After decades of pain and loss, the families of the East Area Rapist's victims finally have closure.
Former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was arrested at his Citrus Heights home after DNA linked him to crimes attributed to the so-called Golden State Killer. He was initially was charged with eight counts of murder and could face dozens more charges, according to authorities.
The culprit is suspected of at least 12 slayings and 50 rapes in 10 counties from Northern to Southern California.
In honor of the Golden State Killer's 12 murder victims, here are their names:
Brian, 21 and Katie Maggiore, 20
Feb. 2, 1978. The young couple was walking their dog in their Rancho Cordova neighborhood when confronted by the East Area Rapist, according Michelle McNamara's piece in the Los Angeles Magazine. They were shot to death in a nearby backyard. McNamara, the late wife of Patton Oswalt, was fascinated by the case and wrote I'll Be Gone in the Dark about her search for the killer.
Brian and Katie Maggiore, had been high school sweethearts in Fresno, according to McNamara. Brian was a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force.
Robert Offerman, 44 and Debra Manning, 35
Dec. 30, 1979. The Golden State Killer breaks into osteopathic surgeon Dr. Robert Offerman's condominium in Goleta, a city just south of Santa Barbara, and shoots him and his girlfriend, Debra Alexandria Manning.
Charlene, 33 and Lyman Smith, 43
March 13, 1980. The married couple were found bludgeoned to death in their Ventura home, according to the Ventura County Star. The killer had also raped Charlene Smith. Lyman Smith was about to be named Ventura County Superior Court judge and Charlene Smith was an interior decorator. DNA evidence initially led authorities to believe the Smiths were killed by the East Area Rapist.
Keith, 24 and Patrice Harrington,27
Aug. 19, 1980. The couple had been married only a few months when they were found bludgeoned to death in their Dana Point home.
Manuela Witthuhn, 28
Feb. 6, 1981. Witthuhn was raped and bludgeoned to death in her Irvine home, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Cheri Domingo, 35 and Gregory Sanchez, 27
July 27, 1981. The killer, also known as the Original Night Stalker, breaks into Domingo's home and kills her and her long-time on-and-off boyfriend, Sanchez, according to the Noozhawk.
Janelle Cruz, 18
The Golden State Killer brutally rapes and murders Cruz in her parents' Irvine home while they were vacationing in Mexico, according to the Orange County Register.
