About this episode

This episode explores the life of Richard Ramirez and the psychological factors that contributed to his transformation into the Night Stalker.

Was Richard Ramirez born to become the Night Stalker—or was he created? Before Richard Ramirez terrorized California as the Night Stalker, he was a quiet kid from El Paso who showed few of the early warning signs we associate with psychopathy. But over time, the ingredients began to accumulate: possible prenatal toxic exposure, neurological problems, violence at home, drugs, sexual fantasy, and the extraordinary influence of a cousin who introduced him to images and stories of rape, torture and murder. In this episode, I’m joined by forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston to retrace Ramirez’s life and examine how those influences came together. We follow his progression from childhood to burglary, sexual violence and ultimately murder, while exploring the psychology behind his crimes, his seemingly unpredictable choice of victims, and the Satanic persona that helped turn him into one of the most feared serial killers in American history. Show Notes: If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself. Read it…

People in this episode

Host: UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast

Guest: Dr. Joni Johnston

Topics covered

• Richard Ramirez
• Night Stalker
• psychopathy
• forensic psychology
• serial killers
• California crimes

Keywords

• Richard Ramirez
• Night Stalker
• forensic psychology
• psychopathy
• serial killer
• California
• murder

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