Mission Viejo : Night Stalker Shooting Victim Is Recovering

William Carns Jr. is recovering with surprising speed from the Aug. 25 attack in Mission Viejo attributed to the Night Stalker, but it will be five years before he can return to work, his parents said in a weekend interview. “His progress is better and faster than I thought,” William Carns Sr. said, “because he was in the very best of health.”

Carns and his wife, Anne, said the “terrible trauma” of the attack has been eased by an outpouring of support from Orange County residents.

“What helped us was the caring of the people here and the support,” Anne Carns said.

The Carns, of North Dakota, attended a Saddleback College Gauchos’ football game with the Citrus College Owls on Saturday night. The proceeds of the game had been donated by students to help pay for Carns’ recovery.

Bill Carns, 30, was shot in the head and his fiancee was raped inside the bedroom of their Mission Viejo home by the man believed to be the “Night Stalker” killer. The suspect in the case, Richard Ramirez, has been charged with attacking 28 people and murdering 15 in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas in 1984 and 1985.

Carns, a computer engineer, has been undergoing therapy at Saddleback hospital for his injuries.

Anne Carns said her son’s fiancee has been very supportive of him throughout his hospitalization. She said the woman has been visiting her fiance every day and helping him in therapy.

The Carnses called the concern and support of Orange County residents “wonderful.”

“There’s no words to express how I feel,” said William Carns. “It’s just fantastic that (they) are concerned for Bill. I don’t feel Bill is just a number.”