The Golden State Killer

Forty Years in the Dark

For more than four decades, he was California's most prolific unidentified serial predator. Known by multiple names across different jurisdictions—the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker—he committed at least 13 murders, more than 50 rapes, and over 120 burglaries between 1974 and 1986. He operated with military precision, evaded capture despite massive investigations, and then vanished into suburban anonymity for 32 years.

On April 24, 2018, that anonymity ended. Police arrested 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer living quietly in suburban Sacramento, after a revolutionary application of genetic genealogy connected his DNA to crimes committed decades earlier. The case would transform cold case investigation and raise profound questions about genetic privacy, but for survivors and victims' families, it brought something simpler and more profound: answers.

The Visalia Ransacker: Where It Began

The crime spree that would eventually be attributed to DeAngelo began in Visalia, California, in 1974. Over the course of a year, more than 100 burglaries occurred in the small agricultural city. The pattern was unusual: the burglar seemed more interested in ransacking homes than stealing valuables. He would scatter belongings, steal small items of sentimental value, and sometimes take single earrings, leaving the matching pair behind.

The ransackings escalated in September 1975 when the intruder attempted to kidnap a teenage girl from her home. Her father, Claude Snelling, confronted the masked intruder and was shot and killed. The Visalia Ransacker disappeared after this murder, and the case went cold. Decades later, DNA and ballistic evidence would link these crimes to the same offender who terrorized Northern and Southern California.

The East Area Rapist: Terror in Sacramento

In June 1976, a new series of attacks began in Sacramento and the surrounding areas. The offender would become known as the East Area Rapist, and his crimes were characterized by meticulous planning and psychological torture. He would stalk victims for days or weeks, learning their routines, entering their homes when they were away to unlock windows and disable locks, and sometimes calling them on the phone before attacking.

His modus operandi was terrifyingly consistent: he would wake victims in the middle of the night, shining a flashlight in their faces. If a couple was present, he would separate them, binding the male victim face-down with ligatures while threatening to kill everyone if he heard any sound. He would stack dishes on the male victim's back, warning that if he heard the dishes fall, he would kill the female victim. He would then spend hours assaulting the female victim while periodically returning to check on the bound male.

The attacks were marked by his distinctive voice—described as a harsh whisper or growl—and his tendency to sob or cry during assaults, leading some victims to believe he was emotionally disturbed. He would often steal small items, photograph victims, and make threatening phone calls to victims after the attacks, sometimes years later.

Between 1976 and 1979, the East Area Rapist committed at least 50 sexual assaults in Sacramento, Contra Costa, and Stanislaus counties. Despite massive investigations, composite sketches, and community alert programs, he was never identified. In 1979, the attacks in Northern California stopped abruptly.

The Original Night Stalker: Escalation to Murder

In October 1979, a new series of attacks began in Southern California. The offender, who would become known as the Original Night Stalker, targeted couples in their homes in Goleta, Ventura, Dana Point, and Irvine. Unlike the East Area Rapist attacks, these assaults ended in murder. The victims were bludgeoned to death with blunt objects or shot.

The first confirmed murder attributed to the Original Night Stalker occurred on December 30, 1979, when Dr. Robert Offerman and Debra Manning were shot and killed in Goleta. The pattern continued: Charlene and Lyman Smith were bludgeoned to death in Ventura in March 1980. Patrice and Keith Harrington were killed in Dana Point in August 1980. Manuela Witthuhn was murdered in Irvine in February 1981. Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez were killed in Goleta in July 1981.

The final known murder occurred on May 4, 1986, when 18-year-old Janelle Cruz was raped and bludgeoned to death in Irvine. After this attack, the killer went silent. For years, investigators did not connect the Southern California murders to the Northern California rapes—they were investigated as separate crime series by different agencies.

The DNA Connection: Three Crime Series, One Offender

The breakthrough came in 2001 when DNA analysis connected the East Area Rapist crimes to the Original Night Stalker murders. The same DNA profile appeared in evidence from both crime series, proving they were committed by the same person. This revelation meant California had been terrorized by a single serial predator who had committed crimes across the state for over a decade.

The connection to the Visalia Ransacker crimes came later, through ballistic evidence linking the gun used to kill Claude Snelling to the Original Night Stalker murders, and eventually through DNA evidence. By the mid-2000s, investigators knew they were looking for one person responsible for an unprecedented crime spree, but they had no idea who he was.

The DNA profile was entered into CODIS, the FBI's Combined DNA Index System, which contains DNA profiles from convicted offenders. There was no match. This meant the offender had either never been convicted of a crime requiring DNA submission, or had committed his crimes before DNA databases existed and had successfully avoided arrest since.

Paul Holes and the Relentless Pursuit

Contra Costa County investigator Paul Holes became obsessed with the case in the 1990s and worked on it for over two decades. He collaborated with other investigators, including Sacramento County Detective Richard Shelby and FBI analyst Lisa Jensen, to keep the case alive. They re-examined evidence, interviewed witnesses, and explored new forensic techniques as they became available.

The case gained renewed public attention in 2013 when crime writer Michelle McNamara began investigating and writing about it. She coined the term "Golden State Killer" to refer to the combined crime series, helping to raise awareness and pressure to solve the case. McNamara died in 2016 before the case was solved, but her book "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" was published posthumously in 2018 and became a bestseller, further elevating public interest.

Genetic Genealogy: The Revolutionary Breakthrough

By 2017, investigators had exhausted traditional leads. Paul Holes, approaching retirement, decided to try an unconventional approach: forensic genetic genealogy. This technique involves uploading a DNA profile to public genealogy databases to find distant relatives, then using traditional genealogy to build family trees and identify potential suspects.

In 2018, Holes and FBI lawyer Steve Kramer worked with genealogist Barbara Rae-Venter to upload the killer's DNA profile to GEDmatch, a public genealogy database where users voluntarily upload their DNA data to find relatives. The profile matched several distant relatives—third and fourth cousins of the unknown killer.

Rae-Venter and her team spent months building family trees, working backward from the DNA matches to common ancestors in the 1800s, then forward through generations to identify all living descendants. The process was painstaking, involving census records, birth certificates, death records, and genealogical research spanning centuries.

Eventually, the family trees converged on a handful of potential suspects. One name stood out: Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer who had lived in the areas where the crimes occurred during the relevant time periods. Surveillance teams began following DeAngelo, collecting his discarded DNA from a tissue and a car door handle. The DNA was tested and compared to the crime scene evidence.

It was a perfect match.

Joseph James DeAngelo: The Man Behind the Crimes

Joseph James DeAngelo was born in 1945 and served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. After his military service, he attended Sierra College and Sacramento State University, earning a degree in criminal justice. In 1973, he joined the Exeter Police Department in Tulare County—the same county where the Visalia Ransacker crimes would begin the following year.

In 1976, DeAngelo was hired by the Auburn Police Department in Placer County, just as the East Area Rapist attacks began in nearby Sacramento. He worked as a police officer while simultaneously committing rapes and burglaries in the region. His law enforcement training gave him insight into police procedures, evidence collection, and investigation techniques—knowledge he used to avoid detection.

In 1979, DeAngelo was caught shoplifting a hammer and dog repellent from a store and was fired from the Auburn Police Department. This termination coincided with the end of the East Area Rapist attacks in Northern California and the beginning of the Original Night Stalker murders in Southern California. After 1979, DeAngelo worked in various jobs, eventually working as a mechanic for a grocery distribution center until his retirement.

DeAngelo married in 1973 and had three daughters. His family has stated they had no knowledge of his crimes. Neighbors and coworkers described him as an angry, volatile man prone to outbursts, but no one suspected he was responsible for one of California's most notorious crime sprees.

The Arrest and Aftermath

On April 24, 2018, law enforcement arrested Joseph James DeAngelo outside his home in Citrus Heights, a Sacramento suburb. He was 72 years old and living a quiet retirement. When officers approached, he appeared surprised but surrendered without resistance. His first words were reportedly, "I have a roast in the oven."

The arrest made international headlines. Survivors and victims' families, some of whom had waited more than 40 years for answers, finally knew the identity of the man who had terrorized them. Press conferences were held, and investigators credited genetic genealogy with the breakthrough, noting that traditional investigative methods had been exhausted.

DeAngelo was charged with 13 counts of murder and numerous other felonies. Due to statutes of limitations, he could not be charged with most of the rapes, though prosecutors made clear they would present evidence of the full scope of his crimes. DeAngelo initially appeared frail and confused in court, leading to speculation about his mental competence, but prosecutors argued he was feigning dementia.

The Plea Deal and Sentencing

In June 2020, to avoid the death penalty and spare victims the trauma of a lengthy trial, Joseph James DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder and admitted to numerous uncharged crimes, including dozens of rapes and burglaries. The plea deal required him to admit publicly to the full scope of his crimes.

The sentencing hearing in August 2020 was extraordinary. Over four days, survivors and victims' family members gave impact statements, confronting DeAngelo directly. Many spoke of the lifelong trauma his crimes had caused—destroyed marriages, chronic anxiety, fear that had never fully subsided even decades later. Some expressed relief that he had finally been caught; others expressed anger that he had lived freely for so long while they suffered.

DeAngelo, who had remained silent throughout the proceedings, made a brief statement: "I've listened to all your statements. Each one of them. And I'm truly sorry to everyone I've hurt." The statement was widely viewed as inadequate given the scope of his crimes.

Judge Michael Bowman sentenced DeAngelo to 11 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional eight years. DeAngelo is currently incarcerated in protective custody at California State Prison, Corcoran, where he will remain for the rest of his life.

The Legacy: Transforming Cold Case Investigation

The Golden State Killer case revolutionized criminal investigation. Forensic genetic genealogy, the technique used to identify DeAngelo, has since been used to solve hundreds of cold cases across the United States and internationally. Cases that had been cold for decades—including the 1987 murder of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg, the 1992 murder of Christy Mirack, and countless others—have been solved using the same methodology.

The technique has also been used to identify unknown victims, bringing closure to families who had spent years not knowing what happened to their loved ones. John and Jane Does have been given their names back through genetic genealogy, allowing families to finally lay them to rest.

However, the use of genetic genealogy has also sparked intense debate about privacy. The technique relies on public genealogy databases where people voluntarily upload their DNA to find relatives. When someone uploads their DNA, they potentially make all their relatives—including distant cousins they've never met—identifiable to law enforcement. This raises questions about informed consent, genetic privacy, and the balance between solving crimes and protecting civil liberties.

GEDmatch, the database used in the Golden State Killer case, has since changed its policies to require users to opt in if they want their DNA to be searchable by law enforcement. Other databases have implemented similar restrictions. The legal and ethical framework around forensic genetic genealogy continues to evolve.

Remembering the Victims

Lost in the focus on DeAngelo and the investigative breakthrough are the victims whose lives were forever altered or ended by his crimes. The 13 murder victims—Claude Snelling, Brian and Katie Maggiore, Robert Offerman, Debra Manning, Charlene and Lyman Smith, Patrice and Keith Harrington, Manuela Witthuhn, Cheri Domingo, Gregory Sanchez, and Janelle Cruz—deserve to be remembered as people, not statistics.

The survivors of sexual assault, many of whom lived for decades not knowing if their attacker would return, showed remarkable courage in coming forward to testify and provide impact statements. Their willingness to relive trauma in pursuit of justice was instrumental in ensuring DeAngelo received the maximum possible sentence.

The case serves as a reminder that cold cases are never truly cold as long as someone cares enough to keep pursuing answers. Paul Holes, Michelle McNamara, and countless other investigators, genealogists, and advocates refused to let these crimes be forgotten. Their persistence brought justice, even if it came decades late.

Sources

• McNamara, Michelle. I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer. Harper, 2018.
• Sacramento County District Attorney's Office - Case Files and Court Records.
• Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office - Investigation Records.
• "Evil Has a Name: Exposing the Golden State Killer" - Audible Original Documentary.
• Rae-Venter, Barbara. Genetic genealogy research and testimony.
• Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Chronicle - Historical archives (1974-2020).
• FBI Case Files - Original Night Stalker / Golden State Killer Investigation.
• Court transcripts from People v. DeAngelo (2020).

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