Victims of Stalker See Ramirez in Jail Lineup

Seeking to strengthen their case against Night Stalker suspect Richard Ramirez, authorities Thursday night placed the 25-year-old drifter in a lineup before about 30 surviving relatives, witnesses and victims of attacks allegedly committed by Ramirez.

Sheriff’s officials declined to say whether any of those who attended the lineup at Los Angeles County Central Jail were able to recognized Ramirez.

After the lineup, the victims and witnesses examined about 2,000 pieces of jewelry and other articles, including video-cassette recorders and cameras, that investigators believe Ramirez stole in a series of burglaries in California. Ramirez is suspected of having committed at least 15 slayings and 21 assaults, kidnapings and rapes during the break-ins.

Ramirez was arrested Saturday in East Los Angeles after an all-points bulletin was issued for his arrest the night before. He is being held without bail in a maximum security section of the jail.

Affect on Case

The recollections of those who allegedly encountered Ramirez and their ability to prove ownership of the stolen items may ultimately determine which slayings and other criminal acts prosecutors will pursue against the El Paso, Tex., native, sheriff’s officials said.

Witnesses, victims and survivors who visited the jail Thursday night viewed Ramirez in a 25-foot-by-80-foot room equipped with a stage, intense lighting and a one-way-glass partition running the length of the stage. Viewers were seated on one side of the glass, while Ramirez and a half-dozen other unidentified men resembling him were marched onto the stage.

Those in the lineup were unable to see those who viewed them or to hear their comments.

Sheriff’s Lt. Dick Walls said that generally in such procedures, those on stage are asked through an intercom system to turn several directions so that viewers have sufficient opportunity to observe them. Viewers are then asked to identify the suspect.

At the request of the Sheriff’s Department, the news media agreed to remain away from the jail while the victims and survivors filtered in and out.

“What concerns us is the condition of some of our witnesses,” said Deputy Willie Miller told reporters. “Some are under medical care, some are with nurses. We are afraid, as traumatized as they are, having to face news media prior to or after that might damage our case.”

Walls said Thursday night that most of the jewelry and other stolen items linked to Ramirez had been taken this year. He would not specify where the items had been found, except to say that locations included Los Angeles County, San Francisco and El Paso.

Some of the goods were recovered with a search warrant, Walls said, but he would not say where that warrant was executed.

“It’s evidence that has been gathered in this investigation by various methods, including from individuals who accepted the articles or bought the articles from a suspect that we believe to be Ramirez,” he said.

He noted that “many” people who had purchased articles from Ramirez or had received gifts from him turned them over to authorities voluntarily when they learned that the items might have come from the prime suspect in the Night Stalker investigation.

Such was the case two weeks ago, when police in Lompoc, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles, were contacted by a woman who told them that she had recently acquired a bracelet and ring from a “old family acquaintance” in San Francisco whom she knew only as “Rick.” She told authorities that “Rick” closely resembled a widely circulated composite sketch of the man believed to be the Stalker. Using the jewelry and other evidence, detectives were later able to link Ramirez to the Aug. 15 burglary and, ultimately, to the Aug. 17 slaying in San Francisco of 66-year-old accountant Peter Pan.

The articles on display at the Central Jail filled three, 25-foot-long tables that were guarded by two deputies. The items, besides the rings, broaches, necklaces and earrings, included cameras, televisions, a video cassette recorder, video tapes, three suitcases and even a ceramic vase.

Dozens of pieces of jewelry were believed stolen July 20 in Sun Valley, where 32-year-old Chainarong Khovanath was shot to death and his wife assaulted by a late-night intruder. Police said at the time that at least $30,000 in jewels and cash had been taken.

In a related development, authorities report that the search for evidence in the case has widened to Utah, where jewelry that may be linked to Pan’s murder in San Francisco was located.

Ogden, Utah, Police Chief Joe H. Ritchie said Thursday that a 10-karat gold ring had been linked to the Stalker suspect. He said an Ogden resident surrendered the ring last Sunday after receiving a call from a friend in the San Francisco area who had given it to him.

Ritchie said the ring is believed to have been a gift from Ramirez that was later passed on to the Utah man.

In Los Angeles, County Supervisor Pete Schabarum called for a $5,000 “no-questions-asked” reward to anyone who turns in a gun that Ramirez is believed to have dropped while running from angry citizens Saturday in Boyle Heights.

Los Angeles authorities searched without success for the weapon Wednesday, leading to speculation that it may have been found and kept by someone who did not realize its significance.

A sheriff’s spokesman said officers were “praying someone will hear about it and step forward.”