You Might Be A Madman
The game show podcast where we explore the lives of history's most infamous figures and test your knowledge and intuition along the way. Do you think alike? Do you have the mind of a maniac? Let's play "You Might Be A Madman!
You Might Be A Madman
"Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker"
Test your psychological intuition by predicting the choices of infamous serial killer Richard Ramirez in this game show format that explores the developmental trajectory of the Night Stalker. Through a series of questions, contestants (and listeners) attempt to think like a madman to determine whether great or gruesome minds truly think alike.
• Richard Ramirez's troubled childhood included significant head trauma, an abusive alcoholic father, and growing up in poverty in El Paso
• His cousin Mike, a Vietnam veteran, introduced young Richard to graphic depictions of violence and sexual assault through war photos
• Contestants predict key decisions in Ramirez's life like where he would sleep to avoid abuse.
• The podcast reveals how Ramirez escalated from voyeurism to burglary to sexual assault and eventually murder
• Ramirez's embrace of Satanism served as psychological justification for his crimes, believing Satan would protect him
• Disturbing revelation that many contestants can correctly predict the choices of a serial killer when given enough context
• Exploration of how trauma, environment, and influence can shape a deeply disturbed individual
Want to test your own psychological intuition? Follow "You Might Be a Madman" wherever you get your podcasts and see if your mind works like history's most notorious criminals.
00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer
00:19 Welcome to 'You Might Be a Madman'
01:30 Meet the Contestants
03:21 Introducing Today's Madman: Richard Ramirez
03:33 Richard Ramirez's Troubled Childhood
05:06 First Question: Richard's Early Choices
10:15 Richard's Teenage Years and Influences
12:16 Second Question: Escaping Home
18:34 Richard's Descent into Darkness
19:10 Richard's Troubled Employment at Holiday Inn
20:08 A Question of Where to Sleep
25:00 Living with Crazy Cousin Mike
26:15 Voyeuristic Nights with Roberto and Mike
30:05 Moving to California and Drug Addiction
30:44 Final Round: The Culmination of Madness
37:19 Conclusion and Prize Announcement
Please note that some of the ads and commercials featured in our episodes are created for entertainment and parody. Any resemblance to real product, services or companies is purely coincidental. The thoughts, views and opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of ODB Entertainment or the individuals involved. Additionally, some of the topics discussed might be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.
Speaker 2:Welcome to you Might Be a Madman. The game show podcast where we explore the lives of history's most infamous figures and test your knowledge and intuition along the way. Do you think alike? Do you have the mind of a maniac? Let's play, you might be a madman.
Speaker 3:All right, thank you. Thank you everyone. Man, I do not tire of that warm welcome. And speaking of welcome, we welcome you to. You Might Be a Madman, the game show podcast where your ability to think like the criminally insane will be put to the test. I'm your host, jon Zapp. Today, I'll present to you brief segments of history associated with a particular notorious nutcase. You, along with our contestants, will then be challenged with questions as we progress. Where will the madman go? Why did he do that? What will he do next? Your task is to place yourself in the mind of the maniac to see if great or gruesome minds think alike. Be warned, as you may already suspect, wrong answers could prove to be positive and winning might be considered cause for concern. Before we begin, let's meet today's contestants. Our first contestant is Dave from Harrisburg, pennsylvania. Hello everyone. Hey Dave, how's it going?
Speaker 3:Doing, well doing well, very happy to be here. Very happy to be here, nice, nice, nice. Dave, I was reading up on your contestant questionnaire and I see that, despite your age, you still fancy ketchup on scrambled eggs.
Speaker 4:I do much like a three-year-old. How about that? And maybe that's psychotic, maybe it makes me a madman, I don't know. We'll find out.
Speaker 3:I don't know what to say. No, a little hot sauce too. You eat what you like, that's right. Good for you. You're a grown-ass man, that's it. Our second contestant hailing from Lower Swat Era Township, Pennsylvania, is Matt. Hello everyone, Hi, Hi everyone. Welcome to our show, Welcome to our show. I am excited and we are excited to have you, matt. I was reading your contestant questionnaire and I and I see that you prefer wheat toast over all other breads offered at diners and restaurants for breakfast. Yes, I do.
Speaker 5:I have a sort of allergy to some of the regular white toast that they present. It usually gives me a stomach upset. I have to run to the bathroom rather quickly.
Speaker 3:I see Now I've been to certain establishments that offer an English muffin as a bread substitute. Have you asked for or tried that no?
Speaker 5:I have not. I do like a wheat English muffin. They do have wheat muffins Sticking with the wheat, with peanut butter. I like peanut butter and butter.
Speaker 3:Not unlike Dave, you eat what you like, you know what you like, you know what's good for you. I appreciate that. Now, between the both of you and your breakfast delights, it sounds like we're in for a treat today. And speaking of treats, I'll take this moment to thank our sponsor, ramiramax. The laxative's so smooth, you'll feel like you've been disemboweled.
Speaker 4:Mmm, I never had that one.
Speaker 3:Quite a product.
Speaker 5:It allegedly works quite well. It's good for the weight loss. Yeah right, for the summertime, I'm guessing. I'm guessing.
Speaker 3:All right, all right, all right everyone. Today's madman is none other than the infamous Richard Ramirez, known to many as the Night Stalker. Strap on your thinking caps. Let's get into our first segment.
Speaker 3:Richard Ramirez, born on February 29th 1960, started life as the youngest of five children in a Mexican-American family in El Paso, texas. From as early as his infancy, richard's well-being faced various challenges. His family was very poor, forcing them to reside in an impoverished community. When he was two years old, a dresser fell on him, causing a deep laceration to his head. At age five, he was struck in the head again by a swing at a neighborhood playground, resulting in further head trauma. These and a number of other incidents led to Richard suffering from epileptic fits and seizures and other disorders that would go on to affect Richard for the rest of his life.
Speaker 3:Family dynamics also played a critical role in his development. Richard's father, julian, became a railroad laborer upon the family's move to America. Prior to that, however, he was a municipal policeman in Juarez, prone to bouts with alcoholism. He raised all of the Ramirez children in a stern environment and was often abusive to all members of the family, including Richard's mother, and was often abusive to all members of the family, including Richard's mother, helping to make ends meet. Richard's mother, mercedes, worked long hours in a boot factory, Between his mother's demanding schedule and attempting to avoid his father as best he could. Richard grew up with little parental guidance and a considerable degree of unstructured freedom. At this time, richard was just nine years old.
Speaker 3:All right, everyone on to our first question. Richard's life was off to a rocky start from the beginning, what with growing up in the ghetto and being attacked by falling dressers and indiscriminate playground equipment. Add to that an abusive father and an absent mother. Richard was left to his own devices. Of the following four options what would you have done at that age if you were in Richard's situation? Would you A Run away and join a gang. B Look to your older siblings for guidance. C Keep to yourself and occupy your time with movies, music and media of your choosing essentially just hanging out in your own room. Or D give drugs or alcohol a try. You have 10 seconds, all right, everyone. Let's see what you have. Dave, let's start with you.
Speaker 4:All right, Zap, so I'm looking at this at nine years old, if this is me, and this is 1969 by now, correct?
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're in the 1960s. Nine years later, your math is impeccable.
Speaker 4:Impeccable. Yeah, look at that. So I'm not going to run away and join a gang. I'm not about that life. I would maybe look to an older sibling for guidance, so that would be an option. Maybe 1969? I don't think I'm going to be looking at movies, music and media because there's not probably a lot available at home. If this was currently, I could see that happening with gaming and everything else. You get lost in that drugs or alcohol, try. I don't think I do that either. At nine I had some bad experience too early. Maybe, I don't know, okay'd do that either. At nine, I had some bad experiences Too early. Maybe I don't know. Okay, I think I'm probably going to go to B on this one and look to an older brother or older sibling for guidance. That's probably what I would end up doing, I believe. All right.
Speaker 3:Not a bad option. It seems reasonable. Matt, how about you? What would you do at this ripe young age? What?
Speaker 5:would you do at this ripe young age? Well, yes, young Richard is nine years old, as we stated. I'm much like him. I am a New Mexican American, so I understand growing up a lot of gang violence a lot of gangs, Not old Mexico but New. Mexico. There is a New Mexico. I don't know if anybody out there is listening.
Speaker 5:But yeah, so, yeah, a gang, they're prevalent, but I don't know, in the 60s, I mean, you have a couple bad hombres out there, but you're nine years old, you're not going to be like a tough gang member. I think his siblings they're just as jacked up as he is. I mean, you're living in the same house, I don't think they're. They're very much different than he is. So I don't want to go with the siblings either. Hmm, occupier time movies, music and media it Uh, there's a lot of good like people to follow, a lot of good music at that time. Movies are probably cheap and get in there. For I mean, this sounds a lot like me right now.
Speaker 5:So I'm like, I'm like yeah, that that doesn't sound so bad. Does that afford?
Speaker 4:to it Right.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and drugs and alcohol at at nine. I mean there is you. I mean it is 69, I guess you could turn to that it's. You can get it anywhere pretty much, but not as a nine-year-old. But I think I'm gonna go with uh, occupy your time like try to just keep your mind. I keep listening to some tunes. Maybe hang outside of like a arena somewhere.
Speaker 3:All right, so you're going with option c. Basically, keep to yourself. I'm just gonna hang out in my room, or hang out my friends do whatever, I'm nine, there's not much else going on.
Speaker 5:Just you know, occupy my time movies, music, hanging with yourself.
Speaker 3:All right. Well, gentlemen, on a recap, dave, you had gone with option B. Look to your older siblings for guidance. In my opinion, dave, you are thinking like a madman. Oh no man, that's not good. Indeed. Richard Ram, a madman indeed.
Speaker 5:Richard ramirez did look to his siblings for help and guidance and will soon learn where that leads him.
Speaker 3:His family's all messed up speaking of messed up, matt, you went with option c keep to yourself and occupy your time with movies, music and media of your choosing. You also are thinking like a madman. I.
Speaker 4:I love that Indeed.
Speaker 3:Switcheroo. As we will soon find out, richard was prone to keep to himself and found his way to books, movies and other material that most parents would find, shall we say, objectionable. You know, in fact, running away and joining a gang might be the only thing that could have kept him out of trouble.
Speaker 5:Yes, there you go.
Speaker 3:But we shall see, yeah, the only thing that could have kept him out of trouble. Yes, there you go, but we shall see. Yeah, in fact, we will see as soon as we come right back after a word from our sponsors.
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Speaker 3:All right, welcome back everyone. Welcome back. In our first segment we learned about Richard's rocky start at life. So far, our contestants are tied one to one. Let's move on, shall we?
Speaker 3:By the time Richard was just 10 years old, he was already drinking alcohol and smoking pot. He sought guidance from his siblings, but that proved to be of little help. For example, his older brothers, reuben and Robert, frequently conflicted with the law by committing petty theft and other crimes. Richard's crime-ridden neighborhood and the chaos and discord therein didn't help, and school was of little to no help. Richard suffered from dyslexia, which led to difficulties with reading and writing, which led to low academic performance, which, when also considering his neighborhood, led to bullying. Hoping to avoid the societal mess in which he lived, richard immersed himself in solitary activities. He developed an early fascination with the gruesome and macabre, often engrossing himself in horror films and tales that encouraged a growing obsession with death and ritualistic symbolism. Forever seeking guidance from siblings and family members, ramirez found a resoundingly terrible influence from his older cousin, miguel Vales, that's Mike for non-Mexican folk. Miguel Vales, that's Mike for non-Mexican folk. Mike was a decorated green beret in the Vietnam War, but Mike was also a serial killer and a rapist. During his tour of duty, mike introduced Richard to graphic stories of the rapes, murders, dismemberments and decapitations he performed while in Vietnam. He'd even gone on to share Polaroid pictures of his war crimes with Richard. This only served to fuel Richard's growing obsession with horrid things that can be done to a human body.
Speaker 3:Meanwhile, richard's life at home didn't improve at all. His father's anger would regularly manifest itself with violence toward Richard and his mother. Oftentimes he found himself running away at night to find safety and solace elsewhere. In times like this, he simply wanted to be alone. By now Richard was 13 years old. All right, that takes us to our second question.
Speaker 3:Richard's life has so far continued down a terrible path. His upbringing is taking a turn for the worse from every angle, to the point where he fears being at home at night. We've all been through our terrible teens. I'm sure we all gave thought to running away at one point or another. Now of the following four options at age 13, where might you sleep at night to avoid getting a beating at home? Option A the local church. Option B the local cemetery. Option C the local junkyard full of abandoned vehicles. Or option D your cousin Mike's house. That's the sicko Vietnam veteran guy. You have 10 seconds, all right, everyone, let's see what you've got. Matt, we'll start with you At age 13,. Where might you sleep at night to avoid getting a beating at home?
Speaker 5:So Slick Rick, he's already. This is between 10 and 13. So now I went through all my drugs and alcohol. I'm still hanging out. My brothers are weird. I'm 13 now, so to avoid getting the beating at home local church, you could get a beating there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it could be scary. You gotta watch out for the predators.
Speaker 3:I was thinking completely the the other way, like I remember getting beat like beatings, like my parents signed off on um corporal punishment clauses like, oh wow, nuns, priests, lay, teachers, they were absolutely permitted to beat me oh yeah, yeah, I don't want to mess around there, they would hit you in the back of the head.
Speaker 5:You get the slap, yeah, yeah. Yeah, we didn't get the the rulers on the knuckles thing like you see in movies, but I do remember getting hit in the back of the head. But uh, yeah, the church, no, staying away from their local cemetery, I think that would be peaceful, that would be a place like, if he's into like dead things, I think you might find that comforting. Um, so I'm thinking about that one, uh, junkyard, abandoned vehicles. Me as a 13 year old, I would like, I would probably spend, I'd be up all night going into cars trying to find like stereos or something like looking at like I think that'd be a neat place to like hang out. So I wouldn't, I wouldn't go to sleep there. And uh, mike's house, that's another place he might find, kind of he likes. You know, it's like going to your friend's house whose dad's has like the dirty magazines right he might find that a nice place to go.
Speaker 5:It might be warm and cozy for him, but me at 13, being rick, I would say the cemetery okay, now you don't have to be rick or richard, or this is just you being you being me, I yeah, the cemetery would probably be the most peaceful spot.
Speaker 3:Okay, I would like that that's going with option B, the local cemetery. Dave, at age 13,. Where might you sleep at night to avoid getting a beating at home?
Speaker 4:Yeah, matt, I like the way you think because I was thinking a lot of the same things. The church would be a little scary at night. I don't know, I wouldn't want to be there at night. Number one I just think it would creep me out a little bit just being in church alone. The cemetery the same way. I think at night I'd be a little freaked out. But I'm watching these horror movies and I'm into all that stuff. I might like the macabre. That might be comforting to me. I might want to sleep there. The local junkyard with abandoned vehicles in 73, there's going to be some nice vehicles there.
Speaker 3:Sure.
Speaker 4:Some big comfy vehicles I could see the back of, like a Lincoln Town car. Sure, you know there's some. It might be more comfortable than my house. Cars that would someday go on to maybe be low riders, low riders and other things like that, so I could definitely see some comfortable spots.
Speaker 3:Rolling with my Cholos.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so I'm going to come back to that one, the cousin's house as well. If that's like somebody you're looking up to for me, I might be tempted with that, but I think the things that he was showing would be off putting to me, so I'd probably want to try to stay away from that. The nudie mags and all that might be cool.
Speaker 6:Sure.
Speaker 4:I'm thinking I'm probably going to go with C, the local junkyard, that would be me, the abandoned vehicles. I think I could find a comfy spot in there and a carburetor if I need it.
Speaker 3:There's that All right, fellas. Let's recap. Matt, given the situation at age 13, where would you sleep at night? To avoid getting a beating at home, you chose option B the local graveyard.
Speaker 5:Yeah, can I like enhance on that real quick? I just think it wouldn't be like over, like where the gravestone or anything is Like there would have to be like a little shack there or something Like a mausoleum yeah, like you could like make a nice little area beside it Like I. Yeah, like you could like make a nice little area beside it Like I'm not sleeping on a grave, but somewhere in the cemetery.
Speaker 3:Hey look, no problem with that, yeah.
Speaker 5:I'll take it, or like a nice tree.
Speaker 3:If I can help to put your mind at ease, I slept in a graveyard twice in my life. Yep, a group of us. Now, this was a group of us. We just went out one night and we just crashed in the graveyard. You'll find no calmer, more peaceful place in the graveyard.
Speaker 4:Yeah that's wild.
Speaker 3:But indeed it was a group of us. Nonetheless, matt, you chose local graveyard.
Speaker 5:Yes, yes, I did.
Speaker 3:Matt, I gotta say you are thinking like a madman. Oh, wow.
Speaker 3:Indeed. Ramirez sought to escape from his father's violence by sleeping in a local cemetery. Dave, at age 13, you would sleep at night to avoid getting a beating at option C, the local junkyard full of abandoned vehicles. Alas, you're not thinking like a madman. Good, good, good, indeed. Fun fact, on the occasions when his father would actually find him at the cemetery, his father would tie him to a crucifix in that cemetery overnight as punishment yeah, I tell you where he wouldn't find him a furniture store, all those dressers in there oh no, I mean that's, that's ptsd for him for sure he was attacked by one at age two good memory there in the head a lot, yeah
Speaker 3:in that last segment there was only one answer that would lead one to think like a madman, and that was staying at the local cemetery. I thought that would be the least. Well, either way, that brings our score with matt in the lead two to one, and we move on to our next segment. By the time time Richard turned 14, he graduated from marijuana and made his way to using LSD, thanks mostly to his cousin, mike. Taking Richard under his wing, mike taught his young cousin some of his military skills, including stealth and kill tactics.
Speaker 3:Richard's pubescent urges had long been warped. He didn't fantasize about naked ladies or what the women in the Sears catalog looked like without their lingerie. Thanks to his cousin Mike, richard's fantasies were those of forced bondage, murder, mutilation and rape. Still 14 years old, richard somehow secured employ at the local Holiday Inn. Old Richard somehow secured employ at the local Holiday Inn. When necessary, he found his way to sleep in vacant hotel rooms on nights when things got too terrible at home.
Speaker 3:Industriously, richard would go on to use his master key to rob patrons while they slept. His throbbing carnal urges would, however, get a hold of him from time to time. On one occasion, richard molested two children in one of the hotel's elevators. It was never reported. On another occasion, while robbing a hotel room, richard attempted to rape the woman who'd been sleeping there. The only thing that stopped him was the victim's husband unexpectedly returning to the room. The husband beat the daylights out of Ramirez and criminal charges were filed, but they were later dropped by the couple when they elected to not return to Texas to testify against Ramirez. Ramirez lost his job. That brings us to our third question. Ramirez was now jobless and was no longer able to rob customers at the hotel. You can imagine that once word got back to his parents as to why he was fired from his job, living at home was completely out of the question.
Speaker 3:You're 14 years old and your life is going in every wrong direction, but you still need a place to sleep. Of the following choices, where would you go? Option A the home of your older brother, the petty criminal. Option B the home of your crazy cousin Mike at Vietnam Vet. Option C the home of your older sister and her husband. Or option D the closest oil field you can find. You have 10 seconds, All right, dave, we'll start with you. Similar to our last question where would you have gone to sleep?
Speaker 4:The older brother and the cousin at this point, like I would want to probably avoid them because I'd want to try to like turn my life around. I would believe you know what I mean. So the sister and the husband might be a welcome place to go. Option c is looking good to me, but also d the oil field, like if I can make some money off that maybe go there.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean. Like, why not? That's very, uh, enterprising of you. Yeah, if I could go there, and you know what I mean. Why not?
Speaker 4:That's very enterprising of you. Yeah, if I could go there and drill and drill, baby drill, baby drill make some money. D might be looking good too, but I'm thinking that, for the comfort of it, I'm going to go live with my sister. Okay, so I'm going to go with C. I've been sick. The D's looking good as well let's say you.
Speaker 3:It's very similar to our last question. You're just a year older. Where would you go?
Speaker 5:to sleep, All right. Well, Dave, I see your thinking there, but I'm thinking as 14 year old me. Where would be like the cool place to be? So if you go to your older brother, petty criminal, you might get in a little trouble here and there, but lots of weed, lots of liquor, maybe a hooker or two yeah, dude's 14 um, the home of your crazy cousin mike. I still wouldn't really be able to like sleep there because mike you know, with all these pictures he got lying around, I don't know if like one night, if he loses this shit yeah, he'll like stab me in the chest or something I don't need.
Speaker 3:Flashbacks are a thing.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I don't need that shit I'd be scared, scared of Mike, I think.
Speaker 5:Yeah, that's what I mean. It won't be a comfortable place to be the home of sister and her husband. I don't really know much about them. I mean he don't really speak of his sister much, so I don't know how close he would be to her. And the oil field Another thing would be like the cemetery. I find it comforting. There's probably not many people out there, but like a coyote or something. Yeah, I don't in texas, I don't know about that. But um, yeah, I'm gonna have to go with my older brother on this one. Being 14 years old, want some strange. That's a fun place to be getting some weed I can dig it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, okay, that's what I would go with I don't know.
Speaker 3:Let's see all right, dave. You went option C, the home of his older sister and her husband Matt. You decided to go the cool route and went with option A, the home of his older brother, that petty criminal. Neither of you are thinking very much like a madman.
Speaker 4:That's a good thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. Indeed, the way that Richard Ramirez went was actually option B, option C. He moved in with his crazy cousin Mike, that Vietnam vet.
Speaker 5:That could turn the tables for him. That's a comfy spot for him.
Speaker 3:As chance would have it, his older brother was actually in jail by now. Oh, there you go so that was a trick question, that was trickannery Trick-ish and the oil field, that was just a red herring.
Speaker 4:Okay, because I was thinking about that one.
Speaker 3:Well, that leaves our score the same at 2-1, with Matt in the lead. It also brings us to our next commercial break. Please, everyone, enjoy this word from our sponsors.
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Speaker 3:All right, welcome back everyone. Welcome back, thank you. Thank you. In our second and third segments we continued on with Richard's formative years, his troubled family life and his difficulties finding a place to sleep. Currently, our score is Matt with two, dave with one.
Speaker 3:With nowhere to turn, ramirez moved into the house of his crazy Vietnam vet cousin, mike, and his wife Josefina. Two years earlier, mike and Josefina's son, miguel Jr, died in a terrible gas explosion. Mike hadn't been the same since and his drug use became more and more intolerable. In the same sense, and his drug use became more and more intolerable. On May 4th 1975, crazy cousin Mike and Josefina had gotten into an argument. In the throes of their bickering, mike shot her in the face with a handgun. She died almost instantly. Ramirez witnessed the entire exchange. Moreover, some of Josefina's blood splattered on Ramirez's face. Instead of feelings of shock and trauma, ramirez would go on to recall that he instead felt fascination and intrigue. Mike would go on to be found not guilty of murder in any degree. Rather, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity, due to PTSD, and would go on to be committed to a mental hospital.
Speaker 3:Within days after the shooting, ramirez dropped out of high school with only a little more than a month before the end of his freshman year, he moved in with his sister, ruth, and her husband, roberto. Unknown to Ruth, Roberto was an obsessive peeping Tom. He would tell her he was going out for walks at night, which was true, but each and every walk included him spying on nearby women through the windows of their homes. Not long after he moved in, richard began joining Roberto on his nightly peep strolls. Two years after having shot and killed his wife, mike was released from the mental institution. Soon he too began joining Richard and Roberto on their nightly strolls into the voyeuristic world of the depraved. Years would go by Night after night. Richard was filling his head with visions of women through their windows and thoughts of what he might do with them. Alright, that brings us to our fourth question. It's clear that Richard's involvement with Roberto and Mike only fueled his fiendish life. The years have gone by and Richard is soon to turn 22 years old. And Richard is soon to turn 22 years old.
Speaker 3:Of the following options at 22 years old, with no job and no high school diploma, what would you do with your life? Option A give in to your voyeuristic urges and rape one of those women you see every night. Option B continue to live with your sister and her husband in El Paso and hope for the best. Option C stay in El Paso but at least move out of your sister's house. Or option D roll the dice and move to California. You have 10 seconds. All right, let's see what we got. Matt at age 22, no job, no high school diploma what would you have done with your life?
Speaker 5:well a given to your voyeuristic urges and rate one of those women you see every night Okay, you're going right to jail with that. So I don't know, at 22, he could be tempted. He's hanging with a stellar group, like those guys at night, it's like the three amigos man, I don't. But you got to avoid A. That's just jail time from the door. Continue to live with your sister and her husband in El Paso. Hope for the best. El Paso is getting boring to him. I think I think he's done with the El Paso. That's the same with C. Stay in El Paso, but move out of your sister's house. I think he's had enough of that town. I think he's rolling the dice. He's going back to Cali. I say California, dreaming. What would you do? I would go to California. Just, I think I've always wanted to go there. I think you know it'd be a fun place.
Speaker 3:To be Fair enough, Dave, how about you, 22 years old, no job, no high school diploma? What would you do with your life?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'm thinking like mad here. You know it's not going to happen. You know I'm having bad luck in El Paso. It's been 22 years and it's just nothing but bad stuff going on. At 22, I'm probably thinking let me just get out of here and start over, go to California, get away from everybody and see if I can get stuff straightened out. None of these seem good. These are risk.
Speaker 5:These are good answers, though I think I would. If I was in his shoes, I would hitchhike to california yeah, that's me of those options.
Speaker 4:That's what I'm gonna do. I just gotta get away from these people.
Speaker 5:It seems like everybody's got issues, hopefully a fresh start yeah yeah, maybe get a job, get a little place on the beach interesting all right.
Speaker 3:So both of you went with option d. You're gonna roll the dice and move to california, leave behind. I hate to say it, but I like what you're doing. Both of you are thinking like a madman. Oh man, this guy. Indeed, Ramirez would soon move to California and stay with his brother, Ruben, for a while.
Speaker 4:This is a different brother.
Speaker 3:From the beginning. That was one of the two elders that were getting into trouble.
Speaker 5:Like Ruben and Roberto or Ruben, and who was the other one.
Speaker 3:Robert, trouble, like ruben and roberto, or ruben, and who's the other one, robert, robert, robert, yeah, not to be confused with roberto, that was his cousin ruth's husband okay cousin was crazy mike all right, who shot his wife and only did a two-year stint in a in a whatever well, he was great.
Speaker 5:He was a vietnam vet, probably had the ptsd, like they said, so they gave him a lenient sentence.
Speaker 4:Yeah I would avoid family all altogether if I'm this guy. I'm surprised he did that.
Speaker 3:All right, we're soon to enter our final round. This round represents the culmination of crazy, the epitome of insanity. This round will test your tenacity, determine whether you might be a madman. A correct answer in this round will award you three points. Our current score has Matt with three and Dave with two. We hope you've been keeping your own score and equally hope that you've been enjoying our excursion into the extreme. Ready to embark on our last round, richard has since moved on to California to live with his brother Ruben and his wife.
Speaker 3:It's 1982, and it didn't take long for Richard to discover the joys of cocaine. An addiction like that requires money and, without a job or high school diploma, he supported himself by burglary. When he wasn't stealing, to support his habit, he sat around fantasizing about sadistic sex. He had no normal relationships with women. The only sex he had was with prostitutes. Eventually, the cocaine wasn't doing the trick for Richard. He began using PCP, also known as angel dust. The PCP did nothing but deepen his aggressiveness and psychosis. In fact, one day he released his aggression on another addict by tying her up, ripping off her clothes and raping her several times, thrilled by the power he had over her. This became a profound moment in his life and he wanted more.
Speaker 3:By now, richard discovered the life and times of Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan in San Francisco. Though initially compelled to join their rituals, he chose to be a lone practitioner of his own satanic beliefs. Despite having been raised Catholic, his newfound reverence to Satan came with the belief that the devil would protect him and empower him, according to Ramirez. Belief that the devil would protect him and empower him. According to Ramirez, satan represented what he felt. He wasn't like other people. His sexual desires were just as sane as anyone else's and Satan would protect him. All right, everyone. Our final question Sounds like Ramirez has a new lease on life. He's got the power of Satan behind him, but he's still got that nasty drug addiction to tend to.
Speaker 3:If you were a drug-addicted Satan worshiper, what would you do next? Option A start your own church. Option B continue to burgle homes, believing that Satan would protect you. Option C follow up on beating and raping another woman, believing that Satan would protect you. Option C follow up on beating and raping another woman, believing that Satan would protect you. Or option D take the beating thing to the next level and murder your victims instead. You have 10 seconds. Okay, for our final question, dave. We'll start with you. Of the four choices you'd had, what would you do next? All right, zab, I'm looking at these four answers here, and these are four sins.
Speaker 4:There's something for damn sure. Yeah, so I got to look at it that way. I could start my own church, but that's kind of sacrilegious right.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean. You and I know this as devout Catholics.
Speaker 4:Right. So that might be an option because that might be the lesser of these four. Okay, but I'm thinking, if I continue to burglar homes and, you know, believe that Satan will protect me, robbing these houses and stuff that doesn't seem as bad as the bottom two. They're beating women and raping women and doing all that stuff. So I think I might go with option B here and just continue burglaring homes.
Speaker 3:Of all these sins, you're saying that's the least aggressive sin, I'm sorry, the least invasive sin.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because I mean the start your own church I think could get you a lot Like as far as money, sex, all that stuff that might be the most actually like. We see people that start cults and do all that stuff, so that might be something that you could do. You know I could have done if I was in the in these shoes. You know what I mean To try to get ahead, but the burglary seems like it would be. It's definitely hurting people when not in these other ways, so I'm probably going to go with B.
Speaker 3:Okay yeah, Option B You're going to go to break commandment the seventh. I believe thou shall not steal.
Speaker 4:I like that Burgle, burgle, indeed, you'd be burgling.
Speaker 3:Matt, what would you do if you were a drug addicted Satan worshiper?
Speaker 5:I guess we're at the first one Start your own church. It is what the early 80s, late 70s, early 80s, 1982. Yeah, anton LaVey is already, I think, doing that with the satanic cult Starting his own little churches and stuff that was big in California. I think he could try to hop on that wagon there. Burgle Homes like Dave said, satan would protect you. He's so into drugs now and reading stuff so he thinks he knows everything and Satan's right there with them. Yeah, and the other two are like, like Dave said, they're kind of that's kind of raw. I don't see you just just going at staying with that. I'll go a little bit different. I'll say start your own church. You can get some followers. Try the same thing Manson did. You know I would start my own church.
Speaker 3:All right. Well, that was right to the point and I like what you did there, Matt. Okay, let's see. Well, since I'm already talking to you, matt, you said that you would start your own church. Yes, alas, you, sir, are not thinking like a madman. Dave, you went with option B continue to burgle homes, believing that Satan would protect you. Dave, I hate to say it, but I like where your head's at. You, sir, are thinking like a madman. Indeed, ramirez would go on to a life of burglary, rape and murder all across Los Angeles area and beyond. He would ultimately be found guilty of 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries, that's, a total of 43 criminal counts.
Speaker 4:I should have just started a church with Matt. That would have been the same yeah.
Speaker 5:It's easy money, man Easy money.
Speaker 3:Ramirez Uh. He ended up dying of lymphoma on June 7th two 2013. While in jail, nobody claimed his body. It was therefore cremated.
Speaker 4:Wow that. And you know what's crazy about this guy too, is that, uh, how women, even knowing what he he had done he had admirers and stuff. It was just, I'm sure.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he had plenty of pen pals.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 3:Well, that brings our final score to Dave with six and Matt with three.
Speaker 2:Congratulations, dave, thank you, you might be a madman Lenny.
Speaker 3:what has Dave won today?
Speaker 2:Congratulations, dave. You've won an incredible prize package from you Might Be a Madman. Get ready to enjoy a year-long supply of Ramira Max, the laxative so smooth you feel like you've been disemboweled. But that's not all. You're also headed for a stay of five days and four nights at Cousin Mike's Bed and Breakfast in sunny El Paso, texas. During your stay, you'll experience the chilling history as Cousin Mike's psychopathic tendencies are intricately woven into your visit, from storytelling sessions to viewing the graphic photos he notoriously showed Richard. All this and more, valued at $5,000. Back to you, zap.
Speaker 3:Wow, well, that's a heck of a prize. Once again, many thanks to Dave and Matt for participating on our show today, and thanks to all of you out there for listening and following along. Tune in next time for another exciting episode of you Might Be a Madman. You know, they say the line between genius and insanity is razor thin. Stay sharp. Farewell everybody.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
