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Joseph James DeAngelo: Fast Facts About Suspected Golden State Killer

CHICAGO (CBS) –Authorities have announced a "major development" in the Golden State killer case. Here are fast facts about the case and today's developments around the east area rapist:

1. The crime spree started in 1976 and lasted more than decade, resulting in "12 homicides, 45 rapes and dozens of burglaries across the state," according to CBS 13 Sacramento.

joseph-james-deangelo-mugshot
Joseph James DeAngelo (CBS)

2. Today police arrested the alleged Golden State Killer in the Sacramento area.

3. The Sacramento Bee is reporting that 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo resides at the home that police raided. DeAngelo was a police officer in Auburn, Calif., and was fired in 1979 for shoplifting dog repellent and a hammer from a drug store.

4. CBS 13 Sacramento is reporting that Southern California detectives contacted investigators in Australia over cases that bore similarities with the rapes and murders in California.

Various composite sketches of the man dubbed the East Area Rapist.
Source: CBS Sacramento

5. Crime writer Michelle McNamara dubbed the suspect "The Golden State Killer."

"She thought she was getting real close to finding him. And then she was gone," says true-crime journalist Billy Jensen says after McNamara passed away suddenly in April of 2016.

READ MORE: Former Police Officer Charged As Infamous Golden State Killer

 

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