The summer of 1985 was a horrific time for people in Southern California. The Night Stalker: A Hunt for a Serial Killer, a new Netflix documentary series on one of America’s most notorious serial killers, shows the events leading up to catching Richard Ramirez, better known as the Night Stalker. 

Netflix released this limited series, with four episodes, in mid-January. The story follows detectives Frank Salerno and Gil Carrillo on the manhunt to catch the serial killer who was terrorizing the Los Angeles and San Francisco area. 

Richard Ramirez was unlike anyone before him, choosing victims at random with no motive. Most of his crimes were not connected, as his methods of killing and the victims’ demographics were always different. 

Many times, he would not even kill his victims, instead kidnapping them and releasing them or burglarising their homes. This, combined with flaws within law enforcement such as competition and lack of communication, made for a seemingly unsolvable case.

The documentary takes viewers through 14 of Ramirez’s victims and how they brought detectives closer to catching him. Testimonies from families of victims, people in the area, and his youngest victim to survive show the emotional reality of the Night Stalker’s crimes. 

The Night Stalker: A Hunt for a Serial Killer provides an eye-opening perspective on what went on behind the scenes of catching an infamous serial killer.