The end of times starts with four riders astride their horses
Joseph DeAngelo had been dubbed the Golden State Killer as recently as 2013, by writer Michelle McNamara. Back in 1974, however, he was known as the Visalia Ransacker. Later, as his criminal activity evolved, DeAngelo became known as the East Area Rapist. By 1979, this violent and elusive criminal was being called the Night Stalker.
On April 24, 2018, Sacramento law enforcement officials arrested a 72-year-old man at his home in Citrus Heights, California.
That individual was Joseph James DeAngelo. His name has subsequently gone down in the annuals of American crime investigation as one of the county's most notorious serial killers.
DeAngelo's crime spree began in Visalia (pictured), while he was a serving member of the Exeter Police Department.
The following year, 1976, a series of burglaries and rapes terrorized the eastern district of Sacramento County. The crimes initially centered on the areas of Carmichael, Citrus Heights, and Rancho Cordova (pictured). The perpetrator followed a similar modus operandi, breaking into victims' homes as they slept and attacking them before plundering the property.
He honed his craft by committing a string of burglaries. His modus operandi included breaking into people's homes and ransacking their properties, essentially vandalizing home owners' possessions while only stealing items of low value.
In an attempt to identify the killer, local police issued a photofit of the man they wanted to question. Meanwhile, the burglaries and sexual assaults continued. Worryingly, the attacks escalated along the California coast and, with them, the body count. Image: FBI
In 1975, Visalia resident Claude Snelling was shot and killed by an intruder. Police believed the Ransacker was responsible for the murder.
In effect, the Sacramento area had become the hunting ground of the East Area Rapist. What police didn't know was that this sexual predator and the Ransacker were one and the same person—Joseph James DeAngelo.
Between June 1976 and July 1979, DeAngelo is known to have sexually assaulted 50 women. It was in 1979 that he moved to Southern California. Here he commenced a ghastly series of horrific murders that earned him the chilling epithet Night Stalker.
On March 13, 1980, Charlene and Lyman Smith were murdered in their Ventura home, but not before Charlene had been subject to a prolonged sexual assault.
In 1979, DeAngelo was fired from the police force for shoplifting. His colleagues were completely unaware that they had a killer in their midst. DeAngelo took the opportunity to extend his range into nearby San Joaquin County (pictured) and Contra Costa County.
On February 2, 1978, Brian Maggiore and his wife Katie were shot to death in the Rancho Cordova area. The East Area rapist immediately fell under suspicion due to the couple's proximity to other attack locations.
As the East Area Rapist, DeAngelo had taunted many of his victims beforehand with threatening phone calls. And in a truly twisted act, he also contacted some of his victims after the event, mocking their pain and distress.
A man claiming to be the rapist also called the Sacramento Police Department. Calls were also received by the offices of various counseling services. Some of these messages were tape recorded. The last call allegedly made by DeAngelo to one of his victims took place as late as 2001.
And it was in 2001 that investigators officially connected the Night Stalker (now known as the Original Night Stalker after another serial killer, Richard Ramirez, had been given the dubious "Night Stalker" title) with the East Area Rapist. Image: FBI
Five months later in August, Keith and Patrice Harrington were slain in their home in Dana Point.
Cheri Domingo and her boyfriend Gregory Sanchez were slain by DeAngelo in Goleta on July 27, 1981.
In June 2016, the FBI offered a reward of up to US$50,000 for the arrest of the still unknown perpetrator. Image: FBI
But it was science that ultimately identified the man who'd so far evaded the authorities for over 40 years and who since 2013 was widely known as the Golden State Killer.
As the Night Stalker, DeAngelo killed Debra Manning and Robert Offerman in Goleta on December 30, 1979. These slayings marked the beginning of no less than 10 brutal murders, most of them committed on couples.
No crimes were attributed to the DeAngelo from July 1981 until May 1986. On May 4, 1986, 18-year-old Janelle Cruz was found dead in her home in Irvine. This was Joseph James DeAngelo's last-known crime.
On June 29, 2020, DeAngelo plead guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder.
Unfortunately, he could not be charged with the dozens of rapes or burglaries, as the statute of limitations had expired for those offenses.
In the courtroom sat many victims and relatives of those attacked or murdered by DeAngelo, including this attendee seen holding a photo of Cheri Domingo and her boyfriend Gregory Sanchez, who were killed in 1981.
DeAngelo became the first public arrest obtained through genetic genealogy. DNA-matching had caught one of America's most notorious serial killers. On April 25, 2018, in Sacramento, DeAngelo's arrest was announced to the nation.
The Golden State Killer was sentenced to life in prison without parole. As of February 2021, DeAngelo is incarcerated in protective custody at California State Prison, Corcoran.
Sources: (Los Angeles Times) (ABC News) (BBC)
See also: Serial killers—these are the men who claimed the most lives
Manuela Witthuhn met an equally gruesome end. The 28-year-old was found bludgeoned to death inside her home in Irvine on February 6, 1981.
During his sentencing, DeAngelo apologized to his victims. "I've listened to all your statements. Each one of them," he said in court. "And I'm truly sorry to everyone I have hurt. Thank you, your honor."
For 40 years, one of America's most notorious serial killers evaded capture. Then in 2018, the man known as the Golden State Killer was finally arrested, caught using state-of-the-art genetic genealogy techniques. But in the four decades it took law enforcement to track him down, Joseph James DeAngelo committed some of the most heinous crimes ever recorded in US criminal history. So, how did this vicious felon operate, and what were the locations of his killing grounds?
Click through and revisit the heinous crimes carried out by the Golden State Killer.
The heinous crimes committed by the Golden State Killer
How genetic genealogy snared a ruthless killer
LIFESTYLE True crime
For 40 years, one of America's most notorious serial killers evaded capture. Then in 2018, the man known as the Golden State Killer was finally arrested, caught using state-of-the-art genetic genealogy techniques. But in the four decades it took law enforcement to track him down, Joseph James DeAngelo committed some of the most heinous crimes ever recorded in US criminal history. So, how did this vicious felon operate, and what were the locations of his killing grounds?
Click through and revisit the heinous crimes carried out by the Golden State Killer.