Joseph James DeAngelo | Golden State Killer

Last Updated on July 2, 2026

Joseph James DeAngelo was a serial killer who was born in New York in 1945.

He committed 13 murders, more than 100 burglaries and more than 100 sexual assaults.

 DeAngelo had worked as a police officer and he was briefly tasked with investigating his own crimes. 

Crimes – The Visalia Ransacker

Joseph took a job as a police officer in Exeter, California.

He worked there from 1973 until 1976, in the burglary department! 

Joseph started committing crimes during this period and would investigate the crimes he committed! 

He began by breaking into and robbing homes in Visalia.

People called the unknown thief the Visalia Ransacker.

He damaged property during the break-ins and stole personal items.

Whilst most of these were non-violent, he shot and killed Claude Snelling in 1975 during a botched robbery.

Claude Snelling died while protecting his teenage daughter.

Crimes – East Area Rapist

In 1976, DeAngelo moved to a new police department in Auburn.

Shortly after the move, he began attacking people in Sacramento County.

He wore a mask and broke into houses at night.

Joseph tied up his victims and would sexually assault them.

People called this unknown attacker the East Area Rapist.

He initially targeted single women and later couples in their beds.

Joseph often forced the women to tie up their male partners.

He attacked over 50 women over a three year period and took trophies from the victims.

He shot and killed Brian Maggiore and Katie Maggiore in February 1978.

The young couple was walking their dog in the area where he had previously attacked victims.

There was a confrontation that ended with them being shot.

Witnesses saw a man fleeing the scene, wearing a ski mask. 

Crimes – Original Night Stalker.

After the police department fired DeAngelo in 1979, he moved to Southern California.

They had caught him stealing from a store.

He had other jobs, including working at a grocery store and as a mechanic.

As the Original Night Stalker, he broke into homes and murdered people in their beds.

His first attempt was unsuccessful after neighbors heard screams from the house and he fled the scene.

In 1979, Joseph killed Robert Offerman and Alexandria Manning.

The couple was shot in Robert’s home. 

They were found with their hands bound with twine.

After killing the pair, he ate leftover turkey from their fridge.

In 1980, he killed Lyman Smith and Charlene Smith.

The pair were bludgeoned with a log from their fireplace.

They had been bound with curtain tiebacks.

The pair were sadly discovered by Lyman’s 12 year old son.

In 1980, he killed Patrice Harrington and Keith Harrington.

The pair were newlyweds. 

They were bludgeoned to death with an unknown object.

In 1981, he killed Manuela Witthuhn in her home.

At the time, her husband was in the hospital. 

He killed Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez in 1981.

Cherri died due to severe head injuries.

Gregory was shot and bludgeoned to death.

In 1986, he committed his last known murder.

He killed an eighteen year old girl named Janelle Cruz.

She was sexually assaulted and bludgeoned to death.

A friend had been over the night of the killing.

They had heard sounds from outside the property but had dismissed them.

She was discovered the next morning by a real estate agent in her bedroom. 

Investigation and Arrest

Scientists connected some of the cases using DNA evidence in 2001.

New technology allowed DNA collected from crime scenes in poor condition to be tested.

Police did not know who committed these crimes for decades.

They did not know the same man did all of them.

At this time, they renamed him the Golden State Killer, due to the reach of his crimes across the state. 

In 2018, investigators used a public DNA website to find the suspect.

They uploaded crime scene DNA to search for family matches.

A family member had uploaded their DNA to the website.

The search led police straight to a suspect – Joseph James DeAngelo.

Needing to collect a DNA sample directly from him they staked out his home.

They were able to collect two DNA samples from his car and discarded tissue in his trash.

This DNA matched that taken from the crime scenes.

Police arrested DeAngelo at his home in April 2018.

He was seventy-two years old when they caught him.

Joseph did not admit to the crimes and instead blamed an alter ego called Jerry.

Court Case and Sentencing

Joseph sat in a wheelchair during his court appearances.

He confessed to thirteen murders in order to avoid the death penalty.

He also admitted to committing dozens of sexual assaults.

Many of the sexual assaults had passed the statute of limitations and he was unable to be charged for them.

The judge sentenced him to life in prison without parole in 2020.

He went to California State Prison to serve his time.

Early Years

Joseph did not grow up in a happy household; he was beaten by his father often.

His family moved to California during his youth.

Wanting to get away from his family, he joined the United States Navy in 1964.

He served on battleships during the Vietnam War.

Joseph returned to school after his Navy service.

He earned a degree in criminal justice in 1972.

During his college years, he met Sharon Huddle, who he later married in 1973.

They had three daughters during their marriage.

California Proposition 69

After Keith’s death, his brother helped pass California Proposition 69.

He invested $2 million in ensuring this passed.

The proposition allows DNA testing of criminals whose DNA may not already be in the system.

The samples to be run against cold cases.

The proposition has led to the resolution of several cold cases.

These include the murder of Mary Quigley and The Westside Rapist.

More than 12,000 crime scene DNA samples have been linked to violent offenders.