Doreen Lioy, better known as the wife of Richard Ramirez, aka The Night Stalker, had her fair share of media attention thanks to her husband's death trial. All of that stopped after Ramirez's death behind bars due to complications of B-cell lymphoma.

Ever since then, she has been off the public radar. However, recent claims from the Full House actor John Phillip Stamos have shifted some limelight back to the Night Stalker's wife.

John Stamos Spoke of Doreen Lioy After Richard Ramirez's Death

Not much was known about Doreen Lioy's past, apart from the obvious fact that she married a convicted serial killer and rapist whom she only met after his heinous crimes were made into national news.

Ironically, she left Ramirez in 2007 when DNA evidence confirmed that her husband had raped and murdered nine-year-old Mei Leung in 1984. All in all, Ramirez was responsible for the death of at least 14 people. He also raped and tortured dozens more before he was captured in 1985. He married Lioy in 1996.

However, more recent events unearthed a different side of the serial killer's widow. In an exclusive segment with Entertainment Tonight back in 2019, seasoned actor John Stamos revealed that he was actually mentored by Lioy before making his big break with General Hospital back in 1982. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by John Stamos (@johnstamos)

What Was the Revelation That John Stamos Made?

The 2019 article further elaborated that Stamos met Lioy through a friend, Michael Damian, when he was just 16 or 17 years of age. Judging by the fact that Stamos was born on August 19, 1963, their first encounter can be narrowed down to the late 70's — at least half a decade before Lioy engaged in the notorious killer's courtship.

Lioy was an editor with Tiger Beat magazine, a popular teen fan magazine at the time. She took up an interest in the young Stamos and even was the first to feature him in the magazine. The now-celebrated star first appeared in the editor's section in a photo alongside Lioy before he eventually became a staple on the cover.

Not only that, but Stamos also revealed that he was trained by the serial killer's widow for his breakout role in General Hospital. The role won the actor a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The actor and Lioy developed a deeper bond as the circumstances unfolded, and the two were almost family. 

[Lioy] was sort of like a sister and became best friends with my mother -- she was a very lonely woman -- [and] spent all the holidays with us.

Doreen Lioy Described John Stamos & Husband with Same Words

However, what startled Stamos the most was the fact that Lioy used the same compliments to describe Ramirez that she once said about him.

Many years prior to the infamous killer's death, Lioy spoke to CNN about the impression he left on her. She did not see a cold-blooded killer, no! In fact, she claimed that he was a wonderful person who became her best friend. 

He [Richard Ramirez] is kind, he's funny, he's charming...I think he's really a great person. He's my best friend; he's my buddy.

Not to anyone's surprise, Stamos' family cut ties with Lioy after her relationship with the serial killer became public. As far as her whereabouts are concerned, Lioy has been off the public radar since the death of Richard Ramirez.