| Name: | Joseph James DeANGELO |
| Nickname: | Golden State Killer/East Area Rapist/Original Night Stalker |
| Born: | |
| Status: | |
| Occupation: | Former Police Officer |
| Died: |
| Classification: | Suspected Serial Killer |
| Country: | USA |
| Active: | 1976 – 1986 |
| Victims: | 12 |
| M.O.: | |
| Arrested: | 24 Apr 2018 |
| Fate: | Awaits Trial |
DeAngelo is a former police officer having worked in Exeter and Auburn, California in the early 1970s. He was sacked in 1979 for shoplifting. He then worked as a mechanic at a supermarket chain for 27 years until retiring in 2017.
He has been charged with a series of 12 murders and is suspected of at least 50 rapes which all occurred in 10 counties throughout California. Many of the crimes have been investigated for 40 years.
Some of the killings took place during burglaries.
He was arrested after DNA tests proved identical to DNA taken from semen at several of the crime scenes. Police waited for him to go shopping in his vehicle. While he was out of the car they took swabs from his vehicle’s door handle. Further DNA was obtained from the dustbin outside his home in Citrus Heights near Sacramento.
Police also used genetic profiles from genealogy websites to locate a relative of the offender. Subsequent investigation into family lineage led to DeAngelo who was then targeted for DNA.
