New true crime documentary Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer has now dropped on Netflix, detailing the horrific crimes of serial killer Richard Ramirez.
The four-part series uses original photography, archival footage and first person interviews from victims and their loved ones to chart the string of murders that Ramirez committed throughout California in the mid-1980s - and the huge effort behind tracking him down to end the killing spree.
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A synopsis reads: "In the sweltering summer of 1985, a record-breaking heatwave hit Los Angeles, along with a series of murders and sexual assaults that at first seemed disconnected.
"The victims were men, women, and children. They ranged in age from six to 82. They came from different neighbourhoods, racial backgrounds and socioeconomic levels. Never before in criminal history had a single killer been responsible for such a grisly array of crimes.
"Never before in criminal history had a single killer been responsible for such a grisly array of crimes. Racing against the clock to stop this nocturnal monster were a young detective named Gil Carrillo from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the legendary homicide investigator Frank Salerno.
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"As they worked tirelessly to solve the case, the media hounded their tracks, and panic gripped California."
As a youngster, Ramirez had faced abuse from his father, before later being introduced to his cousin's sick fascination with torturing women - later shooting his wife in the face in front of Ramirez, who soon began taking LSD and adopted Satanism, also developing sexual fantasies.
In the trailer for the new series, one of his victims recalls: "He has this horrible big grin and he's missing all these teeth.
"He just stared at me, like a killer clown."
Before his arrest in August 1985, Ramirez killed 13 people over the course of 14 months, and also attempted to murder five more while raping, assaulting and burgling countless others.
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He was eventually captured after 13-year-old James Romero alerted his parents to an intruder outside their house.
Before Ramirez ran off, the teenager managed to make a note of the colour, make and style of his car, along with a partial license plate number, handing the details over to police.
Ramirez was sentenced to death in California's gas chamber on 20 September 19898, but died of complications related to B-cell lymphoma in his cell in 2013.
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Watch Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer on Netflix now.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: Entertainment, TV and Film, True Crime, Netflix