Golden State Killer Pleads Guilty To Murders, Kidnapping

SACRAMENTO, CA — Finally, it’s almost over. Joseph James DeAngelo admitted Monday that he is the Golden State Killer, Original Night Stalker, Diamond Knot Killer, East Area Rapist, and Visalia Ransacker — a sadistic criminal who raped and murdered Californians for more than a decade in the '70s and '80s.

His admission will spare his life, resulting in a life sentence instead of the death penalty as prosecutors had planned to seek. It will also spare his victims the trauma of reliving the crimes and investigation through drawn-out court hearings and testimony. It’s been 45 years since his crimes, and some victims and police investigators have died. Others are in their 80s.

The court hearing was moved to a ballroom at Sacramento State University in order to accommodate all of the legal figures, victims and media who wished to attend, while also maintaining at least a 6-foot distance between people because of coronavirus.

DeAngelo’s sentence — life in prison without the possibility of parole. The court will hear victims' statements in August.

From Sacramento to the San Francisco Bay Area to the Los Angeles area, DeAngelo's crimes changed the way people lived their lives as they tried to avoid being his next victim. The specific counties where DeAngelo is known to have struck are Sacramento, Stanislaus, Yolo, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Alameda, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Orange counties.

Among the prosecutors who read charges on Monday was Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton. She said in a statement, “Today‘s court proceeding brings us one step closer to ending the horrific saga of Joseph DeAngelo and his decades long crime spree. The crimes he committed in Contra Costa County, and throughout the state of California, have left a lifetime of scars and pain for our victims and their families. In this case justice did not move swiftly, it was a long time coming. However, our victims remained steadfast and brave throughout this entire process. Today is about remembering all of the victims in this case and finally holding DeAngelo responsible for these crimes."

The crimes were committed between June 1974 and May 1986. Now 74, DeAngelo was arrested in April 2018 when investigators used discarded DNA to link him to several cases, a technology that wasn't even invented when the crime spree began.

On Monday, DeAngelo replied “guilty” dozens of times to the charges of kidnapping and murder against him. He also replied “I admit” when other crimes were read into the record, cases for which the statute of limitation had expired.

The charges include 13 counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances allegations of multiple murders and murder during the commission of rape, robbery, and burglary; 13 felony counts of kidnapping to commit robbery with sentencing enhancements for personal use of a firearm and personal use of a knife during the commission of the offenses; and the uncharged crimes of attempted murder, kidnapping to commit robbery, rape, robbery, first-degree burglary, false imprisonment and criminal threats.

Listen to a 1977 recording of DeAngelo:

Law enforcement agencies around the state shared cold case information about the Golden State Killer, and there have been books and documentaries keeping the case alive. Ultimately, a task force that was formed in June 2016 solidified the investigation. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert brought together police and sheriff's detectives, crime lab investigators, and district attorneys from every jurisdiction with cases linked to the Golden State Killer, along with the Sacramento office of the FBI. The FBI threw the resources of Quantico behind the investigation.

“The investigation, identification and prosecution of the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer has been a long journey for justice – a journey marked by passion, persistence and sheer determination,” said Schubert. “Through the revolutionary tool of Investigative Genetic Genealogy, this serial rapist and murderer was not only identified and brought to justice but will spend the rest of his life in prison. It is my sincere hope that today brings healing to victims, their families and communities harmed by the atrocious crimes committed by Joseph DeAngelo.”

Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward said, “It would be incorrect to describe today’s events as ‘closure.’ The countless victims in this case will still feel the pain of tragic loss – loss of family, loss of innocence, loss of ever feeling safe again – because of the terror inflicted by the defendant. I am proud to stand with these victims, whether they are from Tulare County or elsewhere, to see justice move forward.”

At the time of DeAngelo's arrest, Special Agent in Charge of the Sacramento FBI Office Sean Reagan credited all law enforcement players in the case. But he also thanked the public for offering thousands of tips just since 2016, and the media for keeping the case in the public eye.

Related:

• Plea Deal For Accused Golden State Killer DeAngelo: Reports
• Golden State Killer, Nightstalker Caught Decades Later: Cops
• Joseph James DeAngelo: 5 Things To Know About Golden State Killer
• Golden State Killer: A Timeline Of Terror
• Golden State Killer's 'Murder Habit' Unraveled In HBO Miniseries