HOW DID NIGHT STALKER RICHARD RAMIREZ DIE? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT HIS FINAL YEARS ON DEATH ROW

“Night Stalker” Serial Killer Richard Ramirez Dies in California Hospital

GREENBRAE, Calif., June 7, 2013 — Richard Ramirez, the notorious serial killer known as the “Night Stalker,” has died at age 53 while awaiting execution for a series of brutal crimes in Southern California in 1984 and 1985.

Ramirez, a native of Texas, was convicted in 1989 on 43 counts, including 13 murders, 5 attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. He received 13 death sentences and was sentenced to be executed by gas chamber.

Authorities reported that Ramirez died at Marin General Hospital, having been admitted from San Quentin State Prison, where he had spent over two decades on death row. The Marin County coroner confirmed that he died from complications of B-cell lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He also suffered from chronic hepatitis C and had a history of substance abuse.

Ramirez terrorized Southern California between April 1984 and August 1985, often entering homes through unlocked doors or windows. His crimes, which included murder, sexual assault, and burglary, targeted residents across Los Angeles, San Francisco, and surrounding areas. He was apprehended on Aug. 31, 1985, after being recognized by local residents and restrained until police arrived.

During his 1989 trial, Ramirez made statements to the court indicating no fear of death, including, “Death comes with the territory. See you in Disneyland,” and declared, “I am beyond good and evil. I will be avenged. Lucifer dwells in us all.”

Law enforcement officials described his death as the closing of a dark chapter in California crime history, though reactions among victims’ families were mixed. Some expressed relief, while others wished he had faced execution sooner.

Ramirez’s life and crimes have been widely documented in books, films, and documentaries, including the Netflix series Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer and the films The Night Stalker (2016) and MaXXXine (2024).