Claim: Richard Ramirez instilled terror into the denizens of the greater Los Angeles area.

Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramírez , known as Richard Ramirez -LRB- February 29 , 1960 -- June 7 , 2013 -RRB- , was an American serial killer , rapist , and burglar . His highly publicized home invasion crime spree terrorized the residents of the greater Los Angeles area , and later the residents of the San Francisco area , from June 1984 until August 1985 . Prior to his capture , Ramirez was dubbed the `` Night Stalker '' by the news media . He used a wide variety of weapons , including handguns , knives , a machete , a tire iron , and a hammer . Ramirez , who was an avowed Satanist , never expressed any remorse for his crimes . The judge who upheld his thirteen death sentences remarked that Ramirez 's deeds exhibited `` cruelty , callousness , and viciousness beyond any human understanding '' . Ramirez died of complications from B-cell lymphoma while awaiting execution on California 's death row .