Richard Ramirez Update: Notorious serial killer known as "The Nightstalker" dies in the hospital, prison officials say

 (AP) LOS ANGELES --  Richard Ramirez, the notorious serial killer known as the Night Stalker, died early Friday in a hospital, a state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation official said.

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Ramirez, 53, "passed away this morning," San Quentin State Prison spokesman Lt. Sam Robinson told The Associated Press. No other details were released.

Ramirez had been taken from death row to Marin General Hospital.

Ramirez was convicted of 13 murders that terrorized Southern California in 1984 and 1985, and was sentenced to death.

Satanic symbols were left at murder scenes and some victims were forced to "swear to Satan" by the killer, who entered homes through unlocked windows and doors.

Ramirez was captured and beaten in 1985 by residents of an East Los Angeles neighborhood while attempting a carjacking.