The Case of Mabel "Ma" Bell

Mabel "Ma" Bell was 83 when Richard Ramirez attacked her in her Monrovia home in May 1985. Ramirez broke into the house, assaulted Bell and robbed her before leaving her seriously injured. She survived the attack initially but died several weeks later from complications related to her injuries.

Mabel Bell was an 83-year-old widow who lived alone in Monrovia, California. She became one of the oldest victims of Richard Ramirez during his 1985 crime spree. By this stage, Ramirez had moved rapidly between communities throughout Southern California, targeting people in their homes and frequently attacking during the night. Bell's age did not prevent her from becoming a target. Ramirez entered her home, assaulted her and stole property before leaving the residence.

Ramirez broke into Bell's home and attacked her inside. She suffered severe injuries during the assault, including significant head trauma. Ramirez also robbed her before fleeing. Bell survived the immediate attack but remained seriously injured. Her condition subsequently deteriorated, and she died several weeks later.

Bell's attack became part of the rapidly expanding investigation into the series of home invasions and assaults being committed across Southern California. Investigators were increasingly recognising a pattern in which the offender entered private residences, often while occupants were asleep, and attacked or robbed them. By the summer of 1985, police agencies across Southern California were sharing information about the crimes and attempting to identify the offender. Ramirez was arrested in August 1985 after residents in East Los Angeles recognised him from photographs released by authorities and pursued him until police arrived. Evidence gathered after his arrest allowed investigators to connect him to numerous attacks, including the assault on Bell.

Richard Ramirez was convicted in 1989 of Bell's murder as part of the series of crimes prosecuted during his trial. He was sentenced to death after being convicted of 13 murders, along with numerous other violent offences. Ramirez remained on California's death row until his death from complications of B-cell lymphoma at San Quentin State Prison on June 7, 2013.

Bell's case illustrates the wide age range of people targeted during Ramirez's crime spree. Unlike many of his younger victims, Bell was an elderly woman living alone.