Richard Ramirez_ The Satanic Serial Killer Who Terrorised California _ The New Detectives

A city held its breath while a shadow slipped through unlocked windows. A pentagram scrawled in lipstick. Eyes ritualistically gouged out. And a killer who shouted "Hail Satan" as he was dragged from the courtroom in chains.From June 1984 to August 1985, Richard Ramirez terrorized California, randomly selecting homes from San Francisco to Mission Viejo [citation:1][citation:9]. He murdered at least 13 people, tortured dozens more, and left behind a signature: satanic symbols spray-painted on the walls of his victims' homes [citation:4][citation:7]. Survivors described a man who whispered "I am the Night Stalker" [citation:2].The investigation featured in The New Detectives highlights crucial forensic evidence. A single fingerprint on a window screen linked him to his first murder [citation:10]. Distinctive size 11.5 Avia trainer footprints tied him to multiple crime scenes [citation:2][citation:4]. One of those shoes was later dropped from the Golden Gate Bridge after a mayor's press conference blew the lead [citation:2]. He was finally captured when East Los Angeles residents, furious after he assaulted a woman, beat him with a steel post and held him for police [citation:1][citation:7].Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because the Night Stalker was not a myth. He was a monster who walked among us.