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“This is a feeling that began for me as long ago as that Friday, August 30, 1985, the night before he was arrested and police broke into the television show I was watching to broadcast his picture. Looking back, I see it was a turning point for me. They showed his mug shot in the middle of ‘Dallas,’ and I saw something in his eyes. Something that captivated me. It wasn’t as if I knew him. But there was something in his eyes . . . maybe the vulnerability, I don’t really know.”—Doreen Lioy, on her first look at serial killer Richard Ramirez.1

Doreen and Richard on their wedding day | Courtesy of The San Francisco Gate

Soon after the arrest of the infamous serial killer Richard Ramirez was made public, he began to grow a fan base of followers, as many serial killers often do. While living in custody, Ramirez received hundreds of letters from dedicated fans telling him how much they admired him. Indeed, even one of the jurors wrote to him stating that she fell in love with him after seeing him in the court room. One of the most frequent senders of these love letters was young magazine editor Doreen Lioy. She began writing him letters after his arrest in 1985, and, after a while, she began visiting him too. In 1988, he proposed to her. In 1989 he was convicted of thirteen counts of murder, five attempted murders, fourteen burglaries, and eleven sexual assaults. For his crimes, he was sentenced to die in a gas chamber in California. For eight years, the only physical contact the couple had was through a phone and a thick Plexiglas partition. Four months before their wedding, they were offered the opportunity to have physical contact, albeit under the constant watch of armed guards. On October 3, 1996, they married in the San Quentin State Prison of California. Lioy claimed to truly love Ramirez and constantly told anyone who would listen that he was innocent, stating He’s kind, he’s funny, he’s charming… I think he’s really a great person. He’s my best friend; he’s my buddy.2 Despite their strong love for one another, however, she had to make sacrifices for their relationship. Her family disowned her after her marriage to Ramirez, and she claimed to live a lonely life secluding herself from her family. One of the family’s main reasons for disowning their daughter was their religion: they were Catholic while Ramirez was a satanist. Tragically, none of her family members attended the wedding, including her twin sister. Ramirez, on the other hand, had his older brother, sister, and niece attend, while his mother refused to travel to the prison.3

Doreen Lioy being escorted out of the prison on her wedding day | Courtesy of The San Francisco Gate

Richard Ramirez was the fifth and final child of Julian and Mercedes Ramirez. His parents were strict, old fashioned, and made him go to church every Sunday. Ramirez was raised to believe in God, but he ultimately strayed from his beliefs during his adolescence, being influenced by his older cousin to turn to satanism and drugs.4 His cousin had returned from the Vietnam War with gruesome stories and trauma from the battlefield, and convinced Ramirez to move to Los Angeles to help him refine his burglary skills in order to buy drugs. When Ramirez was only twelve years old, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. At fifteen, he became addicted to cocaine. Several years later, he was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, most likely contracted by the constant use of intravenous drugs during his adolescence and young adult life. He was also diagnosed with B-cell Lymphoma, which is a type of cancer that forms in B cells that severely affect the immune system.5

Ramirez saw his first murder at a very young age: his cousin shot and killed his wife right in front of him and he did nothing to stop it. After the incident, his cousin was found not guilty by reason of insanity because of his combat record. He was incarcerated in the Texas State Mental Hospital for only four years. After his release, he continued to influence Ramirez. Starting in 1984, Ramirez went on a two-year killing spree. His first known victim was a seventy-nine year old woman, Jeannie Vincow, whom he stabbed and killed in her own home after robbing her. Most of his crimes were committed in a similar fashion, as he would usually break in, rob the individual, and subsequently mutilate and kill them in their own home. He raped and tortured over twenty-five men, women, and children, killing over a dozen of his victims. At the scene of the crime, he made a habit of leaving occult symbols, such as inverted pentagrams, to represent his belief in satanism. On top of it all, he would also force his victims to do things in the name of Satan. This unique action ultimately earned him the name “Night Stalker” by several media.6

In August 1985, a victim was able to get the license number of the car he fled the scene in. Once the police tracked down the car, they discovered it was stolen and his finger prints were found on the rear view mirror. Prior to his crime spree, he had his fingerprints put in the system for some minor traffic violations and for driving without a license.7 His face was all over the news, and the media emphasized his rotting teeth, which made him a very recognizable suspect. He was residing in Arizona when his sketch was released, so he was unaware when he returned to Los Angeles that he was even being looked for. He was then recognized by customers in a liquor store who chased him, beat him, and held him down until a police officer arrived. Days before his own trial, he said he would shoot and kill the prosecutor. This led the officials to take extra measures of safety at the court. On the day of the trial, one of the jurors did not appear. That afternoon, her body was discovered dead in her apartment. After Ramirez’s threats, this led people to believe he had an outside source kill her. After further investigation, however, it was confirmed that her boyfriend had killed her in an unrelated matter. Although Ramirez had nothing to do with it, the eerie nature of the murder struck an even greater fear in the people of California.8 Once he was arrested and his crimes were released to the public, many people wanted to talk to him, and he grew a cult following.9 Doreen eventually caught his attention because she was a magazine editor. It is believed that he used her position to his advantage, since she spoke out against his execution. He was able to avoid and postpone his execution for twenty-three years. Because of the complexity of his case, the trial record was nearly 50,000 pages long. The state Supreme Court didn’t hear Ramirez’s first appeal until 2006. His wife had the influence and voice that provided him a way to stall his death sentence. She wrote him over seventy-five letters in the course of eleven years while he was imprisoned. She even went as far as saying she would kill herself if he was executed. After their marriage, she visited him up to four times a week and was always the first in line. After several years, however, Doreen stopped visiting and stopped writing. After his death, his body wasn’t claimed, meaning that the couple had broken up when he died, but there was no file for a divorce.10

Police sketch of Richard Ramirez | Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

It is believed that his diagnosis and the confirmation of his link to the murder of a nine year old girl is what lead Doreen Lioy to distance herself from Richard Ramirez. The nine year old girl was raped, murdered, and hung from the basement of a hotel Ramirez used to work in. His DNA was later confirmed to have been found at the scene, which tied him to the murder, although he was never put on trial for it because of a lack of evidence.11 After Lioy found out, she knew he had no remorse and decided to leave him. 

On June 7, 2013, Ramirez died in the Marin General Hospital in Kentfield, California. After twenty-three years on death row, Ramirez died due to complications from his B-cell lymphoma. Doreen Lioy now lives a life outside of the limelight. After her split with Ramirez, she hid from the media and it is unknown if she reconciled with her family or friends. Her love for serial killer Richard Ramirez may have brought her momentary fame, but the long-term effects that it had on her life will stand forever evident.12

  1. Pamela Warrick, “I saw something… that captivated me,” Los Angeles Times, October 3, 1996, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-03-ls-49781-story.html.
  2. Pamela Warrick, “I Saw Something… That Captivated Me,” Los Angeles Times, October 3, 1966, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-03-ls-49781-story.html.
  3. Pamela Warrick, “I Saw Something… That Captivated Me,” Los Angeles Times, October 3, 1966, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-03-ls-49781-story.html.
  4. Douglas Martin, “Richard Ramirez, the ‘Night stalker’ Killer Dies at 53,” The New York Times, June 7, 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/night-stalker-killer-richard-ramirez-dies-at-53.html.
  5. Richard Winton, “‘Night Stalker’ Richard Ramirez died of complications from lymphoma,” Los Angeles Times, June 17, 2013, https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-xpm-2013-jun-17-la-me-ln-nightstalker-died-of-complications-due-to-lymphoma-also-had-hep-c-20130617-story.html.
  6.  Douglas Martin, “Richard Ramirez, the ‘Night stalker’ Killer Dies at 53,” The New York Times, June 7, 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/night-stalker-killer-richard-ramirez-dies-at-53.html.
  7. Cyril H. Wecht, Crime Scene Investigation (Elwin Street Limited, 2004), 62-63.
  8. Douglas Martin, “Richard Ramirez, the ‘Night stalker’ Killer Dies at 53,” The New York Times, June 7, 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/night-stalker-killer-richard-ramirez-dies-at-53.html.
  9. David Freed, “Citizens Capture Stalker Fugitive,” Los Angeles Times, September 1, 1985, http://documents.latimes.com/citizens-capture-night-stalker/.
  10. Marsha Ginsburg, “Stalkers Bride,” San Francisco Gate, October 3, 1996, https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/STALKER-S-BRIDE-3121711.php.
  11. Lois Timnick, “Ramirez Must Die ‘Stalker’ Judge Decides,” Los Angeles Times, November 8, 1989, http://documents.latimes.com/convicted-night-stalker-richard-ramirez-sentenced-death/.
  12. Douglas Martin, “Richard Ramirez, the ‘Night stalker’ Killer Dies at 53,” The New York Times, June 7, 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/night-stalker-killer-richard-ramirez-dies-at-53.html.

Krystal Rodriguez

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111 comments

  • Bailey Godwin

    I have never heard of Richard Ramirez so this article truly interested me. It is very shocking to hear that serial killers have fans and they are found charming to others even after committing such heinous crimes. I do not understand where the morals are lost to the point where you support such horrible crimes. I can not believe Doreen Lioy married him, knowing what he had done and what he could potentially do to her and her family as well.

  • Alexa Montelongo

    I have heard of Richard Ramirez before, I have discovered him to be as the “night stalker.” Richard would break into peoples homes by opening their windows at night and then brutally murdering his victims. Furthermore, I find it very odd and disappointing that people would send him love letters and admire him for the monster he was. I really wonder what goes on through the minds of individuals who admire serial killers as their idols and lovers, it’s not okay.

  • Abilene Solano

    I can’t believe that Doreen Lioy managed to stall Richard Ramirez’s death sentence until she couldn’t do it anymore because she found out that he brutally murdered a 9 year old girl which in turn made her stop loving him. It’s crazy how much support he got from both his wife and many people across the nation, I can’t understand how people became infatuated with him when he made his victims and their families suffer so much. The author did a good job quickly summarizing Ramirez’s life and how he became a serial killer without adding too much information to the story that would mess up with the story line she was telling.

  • Justine Ruiz

    It is crazy to think that serial killers have loyal fans or admirers. I don’t understand how someone can truly love a serial killer after he/she has been tried and proven guilty. How was she so mesmerized by his charm to even go through with a marriage? What completely shocks me is the fact that it took a 9 year old girl’s death to snap Doreen out of her daze and not any of the other murders.

  • Nathan Castillo

    Reading this was actually very shocking. To think that serial killers have fans, truly was the shocker for me. I know some people have interests in the stories of serial killers, but I never would have thought about a fan base being formed. I liked how the article gave us an insight on how much of an influence Richard’s cousin was on him. To also think that someone could fall in love with someone who just had their mugshot taken is unbelievable.

  • Adrianna Hernandez

    Very interesting article! I find it weird how some people found him attractive. After all that he had done to men, women, and children. I’m quite shocked at the fact that Lioy married a person like Ramirez even knowing of all the crimes that he was being trailed for. I wonder after so long what made Lioy finally decide to leave Ramirez after she found out about the rape and murder of the nine year old girl.

  • Victoria Hoggard

    It is so unusual that their are fans of serial killers. It’s crazy to me that people can find him charming even though he has murdered people. Although the topic is creepy, this article was very interesting and went into great depth about his childhood, parents and his older cousin who influenced him to become a serial killer

  • Alexis Lopez

    I thought this article was very interesting! The fact that Doreen was able to fall in love with a serial killer through a picture, marry him and even delay his death sentence was surprising to me on how much she was able to influence the case. I think Krystal gave great background information about Richard Ramirez and everything that he did during his time in California. It’s interesting that Doreen never filed for divorce or even went to claim his body after so many years of being together. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this article.

  • Cailtin Egolf

    I enjoy how in depth this article goes into Richard Ramirez and his life. In the beginning getting into his younger years and also a perspective on his parents. I also found it very interesting how the article goes into extreme detail about his older cousin being the person who actually influenced him to turn into the serial murderer and satanist that he was. The article not only shows the murders that he participated in but him as a person. It intrigues me that people could be in love, and even obsessed with serial killers like this. Very sad how it took the death and rape of a 9 year old girl to get it through her head that he wouldn’t change his ways.

  • Mia Hernandez

    I have never heard of Richard Ramirez but his story was quite chilling. I do not understand how people still found him charming after hearing that he committed many murders. I’m shocked that she still married him knowing his background and knowing she would lose her family. It’s insane that many people defended and admired him, how could they defend a person who hurt many innocent people. He played the charming role quite well and Doreen fell for it. What does not make sense to me is the fact that a nine year old girl had to be murdered/raped for her to finally notice that he was a bad person.

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