Netflix has made a name for itself in recent years as the source of some of the most talked-about documentaries that have shaped pop cultural discourse. The streamer’s releases, whether scripted or non-scripted, typically capture real crime stories that seem too implausible to be true, whether it’s exposing strange true crime cases (“Making a Murderer”) or digging into the underworld of murder, mullets, and wild cats (“Tiger King”). The horrific subject matter is sadly all too true.
Nevertheless, it makes sense why these documentaries are so popular. After all, watching true crime stories is always morbidly interesting. Finding new subgenres within the genre is a difficult task, though. Netflix has recently started focusing more on stories involving con artists, such as “Inventing Anna,” “Bad Vegan,” and “Tinder Swindler,” in an effort to keep things interesting. However, the most recent one, “Worst Roommate Ever,” may be the most frightful of them.
“Worst Roommate Ever” is based on the same-named New York Magazine article, as its title would imply. In the five-episode miniseries, housemates who later turned out to be deadly criminals share their story. The selected tales of fear, which range from killers to stalkers, are extremely perplexing, but they are more true than some viewers might realise. One of the season’s most terrifying stories is on KC Joy, a convicted murderer whose case is still clouded in controversy. However, who is he and what is his background?
KC Joy has a tragic and troubled background
The majority of Netflix’s “Worst Roommate Ever” centres on KC Joy’s life during the Maribel Ramos case events, but more on that in a moment. As a result, the series doesn’t go into great detail about his past. According to the Netflix documentary, he was originally from Tennessee and moved to California due to personal and professional difficulties. In short, Joy moved away and started over after losing both his job and his parents while he was living in Tennessee, which finally led to his moving in with Ramos.
Having said that, it appears that Joy had a shady past before relocating to California to start over. He and his sister allegedly got into a fight about inheritance money, and as a result, she was forced to file for a restraining order against him, according to ScreenRant. The majority of Joy’s life prior to the events covered in “Worst Roommate Ever,” however, is unknown.
KC Joy was convicted of killing Maribel Ramos in 2014
When KC Joy responded to Maribel Ramos’ Craigslist ad for a roommate in Orange, California, they became friends. Before she vanished in 2013, they had been living together for 18 months. She was last seen on camera on May 2, 2013, at the front desk of their apartment complex. Two weeks later, her body was found in a shallow burial in Modjeska Canyon, California. It was so badly decomposed that the only way the authorities could identify her was via dental records.
Ramos and Joy had a disagreement about rent, the authorities discovered during the ensuing inquiry. It didn’t take him long to become the main suspect in the murder investigation, especially in light of the fact that he had previously been mentioned. As they looked into Joy, they discovered that Ramos had called the police on him 10 days prior to her disappearance, saying she felt endangered because of him.
After tracking Joy’s online activities and seeing that they included searches for maps of the Santiago Canyon region nearby the scene of Ramos’ body, the authorities ultimately decided that Joy was guilty. In addition, Joy had been looking into how long it took for a corpse to rot in the wilderness. Although it was impossible to ascertain what caused Ramos to pass away, there was enough evidence to support Joy’s guilt. In 2014, he was found guilty of second-degree murder and given a life sentence (via Radio Times).
KC Joy maintains his innocence to this day
KC Joy maintained his position of “not guilty” throughout his 2014 trial and eight years later. According to Joy (via EyeWitness News), the police were unable to discover any tangible evidence connecting him to the crime, and as a result, he has resisted taking responsibility. At his hearing, Joy stated, “Family wants me to apologise, but I cannot apologise for something I haven’t done.” “Perhaps the truth will come out someday, or perhaps I’ll just pass away in jail.”
Joy requested a retrial after being found guilty and given a sentence, but the court rejected his request after determining that the other evidence against him was more than sufficient (via MEAWW). Nevertheless, he will be able to apply for parole in 2023, and he appears determined to restore his reputation in the public eye. He’s currently working on a book called “Suspect, Guilty Until Proven Innocent” that will go into greater detail on his side of the tale, as an illustration.
