Los Angeles was riding high in the summer of 1985.
The city had just hosted the Olympics, the Lakers were chasing another championship, and a new 911 emergency system was coming online. But beneath the optimism, a wave of terror was spreading across Southern California.
“Summer of Satan: Surviving The Night Stalker” revisits one of the most chilling crime sprees in California history through new interviews with survivors, investigators, journalists and witnesses who lived through it. KTLA retraces the massive manhunt for the serial killer known as “The Night Stalker,” whose crimes stretched from Los Angeles to San Francisco and left communities living in fear.
Stream “Summer of Satan” free on KTLA+ at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The KTLA+ original will also be available on demand after its premiere.
From April 1984 to August 1985, Richard Ramirez (1960-2013) murdered at least 15 people during various break-ins. With his crimes usually taking place after dark, he was dubbed the Night Stalker, the Walk-In Killer, and the Valley Intruder. In prison he bragged about having killed more than 20 people.
His victims included a number of Asian Americans: Mei Leung, 9, of San Francisco; Dayle Yoshie Okazaki, 34, of Rosemead; Bill Doi, 66, of Monterey Park (wife Lillian, 56, was assaulted but survived); Tsai-Lian Veronica Yu, 30, of Monterey Park; Chainarong Khovananth, 32, of Sun Valley (wife Somkid Khovananth, 32, was assaulted but survived); Peter Pan, 66, of San Francisco (wife Barbara, 62, was shot but survived).
In 1989, Ramirez was convicted on 43 charges: 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. He was sentenced to death but died while awaiting execution.