The Case of Richard Ramirez By Chase Straub

1. The Case of Richard Ramirez By Chase Straub

2. Contents Ramirez�s childhood & Case History Forensic techniques Fingerprints Footprint identification Ballistics Criminal profiling Superglue fuming

3. Childhood Richard Ramirez was born on February 28, 1960, in El Paso, Texas Strict, hard-working Catholic parents Ramirez feared his father and often slept in a nearby cemetery Cousin Mike, Vietnam veteran/ ex-Green Beret Ramirez looked up to Mike because he was a war hero Mike had a collection of photos that portrayed rape, torture, and mutilation Ramirez became fascinated with brutality, lost interest in school, and spent his days smoking pot with Mike Taught Richard how to fight, kill, and rape In an argument with his wife, Mike shot his wife in the face, killing her instantly, and covering Ramirez in her blood

4. Childhood Ramirez�s favorite band was AC/DC He especially was gripped by one song, �Night Prowler� on the famous album, Highway to Hell �Night Prowler� lyrics correspond to his M.O. Began studying Satanism, using drugs heavily, and committing burglaries to support his changing lifestyle

5. Case History Jun 1984 - Jennie Vincow Mar 1985 - Dayle Okazaki Mar 1985 - Tsai Lian Yu Mar 1985 - Vincent and Maxine Zazzara May 1985 - Bill Doi Jun 1985 - Mabel Bell Jun 1985 - Patty Higgins Jul 1985 - Mary Cannon Jul 1985 - Joyce Nelson Jul 1985 - Maxson and Lela Kneiding Jul 1985 - Chainarong Khovananth Aug 1985 - Elyas Abowath

6. Case History On June 28, 1984, his burglaries turned into something far more evil. Ramirez entered through an opened window of Glassel Park resident, Jennie Vincow, age 79. He became angry after not finding anything of value to steal, and began stabbing the sleeping Vincow, eventually slitting her throat. The act of killing aroused him sexually, and he had sex with the corpse before leaving.

7. Case History Ramirez remained quiet for eight months, but the memory he savored of his last killing had run dry. He needed more. On March 17, 1985, Ramirez jumped 22-year-old Angela Barrio outside her condo. He shot her, kicked her out of the way, and headed into her condo. Inside, was roommate, Dayle Okazaki, age 34, who Ramirez immediately shot and killed. Within an hour of killing Okazaki, Ramirez struck again in Monterey Park. He jumped 30-year-old Tsai-Lian Yu and pulled her out of her car onto the road. He shot several bullets into her and fled. A policeman found her still breathing, but she died before the ambulance arrived. Ramirez's thirst was not quenched. He then murdered an eight-year-old girl from Eagle Rock, just three days after killing Tsai-Lian Yu.

8. Case History On March 27, Ramirez shot Vincent Zazarra, age 64, and his wife Maxine, age 44. Mrs. Zazzara's body was mutilated with several stab wounds, a T-carving on her left breast, and her eyes were gouged out. The autopsy determined that the mutilations were post-mortem. Ramirez left footprints in the flower beds, which the police photographed and cast. Bullets found at the scene were matched to those found at previous attacks, and the police realized a serial killer was on the loose.

9. Case History Two months after killing the Zazzara couple, Ramirez attacked again. Harold Wu, age 66, was shot in the head, and his wife, Jean Wu, age 63, was punched, bound, and then violently raped. For unknown reasons, Ramirez decided to let her live. Ramirez's attacks were now in full throttle. He left behind more clues to his identity, and was named, 'The Night Stalker,' by the media. Those who survived his attacks, provided the police with a description - Hispanic, long dark hair, and foul smelling.

10. Case History On May 29, 1985, Ramirez attacked Malvial Keller, 83, and her invalid sister, Blanche Wolfe, 80, beating each with a hammer. Using lipstick, he drew a pentagram on Keller's thigh and on the wall in the bedroom. Blanche survived the attack. The next day, Ruth Wilson, 41, was bound, raped, and sodomized by Ramirez, while her 12-year old son was locked in a closet. Ramirez slashed Wilson once, and then bound her and her son together, and left. The killing spree continued and he made ten more hits before August 20th.

11. Case History On Aug. 24, 1985, Ramirez traveled 50 miles south of Los Angeles, and broke into the home of Bill Carns, 29, and his fianc�e, Inez Erickson, 27. Ramirez shot Carns in the head and raped Erickson. He demanded she swear her love for Satan and afterwards, forced her to perform oral sex on him. He then tied her and left. Erickson struggled to the window and saw the car Ramirez was driving. A teenager wrote down the license plate number of the same car, after noticing it cruising suspiciously in the neighborhood. The information from Erickson and the young man enabled police to locate the abandoned car, and get fingerprints from inside. A computer match was made of the prints, and identification of the Night Stalker became known. On August 30, 1985, the arrest warrant for Richard Ramirez was issued and his picture released to the public.

12. Case History On August 30, 1985, an arrest warrant for Richard Ramirez was issued and his face revealed to the public. Ramirez, unaware that his picture was all over the newspapers, got off of a Greyhound bus, and walked into a liquor store. The woman working inside recognized him and began yelling that he was the Night Stalker. Shocked, he quickly fled the store and headed toward the heavily populated Hispanic area of east Los Angeles. A small mob had formed and were following close behind him. He was subdued, while some of the mob beat him, until the police arrived. Reportedly, Ramirez raised his hands to the police, begging for protection, and identified himself as the Night Stalker.

13. Fingerprints Lifting fingerprints from a crime scene is crucial in determining a possible suspect. There are three types of prints at a crime scene: plastic prints, visible prints, and true latent or invisible prints. Plastic prints are ridge impressions left on a soft material such as wax, putty, soap, or dust. While visible prints are made by fingers touching a surface after the ridges have been in contact with a colored material such as blood, grease, ink, or paint. Finally latent prints are impressions caused by the transfer of body perspiration or oils present on finger ridges to the surface of an object There are several different methods for visualizing a latent print; the one of choice depends on the surface that is to be examined. Prints on hard and nonabsorbent surfaces (such as mirror, tile, glass, and painted wood) are developed with the application of powder. While soft and porous surfaces (such as cloth, paper, and cardboard) are made visible by the treatment of a chemical.

14. Footprints Visible prints: Print visibly seen by the naked eye without any other aids Plastic Prints: Impressions that occur when the footwear steps into a soft surface, creating a 3-D print Latent Prints: Most overlooked print; generally found on smooth surfaces Interior Search Surfaces where suspect entered and existed should be carefully examined The interior should be made as dark as possible so a strong white light can be used to shine on any latent prints Police found the same avia tennis shoes prints at every scene, leading them to believe there was serial killer on the loose.

15. Footprints Most castings done with Dental Stone. Marks in porous and granule materials are difficult to cast and require prior treatment with a sealing agent to prevent the dental powder mixture penetrating the surface of the mark. Marks in Blood (Non-porous Surface): Treat impression with a protein stain Investigators began to first see evidence of a serial killer because of the same distinctive Avia pattern in the blood of the murder scenes Marks in Blood (Porous Surface): May require lifting and treating with ninhydrin Investigators successfully took a print off a bloody face Marks in Snow: Snowax is most commonly used Water-filled Marks (Under water, e.g., in a mud puddle): Can be cast using the dry dental stone powder Used for the prints in flower gardens that were found outside the windows of the victims� houses

16. Ballistics Used a .22 Caliber to kill many of his victims Ramirez used the same gun at most of the scenes, and therefore investigators were able to link certain crimes together Caliber refers to the diameter of barrel bore Identifying Characteristics: Bullet, shell, and serial number restoration The marks on the edges of the bullets shells are distinctive to a certain gun Below it is easy to see the differences in striae

17. Criminal Profiling Profiling Inputs: Involves the collection and assessment of all of the materials relating to the specific case Decision Process Models: Involves arranging all of the information gathered into a logical and coherent pattern Crime Assessment: Involves the reconstruction of the sequence of events and the specific behaviors of both the victim and the perpetrator The Criminal Profile: Process of providing a list of background, physical and behavioral characteristics of the perpetrator The Investigation: Actual profile is provided to requesting agencies and incorporated into the investigation The Apprehension: Cross check the profile produced with the characteristics of the offender once they are apprehended. M.O.: Ramirez killed the male right away and all his attention was focused on the female. Considering he didn�t have many female relationships, there were some intense power issues going on here.

18. Superglue Fuming A.K.A. The Cyanoacrylate Fuming Method Method used to make the invisible latent prints visible enough to capture in a photograph One type of chemical treatment for fingerprint development is Super Glue fuming, which produces a white-appearing latent print.� You need four components: superglue aluminum foil low-level heat source fuming chamber Super Glue is approximately 98 to 99 percent cyanoacrylate ester. The process of superglue fuming is accomplished by placing the item to be processed, along with a container of liquid superglue, into a sealed chamber. A catalyst, either chemical or thermal is employed to accelerate the fuming process. It is the fumes from the superglue that adheres to the moisture content of a latent print. As the fumes adhere to the surface of the latent print, they lightly coat the surface of latent print causing the print to develop into a chalky white color.

19. Superglue Fuming Police put out an all points bulletin (APB) on the Toyota and two days later it was found in a car park in the Rampart suburb of LA. Revolutionary technology (superglue fuming) was used in an attempt to obtain the Night Stalker's fingerprints. A saucer of Superglue was placed inside the car, which was then locked up with the windows tightly shut. The theory was that the fumes from the Superglue would spread throughout the car and reacted with moisture to show up any latent prints, which would then be enhanced by a laser beam which was focused on the car. They unlocked the car and found a single print. A copy was sent off to a new California state computer in Sacramento where it came up with an almost instant match - 25-year-old Richard 'Ricky' Ramirez, who had been previously convicted in 1983 of car theft. The mugshot was splashed across the front of the Los Angeles newspapers