‘Golden State Killer’ suspect Joseph James DeAngelo pleads guilty to string of murders that terrorised California
- Ex-policeman, 74, is accused of 13 killings and kidnappings, as well as nearly 50 rapes dating back to mid-1970s
- Guilty plea is part of agreement that spares defendant from potential death sentence
An ex-policeman accused of being the “Golden State Killer”, a serial predator who terrorised much of California with a string of slayings, rapes and break-ins over 10 years, pleaded guilty on Monday to multiple murder and kidnapping charges.
Joseph James DeAngelo, 74, entered the pleas as part of a broader agreement outlined by prosecutors at Monday’s court hearing, to admit to all the offences he stands accused of, charged and uncharged, stemming from a crime wave dating back to the mid-1970s.
Under terms of the plea deal, DeAngelo will face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
While sparing the defendant from a potential death sentence, the deal also saves a dwindling number of ageing survivors, victims’ families, witnesses and investigators involved in the case from legal proceedings that would likely have stretched on for years, prosecutors said.
The plea hearing was held in a ballroom at Sacramento State University, rather than a courthouse, to allow for more socially distanced seating space amid the coronavirus pandemic. The defendant and his lawyers all wore medical-style, clear plastic face shields.
DeAngelo, dressed in orange jail garb and slumped in a wheelchair with his mouth agape, answered “guilty” in a raspy voice when the judge asked his plea to the first of 13 counts of first-degree murder and kidnapping charges he faced, most of which also encompassed rape allegations.