Joseph James DeAngelo

Serial killers

Though his crimes occurred decades ago between 1974 and 1986, Joseph James DeAngelo wasn’t identified as the Golden State Killer until DNA evidence from one of the crimes was used to match with a close relative of DeAngelo’s, which led to his identification and arrest. Over the course of three separate crime sprees, DeAngelo murdered at least 13 people, raped more than 50, and committed well over 100 burglaries. One of the reasons why DeAngelo was able to evade identification and capture for so long is because he was a former police officer. His training undoubtedly helped him in planning and executing his crimes while minimizing the physical evidence he left behind. In fact, he was known to have called some of his victims months before he attacked them so he could learn about their routines to more effectively plan his crimes. In some instances, he even broke into the homes of his victims so he could unlock doors and windows and even leave items like ropes and other ligatures he could use to tie up his victims upon his return. One of the most chilling aspects of DeAngelo’s crimes is that he often taunted his victims, staying for hours in their homes, ransacking it, eating their food, and threatening to kill their families. In some cases, he targeted couples, whom he would separate. He would sometimes force the female victim to tie up the male victim. He would then place plates on the male victim’s back so he could hear if the victim tried to move. DeAngelo would then commence with raping the female victim in another room. DeAngelo was also known to hide in the home, tricking his victims into thinking that he’d left, only to jump out of the shadows. He would often take souvenirs of his crimes with him as trophies to remind him of what he’d done.