The Golden State Killer

Introduction

For over a decade, a shadow fell over California. A serial offender, known by many names—the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker—committed at least 13 murders, 50 rapes, and 120 burglaries. He operated with military precision and terrifying sadism. For forty years, he remained a ghost, until a pioneering use of genetic genealogy in 2018 finally gave him a name: Joseph James DeAngelo.

Background of the Case

The crimes began in the mid-1970s. Initially, he was a burglar in Visalia, seemingly ransacking homes for the thrill rather than profit. He soon escalated to violent sexual assaults in Sacramento, earning the moniker "East Area Rapist." His modus operandi was chilling: he would stalk victims for days, break in, bind them with complex knots, and place dishes on their backs, threatening to kill everyone if he heard a sound. In 1979, he moved south and escalated to murder.

Timeline of Events

• 1974-1975: The "Visalia Ransacker" commits over 100 burglaries. Claude Snelling is murdered preventing the abduction of his daughter.
• 1976-1979: The "East Area Rapist" terrorizes Sacramento and Contra Costa County.
• 1979-1981: The "Original Night Stalker" commits a series of murders in Southern California (Goleta, Ventura, Dana Point, Irvine).
• 1986: The final known murder, of Janelle Cruz, occurs in Irvine. The killer goes dormant.
• 2001: DNA evidence officially connects the Northern and Southern California crimes to a single offender.

Investigation and Evidence

Law enforcement agencies were initially hampered by jurisdiction issues and the lack of communication technologies. They collected biological evidence, but DNA profiling did not exist at the time of the crimes. Decades later, investigator Paul Holes and others refused to let the case die. They had a full DNA profile of the killer but no match in the FBI's CODIS database, which only contains DNA from convicted felons.

Arrest and Legal Proceedings

In a final hail-mary attempt, investigators uploaded the killer's DNA to GEDmatch, a public genealogy website. It found distant relatives. Genealogists built family trees back to the 1800s and then forward, narrowing the pool of suspects down to Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer. Surveillance teams collected his DNA from a discarded tissue and a car door handle. It was a perfect match. On April 24, 2018, DeAngelo was arrested outside his home. He was "surprised" but surrendered.

Resolution and Outcome

In June 2020, to avoid the death penalty and save the victims from a lengthy trial, Joseph James DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of murder and 13 counts of kidnapping. He also admitted to dozens of rapes for which the statute of limitations had expired. In August 2020, he was sentenced to multiple consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. At his sentencing, he simply stated, "I am truly sorry."

Impact and Legacy

The capture of the Golden State Killer revolutionized cold case investigations. The technique of investigative genetic genealogy has since been used to solve hundreds of other murders and identify Jane and John Does. It also sparked a debate about genetic privacy. For the survivors, it brought a long-awaited closure to a lifetime of fear.

Sources

• I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara.
• Sacramento County District Attorney's Office Records.
• "Evil Has a Name" - Audible Original Documentary.
• Los Angeles Times Archives (1974-2020).

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