Joseph James DeAngelo
| “ | Gonna kill you, bitch. | „ |
| ~ DeAngelo in a phone message to one of his victims. |
Joseph James DeAngelo (born November 8, 1945) is a serial killer, serial rapist and serial burglar best known as the Golden State Killer. He committed 50 rapes in Northern California during the mid-1970s and murdered twelve people in Southern California from 1979 through 1986. His other monikers include the Original Night Stalker, Visalia Ransacker, East Area Rapist, the East Bay Rapist, and the Diamond Knot Killer. The "Golden State Killer" moniker was coined by true crime writer Michelle McNamara.
The crimes initially centered on the then-unincorporated areas of Carmichael, Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova, all east of Sacramento, where at least fifty women were raped between June 18, 1976, and July 5, 1979. Earlier incidents in Visalia are now thought to be connected. In 2001, several of the Northern California rapes were linked by DNA to murders in Southern California. All of the DNA-linked assaults occurred in Contra Costa County, but the distinctive modus operandi (MO) of the rapist makes it very likely the same man was also responsible for the attacks in the Sacramento area. His last known crime, the only one after 1981, took place in 1986.
Crimes
Before he became a rapist and murderer, the Golden State Killer was responsible for a series of burglaries in the northern California city of Visalia in 1974-75. The Visalia Ransacker took small trophies from the homes he broke into and also spent time going through women's underwear drawers. In 1975, the Ransacker attempted to kidnap a teenage girl; her father intervened and was killed.
In June 1976, the first reported rape that has been linked to the Golden State Killer took place in Sacramento County. This attack was followed by more assaults in the eastern part of Sacramento County. At this point in his criminal career, the Golden State Killer came to be known as the East Area Rapist. He would assault more than 40 women in northern California between 1976 and 1979.
During these crimes the Golden State Killer often spent hours in victims' homes, sometimes taking breaks from the assaults to eat or cry. He also stole personal items, such as jewelry or photographs. Initially, he targeted women and girls — two of his victims were just 13 — who were alone or with children, but by 1977 he was attacking couples. He would often break into a house, have a female victim tie up her male partner and place dishes on the bound man's back. The rapist would warn that he'd kill the couple if these items fell, then would go on to assault his female victim. Some victims were later taunted by phone calls from their assailant.
Attacks by the Golden State Killer were often preceded by hang-up phone calls. He seemed to surveil houses — usually single-story homes — and neighborhoods to get a feel for his targets before acting. As the rapes continued, terrorized residents in the Sacramento area went on high alert, buying new locks and arming themselves. An officer on the case later said, "The fear in the community was like something I had never seen before. People were afraid wherever they went."
In 1977, the Golden State Killer raped a victim in Stockton, outside of Sacramento. He soon went after victims in Modesto, San Jose and Contra Costa County. In 1978 he shot and killed a Sacramento County couple who'd been walking their dog. After 1979 the serial rapes in northern California ceased.
By late 1979, the Golden State Killer was targeting people in southern California. He continued to rape female victims, then brutally murdered them and their male partners (if present). Ten people — four heterosexual couples and two individual women — were killed by the Golden State Killer in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Orange Counties between 1979 and 1986.
Identification
Several suspects were cleared through DNA, alibi, or other investigative means and methods. On June 15th, 2016; the FBI and local law enforcement agencies held a news conference to announce a nationwide effort and a US$50,000 reward for his capture. On April 25th, 2018; authorities announced the arrest of suspect 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo on six counts of first-degree murder.
Because of state laws, DeAngelo could not be charged for the 1970's rapes, but he was charged for the murders and kidnappings. On June 29, 2020, he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of murder and kidnapping. On August 21, 2020, he was sentenced to twelve consecutive life sentences without parole plus eight years.