DNA caught serial killer suspect
UNITED STATES: A man once sworn to protect the public from crime is accused of living a double life terrorising suburban neighbourhoods at night, becoming one of California’s most feared serial killers and rapists in the 1970s and ‘80s before leaving a cold trail that baffled investigators for more than three decades.
Former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was arrested at his home after DNA linked him to crimes attributed to the socalled Golden State Killer. He had initially been charged with six counts of murder and could face dozens more, authorities said yesterday.
The culprit, also known as the East Area Rapist, among other names, is suspected of at least 12 slayings and 50 rapes in 10 counties from northern to southern California. The armed and masked prowler sneaked in through windows at night and surprised sleeping victims who ranged in age from 13 to 41.
When encountering a couple, he was known to tie up the man and pile dishes on his back. He threatened to kill both victims if he heard plates crash to the floor while he raped the woman. He then ransacked the house, taking souvenirs, notably coins and jewellery, before fleeing on foot or bicycle.
Despite an outpouring of thousands of tips over the years, DeAngelo’s name had not been on the radar of law enforcement before last week, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said.
‘‘We knew we were looking for a needle in a haystack, but we also knew that needle was there,’’ she said. ‘‘It was right here in Sacramento.’’
A break in the case and the arrest came together at ‘‘light speed’’ during the past six days, Schubert said.
Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones said detectives with ‘‘dogged determination’’ were able to get a sample of DNA from something DeAngelo discarded. The genetic material was not a match, but there were enough similarities for investigators to return for more, and they were able to get a conclusive match.
After watching DeAngelo for
several days, deputies took him by surprise when they arrested him on Wednesday, Jones said.
Ventura County District Attorney Gregory Totten said prosecutors had not decided whether to seek the death penalty.
DeAngelo, who served in the US Navy, was a police officer in Exeter in the San Joaquin Valley from 1973 to 1976, at a time a burglar known as the Visalia Ransacker was active, Jones said.
He transferred to the force in Auburn in the Sierra foothills, near where he grew up outside Sacramento. About 50 crimes, including two killings, were attributed to the East Area Rapist during the three years DeAngelo worked in Auburn, but Jones said it was not clear if any were committed while he was on duty.
DeAngelo was fired from the Auburn department in 1979 after being arrested for stealing a can of dog repellent and a hammer from a drugstore. Ten slayings occurred after he was fired, and all took place in southern California.
Although it is unusual for serial killers to stop, Jones said authorities had no reason to think DeAngelo continued to commit crimes after 1986, when the last rape and killing occurred in Orange County.
Jones said he always thought the rapist was alive but might be in prison.
For the prosecutors and investigators, the arrest not only marked a significant professional achievement but also a personal one that had touched their formative years and early careers.
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley was a college student volunteering at a rape crisis centre and ‘‘sat with survivors who had been assaulted by this guy’’.
The wave of horrifying crimes had brought an end to a more innocent era in the Sacramento suburbs when children rode bicycles to school and played outside until dark, and people didn’t lock their doors, Schubert said.
Totten said he was a young law clerk during the investigation into the 1980 slayings of Lyman and Charlene Smith, which ‘‘struck terror in the hearts of Ventura residents’’.
In 1999, Orange County sheriff’s homicide detectives were able to use DNA to link the Irvine slaying of Keith and Patrice Harrington to nine other slayings in in Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The genetic evidence was later used to connect the same suspect to dozens of rapes in northern California.
Harrington’s brother, Bruce, helped to bankroll a successful 2004 ballot initiative campaign to take DNA from all convicted felons and some arrested people.
‘‘To the victims, sleep better tonight, he isn’t coming through the window,’’ Bruce Harrington said at the news conference announcing the arrest.
FBI agents and other investigators were gathering evidence at DeAngelo’s neatly kept home yesterday. Jones said they were looking for mementos that may have been stolen from victims.
Neighbours said DeAngelo took meticulous care of his house, but was known for an explosive temper and loud swearing.
Kevin Tapia said that when he was a teenager, DeAngelo falsely accused him of throwing things over their shared fence, prompting a heated exchange between DeAngelo and his father.
‘‘No-one thinks they live next door to a serial killer,’’ Tapia said. ‘‘But at the same time I’m just, like, he was a weird guy. He kept to himself.’’ –AP