Breaking News

More () »

Crime

Photos: Joseph DeAngelo, Golden State Killer pleads guilty

DeAngelo arrived to court in a wheelchair and wore a clear plastic shield during the proceedings. The plea agreement spares him the death penalty for a life sentence

Credit: AP

Joseph Cress, left, the public defender for Joseph James DeAngelo, charged with being the Golden State Killer, whispers to his client during a hearing in Sacramento Superior Court in Sacramento, Calif. Monday June 29, 2020. DeAngelo, 74, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of murder and multiple other charges 40 years after a sadistic series of assaults and slayings in California. Due to the large numbers of people attending, the hearing was held at a ballroom at California State University, Sacramento to allow for social distancing. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Joseph DeAngelo, a former police officer who terrorized California as a serial burglar and rapist and killed more than a dozen people pleaded guilty to murders attributed to the Golden State Killer. DeAngelo had remained almost silent in court since his 2018 arrest until he uttered the word “guilty” Monday in a hushed and raspy voice.

He acknowledged he would plead guilty to 13 murders and admit to dozens of rapes. The plea agreement spares him the death penalty for a life sentence with no chance of parole. Prosecutors say DeAngelo muttered to himself after being arrested about an inner personality that had forced him to commit the crimes.

Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo pleads guilty

1 / 9

AP

Joseph James DeAngelo, charged with being the Golden State Killer, is wheeled into the courtroom in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, June 29, 2020. DeAngelo, 74, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of murder and other charges 40 years after a sadistic series of assaults and slayings in California. Due to the large numbers of people attending, the hearing was held at a ballroom at California State University, Sacramento to allow for social distancing. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

MORE ON THE CASE

WATCH MORE: A young girl from Exeter, California was brutally murdered in 1975. The jury convicted local handyman Oscar Clifton of the crime, but did the real killer get away? Was Clifton framed by Joe DeAngelo, the man police say later became the Golden State Killer? An ABC10 Originals investigation by Lilia Luciano.