Cynthia Horner and the rest of the world were shocked to learn that Doreen Leewy had developed a relationship with the “Night Stalker.”
The Tiger Beat magazine editor married Richard Ramirez in 1996 in the visiting room of San Quentin prison.
The serial killer, who died in 2013 at age 53 while on death row, is the subject of a new true-crime documentary series about Peacock, “Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes.”
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A wedding photo shown to the media of “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez and his new bride Doreen Lioy, outside the doors of San Quentin Prison, on October 3, 1996, in San Quentin, California. The photo was taken of the newlyweds during the wedding ceremony inside the prison earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Lacey Atkins)
The special, available for streaming, draws on 25 hours of prison audio recordings of Ramirez while on death row, as well as new interviews with relatives and loved ones of the victims.
“People always ask me about Richard Ramirez because they're still fascinated by him, even 40 years later,” Horner explained to Fox News Digital. “They are fascinated and horrified at the same time.”
“I think we can all learn some lessons from this story. Just because someone is in prison, and they are willing to write to you, doesn't mean you need to give your life to them.”
Richard Ramirez was nicknamed the “Night Stalker” by the press for his heinous crimes in California. (Getty Images)
Lewy, whose previous televised interviews have appeared in the docuseries, did not participate. The 69-year-old did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Horner was an editor at Right On! magazine in the late 1970s when she met Lioy. Both women worked for the same publishing company.
“Right on! Very focused on Michael Jackson,” Horner shared. “And of course, Tiger Beat features all the teen stars who have appeared on various TV shows like The Partridge Family.” We had a photo studio at the company headquarters where all the stars would come to have their photos taken and we were all very friendly with each other in the office and some of us even walked around at night.
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Doreen Lewy begins writing to serial killer Richard Ramirez, much to the dismay of her colleagues. (Peacock/NBC News Studios)
One day at the office, Horner noticed that several of his colleagues were visibly upset. She learned that Lewie had become pen pals with Ramirez.
Before Lewy began writing to Ramirez, she believed he was innocent and publicly defended him. People magazine I mentioned.
According to the outlet, she wrote to Ramirez in February 1988 and met with him that year.
“It wasn't a good look,” Horner said. “We all worked in teen magazines…so for her to have a relationship with Richard Ramirez of all people was not a good look for us…She was a huge fan.”
Doreen Lewy visited Richard Ramirez frequently at San Quentin. Relatives described Liu as a recluse who lived in a fantasy world. (Peacock/NBC News Studios)
“A super cheerleader, in my opinion, is someone who will go the extra mile. She's someone who will go the extra mile to be the biggest supporter there can be.
“…Doreen went above and beyond. Not only did she write letters to Richard Ramirez while he was in prison, but she also tried to contact the media because she felt he was innocent. She was trying to be like a publicist in a way, trying to change the course of “What was happening?”
“The whole world saw him as someone who committed horrific crimes, killed people and hurt people,” Horner continued. “But that wasn't how she saw him. She viewed him as someone who needed help. She was willing to put her name out there and try to help him whenever she could.”
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Doreen Lioy said she was a virgin when she met Richard Ramirez. (Peacock/NBC News Studios)
Ramirez was convicted of 13 murders That terrorized Southern California in 1984 and 1985, as well as charges of rape, sodomy, oral copulation, robbery, and attempted murder.
The killing spree reached its peak in the summer of 1985, when the nocturnal killer entered homes through open windows and doors. He killed men and women with gunshots to the head or knives to the throat, sexually assaulted female victims, and robbed homes.
There were also signs of devil worship. He drew a pentagram at one of the crime scenes and survivors also described that the killer ordered them to “swear to the devil.”
At his first court appearance, Richard Ramirez raised his hand with a pentagram drawn on it and shouted: “Hail Satan.” (Peacock/NBC News Studios)
The press dubbed him the “Night Stalker” while residents were warned to close their doors and windows.
Ramirez was finally chased down and beaten in 1985 by residents of a blue-collar neighborhood in East Los Angeles while trying to steal a car. They recognized him after his picture appeared that day in the media.
Ramirez's trial took a year, but the entire case — bogged down in motions and appeals — lasted four years, making it one of the longest criminal cases in U.S. history. He was sentenced to death.
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A sketch of Richard Ramirez before his arrest. (Peacock/NBC News Studios)
Inexplicably, Ramirez had a following of admiring young women. His companions would come to the courtroom regularly and send him love letters.
Horner said Lewy “knew how to push herself to the top of the line.”
“When you're a magazine editor… you know what will work and what won't,” Lewy explained. “She knew what she could write in a letter that might catch his attention…and I think he liked the fact that she worked for a magazine company.
Because of the notoriety, more than 1,600 potential jurors were called. The trial was nearly aborted in its final stages when one of the jurors was killed during deliberations. (Peacock/NBC News Studios)
“The magazines we published featured some of the most famous people in the world, and this man had a huge ego. I think he was fascinated by the kind of relationship he developed with her.”
“He probably found it amusing at first,” she said. “And then he realized how much he helped her because she fell in love with him.”
Relatives described Liu as a recluse who lived in a fantasy world. This did not stop her from expressing her devotion to Ramirez. Horner claimed that a jealous Lewy would make sure she arrived early at the prison to see Ramirez, knowing there were many other women eager to see him.
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Doreen Lewy, center, of San Rafael, Calif., walks with her head bowed as prison guards escort her and author Philip Carlo, left, to the media gathered outside the doors of San Quentin Prison, Thursday, Oct. 3, 1996, in San Quentin, Calif., moments later. From her marriage to “Night Stalker” serial killer Richard Ramirez. “I just want to say that I am very happy today and very proud to be married to Richard and to be his wife,” Lioy said. (AP Photo/Lacey Atkins)
“I know she was worried because a lot of these sets were really great,” Horner said. “These women would try to visit once or twice a week, sometimes on a regular basis. So, I made sure to stay on his radar.”
One of Lioy's friends said Ramirez rolled his eyes at her because she said she was a virgin. SF portal I mentioned.
According to los angeles times, Lewy visited Ramirez four times a week and was often among the first in line to visit.
Richard Ramirez is shown here being led from the courtroom after being convicted of killing 13 people. He was sentenced to death in a gas chamber. Ramirez showed the devil's horn mark and shouted at reporters. (Getty Images)
“I fell in love with him,” Horner said. “Sometimes when you're in the working world, you don't have… relationships because you're so wrapped up in your career, especially the kind of career we had… That's why a lot of people didn't stay in our industry because at some point, some people wanted Marriage and having children.”
Horner said Ramirez was a “nice, safe friend” to someone like Lewy.
“He was someone she could write to and trust,” she said. “He can also trust her. That's how it all started.”
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Richard Ramirez's marathon trial, which ended in 1989, was a horror show in which jurors heard about his crimes in great detail. Courtroom observers wept as survivors of some of the attacks testified. (Getty Images)
Ramirez's crimes were horrific Beyond filming, it didn't stop wide-eyed fans, including Liwi, from flocking to him.
“I understood how this could happen,” Horner said. “We didn't have social media…we had TVs, pictures, print media. When people saw these pictures of him, they were crazy about him because he looked like a rock star. He didn't look like someone he was.” Really in prison, I think a lot of people focused on his appearance.
“Now, some people might not think he was that cool looking, but that's how it was in the '80s. If you look at pictures of different celebrities from the '80s and rock stars and all that, you'll see that they all had that…bad boy swagger and people went crazy.” Because of that.
Richard Ramirez was convicted of 13 murders that terrorized Southern California in 1984 and 1985, as well as charges of rape, sodomy, oral copulation, robbery and attempted murder. (Peacock/NBC News Studios)
When Ramirez and Lioy said, “I do,” no one from her family attended the event. According to reports, they were not allowed to have conjugal visits.
Two years after his arrest, San Francisco police said DNA linked Ramirez to the 1984 murder of 9-year-old Mei Leung. She was killed in the basement of an apartment hotel in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood where she lived with her family.
Ramirez was staying in nearby hotels.
This photo shows Richard Ramirez on June 15, 2007, at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California. He died in 2013. (AP/California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
According to the docuseries, Lioy distanced herself after the police made the announcement. Her whereabouts were unknown At the time of Ramirez's deathShe was not listed among his relatives.
According to the documentary, Lewy does not want to be recognized.
Horner has not been in contact with Lewy in recent years. But she would love to have the chance to sit with her again.
“Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes” is available for streaming. (peacock)
“It's been a long time coming,” she said. “But I want to reach out because I have some questions…and I would like to know what kind of answers I will get.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
