’Golden State Killer’ suspect is on suicide watch and mumbling to himself in a psychiatric ward, police say

Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, believed responsible for a series of brutal rapes and murders in California in the 1970s and ’80s, has said little since his arrest on Tuesday

Reading Time:2 minutes

Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, a former police officer, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of being the Golden State Killer. He has been placed on suicide watch. Photo: Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department

Published: 4:45am, 28 Apr 2018Updated: 5:24am, 28 Apr 2018

Joseph James DeAngelo — who is believed to be the “Golden State Killer”, one of California’s most elusive serial killers — is on suicide watch and talking to himself, the Sacramento County sheriff said on Friday.

Sheriff Scott Jones said that DeAngelo, 72, was in a psychiatric ward of the county jail and has said little since his arrest on Tuesday - but that he had appeared to be in a mood of “quiet reflection” and was mumbling to himself.

Jones said that investigators are sifting through every item, receipt and piece of paper from DeAngelo’s home for any possible clues to tie him to more than 170 crimes that authorities believe he may have committed.

The Golden State Killer is the name given to the individual believed responsible for the deaths of at least a dozen people and rapes of 50 women from 1976 to 1986. Jones declined to discuss the DNA method used to identify DeAngelo as the suspect.

Also on Friday, GEDmarch, the genealogical website that police used to track DeAngelo down, said it had no idea its service had been used in the hunt.