High Profile Criminals: Blueprint Childhood and background (family life, friends) Richard Ramirez was born to Julian and Mercedes Ramirez on February 29, 1960 in EL Paso, Texas. His mother Mercedes was a devout Catholic and once he crossed the border from Mexico to America, he began working in a boot factory, while his father, a former police officer, became a worker for the Santa-Fe railroad. Ramirez was the youngest of five children. When Richard was young, he was ironically described as an angel: innocent and pure. His mother described him as a happy, normal child who loved to laugh and giggle. At the age of two and five, Richard had suffered two serious head injuries which led to him suffering life-changing seizures. Because of the seizures, he was not allowed to participate in the same activities as his classmates. He still managed to get good grades in school and his friends adored him. His friends remembered him as a friendly, charming and good child. There were many forces that shaped his life, like his father. His father was prone to fits of anger and often took it out on his children. To avoid his father, Richard often stayed close to his mother. He attended church with her and appeared to be religious. When Richard was eight or nine years old, he was said to have been sexually abused by a teacher who would come to the Ramirez home to help his brother, who suffered from a birth defect. Most of Richard's childhood was problematic. His older cousin Mike, who fought in the Vietnam War and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, was a negative influence. When Richard was eleven, Mike helped him destroy any trace of innocence he had left. He told Richard gruesome stories about the torture and mutilation he had inflicted on several Vietnamese women, corroborating these stories with vivid and horrific images..