June 29th, 2020 — On this day, Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., a former police officer now known as the Golden State Killer, stood before a judge and pled guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder. His confession was part of a plea deal that spared him the death penalty in exchange for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

Between 1974 and 1986, DeAngelo terrorized California under several aliases—including the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, and the Original Night Stalker. He was ultimately linked to at least 13 murders, 51 known rapes, and over 120 burglaries across Northern and Southern California.

He was captured in April 2018, thanks to forensic genetic genealogy—a groundbreaking method that matched DNA from crime scenes to distant relatives in public genealogy databases.

At the plea hearing, prosecutors recounted the horrific details of his crimes: home invasions, abductions, sexual assaults, and brutal murders. Victims included Claude Snelling in 1975), Lyman and Charlene Smith in 1980, and 18-year-old Janelle Lisa Cruz, who was raped and bludgeoned to death with a pipe wrench.

In total, DeAngelo confessed to 161 crimes involving 48 known victims, while acknowledging responsibility for dozens more—including rapes no longer prosecutable due to the statute of limitations.

With no chance of parole, DeAngelo remains incarcerated at California State Prison, Corcoran—finally bringing some closure to one of America’s most disturbing and long-unsolved crime sprees.