Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo Sentenced To Life In Prison Without Parole
The Sacramento County D.A. assured survivors the “monster” that terrorized them “will die alone in the dark.”
Joseph DeAngelo [Associated Press]
A Sacramento County Superior Court judge sentenced former police officer Joseph DeAngelo on Friday to multiple life sentences behind bars without the possibility of parole for his role in terrorizing at least 11 counties in California from 1975 though 1986. Dubbed the Golden State Killer, DeAngelo, 74, accepted a plea deal in June that allowed him to avoid the death penalty in exchange for confessing guilt to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges, according to the Associated Press.
As part of the deal, DeAngelo also admitted to carrying out dozens of sexual assaults for which he won’t be sentenced since the statute of limitations has expired on those cases.
Prosecutors said DeAngelo, who was also known as the East Area Rapist, Visalia Ransacker and Original Nightstalker, wreaked havoc in the lives of at least 87 victims in 53 attacks over the course of his decade-long crime spree.
DeAngelo was arrested in April 2018 after genetic genealogy using DNA evidence, collected during the investigation into the murders of Lyman and Charlene Smith in 1980, helped reveal the killer’s identity.
At his Aug. 21 sentencing, DeAngelo stood from his wheelchair and addressed his victims and their loved ones. “I listened to all your statements, each one of them, and I’m truly sorry for everyone I’ve hurt,” he said.
Over several days before sentencing, multiple survivors had confronted DeAngelo in court with emotional victim impact statements.
On Wednesday, Jane Carson-Sandler, the serial rapist’s fifth victim, called DeAngelo “evil one” and let him know she had managed to turn her “pain into power” and her “mess into a message.”
“One quarter of me, being a Christian, I want to say to you, ‘May God have mercy on your soul,’” said Carson-Sandler, 74, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Then there is another three-quarters of me that wants to say to you, ‘Buddy, just rot in hell.’”
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman sentenced DeAngelo to serve 11 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus one additional life sentence and another eight years.
“This is the absolute maximum sentence the court is able to impose under the law,” Bowman noted, according to CNN. “And while the court has no power to make a determination where the defendant is imprisoned, the survivors have spoken: Clearly the defendant deserves no mercy.”
Know the monster of your childhood or your younger years is gone forever and will die alone in the dark.
Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert
During final comments on the case, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert reminded survivors that “the greatest revenge is to live your lives,” USA Today reported.
“Paint your children's and grandchildren's rooms again with hearts and rainbows,” she said. “Know the monster of your childhood or your younger years is gone forever and will die alone in the dark.”
