Mystery Madness discussion

I have always been interested in the Night Stalker murders. The Night Stalker Although they happened quite a few years ago, I just can't get over how intelligent and hypnotizing Richard Ramirez was (watch some of the interviews he did behind bars and you'll know what I mean). He seemed to be in the same category as Charles Manson, since he had a fan club advocating for his release - not to mention his association with Satanism and the occult. His lack of remorse and altogether "rock star" vibe in the courtroom during his trial was quite controversial. However, there is something about him that seems very normal, very tragic...

There was a movie made about these crimes, but I saw it so long ago that I couldn't recommend it. I simply don't remember whether it was good or bad, but I do recall them delving into his drug use and some very hallucinogenic scenes.

The murders were quite gruesome, so reader beware!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNp4D...

I don't really like the way he was set up in this interview, but you can see why his demeanor is so intriguing.

Troi wrote: "Kay wrote: "I have always been interested in the Night Stalker murderers. The Night Stalker Although they happened quite a few years ago, I just can't get over how intelligent and hyp..."

Indeed! There do seem to be a lot of TV specials about serial killers, despite how much they are demonized by society. People have a fascination! Surely, I 100% agree with them being locked up for good. It's not fair to the victims and the families who continue to suffer due to their actions. However, part of me wonders what went wrong? Why did they suddenly snap? And yes, I do watch the show "Snapped", it's amazing lol

The fan clubs scare me. I have seen how hypnotized people become, because I remember reading about Ramirez when I was in college and a classmate of mine falling in love with him. Yes, he had a "cool" persona but it doesn't justify what he did. I think by seeing crimes like this happen, we become curious. We are all human. What makes them any different from us? If that man can commit such a horrible act of violence, why can't we? I do agree with what he said - about everyone having evil within themselves and our nation being founded on violence. I had a real problem with how the interview was set up, as if to cast him off as a Satanist and be done with it. But isn't the whole point of an interview listening to what someone has to say? If we want to understand sociopaths, we need to study them. I guess this is why there so many Lifetime adaptations today!

I'm not sure if I should talk in-depth about the book since I don't want to spoil it, but I like it so far.

It was interesting to read the first few pages. The murders actually took place in California (most in the LA area). It's scary to know that things like this can happen so close to home. I live in central California. I recently heard that they found another victim in San Francisco, who they think may be linked to him, but have not officially confirmed it.

I have to admit...seeing how they described the Greyhound Bus Station in downtown LA was almost hilarious:

"The downtown area around the Los Angeles Greyhound Bus Terminal is a very dangerous place after dark. Colorful legions of thieves, muggers, fences, crackheads, junkies, alcoholics, and ten-dollar whores prowl like hungry sharks..."

I use Greyhound whenever I go to LA because I have epilepsy which limits my driving. Granted - it is a very shady area, but this opening paragraph made me feel like I'm putting my life at risk lol! It's actually really nice inside! But yes, I did see a woman arguing with her shadow and taking her clothes off at the Metro stop a few blocks away...ah, city life.

I have never read Ann Rule before but I am a True Crime TV junkie. I watch all the true crime shows. I am going to listen to the audiobook, Mortal Danger by Ann Rule.

Troi wrote: "Alicia (PrettyBrownEyeReader) wrote: "I have never read Ann Rule before but I am a True Crime TV junkie. I watch all the true crime shows. I am going to listen to the audiobook, Mortal Danger by An..."

Loved Ann Rule! I have to get more of her books. For as much true crime shows that I watch, I was thinking I would have heard of some of the cases but I hadn't. The research she does into all sides of a case are excellent!

Troi wrote: "Kay wrote: "Troi wrote: "Kay wrote: "I have always been interested in the Night Stalker murderers. The Night Stalker Although they happened quite a few years ago, I just can't get ove..."

I find it interesting, because his life intersects with mine in so many ways.

Ramirez comes from a Mexican family. His father was a police officer in Juarez, which is located just along the border and known for it's high crime rate due to the drug cartel. My grandmother had family there (as well as in the state of Chihuahua) and told me how brutal things were. She had to stay there for a few years before she got her documents ready to cross over to the US. Let's put it this way, cops were crooked and they still are - seeing as how they are directly involved with the drug trade and extortion. As it turns out, his dad was very abusive and had anger problems. I can't imagine what it must have been like seeing someone who is supposed to be respected by society turn into some kind of monster at home.

Yes, his cousin Mike served in the Vietnam War and made it a sickening hobby to take photos of the women he had raped and killed. He kept the photos hidden from others, but would joke about them with Richard when they were getting high. Richard also witnessed the murder of Mike's wife, when he went off on a rampage one day and shot her in the face. Thinking about this now, I have wonder if it was influenced by PTSD. You know, back in 1973 there wasn't a lot of help for soldiers suffering from mental disorders. Sadly, it's still an issue.

It is said that Richard also developed epilepsy after a few blows to the head (one while playing sports, another was an accident). It surprised me, because I also have epilepsy but I can't imagine such a thing changing someone's personality so much. This book was published quite a while back, and epilepsy was considered one of the possibilities for his murderous rampage. I mean...I can't really agree with that. It may have changed his brain chemistry or created an imbalance, but I don't think epilepsy itself will make you a bad person. If so, we might as well go back to the Salem days where people accused epileptic individuals of witchcraft and tortured us to death *sigh*

The book doesn't cover much about the 9 year old Chinese girl that was found in San Francisco. It was published quite a few years ago, so the author wouldn't have known - but since then, they have done DNA tests and apparently the DNA did match Richard's, which would have made this one of his first victims while he resided in the Bay Area. The details are quite sad and disturbing :(

I certainly wouldn't pin it all on genetics, because I think environmental factors and traumatic experiences also come into play - but I do believe that genetics may have a little something to do with an individual's personality. It may explain the YY chromosome you mentioned.
For example, anxiety and depression tends to run in my family. My grandmother had it, my dad has it, my brother and I have also dealt with it. It may be a cycle, but it seems like something to do with genes, because the panic attacks we have suffered from are all triggered in the same way. However, I am the only one who has dealt with anxiety-induced epilepsy. I guess it's the age old saying that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree".