Golden State Killer Sentenced To Life In Prison

SACRAMENTO, CA — Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., convicted as the Golden State Killer, was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman sentenced DeAngelo to 12 consecutive life-without-parole prison sentences for a string of rapes and murders committed by the former police officer.

DeAngelo, an admitted serial rapist and serial killer who victimized much of California from Sacramento to Orange County in the 1970s and '80s, is known by many names: the Golden State Killer, the Original Night Stalker, the Visalia Ransacker and the East Area Rapist. He was sought for over 40 years by the police, investigators and, later, crime bloggers and armchair detectives.

Books and documentaries focused on searching for him after all trails went cold in the mid-'80s. The last of his crimes halted with the advent of DNA research, according to prosecutors.

In 2018, through forensic genetic genealogy research, DeAngelo was identified as the prime suspect in the crimes. Upon his arrest, he was a 74-year-old father and grandfather living alone in central California.

He pleaded guilty June 29 to over 160 rapes and 13 murders across California. This week, after days of testimony from the families who rose from the ashes of his torment over 40 years ago, he received his life sentences.

DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder and murder during the commission of rape, robbery and burglary, and 13 counts of kidnapping to commit robbery, with sentencing enhancements for the use of a gun and a knife.

He also admitted to committing crimes for which he could no longer be prosecuted because of a statute of limitations — such as attempted murder, kidnapping to commit robbery, rape, robbery, first-degree burglary, false imprisonment and criminal threats.

The Orange County murders to which he admitted were the killings of 24- year-old Keith Harrington and 28-year-old Patrice Harrington on Aug. 19, 1980, in Dana Point; 28-year-old Manuela Witthuhn in Irvine in February 1981; and 18-year-old Janelle Cruz in Irvine in May 1986.

The Harringtons, who lived in a single-story home in the gated Niguel Shores community, were attacked in their bedroom, according to investigator Larry Pool of the Golden State Killer task force. Their bodies were found on their blood-spattered bed, with ligature marks on their wrists and Patrice's ankles.

Witthuhn was attacked Feb. 5, 1981, between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. the following day. The cause of death was skull fractures from a beating, Pool said, adding that her parents discovered her body in a sleeping bag when they went to check on her. There was no evidence of a struggle, and she had ligature marks on her wrists and on her right ankle.

Her husband, David, had been admitted to an area hospital due to a stomach virus, so she was alone for the night.

Witthuhn's brother-in-law, Drew, said his brother "had to live for years under scrutiny" until DNA investigators ruled him out as a suspect in 2001.

"We'll never really know what kind of a toll it took on him," Drew Witthuhn said.

Cruz was killed about 5 p.m. May 5, 1986, in her bed in her Irvine home. Blood covered her head and neck, and she was partially covered by her blanket. She had hemorrhaging in her eyes and bruises on the bridge of her nose, according to Pool, who said the killer knocked out three of her teeth — with two found in her hair.

An ultraviolet light spotlighted semen on the victim, according to Pool, who said the cause of death was "crushing skull fractures." No murder weapon was found, but a pipe wrench was missing from the back yard.

Various prosecutors from across the state read detailed descriptions of DeAngelo's crimes, starting with the murder of 45-year-old Claude Snelling on Sept. 11, 1975, in Visalia. DeAngelo shot and killed Snelling as he attempted to rescue his daughter, whom the killer was trying to kidnap.

Snelling's daughter, Elizabeth Hupp, recounted the terrifying experience when she was 16. She said her father caught him "peering through my window" twice and that he "tried to chase him down, but was unable to catch him."

As a ski-masked DeAngelo was dragging the teen out of her home at gunpoint, Snelling heard the commotion and ran to the front door, where he was gunned down, Hupp said.

DeAngelo also pleaded guilty to attempting to kill Detective William McGowen on Dec. 10, 1975, as the then-Visalia officer tried to arrest him for a series of burglaries attributed to the "Visalia Ransacker" from April 1974 through December 1975.

McGowen's daughter on Thursday recounted how her father, who died 15 years ago, never gave up on the case but grew hypervigilant in the ensuing years and "never traveled without a gun" and "never let his guard down."

DeAngelo admitted to the beating deaths of Goleta residents Debra Manning, 35, and Robert Offerman, 44, on Dec. 30, 1979, in their home in Santa Barbara County, and the beating deaths of Gregory Sanchez, 27, and Cheri Domingo, 35, both of Goleta, on July 27, 1981. DeAngelo also raped Manning and Domingo.

DeAngelo also pleaded guilty to bludgeoning to death Charlene and Lyman Smith, both of Ventura, with a fireplace log on March 13, 1980. Lyman Smith, a 43-year-old former deputy district attorney, and his 33-year-old wife were found dead by his 12-year-old son. The killer also raped Charlene Smith and stole some of her jewelry, prosecutors said.

"The Golden State Killer is truly the worst of the worst," said Harrington's brother, Ron. "Thirteen murders, 160 rapes. The most prolific murderer-rapist ever. His crimes were so brutal, so heinous, so sadistic. He is just a violent sexual predator. Pure evil."

It took three days for his victims and their families to speak about their lives since the attacks.

DeAngelo's sister and niece left statements on his behalf, read by his attorneys before sentencing. His sister described him as the son of an abusive father. His niece spoke about his teaching her how to drive and recalled him as" loving and patient."

But both statements were overshadowed by the days of victim testimony that painted an altogether different picture.

DeAngelo stood in court, removed his mask, and turned toward his victims. He spoke in careful words, saying: "I've listened to all of your statements, each one of them, and I am truly sorry to every one of you I have hurt."

He then returned to his wheelchair, as the court approved his plea, and the bargain for his life.

"The court is not saying that Mr. DeAngelo does not deserve to have the death penalty imposed," Bowman said. "For the result of this trial, the result is the same. He will ultimately meet his death behind the walls of a penitentiary."

Afterward, district attorneys from Sacramento, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Joaquin, and Orange counties spoke about the long road to the sentence of life in prison without parole.

They made no apologies for the plea deal that encouraged him to admit to every charged and uncharged act of horror he committed, and set the final pathway to healing in motion for his victims and their families.

Read: Golden State Killer Sentencing Hearing , Victims Speak

According to Ventura District Attorney Greg Totten, the case "was about light and darkness."

The victim statements described horrific acts of the worst moments of their lives, when their paths crossed with DeAngelo's. Those who lost their loved ones to his crimes described the deep loss and sorrow he left in his wake.

"Each impact statement shined a bright light on the magnitude of the crimes before this court, and painted a picture of the immense impact these horrific crimes had on their lives," Totten said. "DeAngelo was the darkness."

When asked how the prosecutors felt about DeAngelo's apology, all of the district attorneys present looked to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer.

The apology "was all b.s., a sham," Spitzer said. "You don't stand up there with any sincerity to the victims and say you are covering everyone (in your apology) when you fail to talk about your own family members who you betrayed."

As of this report, DNA and genetic genealogy have solved 93 cases across the country, according to Spitzer. It will solve far more, he believes.

Spitzer and his fellow district attorneys believe that once the former police officer learned what DNA could prove, he halted his violent work. Still, whether there are more rape or murder victims out there, they may never know, said Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert.

"I want to say this unequivocally. DNA is something I am going to fight for until I go to my grave," Spitzer said in a conference after the sentencing, adding that DNA has brought more closure to more victims since the use of fingerprints.

"Investigating genetic genealogy was the linchpin that solved this case," Spitzer said. "I will never make excuses for that. As prosecutors, we are abundantly protective of people's civil rights, with respect to DNA use. Within the balance of sworn elective officials, to give peace to be people who would have had no closure."

Schubert addressed the victims, repeating their own words back to them.

"The greatest revenge is to live your lives," Schubert said. "Paint your children's and your grandchildren's rooms again with hearts and rainbows. Waterski again. Know the monster of your childhood or your younger years is gone forever, and he will die alone in the dark."

Read also:
Families Confront Golden State Killer For Serial Murders Across California
Golden State Killer, Original Night Stalker Caught Decades Later: Cops
Golden State Killer's 'Murder Habit' Unraveled In HBO Miniseries
Golden State Killer Admits to 13 Murders And Rapes
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