Cold Case: A Wolf in Sheepdog's Clothing Part 2

This case is more than just a murder solved by advancements in technology or ironing out an error in an investigation. This is the story of more than 100 burglaries, 50 rapes, and 13 murders, carried out by one depraved man whom eluded identification and capture for decades.

With a significant advantage over the officers and investigators looking for him, this wasn't the average serial killer. This is the story of the Golden State Killer.

Cold Case Resolutions #7: A Wolf in Sheepdog's Clothing Part 2

In January of 2001, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department Crime Labs constructed a DNA profile of the East Area Rapist and followed up on speculation the Rapist moved to Southern California. The lab worked with several other crime labs from the areas the Original Night Stalker terrorized and found the Rapist and the Stalker were the same person, sadly still unidentified however. It was believed at the time the offender had moved out of state, passed away, or was arrested for unrelated crimes. Unfortunately, this would be the only advancement for another 15 years.

Crime writer Michelle McNamara exhaustively researched the unsolved crime sprees of the 70's and 80's and wrote extensively about them, bringing them back into the national eye. After reviewing these crimes and tying them together, McNamara eventually renamed the Visalia Ransacker, East Area Rapist, and Original Night Stalker, as one. The Golden State Killer.

In 2016 the FBI announced they would be conducting their own investigation into the Golden State Killer, and by April of 2018, they had a suspect. Using a rape kit from one of the Ventura County incidents, FBI detectives found several relatives to the GSK in a database compiled by GEDMatch, a genealogy matching service. They traced each of these relatives down through their respective family trees, eliminating them one by one based on their descriptors and proximity to the crimes. After sifting through thousands of family members, it came down to only two, and one was later eliminated by a DNA test. This left only one name: Joseph James DeAngelo.

Investigators would collect DNA from the door handle of DeAngelo's car, and from a used tissue inside his trash can. This DNA was compared to samples of the GSK's DNA and produced a match. Just a few days after the DNA samples were taken, Joseph James DeAngelo was taken into custody, charged initially with 8 counts of murder, with more crimes added later. In an interrogation DeAngelo would admit “I did all that”, and claim the crimes were the responsibility of “Jerry”, a second personality which lived within him, forcing him to commit these atrocities he otherwise wouldn't.

The level of terror and debauchery the Golden State Killer partook in would be seen as excessive for even the most frightening of horror movie slasher. GSK would call his victims weeks ahead of time, usually not saying a word, but on occasion would convey his threats of raping and killing. He once called a previous rape victim to wish her a Merry Christmas, no doubt to let her know he was still watching. He would contact law enforcement several times to let them know he would strike that night, and they were helpless to stop him, even going as far as letting them know which neighborhood he was targeting, and eluding officers when spotted. Victims stated their attacker had the demeanor of a police officer or military man, and his familiarity with policing undoubtedly gave him an edge in avoiding arrest. Though his face was seen several times and multiple composite sketches were released, no one could identify this living nightmare. He left the area at the height of each series of crimes, before authorities became too knowledgeable, and his crimes increased in brutality with every move as he was emboldened by his ability to remain free. In addition to leaving behind maps, and sending in poems to newspapers to taunt victims and law enforcement, DeAngelo would  psychologically torture his victims. During some home invasions he would hide in the home after attacking the victim until they believed he was gone. Once they finally felt they were out of harms way, he would emerge and attack again, leaving the victim uncertain of whether they were every truly safe or alone ever again. Even after the Golden State Killer was no longer active he seemed to keep tabs on his victims, calling one at her place of work in 1991, and two days after the East Area Rapist and Original Night Stalker were confirmed to be the same person in 2001, he called another victim to ask “Remember when we played?”

With the now 72 year old Golden State Killer in custody, prosecutors had a monumental task ahead of them. The statute of limitations had run out on the burglaries and rapes, meaning he could not be tried for approximately 170 crimes. However, due to his propensity to bind his victims and hold them against their will, each count of murder was accompanied by an additional count of kidnapping, meaning DeAngelo was facing 26 major felonies, with the death penalty being considered. The state would likely spend years compiling all the information from the crimes, working with multiple agencies from around California to build their case. Estimates showed prosecution could take up to 10 years and cost $20,000,000 in taxpayer funds. Luckily, the gruesome murderer Joseph James DeAngelo was willing to make a deal to avoid death. DeAngelo would accept a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty, in exchange for pleading guilty to all counts and confessing to many more which could not be tried. On July 1^st, 2020, now 74 year old DeAngelo did just that, admitting responsibility for more than 70 crimes attributed to the Golden State Killer. Sentencing is scheduled for the week of August 17^th, 2020, and with the severity and quantity of these crimes combined with DeAngelo's age, he will surely never see freedom again. These guilty pleas close the book on over 40 years of injustice and came to pass because the killer feared death. The Golden State Killer will spend the rest of his days alive in prison because the justice system he was once sworn to uphold afforded him the mercy he never showed his victims.