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California death row inmate convicted in 1983 murder of OC woman dies in prison at 66

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Published  May 26, 2026 8:08 AM PDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 11
article

Richard Raymond Ramirez booking photo in 2024 / California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

The Brief

    • Condemned murderer and serial rapist Richard Raymond Ramirez died while in custody at the California Health Care Facility (CHCF) in Stockton on May 24.
    • Ramirez was serving a death sentence for the 1983 slaying of 22-year-old Kimberly Gonzalez in Garden Grove, a conviction that was retried in 2013 after initially being overturned.
    • Officials have not released a cause of death, which will be officially determined by the San Joaquin County Coroner following an autopsy.

STOCKTON, Calif. - A notorious murderer and serial rapist who was condemned to death for the brutal 1983 killing of a young Orange County woman has died in prison, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

What we know:

Richard Raymond Ramirez, 66, died on May 24 while in the custody of CHCF, a Stockton facility designed to provide medical and mental health treatment to incarcerated individuals with severe, long-term needs, officials said. 

Ramirez was on condemned status for the November 21, 1983, first-degree murder, rape, and sodomy of 22-year-old Kimberly "Kim" Gonzalez. 

Gonzalez, a Bank of America teller from Norwalk, was found dead in a narrow walkway near Mr. Barry's bar in Garden Grove, where she had been seen socializing and leaving with Ramirez. 

She had been stabbed 19 times, and a key piece of evidence linking Ramirez to the crime scene was a long-neck Budweiser bottle carrying his fingerprints.

Ramirez also had a prior criminal history, including an October 1977 conviction for the forcible rape of a 23-year-old woman, during which he threatened the victim and her 1-year-old child with a knife.

Officials noted that Ramirez is not the infamous "Night Stalker" serial killer of the same name; that Richard Ramirez died of cancer complications in prison in 2013.

What we don't know:

The exact medical event or underlying condition that led to Ramirez's death is unknown. Officials did not release details on his final medical state prior to being transferred to the outside hospital.

What's next:

The San Joaquin County Coroner will conduct an investigation and autopsy to determine Ramirez's official cause of death.

According to state officials, there are currently 572 condemned individuals remaining in the CDCR system.

The Source: This report is based on information from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

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