Decades later, Golden State Killer to be sentenced Aug. 21

Following a lengthy session that went several hours as prosecutors reviewed the grim details of each documented case Joseph DeAngelo had been accused of, the 74-year-old man known as the Golden State Killer plead guilty to a plethora of charges last Thursday afternoon. DeAngelo will now return to a Sacramento courtroom this month, where a four-decade-long saga will come to a conclusion. He will be sentenced for 13 counts of murder, along with 13 counts of kidnapping and a total of 62 rapes, all of which the Folsom High School alumni and former Auburn police officer claimed he was responsible for. On Aug. 21, Judge Michael Bowman is expected to hand DeAngelo a sentence of life in prison with no possibility of parole. In the days prior to DeAngelo's sentencing, several emotional steps must still take place. On Tuesday, Aug. 18, victim impact statements are scheduled to be read at 9 a.m. at Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse on 9th Street in Sacramento. DeAngelo's sentencing will take place. beginning at 9 a.m. on Aug. 21, in the main ballroom at Sacramento State University. The hearing is set to conclude at 11 a.m. Members of the general public who wish to attend the sentencing hearing must submit their names and contact information to the public information officer at sscpio@saccourt.ca.gov by noon on Friday. For decades, De'Angelo was on the run as he began terrorizing victims in 1975. He has been pinned to cases in six different California cases. During the years, the serial killer had many nicknames such as the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker, the Visalia Ransacker and finally, the Golden State Killer. DeAngelo was arrested in his Citrus Heights home near Orangevale two years ago. The arrest came after a DNA technique in which a handkerchief disposed of in his household garbage can linked him to the numerous crimes, years after the manhunt for him had been forgotten by most, except the victims' family members. Those family members are now finally getting some closure after so many years of not knowing what truly happened. As he makes what could be his final appearance before a Sacramento County court, DeAngelo will face many family members of his victims. Here is a rundown of cases in the six counties involved: Sacramento County: DeAngelo is accused of murdering Katie Maggiore, 20, and Brian Maggoire, 21, as they walked their dog in their Rancho Cordova neighborhood on Feb. 2, 1978. In connection with that crime, he has been charged with two counts of murder with a sentencing enhancement for multiple murders and personal use of a gun. Separately, between Sept. 4, 1976 and Oct. 21, 1977, DeAngelo is accused of kidnapping and carrying away nine women to commit robbery. He has been charged with nine felony counts of kidnapping to commit robbery with sentencing enhancements for personal use of a gun and a knife. Contra Costa County: Between Oct. 7, 1978 and June 11, 1979, DeAngelo is accused of kidnapping and carrying away four women to commit robbery. He is charged with four felony counts of kidnapping to commit robbery with sentencing enhancements for personal use of a gun and a knife. Tulare County: DeAngelo is accused of murdering Claude Snelling during an attempted kidnapping of the victim's daughter in September 1975. He is facing one felony murder charge with a sentencing enhancement for personal use of a gun.Santa Barbara County: In December 1979, DeAngelo is accused of raping and murdering Debra Manning, 35, and killing Robert Offerman, 44, of Goleta. Then on July 27, 1981, authorities allege he killed Gregory Sanchez, 27, and Cheri Domingo, 35, of Goleta. He was charged with four felony counts of murder with a sentencing enhancement for multiple murders, personal use of a firearm and special circumstances sentencing enhancements for murder during rape and murder during burglary.Ventura County: In March 1980, DeAngelo is accused of raping and murdering Charlene Smith, 33, and murdering Lyman Smith, 43, of Ventura. He is facing two felony charges of murder with special circumstances sentencing enhancements for multiple murders, murder during rape and murder during robbery.Orange County: On Aug. 21, 1980, DeAngelo is accused of murdering Keith Harrington, 24, and raping and murdering Patrice Harrington, 27, of Dana Point. On Feb. 6, 1981, he is accused of raping and murdering Manuela Witthuhn, 28, of Irvine. And on May 5, 1986, DeAngelo is accused of raping and murdering Janelle Cruz, 18, of Irvine. He was charged with four felony counts of murder with special circumstances sentencing enhancements for multiple murders and murder during the commission of rape, robbery and burglary.DeAngelo was a Folsom High School Class of 1964 graduate before he enlisted into the U.S. Navy. After returning home, he enrolled in a nearby community college and then transferred to Sacramento State, where he graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice, said school spokeswoman Anita Fitzhugh. DeAngelo married a Citrus Heights woman in 1973, according to a marriage notice in the Auburn Journal. After graduating from Sacramento State, DeAngelo served as a police officer in the city of Exeter. In 1976, DeAngelo became an Auburn Police officer. He was fired three years later after he was caught shoplifting a hammer and dog repellent from a Pay N' Sac store. For 27 years, he worked in a Save Mart Supermarkets distribution warehouse in Roseville, as a big rig mechanic until retirement. In April 2018, DeAngelo was taken into custody after a tissue in the garbage can of his Canyon Oak Drive home was the key source of DNA to link him to the crimes. After watching his home for several days, investigators initially followed DeAngelo to a Hobby Lobby store nearby and swabbed a door handle of his car while he shopped inside. Detectives came away with DNA that nearly matched DNA left at a crime scene four decades ago. "He had 20 out of 21 DNA markers that matched perfectly," investigator Paul Holes recalled. As prosecutors wanted a perfect match, they inspected articles in his trash can outside his home several days later and obtained the tissue providing the perfect DNA match that led to his arrest April 24, 2018.