Worst Roommate Ever Subject KC Joy Is Writing A Book From Prison

Worst Roommate Ever is the latest true crime docuseries captivating viewers around the globe on Netflix. As the title hints, the Blumhouse Television production explores four all-too-real stories of people unexpectedly murdered by those living closest to them for an array of disturbing reasons. One of the cases centers on 36-year-old US Army veteran and California State University student Maribel Ramos, who disappeared in 2013 less than two years after welcoming 55-year-old Kwang Chol “KC” Joy into her Orange County home.

He quickly became a suspect in the missing person case, and after his internet activity led authorities to discover Ramos’ decomposing dead body, Joy was put in prison. Since you’ve probably already watched Worst Roommate Ever, which currently sits in Netflix’s Top 10 chart, here’s everything you need to know about Joy’s current whereabouts and if he’s still behind bars.

Ramos accepted Joy into her home after he responded to a Craigslist advertisement she posted in search of a roommate. “I am a Korean, single, professional male,” read Joy’s reply, per the Netflix series, which claimed he was a Knoxville, Tennessee, native seeking a job in California. “I am looking for a small apartment or private room with kitchen use, and your place sounds perfect. I have a 10 lb dog Yorky. I am a social drinker, non-smoker, straight, and I like to keep things clean. I am easygoing and get along with most people.”

Ramos was spotted for the final time delivering a check to her property manager in May 2013, reportedly following an intense argument about Joy paying rent, which apparently led Ramos to threaten to kick him out. According to reporting by NBC Los Angeles, investigators working on the case were convinced Joy had a romantic obsession with Ramos, who didn’t share the same feelings. Per Oxygen True Crime, he also allegedly underwent surgical operations to look more attractive and took Ramos on a cruise in hopes of earning her affection. “Maribel was his life,” argued Scott Simmons, Orange County Deputy District Attorney, in court. “And the opportunity for him to be with the love of his life was coming to an end.”

After skipping a scheduled softball game and growing distant from her family, Ramos was reported missing, and her boyfriend told police about her plans to ask Joy to move out of their home. With suspicious scratch marks on his body, Joy was questioned by police but claimed he was out driving when Ramos disappeared before assisting authorities in their efforts to find her. “I need her to come back because she's my best friend,” Joy told Eyewitness News at the time, per ABC 7. “Actually, she’s my only friend, my only family member I have, so I miss her.”

According to investigators, Ramos had called 911 less than two weeks earlier and said she was scared of Joy, noting she’d do anything to protect herself from him. While her friends spread awareness about Ramos’ situation through events and television appearances, Joy fled to a library to use the computer since his electronic devices had been confiscated by police. After tracking his internet activity, which included map searches of the Santiago Canyon area, aka the location of an awareness walk held by Ramos’ friends, cops found Ramos’ body on May 17, in nearby Modjeska Canyon.

Due to the heavily decomposed state of Ramos’ body, authorities were unable to determine her cause of death. Meanwhile, Joy claims he was in love with Ramos and didn’t kill her, though evidence led police to determine he discovered her body and hid it in Modjeska Canyon, per Distractify. “[The] family wants me to apologize, which I cannot apologize for something I haven't done,” Joy told the court. “Maybe someday [the] truth will come out, maybe I'll just die inside prison.”

Joy was convicted of second-degree murder and received a 14-year prison sentence in 2014, which will allow him to be released on parole in April 2022, according to jail records. Until then, the now-63-year-old criminal remains incarcerated at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California. He’s currently working on a book titled Suspect, Guilty Until Proven Innocent that’ll explore his story and further push his claims of innocence, according to a letter he sent to Eyewitness News, per ScreenRant.