Ricardo "Richard" Ramirez, aka "the Nightstalker," was the fifth and last child born in El Paso, Texas to Julian and Mercedes Ramirez. Richard's father was violent and beat his four sons regularly. Richard often ran away and slept in the local cemetery to avoid his father's temper. He was described as a lonely child. He sniffed glue and smoked marijuana before he started high school. He witnessed the murder of his cousin's wife at age twelve. While Richard was raised by his parents to be a strict Roman Catholic, he developed a fascination with Satanism. He was drawn to heavy metal music with satanic lyrics. He was a high school dropout at age fifteen.

Richard left El Paso forever at age eighteen. He took a bus to Los Angeles. While he sometimes stayed with his oldest brother Reuben and his wife, most of the time he rented rooms...