Peacock’s Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes tells the chilling story of the notorious serial killer who wreaked havoc in California in the mid-1980s. Richard Ramirez brutally murdered around 13 people, and sexually assaulted 11 people.
He usually attacked his victims during the night, which got him the nickname 'The Night Stalker.' After a year-long string of killing people, Ramirez was arrested in 1985. One woman who played a key role in his identification and eventual sentencing was Maria Hernandez.
Maria was the first survivor of Richard’s attack, she was wounded after the serial killer shot her. She testified against him during his trial, which led to his conviction, as mentioned in Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes.
Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes: Maria Hernandez was shot and wounded by Richard Ramirez
Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes explains how Maria Hernandez survived the attack by Richard Ramirez. Maria used to live in a condominium in suburban Rosemead, California, in the 1980s, along with her roommate Dayle Okazaki.
On the night of March 17, 1985, 22-year-old Maria had just returned home and parked her car in the garage when she encountered Richard. The serial killer smashed the car with his hands, and before Maria could do anything, pointed a gun towards her face.
As Richard came closer to Maria to shoot her at point-blank range, the woman put her hands in front of her face in fear and shock. Fortunately, the bullet hit the keys in Maria’s hand, and she survived the attack. While Maria fell on the ground with the impact of the bullet, Richard entered the condominium.
Maria got up and ran towards the front door of her apartment building, hoping that the assailant would go out from the garage side. To her surprise, Richard came out of the front door and Maria was once again face-to-face with her attacker.
She hid behind a car, while Richard once again aimed his gun toward her. Maira begged him not to shoot her again, and miraculously, the killer accepted her plea and ran away without harming her. Maria then entered the condominium and found her roommate, 34-year-old Dayle, in the kitchen lying dead in a pool of blood. Dayle was shot in her forehead.
Maria Hernandez testified against Richard Ramirez
Being one of the few people who had seen Richard Ramirez’s face, Maria Hernandez became an important witness in his case and identified him at the police station, and in the court. During a court hearing in 1986, Hernandez explained what had transpired with her:
“(I heard) a noise from behind me. I turned around to see what the noise was. I saw a man; he was pointing a gun at me. He pointed it in my face and shot me. I put my hand out for protection.”
Elaborating on how she survived her second encounter with Richard that night, Hernandez said in court:
“I hid behind a car that was between us. He then noticed me and pointed the gun at me again. I said, ‘Please don’t shoot me again.’ He put the gun down and ran.”
With Maria’s testimony and other pieces of evidence, Richard was found guilty of a total of 43 charges, which included 13 murders and 11 sexual assaults. As seen in Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes, he was sentenced to death in 1989. The serial killer died during his time in prison in 2013, after battling cancer at the age of 53.
Meanwhile, Maria has stayed away from the spotlight following Richard’s conviction. Her current whereabouts remain unknown, and it is likely that she started afresh, and moved on in her life after the horrific case. She also did not appear for an interview in Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes.
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Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes is streaming on Peacock.
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