Golden State Killer suspect agrees to guilty plea in a deal that spares him death penalty
The former police officer accused of terrorizing California during a series of rapes and murders attributed to the Golden State Killer is expected to plead guilty later this month in a deal that will spare him the death penalty, according to multiple sources.
Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., 74, is set to admit to 13 murders and as many rapes in a yet-to-be determined Sacramento County courtroom on June 29.
Many sources who were notified about the legal arrangement said they were specifically required to not disclose the deal to the media. Nor are any legal motions outlining the plea deal required to be filed in court prior to the June 29 court date.
Sources said DeAngelo has agreed to admit to scores of crimes for which he is not charged, including rapes, for which the statute of limitations has expired.
Victims of some of the crimes in the case voiced both relief and frustration bordering on anger.
"I'm grateful he's been caught, but the fact of the matter is he's already lived a full life," said Victor Hayes, who was 21 when he and his 17-year-old girlfriend were attacked while in bed one night in September 1977, in a suburb east of Sacramento.
A masked intruder bound and threatened to kill Hayes and pulled his girlfriend into another room and raped her multiple times before fleeing. At the time, DeAngelo was working full time as a police officer for the Northern California foothill town of Auburn, about half an hour away.
Auburn fired DeAngelo in 1979 after he was caught shoplifting a hammer and dog repellent from a hardware store. Months later, the Golden State Killer began a series of murders in Southern California.
_ Los Angeles Times
