Joseph James DeAngelo and Southern California Crime Scenes
Connection Details
DeAngelo committed murders across Southern California counties as the Original Night Stalker.
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Joseph James DeAngelo
person
Former California police officer who pleaded guilty in 2020 to 13 murders as the Golden State Killer and was sentenced to life without parole after a 2018 arrest based on genetic genealogy.
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Southern California Crime Scenes
location
After the East Area Rapist attacks in Sacramento ceased, a series of murders began in Southern California from 1979 to 1986. The killer, dubbed the "Original Night Stalker," committed murders in Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Orange County, and other Southern California locations. The crimes were not linked to the Sacramento rapes until DNA analysis in 2001 proved they were committed by the same person. The shift from rapes to murders and the geographic move south demonstrated an escalation in violence and sophistication.
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Related Connections
DeAngelo committed over 100 burglaries as the Visalia Ransacker while serving as a police officer in nearby Exeter.
DeAngelo committed at least 50 sexual assaults across the Sacramento area from 1976 to 1979.
DeAngelo served as an Exeter police officer from 1973-1976, committing crimes while employed in law enforcement.
DeAngelo committed at least 13 murders in Southern California from 1979 to 1986.
DeAngelo committed the majority of his sexual assaults in Sacramento-area communities.
DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of murder and admitted to the full scope of his crimes.
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