Lullacide

In the summer of 1985, the people of Los Angeles were afraid to go to sleep. Because someone was coming in through their windows at night. Not Santa Claus. Not the Tooth Fairy. Someone much, much worse. The newspapers called him the Night Stalker, and he was very real.

Ramirez terrorized Los Angeles in 1984-85, breaking into homes at night.

Richard was a boy from Texas who moved to the City of Angels. But he wasn't much of an angel himself. He had bad teeth and worse habits. He wore all black and listened to heavy metal very loudly. 'I love Satan,' Richard told anyone who would listen. Most people wished he'd been a bit quieter about it.

Ramirez was from El Paso, Texas. He was a self-proclaimed Satanist.

Richard visited all kinds of houses. Big ones, small ones, in rich neighborhoods and poor ones. He didn't seem to have a type. He walked right in through unlocked doors and open windows. The whole city started locking everything and buying guns. Hardware stores sold out of window locks. Locksmiths had their best summer ever.

Ramirez's random victim selection caused citywide panic. Home security sales skyrocketed.

Richard made one mistake: he left his shoe print at a crime scene. A very rare shoe. The police tracked it down and put his face on every television in California. 'Have you seen this man?' they asked. As it turned out, quite a few people had.

A rare Avia shoe print helped identify Ramirez. His image was broadcast widely.

Richard ran through East Los Angeles trying to steal a car to escape. But the neighbors recognized him from the news. They chased him down the street and tackled him. A whole neighborhood caught a serial killer with their bare hands. The Night Stalker's visiting hours were over. Lock your windows anyway.

Ramirez was caught by an angry mob of citizens in East LA. He was sentenced to death and died in prison in 2013.