BONUS: Richard Ramirez: How His Cousin Taught Him How To Kill Pt. 1

Summary

Crime House 24/7
BONUS: Richard Ramirez: How His Cousin Taught Him How To Kill Pt. 1
Date: July 20, 2026
Host: Vanessa Richardson (with featured guest narrator, likely Katie Ring)

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Episode Overview

This bonus episode, taken from "America's Most Infamous Crimes," delves into the early life of Richard Ramirez, known as the "Night Stalker," to uncover the troubling childhood influences—particularly the mentorship of his cousin Miguel—that set him on a path toward violence and infamy. Through personal history and key episodes, the host traces how cycles of abuse, medical traumas, and the glorification of brutality shaped a notorious serial killer.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Richard Ramirez’s Childhood & Family Background

[01:49]

• Richard Ramirez was the youngest of five children, born in El Paso, Texas, on February 29, 1960, to working-class Mexican immigrant parents, Julian and Mercedes, who were devout Catholics.
• The Ramirez family struggled with health problems allegedly caused by toxic chemical exposure during Mercedes's pregnancy.
• While Richard’s mother was a comforting presence, his father Julian was strict and often violently abusive.
• Abuse extended beyond just the children; after violent outbursts, Julian also self-harmed ("...he watched his father pick up a hammer and smash himself in the head with it." [02:40]).

Notable Quote

• “Once Julian decided to get violent, nothing could stop him, not even from hurting his youngest son for breaking even the smallest rules.”
  — Narrator (Katie Ring), [02:24]

Coping Mechanisms & Early Signs of Trauma

[02:57]

• To escape his father’s rage, Richard would sneak out at night to local cemeteries, often sleeping among the graves because he found them safer and more peaceful than home.
• Gradually, he became numb to darkness and death, which would later resonate in his crimes ("...over time, the dark and dead stopped scaring him at all." [03:33]).

Childhood Injuries and Neurological Impact

[04:30]

• Richard suffered multiple serious head injuries as a child—first at age two (dresser fell on him, nearly fatal), then at five (knocked unconscious by a swing).
• Post-injuries, Richard developed epilepsy, experiencing blackouts, memory gaps, paranoia, and bedwetting well into adolescence.
• He became increasingly socially withdrawn, plagued by nightmares, and struggled to fit in at school and in sports.

Notable Moment

• “The sweet boy who loved music slowly turned into a withdrawn, paranoid kid.”
  — Narrator (Katie Ring), [05:18]

Need for Belonging: Idolizing Cousin Miguel

[06:08]

• Richard found a role model in his older cousin Miguel, a decorated Green Beret recently returned from two tours in Vietnam.
• To the family, Miguel was a war hero; to Richard, he was magnetic, tough, and caring.

Corrupting Influence of Miguel

[06:45]

• Miguel introduced Richard to marijuana, and—while high—shared graphic war stories focused on extreme violence, torture, and murder in Vietnam.
• Miguel showed Richard Polaroids of the atrocities, including one of himself with a woman's severed head.
• Miguel glorified killing, presenting it as the ultimate form of power:
  • “...holding power over another person's life, deciding who lived and who died, was the closest a man could come to being a God.” [07:42]
• Lacking any alternative perspective, Richard became fascinated—admiration replaced horror.

The Defining Trauma: The Murder of Miguel’s Wife

[08:18]

• On May 4, 1973, 13-year-old Richard witnessed Miguel, in a domestic altercation, calmly shoot and kill his wife, Jesse, with a gun he kept in the refrigerator.
• Miguel was found not guilty by reason of insanity, attributed to trauma from combat, and was committed to a mental hospital instead of prison.
• For Richard, this was the severing of his most important bond and a profound psychological rupture.

Notable Quote

• "A 13 year old had just watched the cousin he idolized shoot his own wife to death."
  — Narrator (Katie Ring), [09:13]

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “It says a lot that a graveyard felt calmer to him than his own house.”
  — Narrator (Katie Ring), [03:17]
• “Miguel didn't just describe brutality. He made it sound powerful, glamorous, even.”
  — Narrator (Katie Ring), [07:16]
• On the lack of adult intervention: “With no one around to tell Richard otherwise, the things Miguel described stopped being horrifying and started being something to admire.”
  — Narrator (Katie Ring), [07:52]

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Timeline of Important Segments

• [01:49] Introduction to Richard Ramirez’s family & home environment
• [02:30] Details on parental abuse and self-harm
• [02:57] Richard’s coping mechanisms—graveyard escapes
• [04:30] Head injuries, onset of epilepsy & behavioral changes
• [06:08] Influence of cousin Miguel; idolization begins
• [06:45] Introduction to violence/glorification via Miguel’s stories and photos
• [08:18] Witnessing Miguel murder his wife—pivotal trauma

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Tone & Style

The narration maintains a tense, atmospheric, yet compassionate tone—balancing factual detail with empathy for Richard’s early suffering without excusing his later crimes. Katie Ring’s delivery is somber and evocative, enhancing the gravity of the subject.

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers a haunting exploration of how cycles of abuse, neurological trauma, and the influence of a warped role model combined to push Richard Ramirez toward becoming the "Night Stalker." The shocking details surrounding his formative years and the catastrophic impact of his cousin's violent mentorship underscore the complexity behind infamous criminal cases.

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For the full series, listeners are encouraged to follow "America’s Most Infamous Crimes" on their favorite podcast app.

Transcript

[Vanessa Richardson]

Hi listeners, it's Vanessa. Before today's episode, I want to tell you about another show I think you'll love. Crime House and A E are teaming up on the podcast version of the famous true crime series the First 48. Each week, Carter Roy takes you inside a landmark homicide case. The interrogations, the dead ends, and the breakthroughs in the critical first 48 hours. Listen to and follow the first 48 every Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Tristan Hughes]

This is Crime House.

[Vanessa Richardson]

Vanessa Here today I'm sharing an episode from America's Most Infamous Crimes. Each week on America's Most Infamous Crimes, Katie dives into a three part story from some of the most notorious crimes in our history. Today's episode is part one of the story of the infamous Richard Ramirez. In this episode, host Katie Ring traces Richard Ramirez childhood and how the Night Stalker came to be. If you liked part one and want to hear the rest, make sure to follow America's Most Infamous Crimes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or subscribe on YouTube for video episodes.

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[Narrator (possibly Katie Ring)]

21/TNCs apply Richard Ramirez was the youngest of five kids born on February 29, 1960 in El Paso, Texas. And from the very beginning, religion was at the center of his life. Richard's parents, Julian and Mercedes, were working class Mexican immigrants and devout Catholics, and they raised all of their children in the shadow of the church. But that faith didn't make their lives any easier. All five Ramirez kids were born with medical problems ranging from respiratory trouble to bone deformities. Richard's parents came to believe that those problems came from chemical fumes Mercedes had breathed while working at a factory while she was pregnant. With all of those struggles, you'd hope their household was a nurturing one. And by all accounts, Richard found a lot of comfort with his mom. But his dad was another story. Julian expected a lot from his kids, and when they stepped out of line, he beat them. Whenever that happened, which was a lot, the rest of the family would hide or pray. Once Julian decided to get violent. Nothing could stop him, not even from hurting his youngest son for breaking even the smallest rules. For me, one of the most unsettling things about Richard's dad is that after he hurt his kids, he would punish himself in very extreme ways. Richard later said once, after beating the boys, he watched his father pick up a hammer and smash himself in the head with it. To steer clear from his dad's temper, Richard started slipping out and making his way to a local cemetery, where he'd find a quiet spot among the headstones to be alone. Some nights he stayed there until the morning, choosing to sleep among the graves rather than going home. It says a lot that a graveyard felt calmer to him than his own house, and over time, the dark and dead stopped scaring him at all.

[Tristan Hughes]

Ten years after Troy, Odysseus is still lost war hero, liar, survivor, and the man at the heart of one of history's greatest stories. I'm Tristan Hughes, and all of this month on the ancients. I'm going to be sailing through Homer's treacherous world of monsters, witchcraft and tempestuous gods, exploring the real archaeology and history beneath the myths. From Troy to Ithaca, this is Odysseus like you've never heard him before. Join us on the Ancients from History Hit. Listen now and subscribe on your favorite podcast player.

[Narrator (possibly Katie Ring)]

The danger wasn't just confined to Julian, either. Richard was a rough and tumble kid who had come home from school with bumps and bruises and who received serious head injuries when he was young. The first was when he was only two, when a dresser toppled over on top of him and split his forehead open, a cut that reportedly took around 30 stitches to close and nearly killed him. The second came when Richard was five, when a park swing caught him in the head and knocked him out cold, leaving a deep gash in his scalp. It was after that second injury that something new started. Richard started having seizures, which doctors would eventually recognize as epilepsy. He was already an anxious, restless kid, and the seizures only made it worse. His mom took him to doctor after doctor, but none of them seemed especially worried. They told her he'd grow out of it, but he didn't. The seizures kept coming, and the sweet boy who loved music slowly turned into a withdrawn, paranoid kid. He'd stare into space for long stretches. Sometimes when the family was watching television, Richard would leap out of his chair, screaming that the monsters on the screen were coming for him. He also wet the bed. Well into his adolescence, way longer than most kids do, he was plagued by nightmares and restlessness he couldn't put into words. And the older he got, the more those nights seemed to wear on him. He started experiencing memory blackouts, too, Gaps where he couldn't account for what he'd done. Those blackouts followed him to school, and they cost him. When he tried out for the middle school football team, the episodes got him cut. For someone who already struggled to make friends, that was a hard hit. Richard pulled away from other kids and started spending most of his time alone. Through all of it, one thing stayed a love of music. Even as he pulled away from the people around him, it was one of the few things that still seemed to reach him. But that wasn't enough to bring Richard out of his shell. He was hungry for someone who understood him. And there was one person he looked up to more than anyone. An older cousin named Miguel. On paper, Miguel seemed exactly like the kind of role model a struggling kid needed. He was in his 20s, a Green Beret who'd served two tours in Vietnam and came home with medals. To the Ramirez family, he was a war hero. Miguel had come home from overseas when Richard was around 12, right around the time he was most desperate for someone to look up to. To a lonely, anxious boy like Richard, Miguel was magnetic. He was older and tougher than anyone else in Richard's orbit. He'd seen the world and come back from a war, and he seemed to take a real interest in his young cousin. Richard hung on his every word, and Miguel was more than happy to have an audience. Unfortunately, Miguel was actually the most dangerous person Richard could have been spending time with. He introduced his younger cousin, who wasn't even a teenager yet, to marijuana. While they got high together, Miguel told him stories. Not war stories, the way most veterans tell them. Miguel bragged about the worst things he'd done overseas, like torturing and mutilating enemy soldiers and assaulting and killing Vietnamese women. And he had proof. Miguel carried polaroids of his victims, including one of himself posing with a woman's severed head, and he showed them to his young cousin. Miguel didn't just describe brutality. He made it sound powerful, glamorous, even. According to Richard's biographer, Miguel even put a kind of creed to it that holding power over another person's life, deciding who lived and who died, was the closest a man could come to being a God. And with no one around to tell Richard otherwise, the things Miguel described stop being horrifying and started being something to admire. Richard wasn't under Miguel's influence for long, though. On May 4, 1973, when Richard was 13 he was hanging out at Miguel's place when Miguel and his wife Jesse got into a massive fight. Richard could never recall what the argument was about, but he remembered one detail clearly. For some reason, Miguel kept a.38 caliber pistol in the refrigerator. He at the height of the argument, Miguel calmly took it out and pointed it at Jesse. She dared him to pull the trigger and he did. Jesse died, but Miguel never went to prison for it. He was found not guilty of her murder by reason of insanity. His defense tied the killing to a trauma he'd brought home from Vietnam, and instead of a prison cell, he was committed to a Texas state mental hospital. Still, a 13 year old had just watched the cousin he idolized shoot his own wife to death. And losing that connection with Miguel only left Richard feeling more adrift than ever.

[Vanessa Richardson]

Thanks for listening. To hear the rest of the story, follow America's most infamous crimes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or subscribe on YouTube for video episodes. You've been listening to Crime House 247 bringing you breaking crime news. I'm Vanessa Richardson. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more developing stories. Stay safe and thanks for listening. Listening. Hi listeners, it's Vanessa. Before today's episode, I want to tell you about another show I think you'll love. Crime House and A and E are teaming up on the podcast version of the famous true crime series the First 48. Each week, Carter Roy takes you inside a landmark homicide case. The interrogations, the dead ends and the breakthroughs in the cross critical first 48 hours. Listen to and follow the first 48 every Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to podcasts.