LOS ANGELES _ It took four decades to catch the suspected Golden State Killer.
In that time, those who survived his attacks _ and the grieving loved ones of those who did not _ tried to find ways to cope.
Some set out like detectives. They searched for clues that could help capture a man suspected of raping 46 women and slaying 12 people in a rampage across California.
Others looked to God and went to therapy. They installed alarms and cameras in their homes and dared not leave a door unlocked.
Jennifer Carole of Santa Cruz and her brothers liked to think that the killer of their father and stepmother was dead. This was the only way to justify his escape.
"I've compartmentalized it," she said.
This month, when news came forward of Joseph James DeAngelo Jr.'s arrest, survivors and their families found themselves feeling an onslaught of emotions.
Above all, after so many years, relief.
