Joseph James DeAngelo, sitting in a wheelchair, is brought out of the courtroom for a break in the schedule for the third day of victim impact statements at the Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, in Sacramento, Calif. DeAngelo, 74, a former police officer in California eluded capture for four decades before being identified as the Golden State Killer. DeAngelo pleaded guilty in June to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges stemming from crimes in the 1970s and 1980s. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool)
By Don Thompson
A former California police officer dubbed the Golden State Killer told victims Friday hew was "truly sorry" before he was sentenced to multiple life prison sentences for a decade-long string of rapes and murders that terrorized a wide swath of the state.
Joseph James DeAngelo, 74, pleaded guilty in June to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges under a plea deal that avoided a possible death sentence.
The punishment imposed by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman means DeAngelo will die in prison for the crimes committed between 1975 and 1986.
Before sentencing, DeAngelo rose from a wheelchair, took off his mask, and said to the court: "I listened to all your statements, each one of them, and I'm truly sorry for everyone I've hurt."
DeAngelo also publicly admitted dozens of more sexual assaults for which the statute of limitations had expired. Prosecutors called the scale of the violence "simply staggering," encompassing 87 victims at 53 crime scenes spanning 11 California counties.
So many were his victims that Bowman sentenced DeAngelo in a university ballroom large enough to hold the survivors and their families, after an extraordinary three days of hearings in which they told in often heart-rending detail how he had upended their lives.
DeAngelo sat silently through those hearings, expressionless in a wheelchair that prosecutors contended is a prop to hide his still vigorous health.
He eluded capture for four decades until investigators used a new form of DNA tracking to unmask and arrest him in 2018.
Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty but settled for a life term given California's moratorium on executions, the coronavirus pandemic, and the advancing age of DeAngelo, his victims, and witnesses they needed to make their case.
Bowman sentenced DeAngelo under a plea deal that called for him to be sentenced to 11 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, plus 15 life terms with the possibility of parole and eight years for other enhancements.
Theaters needed new releases to fill seats, and unfortunately for them, the supply of movies is entirely out of their control. Cheddar's Alex Vuocolo takes a deeper look.
Nick Bailey, president, and CEO at Re/Max, LLC joined Cheddar News to talk about the company's strong Q4 earnings results and the tight real estate market overall. "Real estate has continued to be a very strong sector, and coming into '22, we're already seeing the spring selling season be accelerated because of such high buyer demand," he said. "Buyers thinking that interest rates could fluctuate and go up even more are wanting to be in the market sooner than later."
Nicole Borders, Co-owner of Pound Bizness, joins ChedHER to discuss the story behind her business and the support it's received, along with advice for other 'couplepreneurs' out there.
Emily Dalton Smith, Vice President of Product Management and Social Impact at Meta, joins ChedHER to discuss how she's leading the way for social impact in the Metaverse.
Jadee Hanson, CIO and CISO at Code42, joins ChedHER to discuss what to look out for in the world of cybersecurity in 2022, and why a diverse workforce is so critical in this industry.
A still-unidentified attacker was able to steal 254 tokens from 17 traders who held their NFTs on the OpenSea marketplace. Cheddar's Alex Vuocolo takes a close look at how the crypto community is responding.
DNA evidence now shows that the 500-pound black bear the public had nicknamed “Hank the Tank” is, in fact, three not-so-little bears who have damaged more than 30 properties around Lake Tahoe in recent months.
As we celebrate Black History Month, Cheddar is highlighting prominent Black Americans who are carving their own historic paths and trailblazing in their fields. Today we feature billionaire philanthropist Robert Smith.
Physical education classes are declared compulsory in 97% of the world’s countries. Here in the U.S, it employs over 20,000 people. It’s a standard part of schooling that, when you think about it, feels out of place. But just over 100 years ago, gym class was a rarity. So what changed? And should we have it at all?
