Ramon Alberto Escobar was born on June 5, 1971, in El Salvador. He grew up in a poor family during a difficult time known as the Football War, which caused much suffering in the country. Due to the poverty and conflict, his early life was hard.

In the mid-1980s, Escobar left El Salvador and came to the United States illegally. However, he was arrested in early 1988 and deported back to El Salvador a month later. Escobar tried to return to the United States and succeeded in the early 1990s. He moved in with some of his relatives in Houston, Texas.

From 1992 until his arrest in 2018, Escobar was in trouble with the law many times. He faced charges for various crimes, such as burglary, assault, and trespassing. Between 1995 and 2000, he spent time in a Texas prison for theft. After his release, he was deported once more.

He returned to the U.S. again and was arrested again in late 2001 for illegal entry. He was sentenced to 23 months in prison. While in prison, Escobar was diagnosed with schizophrenia and sent to a psychiatric facility for several months.

Throughout the years, he was deported from the United States a total of six times between 1997 and 2011. In 2012, he attempted to enter the U.S. once more but got caught at the border in Brownsville. While in jail, he showed signs of mental instability and was sent to a psychiatric hospital.

After his treatment, he was extradited back to Brownsville, where he was put on trial. In October 2013, he was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.

After completing his sentence, Escobar was deported again but managed to return almost immediately. He appealed his immigration case and applied for political asylum. In January 2017, he was granted permanent residency status.

Escobar then moved in with his uncle and aunt in Houston. He worked as a day laborer but sometimes stole to make extra money. In late 2017 and early 2018, he faced additional arrests for trespassing and theft but paid fines instead of going to trial.

The murders committed by Ramon Alberto Escobar began on August 26, 2018. He killed his 65-year-old uncle, Rogelio, by beating him to death with a police baton in Houston, Texas. After the murder, he did not try to hide the crime. Instead, he disposed of Rogelio's body and left his belongings on the porch for family members to find. His 60-year-old aunt Dina became suspicious when she noticed them missing.

Two days later, Escobar attacked Dina when she stopped her car in a suburb of Houston. He strangled her and then disposed of her body in a separate dumpster. Their remains were later found in a landfill.

After the murders, Escobar stole Dina's minivan and drove to Galveston, Texas. He left the van at a beach and set it on fire to destroy evidence. Escobar was briefly detained by police for questioning about the disappearances but was released due to lack of evidence. He then fled to California, living in homeless encampments around Los Angeles.

On September 8, Escobar assaulted a homeless man sleeping on a beach in Santa Monica. The man survived despite severe head injuries. Two days later, Escobar attacked another homeless man, Juan Antonio Ramirez, resulting in Ramirez falling into a coma. He died in January 2021.

On September 16, he attacked three sleeping homeless men in Downtown Los Angeles. Two of the victims died, and one survived. Escobar was captured on CCTV during these murders. On September 20, he killed 39-year-old Steven Ray Cruze Jr. under the Santa Monica Pier. Unlike previous victims, Cruze was not homeless.

Four days later, Escobar attacked 63-year-old Jorge Martinez on the street. Martinez was taken to the hospital but died a few days later.

Escobar was arrested shortly after the attack on Martinez. Police found a baseball bat and bolt cutters in his car. He was linked to the murders of his aunt and uncle after investigators discovered remains related to those cases. In early October 2018, he faced multiple charges, including four counts of murder.

Further investigations revealed additional assaults and robbery attempts by Escobar. He eventually confessed to killing his aunt and uncle while being detained.

In May 2022, Escobar was sentenced to life in prison after accepting a plea deal in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.

While in prison, Escobar became involved in another incident. On February 24, 2023, his cellmate, Juan Villanueva, was found dead. Investigators later determined that Villanueva had died from ligature strangulation. Escobar is awaiting prosecution for this murder as well.