Criminal Motivation: Richard Ramirez 201

Criminal Motivation: Richard Ramirez

Renee Lemieux
Psych 635
October 23, 2015
Susan Leonard

Criminal Motivation: Richard Ramirez 201

5
Criminal Motivation: Richard Ramirez
Introduction
Between 1984 and 1985 notorious serial killer, Richard Ramirez, committed a slew of
horrific murders. Nicknamed the Night Stalker, Ramirez broke into the homes of many of his
victims, shooting, stabbing, raped and mutilating his victims who ranged between a 9 year old
girl and a married couple aged in their late sixties. Notably he smeared pentagrams on the walls
of the crime scenes (Murderpedia, 2013). Ramirez was said to be responsible for 19 deaths, as
well as multiple sexual assaults and burglaries. After what is said to have been one of the most
difficult and longest trails in history, Richard Ramirez was found guilty and sentenced to live the
remaining years of his life inside prison on death row. In 2013, Ramirez passed away due to live
failure while inside his California state prison cell awaiting execution.
Like most serial killers, Richard Ramirez had a hidden motive behind his madness; ones
that require an in depth look into how he was feeling and what motivated his behavior. In most
cases, he left behind satanic symbols, and during trial and he showed no remorse for his actions.
It is clear that he was psychologically unstable and suffered from severe mental illnesses that
altered the way he behaved. The questions most commonly asked in the field of Forensic
Psychology are, why did the criminal do what they did? What motivated their behavior? With
that being said, the following paragraphs will shed light and analyze the motives behind Richard
Ramirezs killings.

Criminal Motivation: Richard Ramirez 201

5
Personal Background
Richard Ramirez came from a family of five children, with an abusive father, and a religious
mother. At an early age, Ramirez faced physical abuse from his father with head injuries that
were left untreated. From the time he was a kid, he attended the Catholic Church regularly with
his mother. Despite his mothers positive influence in his life, Richard began abusing drugs as
early as the ninth grade, causing him to drop out of high school (Plummer, 2011). His father
described him as being a good kid who was troubled and surrounded by the wrong people. As a
teenager, Ramirezs cousins persuaded him into experimenting with drugs, which some believe
may have been the start to his demonic behavior. According to Plummer (2011), Ramirez
witnessed his cousin murdering his wife. Said cousin was a Vietnam veteran who often bragged
to Richard about the evil he created and witnessed while in war. Perhaps this was the turning
point in Ramirezs life.
Richard Ramirez truthfully believed that he was a child of Satan. He was arrested for the first
time at the age of 16 for breaking into the hotel room of a female who was staying at the hotel he
worked at. It was believed that he had raped the women, although later he was found not guilty.
From that point on, his urge to commit heinous crimes only continued to grow as his drug use
got worse. His way of killing people is first he would kill the husband or a man of the house then
he could focus on the woman (Plummer, 2011). He conducted each murder and rape this way
because he felt as though the male would put up a fight and the female would be more willing to
do what he asked of her. Ramirez became fascinated with pictures of people being brutally

Criminal Motivation: Richard Ramirez 201

5
beaten and tortured. Survivors of his crimes have stated in witness testimonies that they were
ordered to swear to Satan.
Motives for Crimes
Taking a deeper look into Richard Ramirezs family background sheds light on what his possible
motives for committing such crimes may have been. As previously mentioned, Ramirez was
intrigued by Satan and could be described as one of the devils worshippers. It is believed that
the motives for his crimes focus on the idea that he believed he was doing work for Satan
himself. Richard Ramirez says he killed people for the devil. Ramirez was delusional if he
thought the devil wanted him to kill people (Plummer, 2011). His experiences with drugs and
coming from an abusive home, along side idolizing his criminal cousin, all provided him with
motives for his crimes. These experiences shaped him and changed him as a person. He killed
people to create his own torture and murderous scenes as he remembered from his cousins
pictures for the war (Plummer, 2011). His behavior showed that he had no remorse for his
victims and their families, and he was not threatened by the police knowing his identity.
Richard Ramirez liked having control over every situation he encountered. When he was
committing the crimes, he felt as though he was in control of those innocent peoples lives.
Ramirez was obsessed with power; therefore he enjoyed being able to torture his victims and be
more powerful than them. As previously mentioned, Ramirez killed the males first. He did this
because he viewed them as threats and wanted to get them out of the way so he could gain
control of the situation. When his crimes caught the attention of the news outlets and medias, he
became even more motivated to be noticed. At this point, he began to tell his victims who he was

Criminal Motivation: Richard Ramirez 201

5
and how they might know him (Murderpedia, 2013). Perhaps Richard Ramirez was influenced at
an early age to become a serial killer. The environment he grew up in combined with his social
experiences may have played a key role in his link of crimes.
Learning Theories and Serial Killers
Behaviorism focuses on the idea that a person starts off as a clean slate and their behaviors form
as a result of positive or negative reinforcement. In Richard Ramirezs case, he was motivated to
commit deadly crimes as a result of his fathers abuse. Criminals tend to come from abusive
homes, or those that force a specific way of life (Haggerty, 2009). Despite his religious
background, Richards behavior represented a trouble soul with a strong attachment to the devil.
Behaviorism plays a role in criminal behavior because they are rewarded for their crimes.
Normal individuals see Ramirezs behavior as heinous acts that are unacceptable, however the
satisfaction that Ramirez receives each time he kills someone gives him motivation to commit
another crime. The satisfaction he receives is a positive reinforcement in his eyes.
Constructivism suggests that people learn from their experiences and how they reflect on them.
When an individual experiences something new, they focus on how it makes them feel, and they
change their behavior. With that being said, constructivism plays a key role in serial killers
motives to commit crimes. The sense of pride they feel when they gain control of a situation and
take someones life, motivates them to do what they do (Miller, 2014). Serial killers experience
new things and ideas each time they murder someone new. They focus on the victims reaction
and how it made them feel when they watched them die, and they take in new knowledge for the
next crime they commit.

Criminal Motivation: Richard Ramirez 201

5
Conclusion
When the individual makes the decision to take someone elses life, they have one goal in mind:
how can I make the next crime more extreme. They feel a certain way about society and social
pressures, and want to put an end to what they do not find to be the correct way of life (Bartels,
2009). The social comparison theory suggests that people have a drive for self-evaluation. They
want to be able to evaluate abilities by comparing themselves to others in society in order to be
able to define themselves. In Richard Ramirezs case, he compared himself to his criminal
relatives. He observed the way they behaved in society and mimicked it.
Richard Ramirez was influenced by his drive to gain self-esteem by being in control of all
aspects of his life. He wanted to compete with his peers so he could feel as though he had full
power and control over every situation. His behaviors and motives derived from his upbringing,
the environment that he grew up in and they way he portrayed himself within society. Serial
killers feel as though they must be worthy of the attention of others (Haggerty, 2009). Although
they are violating their victims and taking their lives, they feel satisfaction from the attention
they receive while their victim is suffering. Richard Ramirez was motivated by the desire to be
the most powerful one in all relationships they encounter. Overall, serial killers are motivated
and driven by their environment and peer relations. Regardless of their age, their experiences
shape them and motivate them to commit the crimes because they feel as though that is what is
expected of them. Unfortunately, Richard Ramirez sold his soul to the devil and believed he was
told to become the sick individual that he did.

Criminal Motivation: Richard Ramirez 201

5

Criminal Motivation: Richard Ramirez 201

5
References
Bartels, R. (2009, May). The social construction of a serial killer. Feminism Psychology, 19(2),
267-280. doi:10.1177/0959353509102224
Haggerty, K. D. (2009, August). Modern serial killers. Crime, Media, Culture: An International
Journal, 5(2), 168-187. doi:10.1177/1741659009335714
Miller, L. (2014, January). Serial killers: Subtypes, patterns, and motives. Agression and Violent
Behavior, 19(1), 1-11. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2013.11.002
Murderpedia. (2013). Richard Ramirez. Retrieved from http://murderpedia.org/male.R/r/ramirezrichard.htm
Plummer, M. (2011, September). Forensic studies: Richard Ramirez. Retrieved from
http://serialkillers.briancombs.net/2084/forensic-studies-009-richard-ramirez/