joseph james deangelo. a former police officer. and at this time, fbi agents remain at his home in the community of citrus heights which is just outside of sacramento. obviously you can see a heavy law enforcement presence at that home. as they gather evidence there. for decades a task force has continued to search for the man who was later known as the golden state killer and he's linked to more than 175 crimes including murders, rapes, and burglaries. many of those crimes committed here in the bay area. and the cities of concord, san ramon, danville, fremont, and walnut creek. all within a couple of years in the late 1970s. now there's sort of a twist in all of this that's unusual. a writer michelle mcnamara who put a spotlight on the killer was working on a book about this case before she died in 2016 and her husband happens to be comedian patton os walt and he posted a video to instagram a short while ago. >> looks like this suspect joseph james deangelo up in sacramento was the east area rapist and he'

reporter lonnie wong looks at joseph deangelo's years with the auburn police department in the 1970s.reporter: the auburn police department tried to go deep into its archives to find any information on deangelo who started work here as an officer 40 years. >> joseph deangelo did in fact work for the auburn police departments in the 70s. >> reporter: most of the personnel records from the period are now gone. most of what we know of deangelo comes from the local paper, the auburn journal. in this picture from the paper, deangelo second from the left is interacting with a local youth baseball team but according to for story he was fired after being caught shoplifting a hammer and dog repellent spray at a citrus heights store the same area where many of his alleged rapes occurred. >> very possibly he was committing crimes during the time he was employed as a peace officer and obviously we'll be looking into whether it was actually on the job. >> reporter: even before he worked for the auburn police department he enlisted in the navy in 1964. the auburn journal recorded the story because

officials say joseph deangelo is being held in a cell by himself at the sacramento county jail since being arrested nearly a week ago outside his citrus heights home. according to jail records, so far no one has visited the 72- year-old. he has declined requests for jailhouse interview, including our request from ktvu. he has been placed on suicide watch as a precaution and is also undergone a psychiatric evaluation. we last appeared in court on friday but did not enter a plea. he is set to return to court in two weeks. >>> officials are expected to meet with his former fianci. >> they hope she can provide more insight into the alleged killers motive. >> reporter: d'angelo's fianci was named buddy caldwell. she was 24. according to a book by one of the investigators, richard shelby, the east area rapist yelled out i hate you, bonnie, as he raped one of his victims. he -- she called off the engagement and eventually marry someone else. there was a meeting scheduled with the district attorney's office. we also noticed the majority of the murders, the 10 out of the 12, occurred after he

joseph deangelo made his first court appearance in wheelchair... the arraignment only lasted a few minutes.... the defendant looked tired... despondent.. when the judge asked him to verify his name -- his answer was barely audible.joseph james deangelo formally arraigned in a packed sacramento county courtroom... his first court appearance since his arrest this week -- and accusations of him being the infamous golden state killer.the former police officer -- wheelchair bound wearing an orange jail garb . he was charged formally with two counts of murder with special circumstances for the 1978 killings of brian and katie maggiore.he also faces two murder charges in ventura county. (;12)diane howard, public defendant for deangelo "i know everybody wants information but you saw me literally get handed the complaint in court. i have no discovery, no information other than what i'm reading in news reports. i asked the da for discovery. i understand it's hundreds of thousands of pages. i haven't gotten anything yet and i don't expect to get a lot initiall

in skromt, eric thomas, abc 7 news. >>> now joseph deangelo lived in a quiet sacramento suburb and neighbors cannot believe so close to this alleged killer. >> deangelo lived in a ranch house in citrus heights one woman tweeted she freaked out when she heard deangelo lived behind her for past 20 years. one couple told the los angeles times that they wafrpd a documentary two weeks ago. they said if something so horrific can happen so close anything goes. >> joseph deangelo is accuseds a number of attack in six cities in the bay area process concord walnut creek, danville, san ramon, fremont and san jose. he may have been able to cover his tracks because of inside knowledge. >> he was a plofrp in my two california cities for a total of six years. abc 7 news reporter david louie has the details and about the rape cases deangelo may be connected to. >> let story of suspect joseph james deangelo is filled with contra dicks. doongle o may have used his experience in law enforcement to mask his crimes. deangelo was a police officer in the small town of exiter from 1973 to 1976. an officer in auburn

so exactly who is joseph james deangelo ? ktvu's alex savage has more on this. >> we know that joseph james deangelo was a retired mechanic and former police officer. he lived in suburban sacramento with his adult daughter and granddaughter. investigators are saying that it was innovative dna techniques that led them to joseph james deangelo. they are not elaborating beyond that. authorities believe that he is the golden state killer that terrorized communities across california in the 70s and 80s. breaking into homes in the middle of the night and raping and killing the people inside. the string of attacks began in the sacramento area, there were similar crimes a later in the bay area. in contra costa county. last week a task force zeroed in on joseph james deangelo. investigators had them under surveillance, they tested dna samples from items that he through way and they were able to get a match. decades letter -- later a sense of relief and satisfaction for the families. >> for the 51 women that were raped, they will sleep

all the arrows started pointing to this man, joseph deangelo.e that joseph deangelo was an officer was in the 1970s, so at that point, if they didn't have dna technology, so his dna would not have been in any sort of database. i know that you have been speaking to his brother—in—law, haven't you? and that was california reporter tom miller for us. the duke and duchess of cambridge have announced the name of their third child. the prince's official title will be his royal highness prince louis arthur charles of cambridge. he was born on monday and is fifth in line to the throne. earlier the former royal butler grant harrold — who spent seven years working with the duke and duchess, told me the choices are a tribute to the prince's grandparents. i think it is wonderful. they have gone with a very traditional royal name, obviously the young prince's father has it as one of his names. arthur, his great—great—grandfather george vi, arthur is in that name. and charles as well, after his grandfather they've covered all the names, i think it is very tra

. >> 72-year-old joseph deangelo. authorities say the break in the case came when dna evidence from crime scenes matched genetic information from one of his relatives who used a genealogy website. deangelo is suspected of at least ten more murders and upwards of 50 rapes from 1976 to 1986. >> it is likely that the suspected killer would still be on the run had it not been for a man who hunted him every day for a decade. >> talk about dedication. investigators paul hole says he was obsessed with this case. abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield is live at the contra costa county d.a.'s office where this investigator worked and had a very clever way of identifying the suspect. >> reporter: he sure did, reggie. this investigator said it was frustrating that it took him to long to find him. he says he spent almost 20 years looking for this suspect. paul holes admits he maybe neglected areas of his life to work the case. he is said to know it better than most people. he says he is 100% sure joseph deangelo is the east area rap

authorities have identified the suspected serial killer as joseph james deangelo. 72-year-old was arrested this morning in the sacramento county city of citrus heights. the investigators say he is responsible for at least 12 killings and 45 rapes dating bang to the 1970s and 1980s. the series of crime started in the sacramento area and spread to the east bay where he was dubbed the east area rapist, then more crimes in southern california where he was called the original night stalker. today the sacramento county district attorney says a dna match connected all of the attacks. >>

is joseph james deangelo your true and correct legal name? inaudible. i'm yeah. yes. elo appeared confused at times as a judge explained he was initially facing two counts of murder. the accused made no plea and was refused bail. in total, he is suspected of at least 13 killings, 51 rapes and scores of burglaries, many dating to the time when he was a police officer. his lawyer says he's entitled to a fair trial. we have the law that suggests that he is innocent until they prove him guilty, and that's what i was gonna ask everybody to remember, because i feel like he's been tried here in the press already. mr deangelo, a father of grown—up children, was said to be extremely surprised when he was arrested at home in a quiet suburb of sacramento last week. the crime spree had begun more than a0 years ago just half an hour drive's away before spreading to the san francisco area and then on to central and southern california. detectives have revealed they used a genealogy website to narrow down their search for the suspect, who was arrested after officers obtained dna from

deangelo's attorney is complaining of problems with the case. abc 7 news anchor eric thomas reports from sacramento. >> is joseph james deangelo your true and correct legal name? >> yes. >> i'm sorry? >> yeah. >> yes. >> deangelo answered yes from his wheelchair in a weak voice almost kbb to hear. in court today a public defender was appointed to represent him. diane howard said the sheriffs department initially made it difficult to see her cltd even though she had a court order. >> he disrd rayed the court order. >> howard says there are thousands of pages of evidence to wade through and it could take months before they're ready for trial. deangelo is officially charged with two counts of murdering brian and katy in rancho cordova while walking their dog in 1978. he is suspected of ten more murders as the golden state killer and 50 rapes as the east area rapist. it expand a decade and went unsolved 40 years. dine hill of rancho kor dova and daughter kelly came to the courthouse in hopes of getting a look at the suspect. >> he is a horrific man and needed to be caught. we didn't ever imagine that we would see this happen. >> but attorney howard is

the suspected killer may be in custody but the investigation into joseph deangelo is far from over. deangelo is now in custody of the sacramento county sheriff's department and will be arraigned in sacramento today. he faces 8 counts of murder but that number may increase as more districts look into cold cases. investigators are now digging up deangelo's yard and combing through his citrus heights home looking for objects they have only ever been able to see in criminal case archives. a lieutenant for the sacramento county sheriff and for him searching through the home of the suspected golden state killer is one of the highlights of his career. >> obviously i'm happy that -- that we were able to, um, close this case. we are going through each of the rooms very painstakingly slow looking at absolutely every item. >> so they are looking for things like stolen class rings, earrings and fine china. those are just some of the items reportedly stolen in the violent attacks carried out by the east area rapist. investigators are also searching deangelo's boat. it fits in his driveway and is

and yesterday afternoon in a perfectly executed arrest, might detectives arrested james joseph deangelo, 72 years old, living in citrus heights. >> want to show you now one of the many sketches that was released over the years. the drawing is from a witness description, you see it there on the left, and on the right is deangelo's yearbook photo. he graduated from folsom high school back in 1964. delanguage low is -- deangelo is a former vietnam veteran and grandfather. he was fired from the auburn police department back in 1979 for shoplifting a hammer and doing repellent. investigators throughout this case said they thought the killer may have had a law enforcement background. the sacramento sheriff said deangelo's training may have helped him keep this case unsolved for so long. >> heather holmes reporting for us live in the newsroom with the latest on this bizarre breaking case. thank you so much. >>> women and girls who joseph deangelo is accused of raping, nine of those took place in contra costa county. for more we are joined by dianna becton, the contra costa county district atto

. >>> we are following a flurry of new developments tonight in the arrest of 72-year-old joseph deangelo. the suspected serial rapist and serial killer who police say terrorized communities across california in the 1970s and 80s. today prosecutors confirmed they used a genealogy website to see if dna samples from crime scenes matched anyone in the data bases. authorities say it revealed a family tree that was a relative of the suspect. and another case, a 13th killing that authorities have linked now to the suspect. and law enforcement departments around the state are now taking a fresh look at old cases to see if those crimes are linked to the suspect's dna. today authorities were back at the suspect's home in citrus heights. the law enforcement team seized computer, documents, and other potential evidence that could help tie the suspect to the violent crime wave. people living in the neighborhood say they're still trying to come to grips with the notion that a suspected serial killer may have been living nearby. nearby. >> shakes you to the core, it really does. mostly when you grew up

the woman bonnie caldwell was engaged to joseph deangelo in the 70s but broke off the engagement. investigators say that may have led to the string of rapes and murders in the 70s and 80s, one of his alleged victims says he repeatedly yelled i hate you bonnie after she was raped in 1978. >>> investigators say she is one of the killers youngest victims, we are learning from the woman who was attacked at knife point, bound with rope and raped. it all happened in 1979 when the woman, mary berwert was just 13. >> above all i am so happy. it is the best news. there was a time when i thought i would never know.>> this is a picture of mary berwert from 1979 when she celebrated her 13th birthday, two months after the picture was taken her life

the courtroom was packed with a lot of attention that sacramento is not used to getting. >> joseph james deangelo-old expolice officer was in a wheelchair when deputies rolled limb in. he looked frail and elderly and spoke in a soft raspy voice we strained to hear. >> joseph james deangelo your true and correct legal name? >> yes. >> i'm sorry? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> deangelo is officially charged with two counts much murdering a sacramento county couple in 1978. he is also suspected of ten more murders as the golden state killer and 50 rapes as the east area rapist. the crime spanned a decade from the mid-70s to the mid-80s and went

authorities i have identified him as a joseph james deangelo. he was arrested without incident at 5:00 yesterday evening at his home in citrus heights. we will -- we learned he was once employed as an officer, but was fired in 1979 after being caught shoplifting. >> here is a map showing the locations of those crimes. most were centered in the sacramento area, but there were at least a dozen cases in the east bay. several more in southern california.>> we have team covered for you tonight. spoke to a woman whose both father and stepmom were victims. first we go to d'angelo's arrest end of the dna link that cracked this case he. live at the sacramento county jail where he is being held with the nobel as the murder charges are heading out. >> 80 charges a so far, but he is believed responsible for 12 murders and as many as 50 rapes a. he makes his first court appearance friday afternoon. >> in june 1976 i was 12. >> she grew up your and remembers appearing in the east area rapist who ran -- tied up and sexually assaulted women. >> the answer was a

officials say dna evidence led to the arrest of a 72-year-old former police officer, joseph james deangelo. he was taken into custody at his home at 5:00 last night.'s home turn into a crime scene today as sacramento care -- fbi searched for evidence. >> while he seemed to be an average home omer at least one never tells us something was off. >> we used to call him freq because he would have tantrums. he would yell so loud that you could hear him yelling from inside the house. it was like he lost his keys. he was not yelling at anybody. he was like where are my keys? >> the case is -- baffled investigators all around california for decades. it started with a series of rape cases and then in the east bay later the killings happened in southern california using elaborate not to bind his victims. here is a map of the crimes. another 12 cases it took place in the east bay. most of the killings took place in southern california.>> we have live coverage tonight. speaking with a woman's whose father and stepmother were killed. >> live at the county jail where joseph james deangelo is being held t

. >> joseph james deangelo. >> the 72-year-old expolice officer was in a wheelchair when deputies rolled limb in. he looked frail and elderly and spoke in a soft raspy voice we strained to hear. >> joseph james deangelo your true and correct legal name? >> yes. >> i'm sorry? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> deangelo is officially charged with two counts much murdering a sacramento county couple in 1978. he is also suspected of ten more murders as the golden state killer and 50 rapes as the east area rapist. the crime spanned a decade from the mid-70s to the mid-80s and went unsolved for 40 years. diane hill of rancho dovd o and daughter kelly came to the courthouse today in hopes of getting a look at the suspect. >> he is a horrific horrific man and he needed to be caught. and we didn't ever imagine that we would see this happen. >> not that we believed we were in danger at at all times. but it felt like people could finally put that to rest. >> deangelo is represented by attorney diane howard with the county public defender office. she is asking people not to rush to judgment. >> we have the law th

investigators arrested 72-year-old joseph james deangelo at his home in citrus heights. a suburb in sacramento. that's where the crime spree began four decades ago. dna linked him to more than 45 rapes, 12 murders and 120 burglaries across california. "today in the bay" pete suratos live in contra costa county to explain what we're learning about the suspect. pee pe pete, one of the things people are shocked by is he's a former police officer. >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. very shocking joseph deangelo once worked as a police officer during all this for a three-year period of time for the city of auburn where he worked as an officer. a picture uncovered, he's the one in the moustache numerator in that picture. according to auburn police, he was fired in 1979 for shoplifting. law enforcement officials said during a press conference yesterday that it's possible he may have been committing crimes as the golden state killer while he was working as an officer. decades now after he committed these heinous crimes, residents in the city of auburn are feeling a sense o

joseph deangelo in court today for the very first time. a lot of people in court today wanting to see him with their own eyes. joseph deangelo appearing frail and dazed with his eyes barely open in a sacramento courtroom. the judge reading the charges against him. deangelo only saying a few words. while deangelo's brother-in-law says the family is in shock -- >> we didn't know, you know. we were totally blindsided. there was nothing there to indicate this would happen someday. it seems unbelievable to me and my daughters. >> reporter: prosecutors confirming they used genealogy to track down deangelo. as we told you last night, investigators say authorities compared dna from the crime scene years ago with the genetic profiles available through the genealogy website ged match. the goal, find distant relatives of the killer. that helped law enforcement track down deangelo. >> if you see that they share a little bit more dna, you stepped a little bit closer to who the offender is. >> reporter: that eventually led to deanglo. a sigh of relief f

this is joseph deangelo's house. the yellow police tape, we have been watching as fire personnel, investigators taking items from the house. just beyond that is correct there's bit of an incline and a fence over the top of his house, deangelo's house. that is where the gorman family is. i spoke with them earlier today. what they told me is that they have had many confrontations with joseph deangelo over the years, one of them which led to him leaving a threat on their answering machine, a threat over a barking dog. all that separated them from the notorious serial killer was the picket fence. >> i wonder how many times we were a breath away from being a new victim of his. >> anybody who referred to him it was like, oh, crazy joe's, down there by crazy joe's. we got that from his outbursts. >> reporter: now something that you will notice again as we're looking at that bird's eye video of deangelo's back yard is it's marked up with fbi signs and indicators, but no digging at that point. we have since learned this after

department in the central valley and later the auburn police department outside of sacramento. >> joseph deangelo did work for the police department back in the '70s. i think it was august '76 to around september of 1979. anything we can do to help those agencies, we will do. >> reporter: deangelo left law enforcement after being accused of shoplifting a hammer and bug repellant from a store. still for four decades deangelo never caught the attention of police. until finally innovative dna techniques connected the retired officer, father, and grandfather to the violent crimes. and today investigators are continuing to fill in the gaps in this complicated case. working to figure out what deangelo has been doing all these years. the accused killer being held without bail in the sacramento jail and he is scheduled to appear before a judge at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. >> alex savage, thank you. >> the crimes they endured have left a lifetime of scars and horror. >> reporter: the first known victim of the east area rapist was a mother attacked in her home. a masked man broke into her house and entered

deangelo is in a sacramento jail being held without bail. inspectors were scouring the citrus heights home of joseph james deangelo on thursday. authorities say they are looking for specific items they may have stolen. >> he may have taken single earrings out of a set. he would have taken items that have monetary value. rings, some class rings. a variety of items like that. >> reporter: police have also seized computers, duals, and other potential evidence from a violent crime wave that lasted from the mid 9170s to 1986. neighbors in this sacramento suburb are still trying to come to grips that for so many years they had a suspected killer right next door. >> shakes you to the core. it really does. mostly when you grew up with the fear of him and to find out he lives around the corner. >> deangelo is suspected of 13 homicides in southern california and 45 rapes including one in fremont in alameda county. district attorney nancy o'malley said on mornings on 2 that dna evidence was the key to breaking the case. >> for the last two years there has been a lot of focus on it. in the last six days the foc

what he said, plus, the reports tracking joseph deangelo through dennard and genealogy websites were originally led to the wrong man. >>> losing his cool, oklahoma city thunder's russell westbrook and his run-in with utah jazz fans. first at halftime and then after his team's big loss. what he is saying about it all this morning. >>> and caught on camera, good samaritans to the rescue. rushing in to save two women pinned underneath a car. their heroic efforts lifting the 3,000-pound vehicle. >> i really thought i was going to die. >> the message she has to the strangers who saved her life. >>> hey, good morning. can we bring back that video? it's really incredible at a time of so much toxic tribalism in washington, d.c., right here a sign of compassion in action. >> yeah, the scene played out on the streets of washington. >> look at that. >> so you saw the car swerve out of control and then it pinned two women who were then saved by good samaritans. we're going to have that story coming up from one of the rescued women. >> look at them lift that car. >> i know, 3,000-pound car, it's

he says he is 100% sure joseph deangelo is the east area rapist and golden state killer. holes describes how he felt after he saw deangelo after the arrest. >> i absolutely needed to see him and to see him sit in an interview room utterly defeated, that was a very good feeling. >> so here is how he found him. they had dna, but it didn't match any known criminals. holes went to a genealogy site called jed match and checked the lineage going back generations. he checked if anyone at any point had moved to california at the time of the crimes, joseph deangelo fit those boxes. last week investigators got his dna from some stuff he had thrown away and they had a match. holes doesn't work here anymore. he retired just almost a month before this arrest, but he's retired knowing he cracked the biggest case of his career ch live in martinez, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> what a story. thank you so much. one of deangelo's former co-workers says he's surprised by the allegations. investigators believe deangelo might be the visalia ransacker from the mid '70s. >> absolutely no indica

in a voice barely above a whisper. >> joseph james deangelo your current correct legal name? >> reporter: handcuffed to a wheelchair, the man prosecutors said was the golden state killer was formally charged in a sacramento courtroom for the murders of katie and brian maggieore. there in the courtroom is his brother, michael smith. >> it is difficult. we are happy to be there for her and brian. >> reporter: a dna match linked deangelo, a former police officer, to more than 45 rapes and a dozen murders in contra costa, orange, sacramento, ventura, and orange counties. >> dna is a silent witness. >> reporter: the dna match came from an open source site that allows people to up load their profiles from 23 and me and ancestry to look for family members. investigators had to dig deep to match deangelo's familial dna before they collected his. >> we went back to the great great grandfather with individuals born in the early part of the 1800s. >> reporter: it wasn't just victims' family members that showed up in court, but neighbors who remember the reign of terror in the 70s and 80

method that they's say -- they say that men exhibited a rare genetic marker also found in joseph james deangelo's dna but in this case they got a confirming dna sample outside of joseph james deangelo's home presumably garbage which does not require a search warrant. basically most of the work they did would not require any search warrant . it's public information that's everywhere.>> how crazy. well thank you.>>> the suspects finally faced -- >> joseph james deangelo was wheeled into a sacramental courtroom cuffed to his chair and surrounded by police. emily turner was there for us. emily? >> reporter: this whole thing today lasted maybe 10 minutes. this case will play out over months and months potentially even years before it comes to its conclusion. today was the first time we saw the accused killer in court and it was the first time his victims were there.>> it's difficult. we are together and we are happy to be together and for her and brian.>> reporter: katie and her husband brian were killed 40 years ago. today joseph james deangelo was charged with these murders. >> we've been riding a r

joseph deangelo worked briefly as a cop for the police department for three years. the auburn journal uncovered a picture of him during that time. we can go ahead and show viewers the picture. you can see he's there during his time as auburn police officer between 1976 and 1979. he is the man with the moustache in that picture. according to auburn police, he was fired in 1979 for shoplifting. law enforcement officials said during a press conference yesterday that it's possible he may have been committing crimes as the golden state killer while he was working as an officer. decades now after he committed toss heinous crimes residents in that stu of auburn where he served as a police officer for a few years are feeling a sense of relief knowing he's behind bars. >> we were scared. everybody had to shut up the house and lock the cars at night. yeah. so we're real relieved he was caught. >> i hope they don't go lightly on him. he's created a lot of pain for a lot of people. >> reporter: of course we're getting more details on the life he was living prior to that arrest,

the man they've arrested is a former police officer, joseph deangelo. james cook has this report. terrorised california while serving as an officer of the law himself. after decades of frustration for detectives, they found the suspect under their noses in this quiet suburb of the state capital. for over a0 years, countless victims have waited for justice. over these years, hundreds of individuals have soughtjustice for these victims and their families. newsreel: the rapist moved into costa county in october, striking three times in just over three weeks... more than 175 crimes in the 70s and 80s have been linked to the golden state killer, including 12 murders and 51 rapes. she was awakened while being blindfolded. she never saw her assailant. the crime spree started in sacramento, before spreading to the san francisco area and then central and southern california. it took years before investigators could confirm that the crimes were linked. advances in science eventually led detectives to the former police officer, now 72 years old and the father of grown—up children. his arrest

dna -- found in joseph james deangelo's dna but they are confident they've got the right man. investigators say dna is not the only thing joseph james deangelo had in common with the killer. the name bonnie came up during one of the violent attacks. >> he's making the statement " i hate you bonnie. " we felt there was a woman named bonnie in his life. it was significant to him. >> reporter: he was once engaged to a woman named bonnie. investigators say he may have been taking his anger at her out on his victims.>> scary moments for people in antioch a couple of hours ago, a house far started spreading -- fire started spreading in the grass. you could see the damage in the back patio area. involved two homes on fawn hill way. the flames burned a half-acre of brush behind these homes. firefighters were able to get the blaze under control a short time later. >>> another fire in san jose has left a family devastated. a man was killed trying to rescue his niece from a mobile home fire along hermitage street yesterday afternoon. the man did not know the little girl had been pull

police officer. >> shows how dna evidence connected the dots. >> sources telling nbc bay area joseph deangelo was working for big rig mechanic in roseville for decades before retiring recently. >> he's a monster. >> linking jennifer carol's mom and stepmom's murder to deangelo. her reaction complicated. >> i've been all over. i was taking a shower and burst out crying. i wasn't sure where it came from but it hit me hard. >> more than 40 years and law enforcement agencies across the state believe they have caught the so-called golden state killer who was accused of raping 45 women and killing 12 people. he was arrested tuesday afternoon at his citrus heights home. >> he would wake them up and he had a ski mask on. he would talk through clemplged teeth. he would tell them don't move or i will kill you. >> agents working for years say deangelo would threaten to kill rape victims husbands. they say dna evidence is linking the 72-year-old to the crime. >> it's exciting. it's why we do the work we do. >> a dna criminalist in alameda county, she didn't work on the deangelo case but explains to us ho

investigators are trying to learn everything they can about joseph james deangelo. >>> more on the arrest of a man suspected of killing 12 people and raping 45 women's in the '70s and '80s. they are trying to learn everything they can about joseph james deangelo. the 72-year-old former police officer was originally from sacramento county. he has patroled the streets of auburn between 1976 and 1979. kpix 5's joe vazquez looks into deangelo's law enforcement background and whether it helped him elude authorities for decades. >> did the training cause this person maybe to perform certain types of tactics based on that training? did he elude law enforcement for so long because he knew so much about law enforcement? it's extremely troubling and upsetting to know that this person actually was a law enforcement officer. >> reporter: officials say the killer blindfolded most of his victims. he escaped out back doors so neighbors wouldn't see him. a former detective on the case says the golden state killer knew how to keep from getting get the idea. >> neighbors would see all kinds of suspicious p

. >>> our time is now 4:33. 73-year-old joseph deangelo expected in court today for the first time in sacramento. he's a suspected serial rapist and killer. prosecutors confirmed they used a genealogy website to see if a person matched. a 13th killing has also been linked to deangelo. authorities are now looking at other cases to see if they're linked to deangelo. >>> authorities seized computers and other documents that could link him to the violent crime spree. people who live in that neighborhood say they're still shocked that a suspected killing was living in their neighborhood. >> shakes you to the core. especially when you grew up with the fear of him and to learn that he lived right around the corner. >> reporter: deangelo is due in court at 1:30 this afternoon. >>> investigators did not release the name of the dna company they used to search for a connection to the crimes. and the two most popular sites ancestry.com and 23 and me both say they do not have warrants related to this case. but as jana katsuyama reports a lot of questions are coming up. >> reporter: in this case, i

joseph deangelo set to make a court appearance at 1:30 this afternoon. we have asked for a live report on our noon newscast. >>> overseas, history has been made on the korean peninsula with kim jong un crossing over for an unprecedented summit with the president of south korea. >> just a few steps, kim jong un made history, walking across the border to meet south korea's president for their first summit. the two leaders coming to several agreements in principle, including denuclearization. closer ties, and a permanent peace treaty to formally end the korean war. >> we will make sure the agreement we have reached does not repeat the unfortunate history of unfulfilled promises. >> there will be a valuable beginning toward the complete denuclearization of the korean peninsula. >> the summit is being hailed around the world as a major diplomatic breakthrough. president trump tweeted in part, the united states and all of its great people should be very proud of what is taking place in korea. there's no legal framework for any of those proposals yet but expert

but now joseph james deangelo is in police custody.the 72-year-old was arrested outside his sacramento county home. >> the magnitude of this case demanded that it be solved. >> at least 12 murders, upwards of 50 rapes, and more than 100 burglaries spread fear across the state fm 1974 to 1986. they began in and around sacramento, moved on to the bay area and then to southern california. the crimes were meticulously planned. investigators say deangelo wore a ski mask and broke into homes, then gagged, blindfolded and tied up his victims before carrying out his brutal attacks. bruce harrington's brother and sister-in-law were among the murder victims. >> for the 51 ladies who were brutally raped in this crime scene, sleep better tonight. he isn't coming through the window. he's now in jail, and he's history. >> deangelonly became a suspect days ago when investigators got a break in the case. then a discarded dna sample provided the confirmation they needed. deangelo was a former police officer who worked near visalia and auburn. >> obviou

>> reporter: joseph james deangelo will have his first court appearance tomorrow. live in citrus heights. kpix5. >> he spent 10 months terrorizing the bay area starting in 1978 he targeted single women and couples in concord, walnut creek, san ramon, danville, fremont, and san jose. we are hearing from some of his victims. >> many thought that they may never have closure. emily turner has their victims -- some of the victims reactions. >> it's disbelief. >> i'm so excited and thrilled.>> reporter: after many years and crimes and heartache, it's only sitting there is justice. >> it was a day i had wished for for over 40 years. >> reporter: 45 rates and 15 murders went unsolved for four decades with to the arrest of joseph james deangelo, police say they've got the men responsible. doctor pope says this is huge for victims. >> this would be a momentous event. so many had to cope with their experiences without justice. it's momentous. it could be re-integrated moving forward in the case. >> reporter: always wondering who their attacker was and if he would strike again

>>> we're following new developments tonight in the arrest of 72-year-old joseph deangelo including how investigators used his family tree to catch him. hello again, every. i'm frank somerville. >> and i'm -- everyone. i'm frank somerville. >> and i'm john sasaki. he's -- julie haener. he's due in court tomorrow for the first time, and police revealed today they used dna from a website and it revealed a family tree including a relative of deangelo. now law enforcement departments from around the state are looking at old cases closely to see if they're linked to the suspect's dna. rob roth has more. >> reporter: investigators were scouring the citrus heights home of joseph deangelo thursday looking for specific items he may have stolen from the victims. >> he would take single earrings out of a set. he would take, um, obviously items that had monetary value. rings, some class rings. a variety of items like that. >> reporter: police have also seized computers, documents, and other potential evidence from a violent crime wave that lasted from the mid-1970s until 1986. neighbors in this sac

yesterday afternoon, in a perfectly executed arrest, my detectives arrested james joseph deangelo, 72 years old, living in citrus heights. i can tell you that although it was dna, ultimately, that led us down the right road, there were a lot of places that road could have led. i don't want to underscore -- i can't underscore enough the absolute human factor, the dogged determination of not only detectives working on this case but the passion of the district attorney, myself, the community and the victims. all too often we forget about talking about the victims. and today we at least brought the first step toward closure for those victims of these horrendous crimes. so i want to thank not only the district attorney and the crime lab, and the dna that helped us get here, but my own detectives and the detectives from all these folks represented by the leaders standing behind me. when we put together this working group two years ago and brought in the fbi, who was more than happy to be part of this team and effort, we had no way of knowing that we would be standing here talking about the

. >> joseph deangelo is on suicide watch. investigators tracked down deangelo using a genealogy website that contained genetic information from a relative. yesterday police searched deangelo's citrus heights home for possible murder weapons as well as trinkets the accused killer may have stolen from victims. this morning we're hearing from deangelo's sister. she still lives in the area where she was a police officer for a few years. >> a reporter from our affiliate in fresno went to her house. she spoke briefly but declined to be shown on camera. >> it's kind of such a shock, you don't know how to react except to be -- it's too much. >> after college, deangelo took the police job in exiter. that's where investigators say he committed most of his crimes. he was fired by auburn police after a shoplifting arrest in 1979. >> she transferred from a community college to sacramento state in 1971. he earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the school in 1972. deangelo served in the navy prior to college. if you'd like to

he's 72-year-old joseph james deangelo, a former police officer. we're still following this news conference. see if we can glean more information about the man's background and if he always lived in southern california. the d.a. said he's always been here in sacramento. unclear if he moved to central california or southern california or always lives in the sacramento area. shep? >> shepard: trace, i wondered if they gave any information that you know of about what happened when the takedown happened? and whether he had been incarcerated on other matters at any point. >> that's a good question. i don't know. i'm not following the news conference anymore. right now they're giving information on the victims that he had over the years. some of the victims are at the news conference. they didn't tell us exactly how he was taken down, they didn't tell us if he tried to avoid arrest. there's no information on that. we assume that will be coming and that in the minutes to come. but right now they're giving us basic details of what went into this investigat

. >>> time is now 5:05, in other news later today, joseph deangelo the man known as the golden state killer will appear in court after a genealogy website found a match. the data base they say revealed a family tree that included the relative of deangelo. now police all over the state are looking again at old cases to see if they might find a link to deangelo's dna. one woman who's mother and boyfriend were brutally murdered in santa barbara county back in 1981 is relieved to hear about these new developments. >> for years i've been talking to her spirit and just saying, we're going to get him mom, we're going to get him. >> reporter: now district attorneys in sacramento, ventura and orange county filed eight counts of murder against deangelo. and yolo county may file three rape charges for attacked that occurred more than 40 years ago in davis. >>> we're also hearing from a couple who was terrorized by the serial rapist. 40 years ago he broke into their home in stockton and got in through a broken lock. >> i didn't know in certain terms he was going to kill him if i didn't tie him a

. >> my detectives arrested james joseph deangelo, 72 years old, living in citrus heights. >> the suspect, a former police officer, was arrested at home on tuesday and booked on eight counts of murder. investigators suspect deangelo in dozens of other crimes dating back to the 1970s. >> the answer was and always was going to be in the dna. >> officials said the arrest was the result of old-fashioned detective work mixed with modern science. >> we started with science and we were able to get some discarded dna, and we were able to confirm what we thought we already knew, that we had our man. >> the initial break in the case came just a week ago. >> we all knew as part of this team that we were looking for a needle in the haystack, but we also all knew the needle was there. >> some victims had waited decades to hear the news. >> it's putting this to bed, getting closure. i always thought he would be caught. i always believed he was alive. >> deangelo is scheduled to be arraigned in sacramento on friday. >>> and comedian patton oswalt's late wife michelle mcnamara wrote her book "i'll be gon

but even if that is the case prosecutors will not be able to charge joseph james deangelo.bc 7 news reporter david louie explains. >> reporter: while joseph deangelo may eventually be linked to two san jose rape cases from 1978, the prosecutors will not be able to charge him with the crimes. the statute of limitations for rape at that time was 10 years. the law was changed two years ago eliminating the time limit on rape charges. santa clara county chief assistant district attorney jay boresky was pushing for a change after 20 years after handling the case of a 7-year-old victim. even if deangelo could be tried for rape today he would get a break on sentencing if convicted. >> back in late 1970s someone that committed a rape and even used a fireman, the most time they would be facing in prison is about 7 years. now that same conduct would be 25 years to life. >> reporter: no one except the victim victims themselves cannot know the anguish of not seeing a victim face trial. in deangelo's case he can be put on trial for murder because the murder has no statute of limb limitat

but now joseph james deangelo is in police custody. the 72-year-old was arrested outside his sacramento county home. >> the magnitude of this case demanded that it be solved. >> at least 12 murders, upwards of 50 rapes, and more than 100 burglaries spread fear across the state from 1974 to 1986. they began in and around sacramento, moved on to the bay area and then to southern california. the crimes were meticulously planned. investigators say deangelo wore a ski mask and broke into homes, then gagged, blindfolded and tied up his victims before carrying out his brutal attacks. bruce harrington's brother and sister-in-law were among the murder victims. >> for the 51 ladies who were brutally raped in this crime scene, sleep better tonight. he isn't coming through the window. he's now in jail, and he's history. >> deangelo only became a suspect days ago when investigators got a break in the case. then a discarded dna sample provided the confirmation they needed. deangelo was a former police officer who worked near visalia and auburn. >> o

joseph deangelo will be arraigned this afternoon in sacramento.e was argsed earlier this week at his home in citrus heights outside sacramento. they used dna technology to track him down thanks to a genealogist website. >> neighbors say a man died a hero after he ran into a burning mobile home to save a little girl. it turns out that little girl was found safe outside of the home. the man never made it out. this happened yesterday afternoon at the west winds mobile home park near highway 237. investigators are looking into how this fire started and they have not yet released the name of the man who died. >> 6:57, a little his supposed to be made when the san jose welcomes its newest class of officers, maybe call it her story. according to the mercury news the latest class includes the highest ever number of women. nine of the 4 7 graduating officers are female, double the usual number. >>> volunteers will spends this weekend making sure people have smoke detectors working, the red cross wants to install 2,000 smoke detectors from san rafael down t

. >> we are talking about 72-year- old joseph james deangelo. he's in a sacramento county jail rate now. tomorrow he will be in a sacramento courtroom. two murder charges have already been filed against him for the deaths of a man and a woman in 19 survey in ranch -- 1978 in rancho cordova, but officials say he may have also committed as many as 12 murders and 51 rapes in 10 california counties between 1974 and 1986 when many people thought the golden state killer had died. >> here's a map showing you where the crimes happened, that deangelo is suspected of committing. the early crimes were in the sacramento area with at least a dozen more in the east bay, mostly contra costa county. the last cases were in southern california including ventura, orange and santa barbara counties. ktvu's deborah villalon says with so many crimes across 10 different counties, the prosecution will be complex. >> reporter: in june of 1976 i was 12. >> reporter: sacramento's d.a. grew up here and remembers fearing the east area rapist, who ransacked homes, tied up and