His last victim, Bill Carns, is overjoyed by his death

Jun 8, 2013 08:22 GMT  ·  By

Prison officials at San Quentin report that a serial killer known as the "Night Stalker" has died at the age of 53.

According to TMZ, Richard Ramirez, the man responsible for 13 known killings, five attempted murders and 11 rapes in the 80s, has succumbed to liver failure.

Ramirez reportedly suffered from Hepatitis C, an infectious disease transmitted through blood transfusions, intravenous drug use and, according to some medical professionals, though intimate relations.

The Night Stalker operated in Los Angeles and would often break into houses through open windows.

He attacked several couples in 1985, killing the men and raping the women as their boyfriends or husbands watched on.

It has been suggested that he was a Satanist, showing up in court with a pentagram drawn on the palm of his hand and making one of his victims commit her love to Satan as he was raping her.

The victim's fiancee, Bill Carns, survived the incident even after incurring a gunshot wound to the head.

"I feel better already. [….] I feel like I lost 50 pounds, like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.

"Saying that I’m happy he's dead is too simple ... I’m at peace with myself," he describes finding out about his death.

He has been left with a partial paralysis, and his former girlfriend has also survived the incident.

"I will go out and have Mexican food to celebrate.

"I'm going to eat a beef burrito ... chips and salsa too, of course ... and a Diet Cherry Coke,” he adds about how he is planning on celebrating the news.

Ramirez was found because he left a fingerprint at a crime scene. He was tracked down and captured by a mob after his identity was made public.

He got caught in the middle of a car theft and he was severely beaten. A trial ensued and he was convicted of murder and sentenced to death, a penalty which has been pending since 1989.

"I wish he would have died about 30 years earlier ... [but I'm] thankful it happened now," Carns notes.