Sacramento Police Department(LOS ANGELES) — “Golden State Killer” survivors, as well as family members of slain victims, faced the 72-year-old suspected serial rapist and killer in court today.
Joseph DeAngelo was arrested in the cold case killings last month and has since been charged with 12 counts of murder: two in Sacramento County, two in Ventura County, four in Orange County and four in Santa Barbara County.
Among the family members in court today was Jennifer Carole, whose father and stepmother Lyman and Charlene Smith were killed in their Ventura County home in 1980 allegedly by the “Golden State Killer.” She and several others stared DeAngelo down when he entered.
Others appeared upset upon seeing DeAngelo in the courtroom, who showed no expression and only spoke to his public defender.
The identity of the suspected “Golden State Killer” was a mystery for decades. Twelve people were murdered and 50 raped throughout California from 1976 to 1986.
It was DNA from Charlene Smith’s rape kit that investigators plugged into a genealogy database that led authorities to identify DeAngelo as a suspect.
DeAngelo returns to court on May 29.
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