If you’ve spent any time in the dark corners of true crime, you know the name Richard Ramirez. The "Night Stalker" terrorized California in the 80s with a level of cruelty that still feels surreal. But there is a part of the story that feels even more bizarre than the crimes themselves: Doreen Lioy, the woman who saw a monster and decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
She wasn't just a fan. She was the official wife of Richard Ramirez.
Honestly, it's the kind of thing that makes you do a double-take. Why would a successful, reportedly high-IQ magazine editor give up her family and her reputation for a man who claimed to be a servant of Satan?
The Woman Behind the Glass
Doreen Lioy was a freelance magazine editor living in Burbank when she first saw Ramirez on TV. Most people saw a predator. She saw something else.
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She started writing him letters. A lot of them. We’re talking nearly 75 letters over several years. While Ramirez was sitting in a cell at San Quentin, Lioy was becoming his fiercest advocate. She was convinced of his innocence, despite the overwhelming evidence, the fingerprints, and the survivors who identified him.
By 1988, she was a regular at his trial. People noticed her. She was a slim, professional-looking woman who would sit there, watching a man who had mutilated victims, and she’d blow him kisses. It was unsettling for the public to witness.
That Bizarre 1996 Wedding
They finally tied the knot on October 3, 1996.
It wasn't exactly a fairytale. The ceremony took place inside a visiting room at San Quentin State Prison. There was no white dress or cathedral. Instead, you had a bride in a short white dress and a groom in prison blues.
Lioy actually bought him a silver wedding band. He couldn't have a gold one because of prison regulations.
She once told a reporter from the Los Angeles Times that being with him was "her dream." She even claimed she’d take her own life the day he was executed. That’s a level of devotion that most of us can’t even begin to wrap our heads around. Her family, unsurprisingly, disowned her for the choice. She didn't care. To her, Richard was "kind" and "funny."
The Hybristophilia Factor
Psychologists often point to a condition called hybristophilia—also known as "Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome"—to explain women like Lioy.
It’s a paraphilia where people are sexually or romantically attracted to those who commit horrific crimes. It sounds wild, but it’s more common than you’d think. Ted Bundy had it. Charles Manson had it. There’s something about the "bad boy" archetype taken to a lethal extreme that triggers a protective or romantic response in certain people.
For Lioy, she seemed to enjoy the "exclusivity" of the relationship. In a prison setting, she was the one he chose. She had a kind of control and importance in his life that she might not have felt in the outside world.
Where is the wife of Richard Ramirez now?
Here is where the trail goes cold.
For years, Doreen was his biggest defender. She appeared in documentaries and gave interviews insisting he was a misunderstood soul. But then, something changed.
Around 2009, news broke that DNA evidence had linked Richard Ramirez to the 1984 murder of a 9-year-old girl, Mei Leung. This was a crime that happened even before his main "Night Stalker" spree.
It seems this might have been the breaking point even for Doreen.
Reports suggest they separated shortly after this revelation. When Ramirez died in 2013 from B-cell lymphoma and other complications, Lioy was nowhere to be found. She didn't claim the body. Nobody saw her at the prison. She basically vanished from the public eye.
Current Status in 2026
As of 2026, Doreen Lioy remains a ghost.
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- She is believed to be living under a different name.
- She has granted zero interviews in over a decade.
- There are no confirmed photos of her from the last ten years.
Basically, she chose to disappear. Whether she finally realized who he really was or just couldn't handle the notoriety anymore, she has successfully scrubbed herself from the narrative.
Why This Case Still Haunts Us
The story of the wife of Richard Ramirez serves as a grim reminder of how easily the human mind can rationalize the irrational.
We want to believe that evil is easy to spot and impossible to love. Lioy proved that for some, the "monster" is just a man they think they can save.
If you are looking for more information on the Night Stalker's trial or the psychology of prison marriages, I recommend looking into Philip Carlo’s book, The Night Stalker. He interviewed both Ramirez and Lioy extensively and provides the most nuanced look at their relationship.
The most actionable takeaway here? True crime isn't just about the killers; it's about the strange, tragic orbit of the people they pull in with them. If you’re researching this for a project or just out of curiosity, always look for the primary sources from the 1996 era—that’s where the most unfiltered version of Doreen exists.
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To understand the full scope of the crimes that Lioy was willing to overlook, you should examine the 1985 forensic reports which eventually led to the DNA matches that likely ended their marriage. These documents are often available through public records and criminal justice archives.