Golden State Killer gets life sentence

Name: WORLD
Price range: $

Joseph James DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges in California between 1975 and 1986. The former police officer known as the Golden State Killer said he was “truly sorry” before Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman sentenced him to life in prison on Friday. The 74-year-old also admitted to dozens of sexual assault incidents for which authorities cannot prosecute him because of the statute of limitations.

How did authorities catch DeAngelo? Investigators developed a method of DNA tracing using publicly accessible genealogy websites to find him. DeAngelo attacked 87 victims at 53 separate crime scenes in 11 California counties. Law enforcement identified and arrested him in 2018 after linking 40-year-old DNA evidence to a distant relative.

Dig deeper: Read Julie Borg’s report in Beginnings about another case built on family genealogy tracing.

Rachel Lynn Aldrich

Rachel is a former assistant editor for WORLD Digital. She is a Patrick Henry College and World Journalism Institute graduate. Rachel resides with her husband in Wheaton, Ill.