Golden State Killer suspect will be tried in N. Calif.
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A former police officer suspected of being one of California’s most elusive serial killers will face a trial in Sacramento County on more than two dozen charges, including 13 murder counts, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Joseph James Deangelo, 72, is suspected of being the so-called Golden State Killer who terrorized residents of six counties during the 1970s and ’80s. He was arrested in April.
Deangelo, who remains jailed in Sacramento, will face trial there because of the complexity of the case, consideration of the suspect’s rights, the locations of the crimes and the hardship of victims and witnesses, officials told reporters.
Authorities have said Deangelo is suspected of killing 13 people and raping nearly 50 women.
On Tuesday, prosecutors filed an amended criminal complaint charging him with 13 counts of murder and 13 new counts of kidnapping for robbery. Deangelo is set to be arraigned Thursday.
“This human predator, Deangelo, took a path through all of these counties in our state and wherever he went he left the wake of terror in his path. He committed vicious, violent crimes in all of these jurisdictions,” Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said.
Deangelo’s attorney, Diane Howard, declined to comment on Tuesday.