Ramirez Pleads Innocent in Orange County Case

Night Stalker suspect Richard Ramirez pleaded not guilty in Orange County Municipal Court on Friday to charges of shooting a Mission Viejo man in the head and raping his girlfriend last summer.

Wearing a blue Los Angeles County prisoner’s jump suit, the 25-year-old drifter from Texas spoke during the five-minute court appearance only to waive his right to a preliminary hearing within 10 days.

Ramirez is accused in Los Angeles County of committing 14 murders between June, 1984, and August, 1985. His attorney, Arturo Hernandez, told Judge B. Tam Nomoto in Santa Ana that the preliminary hearing on the Los Angeles County charges is expected to continue another four months.

To Return June 27

Nomoto ordered Ramirez to return to court June 27, when she will set a date for his Orange County preliminary hearing.

Ramirez is charged with attempted murder, burglary and two counts each of rape, forced oral copulation and robbery stemming from the Aug. 25 attack on William Carns, 29, and his girlfriend in their Mission Viejo home. Carns, a computer engineer, was shot three times in the head and is still undergoing therapy.

Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. James Enright, noting that the Orange County hearing will last two to three weeks, said he is willing to wait until the Los Angeles hearings end.

“Our case won’t go stale,” Enright said outside the courtroom.

While Carns’ girlfriend is the key witness, Carns may also be called to testify, Enright said. “But he has only limited memory of what happened.”

Telephoned Bomb Threat

Moments after the hearing ended at 11 a.m. Friday, the entire 11-story courthouse was evacuated because of a telephoned bomb threat by what was described as a young, angry man. Marshal’s Lt. Mike Carona said the threat was not aimed at Ramirez. After a search, the building reopened at noon.

Security for Ramirez’s second appearance before Nomoto was less than it was in December when marshals made spectators pass through a metal detector before entering the courtroom. On Friday, eight marshals were posted around the room and another four stood directly behind Ramirez.