Richard Ramirez grew up in El Paso, Texas, the youngest of five children. His parents were immigrants from Mexico, where his father was at one time a police officer. Mamamia reports that Ramirez was the victim of physical abuse at the hands of the family patriarch.
As if having an abusive father wasn't bad enough, Ramirez fell under the influence of his older cousin Miguel as a boy. Miguel had returned from combat in Vietnam, telling Ramerez of the horrors he witnessed during the war. Miguel would brag to his younger cousin about all of the Vietnamese women that he and the other troops brutalized. It's alleged that Miguel showed the young Ramirez photos of the sexual assaults and murders he took part in, which might have left a pretty bad mark on the 12-year-old's mind (via Britannica). CBS News reports that one of the photos was Miguel posing with the severed head of a woman he had abused and killed.
But it gets so much worse than that. At 13, Ramirez was present when Miguel killed his wife in a rage with a handgun. Miguel was charged with murder but found not guilty by reason of insanity and served only four years in an institution before being set free. Ramirez soon moved in with his older sister Ruth and her husband Roberto. Ramirez soon learned that his brother-in-law was a peeping tom. Miguel would have the teenager accompany him on his excursions as a voyeur, further molding an already warped mind (via The Sun).
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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