The Case of William and Lillian Doi

On May 14, 1985, Richard Ramirez broke into the Monterey Park home of William and Lillian Doi. William, 66, was shot and beaten after confronting the intruder, while Lillian, 56, was restrained and sexually assaulted. William later died from his injuries, making the attack one of the increasingly violent incidents attributed to Ramirez during the Night Stalker investigation.

William Doi was 66 years old and lived with his wife, Lillian, 56, in Monterey Park. The couple became victims during a period when Ramirez was escalating his attacks throughout Southern California. He had already been linked to several murders and home invasions, but investigators had not yet identified him. On May 14, 1985, Ramirez entered the Doi residence and confronted William. The attack demonstrated the increasingly violent nature of Ramirez's crimes, involving a firearm, physical assault, robbery and a sexual attack against Lillian.

Ramirez entered the Doi home and encountered William in his bedroom. William attempted to retrieve his own firearm, but Ramirez shot him in the face with a .22-caliber handgun. Ramirez then beat the wounded man before moving through the house. Lillian was restrained with thumbcuffs and sexually assaulted. Ramirez searched the residence for valuables before leaving. William was transported to hospital but died from his injuries. The handgun used in the attack became important physical evidence in the wider investigation because investigators later linked it ballistically to other crimes attributed to Ramirez.

The Doi murder became part of the rapidly expanding Night Stalker investigation. Investigators were examining a series of attacks involving home invasions, shootings, sexual assaults and murders across Southern California. The use of the same firearm in multiple incidents helped establish connections between otherwise separate crime scenes. A newspaper deliveryman also reported seeing a man matching Ramirez's description near the Doi residence shortly before the attack. Following Ramirez's arrest in August 1985, investigators assembled evidence from the numerous crime scenes and connected him to the Doi attack. The case was subsequently included among the murders prosecuted during Ramirez's 1989 trial.

Richard Ramirez was convicted of murdering William Doi in 1989. The murder formed part of the 13 murder convictions that resulted in Ramirez receiving a death sentence. Lillian Doi survived the attack. 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.

The Doi case was significant because it produced ballistic evidence linking the murder weapon to other Night Stalker crimes, helping investigators establish that seemingly separate attacks were connected.