Extra Special Flowers

I have chosen a serial killer and rapist named Richard Ramirez as my subject for today's study. Ramirez was born in 1960 around the El Paso Texas area. He was the youngest of six children borne of Julian and Мерседес Ramirez. Unfortunately he was also the sickliest of the six children suffering from fits of epileptic seizures. He was always described as a "Good Boy" by his father until at the age of 12 he became interested in drugs. His most admired person was initially his father until his cousin Mike returned from Vietnam.

During his many conversations with Mike, he was shown and described the gruesome horrors involving the rape and torture that was taking place in Vietnam. It did not take him long before Richard was totally engrossed in the brutality that was being displayed.

Richard and Mike were spending time together one evening when Mike's wife complained about his laziness. His response was to shoot her in the face as Richard watched. For this crime Mike received a mere seven years in prison.

At the age of 18, Richard was habitually high on drugs and eventually got involved with Satan worship. His criminal record was quickly growing longer as he was continually arrested on numerous drug charges. He decided at this time that a change of scenery was in order so he packed up and moved to California where his crimes progressed to breaking into homes.

On June 28 of 1984 he climbed through an open window of Jennie Vincow's home. After rummaging through the house and discovering nothing of value, he became angry and decided to stab Vincow as she slept. He finalized his crime by slitting her throat. During this killing act he realized it aroused him in a sexual manner and prior to departing he had sex with Vincow's corpse.

It was eight months later when Ramirez found he needed more death and sex to appease his appetite so on March 17 of 1985 he attacked Angela Barrio near her home. He first shot her then pushed her aside and entered her home. As he come into the house he encountered her roommate and immediately shot and thought he had killed her. It appears that Richards bullet had struck the keys which Barrio the roommate was holding and she remained alive.

An hour later he struck again when he attacked Tsai-Lian Yu. He yanked her from her car and shot her several times at close range. Not quite quenching his thirst for blood he next attacked and murdered an eight year old girl. On the 27th of March he shot Vincent and Maxine Zazarra. When the authorities found the dead pair, Mrs. Zazzara's body had been mutilated with stab wounds and a letter T-carved on her left breast. The ladies eyes had been gouged out from her body. The autopsy reports indicated that the mutilations were committed after the body had been killed.

Evidence was rapidly accumulating for Ramirez as the police found footprints within the flower beds and bullets which matched those employed in previous attacks within the area. The police now knew they had a serial killer on their hands.