Joseph James DeAngelo, the infamous Golden State Killer, has been sentenced to life in prison.
What We Know:
- The 74-year-old was arrested in 2018 after his DNA was tested against an online genealogical database. In June, he entered a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, pleading guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder and admitting to over 50 rapes and 120 burglaries which were not included in the charges. On Friday, he was sentenced to 11 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole plus 15 life terms and eight years for weapons charges. Judge Michael Bowman said it was the maximum possible sentence.
- DeAngelo’s survivors and their relatives gave victim impact statements leading up to the sentencing, including Kris Pedretti. Pedretti was 15 when DeAngelo raped her in 1976 and she said “At three different times that night, I thought I was going to die. The next morning, December 19, I woke up knowing I would never be a child again and, although I was truly grateful to be alive, I also felt that I had died.”
- DeAngelo sat silent and expressionless through all of the statements. He addressed the court on Friday stating: “I’ve listened to all of your statements. Each one of them. And I’m truly sorry to everyone I’ve hurt.”
- DeAngelo committed the crimes throughout California during the 70s and 80s. He was known for breaking into people’s homes, sexually assaulting them, and robbing them. He would often continue to taunt victims by calling their homes after the attacks. He served as a police officer for several years during his reign of terror. He earned several monikers during his crime sprees, including the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, and the Original Night Stalker.
Late author Michelle McNamara gave DeAngelo the name Golden State Killer in 2013 and her research and writings about the case helped elevate it to national awareness.
