The Night Stalker

In 1985, serial killer Richard Ramirez (AKA ‘The Night Stalker’) attacked 22-year-old Maria Hernandez outside her home, shooting her in the face with a .22 caliber handgun after she pulled into her garage. She survived when the bullet ricocheted off the keys she held in her hands as she lifted them to protect herself. He was captured the same year trying to steal a car. The car’s owner and his neighbors chased him down and recognized him from mugshots on TV. When the police arrived, the men were beating him in the street. During his trial, one of the jurors actually fell in love with him and even sent him a cupcake with “I love you” written in icing. She still, however, gave him a guilty verdict.