Joseph James DeAngelo, the man with many names. The Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker, EARONS, the Golden State Killer, and eventually (in 2018) Inmate 10078005. Between the years 1973-1986, DeAngelo committed 13 murders, 50 rapes, and 120 burglaries, making him one of the most infamous criminals to date. Although his crimes may have physically ended in 1986, his psychological reign of terror would last until his arrest on April 24, 2018.
Today, we seem to recollect California in the 70s and 80s as a wonderland. A place built on the ideals of glamor, and the hopes of “making it big”. But between Manson, Ramirez, the Hillside Stranglers, the Grim Sleeper, and the Golden State Killer, it seemed as though the mirage of fame and fortune disintegrate into a world of fear, torture, abuse, and murder.
Without giving too much glorification to this monster among us, let’s dive a little into the horror created by Mr. DeAngelo. Born on November 8, 1945, to a sergeant in the US Army, DeAngelo and his family spent his earlier years at an army station in West Germany. When he was a child, DeAngelo witnessed his seven-year-old sister being raped by two airmen. His sister also reported the DeAngelo himself suffered severe abuse from their father. Excuses for his crimes? Never. But the beginning of creating an inhumane psychopath? I would argue that.
After a brief stint in the Navy, DeAngelo became a California police officer, a position we would later find out he abused in order to maintain his secret life as the GSK. He was briefly engaged to Bonnie Jean Colwell, who became almost like a muse as DeAngelo would cry out her name while raping his victims. He transformed into a shadow, as he started his crime spree in 1974.
Hidden in plain sight, DeAngelo made it a custom to stalk his victims. He would break into his target’s house a number of times before the attack to hide weapons or items he planned to use while torturing them. Using his knowledge gained from his police training, DeAngelo was able to cover his tracks. Allowing him to haunt a greater portion of the California coast for 16 years.
Imagine the horror of waking up from deep sleep to a flashlight in your face. Blinded by the light, and bound with whatever he chose that night, all you could hear was a voice through gritted teeth say “Shut up, or I’ll kill you.” As the years passed, DeAngelo’s confidence grew along with his escalation of crimes. He moved on to raping women while their husbands/boyfriends were home. Forcing the woman to tie up her significant other, and placing glass dishware on the men’s backs, “If I hear any noise, I kill her and then you.” DeAngelo could now spend hours within a victim’s home. Taking breaks to prepare food in her kitchen before raping her again, pretending to have left the scene only to emerge again from the darkness, and always taking trophies in a sick attempt to memorialize his crime.
50 women. Joseph James DeAngelo raped 50 women. He got off (with – what we know from these victims- was a rather underwhelming size package) on continuing the torment. Calling his past victims on the phone throughout the years. “I’m going to kill you” he’d whisper into the phone, his heavy breathing consuming most of the audio. “Merry Christmas. It’s me again.” survivor of attack #21 received December of 1977. Sadly, we know he did not stop there. Joseph James DeAngelo is also responsible for taking the lives of 13 human beings. Crimes in which he ultimately would receive 12 life sentences (and 8 additional years) for on August 21, 2020. Though DeAngelo escaped the death penalty by pleading guilty, stating a cold and heartless apology during his sentencing, I think one can find their own sense of justice knowing that he is now a decrepit old man, rotting away in a cell for the rest of his miserable life.
DeAngelo was able to live a full life with his wife and three children, even though he ripped that opportunity away from 13 individuals. Although the living victims will be forever scarred by this man’s selfish actions, I hope that peace can be found by the victims. That a tiny part of them now sleeps better at night knowing that their nightmare is finally over.
Please feel free to comment with any thoughts on this post. Hopefully, this is going to become a space in which we can interact with one another. I am also encouraging any constructive criticism you may have, as well as other cases you would like me to discuss.
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Additional things to Read or Watch:
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Killers Keep Secrets: The Golden State Killer’s Other Life by James Huddle
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark – a documentary series available on HBO.