hello?? >> he told us, with clenched teeth, shut up, or i'll kill you. >> sorry, it's just finding out what she went through. >> reporter: tonight on "20/20" the so-called golden state killer. a 40-year-old cold case suddenly solved? >> i can kill you. kill you. >> is this my last moment alive? >> he wanted fear. he wanted to see fear in me. >> hands tied, legs tied. >> he'd say, "shut up shut up shut up." >> reporter: one of the most notorious and elusive serial killers in american history. >> he's a pro. no one knows what he looks like. >> he was like a puff of smoke in the night. >> we have his dna. we just need a name to go with his dna. >> reporter: tonight, we have one. >> i think they got him!

>> reporter: now, we're taking you inside the epic manhunt. >> we had a master suspect list with 8,000 names. >> reporter: honing in on his m.o. he would balance plates on his victims. >> that's how he knew if they were coming back. >> reporter: and developing a profile from the bizarre details. >> what did he say? >> "mommy, i don't want to do this anymore. mommy, why am i doing this? >> i have talked to victims who said he called them in the 90s and said "i'm coming back." >> reporter: now, how an obsessed detective and his team, and a tiny dna sample led to last week's arrest. >> finally i got to see the face of the man that i've been hunting for 24 years. >> reporter: and you won't believe the man authorities say is behind the mask. >> i'm elizabeth vargas. >> i'm david muir. and this is "20/20." abc's whit johnson reporting this hour. he's been on this story from the start. >> he begins tonight with the

words of an author obsessed with this case. >> control was this offender's chosen language. it was in the bindings. the blitz attacks. he ruled in the houses he sneaked into, a static mask imposing horror. >> tuesday, october 5th, 1976. it was about 6:30 in the morning. my husband had just left for work. my three-year-old son hopped in bed with me for a snuggle. within one to two minutes i saw a flashlight shining down the hall, and i screamed out to my husband "what have you forgotten?" and the next thing i knew, i looked up, and there was a man shining this flashlight in my eyes with a ski mask on, holding a large butcher knife. he told us, with clenched teeth, "shut up, or i'll kill you." >> reporter: she would soon become victim number five. but before that terrifying morning, she was simply jane carson.

a 30-year-old nursing student at cal state sacramento living with her air force pilot husband and their young son in the suburb of citrus heights. >> life was very good back then. just a normal routine. getting up in the morning, taking my son to daycare. then i would go to school, come home, fix dinner. >> reporter: that month's number one song was chicago's "if you leave me now." ♪ if you leave me now you'll take away the biggest part of me ♪ "rocky" was due to hit theaters. a new president, jimmy carter, was on the cusp of election and sacramento was still an up and coming capitol city with a small town feel. >> it was a sleepy town. friendly, safe, people didn't lock their doors. >> you could park your car in the driveway and you could leave it unlocked, you could leave the keys in it. >> you didn't worry about your safety. that was until 1976.

>> reporter: for jane, her once secure home would soon become her prison. >> the next thing is he gags us, he blindfolds us, and he ties us up with shoelaces. he started ripping sheets, or towels, i'm not sure, but it was very methodical, and it was very slow. >> that tearing sound just he's doing that purposely. >> reporter: he wanted to inflict absolute fear and suffering in these victims. >> and that was his primary goal. >> his next move was to move my son. this is where the fear really took place. so my heart was pounding through my chest, and i just prayed, "dear lord, please, please let my son be safe." then he came around and he untied my ankles. i wasn't paying attention to the rape. i was paying attention to what had he done with my son. >> after the assault, her son is put back in bed with her. >> i could feel his body, and then i was relieved.

and then he said, "don't move, or i'll come back and kill you." then he goes into the kitchen, and he starts rattling pots and pans. it's like he's cooking something. and i went, "wow, this is really off the wall. this is really weird, strange." >> reporter: when her attacker finally leaves, the sun is rising. jane and her little boy still bound in bed. then, she breaks free. >> and when i got my blindfold down, would you believe that my 3-year-old was asleep? that was god's protection for that child. >> reporter: carol daly, a detective with the sacramento sheriff's department, was one of the first at the scene. >> by the time our patrol officer got in the area and started looking for him, he was nowhere around. >> reporter: nowhere close. >> no. >> reporter: there had been four similar attacks in sacramento in recent months. at what point did you realize you had a serial rapist on your hands? >> with jane carson. when we looked back and realized

she was number five of -- of -- similar rapes. >> reporter: in each case, the same meticulous, petrifying m.o. >> he always had a mask on. he always had gloves on. >> sometimes he would break into the house the night before. >> part of that is probably to -- to figure out the layout of the house. >> he would be in there, anywhere from one to three hours in -- in the assaults. they could hear him going into the kitchen. he would eat food. he would drink a beer. >> this was about power for this guy. this was not about sex. he's thinking to himself, "i am the king here and i'm just going to relish that feeling." >> reporter: so he would just make himself at home? >> knowing that he had the victims secured. >> he would find their wallet. he would take their driver's license. and he said, "i know where you live. i know who you are. >> he would -- took rings off of the victim. he would take some of the jewelry.

anything that would be a memento for him to look back and say, "ah, that was my victim." >> and he was simply driving a stake through people's psyche. >> reporter: after jane's attack, there are three more rapes just that month. police had been keeping them quiet, certain they would soon solve the case. but public safety was at risk and rumors had begun to spread. >> it was almost like wind through the trees. everybody knew something was going on, but nobody knew exactly what. >> the sheriff decided that we would hold community forums. if you are going to defend yourself, you must injure your attacker. >> i had no idea there were going to be several hundred people that would show up. >> concern over rape is mounting in this community. >> i live alone and i would like to learn to protect myself. >> i imagine a lot of women in the area are scared and are nervous. >> reporter: terror gripping the city. residents desperate to protect themselves from a madman now dubbed the east area rapist. >> people in these quiet east bay suburbs have wondered and worried wondered about why police can't catch the rapist and worried about their own homes being violated.

>> locks were flying off the hardware shelves. >> i don't like it. it's gotten to close to home. i've put locks on my doors, peep holes just this week. >> gun sales soared. >> they just want to protect themselves and protect their families. >> i have a gun but i still don't feel safe being at home alone. >> every day in the newspaper. it was number eight, it was number 10, it was number 15, 20, 28, 30. you know, it just kept going on and on and on. >> reporter: this map of the area showed the rapist's brazen ability to strike wherever and whenever he wanted. >> this particular rape happened within one block of another rape. >> reporter: the initial attacks are on women, home alone or with their children. but then, the east area rapist shifts his target to couples. >> and it tells me that this guy has the self-confidence in his abilities, to be able to go into a house, with the threat of this male present, and take control. >> reporter: one of the town meetings addresses the new development. >> a man stood up and said,

"i don't believe somebody could be raped if a man was in the house." >> reporter: what happened to him? >> well, several months later, he and his wife were victims of the east area rapist. >> it's chilling to think that this guy said, "oh, yeah? really? you think you can protect your wife?" and then he attacked them. >> i believe the rapist was in that room and followed them home. >> it's a completely devastating story of predatory evil, connected to the psyche of the town in a way i've never seen before. >> until he's caught, this area will continue to live in fear. >> this one man could change a city. >> reporter: next. >> i was fortunate that i was number five. because after my rape, he became much more aggressive. >> as time went by, we felt that our next call was gonna be to a homicide. >> i'm going to kill you. >> reporter: stay with us.

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>> reporter: the majority of violent fantasizers never act. what makes the ones who do cross over? the daydreamer steps out of his trance and into a stranger's house. every time the east area rapist strikes the police switchboard lights up. >> hello concord police department. >> we're getting an awful lot of calls. some people turning in their neighbors thinking they might be the rapist. >> reporter: it's the fall of 1977. sacramento, california is under siege. a violent serial rapist is on the prowl. >> with this guy the next rape

could be almost anywhere. >> this guy was a menace, he was striking time and time again. the fact they couldn't catch this guy just ignited the city in fear. >> reporter: a lot of people are buying guns.guns.guns. >> reporter: this spunky 13-year-old named margaret wardlow couldn't get enough of those headlines. >> it was really -- piqued my interest. like, what was making this guy tick? why was he doing this? >> anything that she could read or hear about on tv of the east area rapist, she was just intrigued by it. >> reporter: thursday, november 10th. it's a school night and margaret goes to bed early. >> i was awoken about 2:30 in the morning, with a flashlight in my face. and i knew at that moment, this is the east area rapist. >> reporter: margaret's mother tied up in the next room, the rapist stacking plates on her

back. >> he did that with so many of the victims when there was more than one person in the house. >> why would he stack the plates? >> so if he heard anybody moving, he was right back, and told them, "don't move, don't move, i'm gonna kill you, i'll kill you." >> like an alarm system. >> yes. like an alarm system. >> the whole time he'd been threatening me. he'd be saying do you want to die? and i answered him very clearly, saying, "i don't care." >> he said, "i'm going to kill you." and you told the serial rapist, "i don't care." >> i knew by telling him this, he most likely would leave sooner than later. he wasn't getting what he wanted. he wanted fear. he wanted to see fear in me. >> margaret was probably the strongest young victim i have ever talked to. >> reporter: she was victim number 27, but the attacks continue to escalate. now spreading to the neighboring cities. >> stockton, modesto, davis, concord, san ramon and two nights ago, freemont.

>> reporter: the east area rapist taunting his victims even further with chilling phone calls. >> hello. [ breathing ] >> i'm going to kill you kill you [ bleep ] whore. >> he would say things like, "remember the fun we had." sometimes it was just heavy breathing. but they knew it was him. >> how long after the fact would he make these calls? >> sometimes it was within a week, and sometimes it was years later. >> so it was as if, as soon as a victim started to get comfortable, he would circle back and try to prolong the fear and suffering. >> he did everything he could to make sure that he tormented 'em for the rest of their life. >> the infamous masked man made his 44th attack. >> our biggest problems are being able to clearly identify a suspect. >> what did he look like, as far as what the victims were saying?

>> 5'10", 180. we thought he had lighter brown hair. >> the eye color was sometimes dark, sometimes light. some said he had a strange smell. >> did the victims give a description that was unique about him? >> most of the victims described him as having a very small penis. >> reporter: detective carol daley says they thoroughly checked out all leads. >> there was not a stone left unturned in trying to identify this rapist. and we didn't have any luck there. >> reporter: authorities an canvassed neighborhood surveilling at all hours. they even brought out canines. >> all those resources, and yet, you still couldn't catch him. >> no, we didn't catch him. >> reporter: there were few physical clues left behind but a blood sample showed the east area rapist had a rare genetic condition that would eliminate 85% of the population. >> they would bring a cloth out of a little kit and you would chew it so they would get your saliva. >> we went to ups briefings, and delivery people just

volunteered. our officers -- because at one time, everybody thought it could be a cop. >> was there a point in time when there were clues that maybe he was former law enforcement or military? >> in attack number three. they're confronted with this man. he's got a mask on. he's got a t-shirt on. he's got a gun in one hand and a padded baton in another hand. and he says, "freeze or i'll shoot." when you look at his tactics, he definitely had an understanding of how law enforcement would respond to this type of attack. he understood how law enforcement would investigate that. >> well, he was definitely good at getting away with it. >> he was very good at getting away with it. >> reporter: and there is something else striking the east area rapist reportedly said during one of his assaults -- a name. >> he is sobbing and saying, "i hate you, bonnie. i hate you, bonnie," over and over. >> what was the significance of that?

>> that he had some significant female in his life named bonnie. and he had some anger against what bonnie had done to him. and he's taking that anger out on this victim that he's raping. >> the only thing we really know about the east area rapist is that he is a pro. he's been at this for four years now and still nobody even knows what he looks like. >> we felt that our next call was gonna be to a homicide. we really felt he was ready to kill. >> reporter: suddenly the spree of sex assaults seems to stop abruptly in 1979 with no rhyme or reason. what investigators didn't know was their biggest fear had come true. the rapist re-emerging in southern california, now a killer. >> it can happen to you. and apparently can happen without reason or motive. >> reporter: ten murders in succession earning him the nickname "original night stalker." among the victims, prominent attorney lyman smith and his wife charlene. daughter jennifer was just 18 at the time.

>> he was bigger than life. he loved to laugh. charlene was vivacious, musical, loved to cook. she had a flair for style. >> they had been bludgeoned in the head with a log that had been collected from a wood pile outside the house. >> it was horrible. to think you're blindfolded, your hands are bound, they're behind your back. >> charlene's body was processed for sexual assault evidence. and semen was found. >> reporter: police preserved that semen from charlene smith's rape kit. it would take 17 years to match the killer's dna to the dna collected at three other murder scenes. >> so they worked them independently for many, many, many years. it wasn't until the advent in the mid '90s of dna that

were able to link the crimes. >> reporter: then four years later, in a stunning development, authorities are finally able to connect the original night stalker to the east area rapist. >> this serial offender is one of the most prolific in california, possibly in the united states. >> your serial rapist in northern california was the same serial killer they were dealing with in southern california. how significant was that development? >> holy smokes, this is like the big break. because they got more insight, 50 cases worth of investigation, >> reporter: now they know the rapist and the killer are one man. a ten-year crime spree spanning 500 miles, at least 12 murders and 50 rapes investigators say. now re-branded as the golden state killer. >> we have his dna. we just need a name to go with this dna. >> reporter: how a genetic roadmap lead investigators to an alleged criminal mastermind. >> the dna came back. and it's looking like it's him. >> reporter: next. enamel is the strong, white, outer layer of your tooth surface. the thing that's really important to dentists is to make sure that that enamel stays strong and resilient for a lifetime the more that we can strengthen and re-harden that tooth surface,

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>> announcer: "20/20" continues with "to catch a killer." >> it was a power play. i'm both nowhere and everywhere. you've may not think i have something in common with your neighbor, but you do. me. >> reporter: despite the discovery of a dna link among his many vicious crimes, the identity of who might be the golden state killer would remain a mystery for decades.

>> how frustrating was that at the time to not have a name or face to go with the dna? >> it's >> i arrived at the scene with my little suitcase. >> pathologist dr. peter investigated when dna was in its earliest >> i always had duplicates. >> that second kit sat in the

coroner's possession for 38 years untouched. so the swabs collected from charlene smith's body were pristine. >> for years those pristine swabs languished in an evidence room past rows of case files t. dna of a man who police say killed 12 people and raped 50 sat undisturbed. for almost four decades police were waiting for science to catch up. little did they know years later a jean olg would begin to

flourish. >> c.c. moore helped pioneer the use of dna to build family trees. >> give me a hug. >> adopt tees and people with unknown parent age started coming to me to identify their parents. >> law enforcement was slow to realize its power until detectives wondered if it could create a road map to a serial killer. >> i started listening to phds start to explain this and i thought it was interesting. >> he uploaded it on to a no frills jean olg website. >> how did you place the dna into the website. >> i created an undercover account and uploaded the golden state killer's profile and

allowed them to do their magic and produce a list of people who shared dna with my offender. >> why did you choose general match? >> the largest databases only accept saliva >> remember veinvestigators had the dna from a rape kit to work with. >> investigators didn't have the ability to submit a sample onple ancestry? >> that's right. companies want to make that difficult because they don't want law enforcement using their databases for these purposes. >> ged match said they were not

approached by law enforcement enforcement. despite the database being smaller than 23 and me and ancestry.com detectives got lucky. >> i got a list of individuals that shared dna with the offender on the order roughly a third or fourth cousin. >> reporter: he spent months building family trees and working with teams of investigators. they poured over obituaries, grave sites, kren records to begin a process of elimination. >> at the end sifting through the family tree, how many people did you end up within your final group? >> we start looking at the geographic profile and seeing he has a sacramento connection and

a southern california connection. we're evaluating these people of the right age, somebody roughly 5'8", 180 pounds. we settled on five. >> how do you narrow in on joseph deangelo? >> we started focusing in on him because he looked better than the remainder. >> he wasn't a prime suspect, was he? >> no. he just rose to the level as many people have. it wasn't anybody thinking this is the guy. >> to narrow the focus police knew they needed to get fresh dna from deangelo to match against that 1980 sample. >> how did they get the dna from him? >> by a surveillance team that watched him for days. when he went to a public location he discarded his dna at that public location that was

collected. >> reporter: paul holtz retired in march. where were you when you got the news? >> i was outside a restaurant in colorado. i received a call from the sacramento d.a.'s office. they said don't say a word. the dna came back and it's looking like it's him. >> reporter: when we come back how did the man accused of being one of the most notorious criminals blend in his neighborhood, his workplace for over 40 years? >> he's been right here under our noses, living his life. i couldn't catch my breath. it was the last song of the night.

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most violent criminals smash through life like a human sledgehammer. they are caught easily. but every so often a blue moon surfaces. a snow leopard slinks by. >> the reason he evaded capture for so long is he's so evidence savvy. >> after an hour half it's over. >> it was like he knew every step that law enforcement was doing. >> in my estimation he's the most prolific major crime perpetrator, maybe in american

history. fwl police say they have the golden state killer in custody. >> reporter: it is april 25th, 2018 -- almost 42-years after the golden state killer commits his first crime when, finally, a break in the case drops like a bombshell. >> it's unbelievable. after all these years, they got him. an arrest. >> reporter: the man accused of being one of the most violent serial criminals in american history found hiding in plane sight. 72-year-old joseph james deangelo. >> i was shaking everywhere. the adrenaline just flooded. >> reporter: the vietnam war veteran discovered living in this sleepy sacramento suburb. >> living just a few hours away from you? >> can you say the balls involved in being right here under all of our noses? he's been right here the whole time, living his life? >> reporter: authorities say deangelo was tinkering on a woodworking project in his garage when investigators took him in to custody.

>> the only thing he really said was that he had a roast in the oven. >> reporter: joe deangelo appeared to live a quiet and normal life. working 27 years at this grocery distribution center fixing trucks, before retiring last year. he was married to a local attorney. the couple raising three daughters before reportedly separating in 1991. >> were you surprised to learn that joseph deangelo is a father, a grandfather, family man? >> i wasn't. because i had predicted that he would likely be blending in. >> reporter: it was a different story for his neighbors, who say the man who kept a meticulous front lawn also had an explosive temper. >> he would go into a yelling tirade. not sure who he was yelling at. a lot of four letter curse words. >> he'd accuse us kids here of spying on him in the backyard. he was paranoid at times. >> reporter: grant gorman, who lived in the house directly behind deangelo's says his

neighbor once left his family an anonymous but threatening voice mail. >> it said, "if you don't shut that dog up, i'll deliver a load of death." >> reporter: perhaps the most alarming of revelations that deangelo, at one point, had actually been a police officer. in 1973, he was working at this small police department in exeter, california. >> well, i don't think anybody really got to know the guy. >> reporter: farrel ward says he worked patrol with deangelo for three years. >> and i told him, he was overeducated. so why would you wanna stay in exeter? he should be in the fbi. >> reporter: it was while he was a police officer authorities allege deangelo's reign of terror begins. >> now that we identified and he was a law enforcement officer, yeah, he understands all and he's using it to his

advantage. >> reporter: deangelo would then move north -- working, here, at the auburn police department outside sacramento. >> he had a nickname on the department. it was "junk food joey." >> junk food joey? what was that about? >> he would have a coke in his hand, a bag of chips or candy bar. >> reporter: at times, deangelo's behavior made his colleagues uncomfortable. >> when he'd talk to you, he'd get close to your face and always be touching you. >> he was very touchy? >> yes. i remember one time i told him, "you know, joe, my mother doesn't touch me as much as you do." you know -- [ laughter ] >> how did he respond to that? >> oh, he -- he got his feelings hurt. >> reporter: willick fired deangelo in 1979 for stealing dog repellent and a hammer from a local hardware store, saying deangelo later filed a lawsuit against the department. >> the investigator told me that joseph had gone to my house one night to kill me. and said that he walked around the house lookin' in the windows but couldn't find my bedroom. >> and when you heard that you thought what? >> i just never saw him as a person who could, you know, kill somebody. >> reporter: but willick says looking back he now remembers something else.

>> a short time after he had been fired, i woke up one morning, my 4-year-old daughter was laying alongside the bed. she said, "dad, last night there was someone lookin' in my bedroom window with a flashlight." >> did you think that could have been joseph deangelo outside your home? >> no, i did not. i did not. >> reporter: there is one more chilling detail that helped investigators target their suspect. remember that mysterious name, bonnie. the name one woman told authorities her rapist called. could that hold a clue? >> you thought this guy had a grudge? >> he had a grudge. and we didn't know was bonnie his mom, a wife, ex-wife, girlfriend? we just knew that there was a bonnie in his life. >> tell me how bonnie's name helped you zero in on joseph deangelo. >> when we're looking at joe deangelo, we run across a newspaper article of an engagement to a bonnie back in 1970. so, now we have a guy that has a bonnie in his life.

and we couldn't find any indication that they ever got married. >> reporter: after link the golden state killer to 12 murders and 50 rapes could there be more surprises for investigators. >> it's possible there's attacks out there we haven't linked to him. >> reporter: when "20/20" continues. the acceleration... horsepower... and all-around performance... of a lexus hybrid, this should clear the air. lexus hybrids. crafted to be fast as h. now comparably priced to the rest of the lineup. experience amazing at your lexus dealer.

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>> announcer: "20/20" continues with "to catch a killer." >> he's been called the east

side rapist, the original night stalker, the golden state killer. today, it's our pleasure to call him defendant. >> reporter: it was the first of likely many appearances before a judge last week, as joseph deangelo was rolled into a sacramento courtroom. >> in custody, deangelo. >> reporter: the 72-year-old appeared sullen and feeble, barely enough energy to respond to judge michael sweet. >> is joseph j. deangelo your true and correct legal name? >> yes. >> i'm sorry? >> yes. >> reporter: cuffing him to the wheelchair seemed almost pointless, his eyes barely seem able to stay open as the charges were read. >> i think that he was either tranquilized or it's all an act. >> it was an act. >> you don't believe it? >> i don't believe it at all. >> completely faking it. >> reporter: you thought it was a big show? >> yep. >> this is a physically capable 72-year-old man. for him to be in that wheelchair, based on what was seen in the week prior, he's fakin' it. >> reporter: the week before he was arrested, he was seen riding a motorcycle? >> yes. he's the ultimate tactician. and now he is employing a

strategy to get sympathy. "i am a frail old man." >> reporter: so far deangelo's been hit with eight murder charges spread over three counties. on this day, two counts for the 1978 double homicide of katie and brian maggiore, no bail. and a public defender. >> he couldn't speak. she had to lean in. i wouldn't touch him. to hear his words. when you hear his neighbors tell you that he could be heard shouting in anger. come on, dude. let's make it a fair fight. let's go. stand up. >> reporter: frail or not, deangelo will likely avoid prosecution on the 50 rapes he's suspected of. >> he raped a housewife. >> there was a knife used. >> reporter: the statute of limitations has long since expired. >> but there's no statue of limitation on murder. it's a long arm of the law. it took 'em 40 years, but they found him. and now he's gonna pay. >> reporter: if convicted he could face the death penalty, but for now, there are unanswered questions about deangelo's alleged reign of terror.

first, could it have been even worse than authorities suspect? >> i was wondering what else had he done. who knows? he might have gone to summer camp somewhere. he might have gone on vacation somewhere. >> reporter: still, there is much speculation about one big question, why did the golden state killer finally end his years-long crime spree? >> reporter: what do you think happened? >> in 1981, he ends up going into kill gregory sanchez and cheri domingo. and he gets in a physical fight with 6'3" gregory sanchez. and i think that physical altercation with sanchez scared him. we don't have an attack for five years. but then he runs across beautiful 19-year-old janelle cruz and can't help himself, and kills her. but at this point, he's an aging offender. >> his testosterone might have gotten lower. he might have gotten heavier. he wasn't able to jump around

the way he was doing before. >> i always felt he quit because he lost the ability maybe to control, maybe to be as agile and as quick as he used to. >> reporter: so, he just retired from the killing business? >> i think it's possible, but it's also possible there's attacks out there that we haven't linked to him. >> reporter: even if the killer finally gave up on rape and murder, criminal profilers mary ellen o'toole and abc news consultant brad garrett, say its possible the killer didn't stop in 1986. he just moved on to different crimes or changed his m.o. >> if you're psychopathic, you're psychopathic and you're gonna take that to your grave. >> it is just unbelievable to me that he stopped cold turkey in 1986 because those urges don't go away. >> reporter: perhaps the biggest unknown, is it even possible to know what triggered the rampage. >> fantasy drives him, and the fantasies get richer and fulfill whatever excitement, thrill, need, sexual thing he needs, he's gotta bump it up a notch. >> when people have those

facades of normalcy around them, good jobs, good backgrounds, good families, they fly under our radar screen far longer than that serial killer that's out there just grabbing people off the street. >> reporter: just yesterday, deangelo's public defender was back in court, failing in her attempt to block investigators from collecting more dna, finger prints, and photographs, of specific parts of deangelo's body. as for paul holes, he personally doesn't need anymore evidence. >> reporter: now that you've seen his face after all these years, what do you see in his eyes? >> i saw glimpses of the evil when he saw a female and his face turned into rage briefly in custody. and i thought, "that is the real joe deangelo." >> reporter: when we return, the sister survivors of the golden state killer speak out. >> no matter how cold your case

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i need to see his face. he loses power when we know his face. >> reporter: michelle mcnamara's book ends with a hope that one day, a killer would be unmasked. >> she would have been thrilled. she would have been immediately looking through her files, >> reporter: she passed away in here sleep a little over two years ago before she could see the arrest of joseph deangelo. >> one day soon you'll hear a car pull up. you'll hear foot steps up your front walk. this is how it ends for you. open the door. show us your face. walk into the light. >> it's been 42 years, i carried a backpack of feelings of

revenge, of hate, of course, of shame for a long time. i no longer carry that. >> i don't want them to be remembered this. >> now they might be remembered as the link that solved the case. >> indeed. >> this is indeed a game changer, because every law enforcement department in the country, or maybe in the world, just realized the power of genetic genealogy. >> i've kept a big binder of information, just so i could be able to answer questions over the years. i can burn it all. it'll be gone. >> reporter: what is the most important thing that you want people to remember about this story? >> i want people to remember the victims. you know, everybody's gonna be talking about the rapist, but the victims are the most important part of this story.

>> reporter: jane carson is now an advocate for rape survivors like herself. speaking out at rallies like this one last friday night. >> i have been a hot mess, i have been an emotional roller coaster. >> you've got to make your mess a message. you can't let it destroy your life. life is too beautiful. >> what a survivor. we'll continue to follow this incredible story. that's "20/20" for tonight. i'm elizabeth vargas. >> i'm david muir. thank you for watching. have a great weekend. good night. what are the odds? bay area couple burned out a

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