FBI THINKS THEY CAUGHT THE EAST AREA RAPIST (GOLDEN STATE KILLER) AFTER A 42 YEAR MANHUNT!
Joseph James DeAngelo: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
olice have arrested a former police officer and Vietnam War veteran suspected of being the notorious California serial killer known as the East Area Rapist and Golden State Killer, NBC News . The serial killer committed 12 homicides, at least 45 rapes and numerous home burglaries between 1976 and 1986.
Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., 72, was arrested Wednesday morning, April 25, on warrants charging him with two counts of murder, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's website shows. He was taken into custody about 2:30 a.m. and is currently listed as being ineligible for bail. Police have not released any other details about his arrest. According to jail records, DeAngelo is 5'11" tall and weighs 205 pounds. The FBI described the East Area Rapist and Golden State Killer as being about 5'10" tall and between the ages of 60 and 75. According to NBC News, a tip from the public that came after increased attention on the case led to DeAngelo's arrest.
A $50,000 reward was offered in 2016, 40 years after his first crime, for information leading to the capture of the Golden State Killer. DeAngelo's arrest comes after local news outlets in Sacramento, including the Sacramento Bee and KTXL-TV reported Tuesday night a suspect was arrested in the case and that police would announce details about a "significant break" Wednesday afternoon. According to Fox 40 News, DeAngelo is on suicide watch and is still completing the process of being booked into jail. The FBI confirmed to that an arrest was made in the serial killer case and law enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News that the suspect is DeAngelo.
Billy Jensen, who helped write the recently published book about the case, "I'll Be Gone in the Dark," told The Daily Beast that DeAngelo is the suspect arrested in the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer case. He also posted a photo of a news article about DeAngelo on Twitter and called him the suspect. Writer Michelle McNamara worked with investigators on the case while writing her book, "I'll Be Gone in the Dark," which was not completed before her sudden death in April 2016. Jensen, researcher Paul Haynes and McNamara's husband, comedian Patton Oswalt, teamed up to complete the book, which was released in February of this year.