Before he became the “Night Stalker,” Richard Ramirez was already showing signs of the evil that would define his name.

While working at a Holiday Inn, he used a master key to sneak into guests’ rooms and was caught attempting to assault a woman before her husband intervened. That early crime was ignored, but it revealed what was coming.

In 1984, Ramirez began his first known murder, killing 79-year-old Jennie Vincow in her own home. Over the next year, he unleashed a reign of terror across Los Angeles and San Francisco, breaking into homes at night, attacking strangers, and leaving communities frozen in fear.

By 1985, his recklessness left behind evidence that helped police close in. When his face hit the news, it was the public that finally caught him. Convicted of 13 murders and dozens of other crimes, Richard Ramirez became one of America’s most feared serial killers.

Follow True Crime Recaps all Halloween week for dark and haunting stories that still keep investigators up at night.