Richard Ramirez
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Night Stalker on Netflix: Richard Ramirez got married in prison to penpal Doreen Lioy

She divorced him when DNA advances finally convinced her of his guilt

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A new documentary series on Netflix lays bare the brutal crimes of the LA serial killer known as the Night Stalker, but one woman married Richard Ramirez after his conviction!

Doreen Lioy fell in love with the multiple murderer and married him AFTER he was sentenced and imprisoned.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Doreen Lioy
Who was Richard Ramirez’s wife? Doreen Lioy married him in jail (Credit: YouTube)

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Who is Richard Ramirez?

Richard Ramirez was born in El Paso, New Mexico, in 1960.

The youngest of five children and the son of Mexican immigrants, his nickname with other family members was ‘Richie’.

He moved to California when he was 22, and embarked on a spree of murder, rape and burglary.

Police caught him on August 31 1985.

Why was he called the Night Stalker?

Staff at the LA Times came up with the nickname, because Richard didn’t follow a particular pattern – unlike many serial killers.

The Night Stalker nickname refers to his nocturnal-based crimes.

His first murder took place on April 10 1984, when he killed nine-year-old Mei Leung in the basement of the hotel where he was living.

He raped and beat the girl before stabbing her to death, and hanging her body from a pipe.

Two months later, he took the life of 79-year-old Jennie Vincow.

He would often target couples, shooting the husband first before brutally attacking the wife.

Richard Ramirez
Richard Ramirez – aka The Night Stalker – is currently in jail for his crimes (Credit: Netflix)

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Who was Richard Ramirez’s wife?

Richard married California-born magazine editor Doreen Lioy in 1996.

She wrote to him on a daily basis as a ‘prison penpal’ after he was sentenced to death.

They wrote each other dozens of letters, and he proposed in 1988.

They eventually tied the knot eight years later in October 1996 at California’s San Quentin State Prison.

At the time, she said: “I can’t help the way the world looks at him. They don’t know him the way I do.”

She said she “didn’t see the evil in him”.

She became notorious for appearing on TV and openly defending her husband.

However, Doreen left Richard in 2009 after DNA proved he had raped and murdered nine-year-old Mei Leung in 1984.

Richard was engaged to Christine Lee, 23, at the time of his death.

Doreen’s whereabouts are currently unknown – she has kept a low profile since Richard’s death.

Richard Ramirez and wife Doreen Lioy
Richard Ramirez and Doreen Lioy married in jail (Credit: YouTube)

Where is Richard Ramirez now?

Richard was convicted of 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries.

In 1989, he was sentenced to die in California’s gas chamber.

He subsequently remained on Death Row for 24 years.

Psychiatrists evaluated that he had a schizoid personality disorder.

Richard was a heavy drug user who suffered from a chronic hepatitis C viral infection while in prison.

He died at the age of 53 after complications from B-cell lymphoma in a California hospital.

Poster

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer is available on Netflix from Wednesday January 13 2021.

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Helen Fear
TV Editor