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'Golden State Killer' suspect reportedly to plead guilty to avoid death penalty 'Golden State Killer' suspect reportedly to plead guilty to avoid death penalty
(about 13 hours later)
Multiple sources tell Los Angeles Times former police officer is expected to plead guilty in Sacramento on 29 June Multiple sources tell LA Times that ex-California police officer is expected to plead guilty in Sacramento on 29 June
An ex-policeman in California charged in a series of murders and kidnappings attributed to the “Golden State Killer” is expected to plead guilty in a deal that will spare him the death penalty, the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday. An ex-policeman in California charged in the “Golden State Killer” series of murders and kidnappings is expected to plead guilty in a deal that will spare him the death penalty, according to reports.
The office of the Sacramento county district attorney, Anne Marie Schubert, one of six prosecutors involved in the case against Joseph James DeAngelo, declined to confirm the report when reached by Reuters on Monday. Joseph DeAngelo was arrested in 2018 after police compared decades-old crime scene DNA to information on genealogy websites. He was charged with 13 counts of murder and kidnapping, relating to a spate of murders, rapes and burglaries in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and southern California in the 1970s and 80s.
The Los Angeles Times reported that DeAngelo, 74, will plead guilty in Sacramento on 29 June. He will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Police say DeAngelo, an officer in two small-town police departments during the 1970s, is suspected of dozens of rapes and more than 120 burglaries in and around Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay area and southern California.
As part of his plea he is expected to admit to crimes he has not been formally charged with, including rape, for which the statute of limitations has expired.
“I’m grateful he’s been caught, but the fact of the matter is he’s already lived a full life,” Victor Hayes told the Times. Hayes was 21 when he and his girlfriend were attacked at their home in Sacramento. Their attacker threatened to kill Hayes then raped his girlfriend.
The office of the Sacramento county district attorney, Anne Marie Schubert, one of six prosecutors involved in the case, declined to confirm the LA Times report.
“We have a moral and ethical responsibility to consider any offer from the defense, given the massive scope of the case, the advanced age of many of the victims and witnesses, and our inherent obligations to the victims,” her office said in a statement.“We have a moral and ethical responsibility to consider any offer from the defense, given the massive scope of the case, the advanced age of many of the victims and witnesses, and our inherent obligations to the victims,” her office said in a statement.
DeAngelo was arrested in 2018, capping more than 40 years of investigation. He was charged with 13 counts each of murder and kidnapping. Twelve murder counts accompany “special circumstance allegations” – such as rape of the victim. Some 737 inmates, more than 60% people of colour, were on death row in California in 2019. The state last executed someone in 2006, and governor Gavin Newsom has said he will not execute anyone while he is in office. In 2016 Californians voted to keep the death penalty.
The Times reported on Monday that multiple sources told the newspaper DeAngelo is expected to plead guilty in a Sacramento county courtroom on 29 June to avoid the death penalty.
“It’s a step forward ... but it’s not what I was hoping for,” Kris Pedretti, one of the rape victims, told the newspaper.
Authorities say DeAngelo, who was an officer in two small-town California police departments during the 1970s, was suspected of dozens of rapes and more than 120 burglaries in and around Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay area and Southern California.
Officials say the case was finally solved by comparing crime scene DNA to information on genealogy websites.
In 2019, four of the district attorneys agreed to seek the death penalty if they won a conviction, putting them at odds with a statewide moratorium on capital punishment.