Category: INFORMANTS
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A Web of Informants: Part 6. Felipe Solano
23/10/2024: This post now has new, updated information. One can easily say Richard Ramirez did not commit the crimes based on the complete lack of evidence in some cases or the serological test results in others. But how do we explain how the victims’ stolen property ended up in the home of ‘fence’ Felipe Solano?…
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A Web of Informants: Part 5. Eva Castillo
Eva Castillo was named by Manuel Hechavarria (Cuba). He guided detectives to her last known residence but she was not there – she had been arrested for burglary in September 1984 and was in prison, using the alias Rosa Solis. When detectives interviewed Castillo in prison, she admitted to committing burglary with Cuba and someone…
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A Web of Informants: Part 3. Sandra Hotchkiss
Sandra Hotchkiss was a burglar, drug addict and prostitute who committed burglary with Richard Ramirez in 1985. Significantly, Hotchkiss was yet another burglar who traded with Felipe Solano, in her words, 15 to 20 times. Like Ramirez, Hotchkiss suffered from epilepsy. She spotted him unsuccessfully trying to sell jewellery at a pool hall and exploited…
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A Web of Informants: Part 4. The Mugshot
As mentioned in Part 1, two sets of Ramirez’s ‘friends’ independently reported him to police for his burglaries that occurred close to dates of Night Stalker attacks. SFPD’s Frank Falzon was led to Ramirez’s friend Armando Rodriguez who told him Ramirez’s name. Police argued over whether to release Richard Ramirez’s 1984 mugshot, with Falzon insisting…
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A Web of Informants: Part 2. Jesse Perez
As explained in Part One, Detectives were hoping to link the ‘Burglar Rick’ reported by Alejandro Espinoza to the ‘Burglar Rick’ reported by the Gregg family. The same time all this was going on, another informant called the police: Jesse Perez. Jesse Perez had met Ramirez through his older brother Julián, who was his neighbour.…
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A Web of Informants: Part 1. Closing In
The Net Closes A series of events caused detectives to home in on Richard Ramirez. After the Khovananth attack, the LAPD disseminated a police bulletin as well as a ‘wanted poster’ of the suspect. They told the public that this man, a Latino, had attacked a dozen people and was armed and dangerous. His distinguishing…
Expendable For A Cause. 