The Golden State Killer: Arrest of Joseph DeAngelo, East Area Rapist Case

The Arrest of Joseph DeAngelo

• 🚨 Authorities believe Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, is responsible for at least 12 murders and 50 rapes across California in the 1970s and 1980s.
• 🧬 The breakthrough in the case came from matching discarded DNA from DeAngelo's home to evidence collected years ago, likely through genealogical websites.
• 👮 DeAngelo had a prior career as a police officer in two California departments in the 1970s, a fact that fueled speculation for years.
• ⚖️ He was arraigned on two counts of murder from 1978, with charges expected from multiple counties, and faces life in prison if convicted.

The Visalia Ransacker (VR)

• 🔍 The VR operated in the mid-70s, committing burglaries and engaging in sexual acts in unoccupied homes, often taking small items like coin collections.
• 💥 In 1975, the VR attempted to abduct a 16-year-old girl at gunpoint, but her father, Claude Snelling, was killed while intervening.
• 🔗 Police now believe DeAngelo was also the Visalia Ransacker, tying him to the murder of Claude Snelling.

The East Area Rapist (EAR) Modus Operandi

• 👤 The EAR's first confirmed attack was in 1976, characterized by a masked assailant with a knife, often nude from the waist down, speaking through clenched teeth.
• 🗣️ Victims consistently described the attacker speaking through clenched teeth or growling, a method to disguise his voice.
• 📏 Descriptions of the EAR were consistently around 5'9" to 5'11", with a slim, athletic build and dark hair.
• 🤏 A recurring and notable detail from victims was the description of the attacker having a very small penis.
• 📞 Hang-up phone calls and personal details about victims, sometimes gleaned from mail or phone books, were common tactics.
• 🏠 Attacks typically occurred in middle to upper-class neighborhoods, often in single-story homes near cul-de-sacs or with easy escape routes.
• 🍽️ A common