuck. That felt like it wasn’t even real. I mean it went by so fast.”
Draper and Adamcik’s goal was to start with Cassie’s murder, and then go out in a blaze of glory that would put the Columbine High School shootings to shame.
Consequences and Punishment
No longer was this like the horror movies they loved so much. These confessions sealed their fate, and the evidence was inescapable for the high school juniors.
The judge who presided over both of their trials showed his humane side when he regretted the fact both Draper and Adamcik were so young when they committed their crime. Nevertheless, he had a job to do, and both received life sentences without parole. The judge followed up his sentence with “I’m convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that if you were released that you’d kill again.”
Currently Draper and Adamcik are serving their life sentences at Idaho State Correctional Institute in Ada County, Idaho.
True Crime
Killer Wade Wilson: Just Desserts
A majority of the world got to know Wade Wilson as the ‘Deadpool Killer’ when he went to court for the 2019 murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz. Wilson’s nickname was coined from the fact he shares the same name as the Marvel anti-hero.
Viewers avidly watched the courtroom circus unfold. Each day Wilson was dressed in stylish and attention grabbing suits provided to him from his previous girlfriend. He had a court approved fresh haircut slicked back, and had planned to use a tattoo cover-up cream now that the whole world was watching him. However, according to his attorney the ink was still visible beneath the makeup, so the morning of court his client decided to forgo the coverup attempt.
Despite the heinous crimes he committed, the overwhelming evidence against him, and even his own recorded confession to his biological father, women liked what they saw.
Wade’s Wives
After the media sensationalized Wilson’s handsome good looks, women responded in droves. They deemed themselves ‘Wade’s Wives’ and clamoured for the attention of death row’s newest inmate.
They occupied his time with racy and salacious video calls, sent him sexually charged letters, and filled his commissary account with more money than he could possibly spend behind bars.
His wives then took their devotion for the killer outside of the prison walls.
Dedication Beyond Monetary Measure
Websites declaring Wilson’s innocence were established. TikTok videos edited his walks into the courtroom, slowing them down to a sexy saunter and putting them to music. Wade Wilson had become a killer thirst trap by the same gender he slaughtered. The good looks and charisma he used to lure in his victims were now helping him reel in hundreds more from around the world.
A GoFundMe campaign was started in Wade Wilson’s name, Save Wade Steven Wilson. One woman in particular donated a whopping $24,000 to save the convicted killer and afford him a new defense team.
When all said and done, the campaign raised more than $70,000!
As you scroll down the list of more than 370 donations you will see a strongly established pattern; those who donated were either “guest”, “anonymous” and women. Lots and lots of women.
“With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.”
If it wasn’t for the tattoos Wilson acquired behind bars, the convicted murderer is nearly unrecognizable today. The inmate is missing teeth, his hair is unkempt, and his weight gain has dissolved his once chiseled good looks. The bad boy good looks that had women flocking to him have vanished.
His commissary account is overflowing, and there is only so much you can buy in prison. Toiletry items, snacks, and phone calls is what a majority of inmates use their money on. In Wade’s case, it appears honey buns could be a favorite.
Ironically, it is the money showered upon Wilson that is at the root of his own undoing.
Make your own conclusions as you watch the new Paramount documentary; Handsome Devil: Charming Killer.
News
How a Horror Movie Helped Solve a Real-Life Murder
In 1985, a murder case rocked the small town of Niantic, Connecticut. A pregnant wife was found strangled in the bedroom while her husband was away on a sailing trip. The crime went unsolved until a witness came forward to give investigators a clue, in of all places, a VHS copy of a horror movie.
[Editor’s Note: This article is taken from our archives. It was originally published in 2022]
Ed and Ellen Sherman appeared to be a happy couple around town, both professionals; Ellen a publisher, Ed a teacher at the local community college. Although they appeared to be the epitome of community grace, their private lives told a different story. Ed was a philanderer who often partook in wife swapping and sex parties. Ellen seemed not to mind and often engaged in the activities herself.
Enter Nancy Prescott, Ed’s mistress, who became pregnant and had a child during their affair. Ellen, at her limi,t told Ed to leave Nancy so they could start afresh.
Ed agreed, and the couple tried to reignite their marriage, Ellen herself becoming pregnant.
But on a Sunday in August 1985, while Ed had gone on a sailing trip with four friends, he got a call from police on the boat’s radio, saying his pregnant wife was dead. She was discovered by a male family friend whom Ed had asked to look in on her that night.
At first glance, it indeed looked as if an intruder had come into their home and squeezed the life out of Ellen, then made a hasty retreat; in fact, the air conditioner was still turned on.
Ligatures around Ellen’s neck provided the medical examiner with enough proof to determine she had been strangled with her own underwear. But the further investigation would also show that she had been strangled before the panties had gone around her neck. Medical examiners determined that she had been killed earlier that Sunday.
The question remained: who would do this? And as is usually the case, investigators look first to the spouse as a suspect. But Ed had been away on a sailing trip on Sunday; he had a solid alibi, with four witnesses. He couldn’t have done it. How could he be in two places at once?
Ed had even spoken to his wife on the night of the murder at a friend’s house, and they all heard him on the phone.
Forensic scientists were baffled, especially Dr. Henry Lee of the Connecticut State Crime Lab. That i,s until someone came forward with a tip that would blow the lid off the case.
The witness said she had run into Ed at the local video store on the morning of his sailing trip. She says Ed recommended a horror movie called Blackout, a mystery about a disfigured man named Allen Devlin, who, early on, may have brutally killed his wife and children and then manipulated the crime scene to thwart investigators.
In the film, Richard Widmark, Detective Joe Steiner, is confounded and sets out to prove that Allen is, in fact, responsible for the brutal killings.
Spoiler: Remember the air conditioner? In “Blackout,” the killer uses a clever trick to throw investigators off. He turns up the appliance to its highest setting and leaves it running.
The extremely cold temperatures slow down the rigor mortis process and the body’s decomposition, which can cause investigators to inaccurately estimate the true time of death.
Both Widmark in the film and real-life investigators in the Sherman case discover this murderous hack. In the Sherman case, where the coroner determined the time of death to be Sunday, they surmised that with the air conditioner running, the time of death was actually two days prior, on Friday. This means Ed could have done it before leaving for his fishing trip.
Still, Ed had called his wife from miles away the night of the murder and his friends could attest to that. Except unbeknownst to Ed, there was someone else on the phone, one of the gentleman’s daughters who reported that she picked up the receiver to make a call and heard him talking, only he wasn’t talking to his wife, he was talking over the ringing on the other end: the call was a fake.
According to the show Forensic Files (full episode below), Ed strangled his wife to death with his bare hands after dinner on Friday. He then wrapped the underwear around her throat to try and mislead investigators into thinking it was a sex crime.
After that, and inspired by the movie Blackout, he then turned the air conditioner to high to slow down the decomposition process ultimately misdirecting the Coroner and the true time of death. He then left for his friend’s house for the fishing trip and mocked a call later that night all within earshot of his friends, but unaware someone else was listening.
Ultimately, thanks to the movie Blackout, investigators concluded that with the frigid temperatures, the actual time of death was not on Sunday, but two days earlier, when Ed was still at home.
Ed Sherman was arrested for murder. Prosecutors argued that Ellen had given up on their marriage and wanted a divorce. She, being the primary owner of the business, told Ed he could have his girlfriend and the sailboat, and nothing else.
During the trial, jurors were very interested in knowing more about Ellen’s time of death. Based on the forensic evidence, they determined that Ed had the time and the motive to commit the murder, and six years after the crime, he was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Ed never admitted guilt, and three years after the conviction, he died in prison after suffering a heart attack.
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