
Actually sort of uncanny in some of them. The EARONS case has been cold for decades, but it’s been the subject of renewed attention in recent Made this collage of EAR/ONS sketches against photos of Joseph DeAngelo. Public records indicate that DeAngelo may have had a daughter during that five-year gap. EARONS was suspected in the murders of 11 people between 19 his final known attack was the rape and murder of Janelle Lisa Cruz in 1986. Throughout DeAngelo’s stint as a cop, EARONS escalated from burglary to assault to murder. He was later fined $100 for the incident and sentenced to six months of probation. True crime reporter Billy Jensen theorized on Twitter that DeAngelo accepted his punishment and quietly left the force in order to prevent any deeper digging into why he needed these items. In 1979, however, DeAngelo was fired after being caught shoplifting a hammer and dog repellent. He remained a member of law enforcement throughout most of the 1970s, receiving praise from the community for various services performed while on duty. Later on, DeAngelo moved to Auburn, California, and continued working as a police officer. Though investigators had long suspected a connection between the Ransacker and EARONS, no connection was confirmed until Wednesday. Nearby Visalia was where EARONS committed the crimes that led to his first moniker, the Visalia Ransacker. In 1973, after serving as an intern with the Roseville Police Department, DeAngelo became a policeman in the small town of Exeter. Police had long suspected that EARONS had military experience that would have taught him to tie the sophisticated knots he was known to use when binding his victims. Local news reporters spoke to neighbors who described DeAngelo as “relatively nice” but prone to loud outbursts of cursing.ĭeAngelo served in Vietnam as a member of the US Navy. He ultimately settled in Citrus Heights, where he lived for more than 30 years. He attended Folsom High School in Folsom, California, and later earned a BA in criminal justice from California State University Sacramento. Criminology Podcastĭetails of DeAngelo’s past are sketchy, but they paint a picture of a trusted member of law enforcement who used his status within the community as a disguise.ĭeAngelo was born in Bath, New York, but grew up near Sacramento. When asked if DeAngelo’s name had ever come up in the investigation before now, Schubert responded, “The answer is no.” What we know about DeAngelo and EARONS A 1962 yearbook photo of DeAngelo.

Many have dedicated their virtual entire professions to seeking this answer.” “Over these years, hundreds of individuals have sought justice for victims and their families. “For over 40 years, countless victims have waited for justice,” said Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert at a Wednesday press conference.

Sheriff Scott Jones stated that DeAngelo was “very surprised” by the arrest and was apprehended quickly.

Authorities indicated that DeAngelo was also being investigated for the Visalia Ransacker crimes, which took place in 19, before the East Area Rapist attacks.ĭeAngelo was arrested on a warrant from Ventura County and is reportedly being held without bail in Sacramento County Jail. Citrus Heights was the scene of six of EARONS’s confirmed attacks between 19. The details, frustration, and terrifying circumstances of the case have made EARONS one of the most well-known cold cases in modern true crime culture, which has inspired a crop of grassroots web sleuths and cold-case aficionados.Īuthorities arrested DeAngelo at his longtime home in Citrus Heights early Wednesday morning.
Joseph deangelo photo police force series#
However, he allegedly continued to taunt at least one of his previous victims with a series of phone calls. After 1981, following a five-year period of inactivity, EARONS committed only one more confirmed crime - and then apparently disappeared. His attacks were meticulously planned, and his assaults canvassed the state, ranging from as far north as Sacramento and San Francisco to as far south as Anaheim and Irvine. He was known by several media-assigned names, including the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker - usually shorthanded together as EARONS - the Diamond Knot Killer, and, most recently, the Golden State Killer.īetween 19, EARONS is believed to have burglarized hundreds of homes, raped as many as 50 people, and killed at least 12, often while family members were bound and gagged. Brian Maggiore and his wife, Katie, in Rancho Cordova, California - an attack that’s believed to be part of a cold case that spanned two decades and multiple cities.įor years, an unknown assailant terrorized suburban Californians.
Joseph deangelo photo police force serial#
One of the most famous unsolved serial killer cases in the US may finally be on its way to being closed.Īuthorities have confirmed the arrest of 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo in connection with the 1978 murder of Sgt.
