East Area Rapist / Original Night Stalker / Golden State Killer
Never forget the ones who were taken or the ones who were hurt.
This site is dedicated to all of the victims and their families.
Joseph DeAngelo Has Been Sentenced
On August 21st, 2020, DeAngelo was sentenced to the absolute maximum penalty allowed by law: 11 consecutive "Life Without Possibility of Parole" sentences and several more years added for additional charges and enhancements.
Joseph James DeAngelo, Jr. will never get out of prison. While this is the end for him, we sincerely hope that it's a bright new beginning for everyone victimized by him.
More details, including information about Victim Impact Statements, can be found at our trial blog (click here).
Our hearts go out to every survivor, their loved ones, and everyone affected by DeAngelo’s crimes.
Joseph DeAngelo Has Entered A Plea of GUILTY
Under a plea bargain worked out between prosecutors and DeAngelo's defense attorneys, Joseph James DeAngelo, Jr. has admitted to and/or entered a plea guilty to a multitude of charges. The table below is a list of the crimes DeAngelo has claimed responsibility for.
"EAR" stands for "East Area Rapist." "ONS" stands for "Original Night Stalker."
| Charge | Date | Crime | Victims | City | Case | Plea |
| 01 | 1975-09-11 | Murder | Claude Snelling | Visalia, CA | Visalia Ransacker | Guilty |
| 01b | 1975-09-11 | Attempted Kidnapping | Elizabeth Snelling | Visalia, CA | Visalia Ransacker | Admitted |
| 01c | 1975-12-10 | Attempted Murder | William McGowen | Visalia, CA | Visalia Ransacker | Admitted |
| 02 and 03 | 1978-02-02 | Murder | Katie and Brian Maggiore | Rancho Cordova, CA | East Area Rapist | Guilty |
| 04 and 05 | 1979-12-30 | Murder | Debra Alexandria Manning and Robert Offerman | Goleta, CA | ONS #2 | Guilty |
| 06 and 07 | 1981-07-27 | Murder | Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez | Goleta, CA | ONS #6 | Guilty |
| 08 and 09 | 1980-03-13 | Murder | Charlene and Lyman Smith | Ventura, CA | ONS #3 | Guilty |
| 10 and 11 | 1980-08-19 | Murder | Patrice and Keith Harrington | Dana Point, CA | ONS #4 | Guilty |
| 12 | 1981-02-05 | Murder | Manuela Witthuhn | Irvine, CA | ONS #5 | Guilty |
| 13 | 1986-05-05 | Murder | Janelle Cruz | Irvine, CA | ONS #7 | Guilty |
| 14 | 1976-09-04 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #1 | Carmichael, CA | EAR Attack #4 | Guilty |
| 15 | 1977-04-02 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #2 and John Doe #1 | Orangevale, CA | EAR Attack #16 | Guilty |
| 16 | 1977-04-15 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #3 and John Doe #2 | Sacramento, CA | EAR Attack #17 | Guilty |
| 17 | 1977-05-03 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #4 and John Doe #3 | Sacramento, CA | EAR Attack #18 | Guilty |
| 18 | 1977-05-14 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #5and John Doe #4 | Citrus Heights, CA | EAR Attack #20 | Guilty |
| 19 | 1977-05-17 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #6 and John Doe #5 | Carmichael, CA | EAR Attack #21 | Guilty |
| 20 | 1977-05-28 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #7 and John Doe #6 | Sacramento, CA | EAR Attack #22 | Guilty |
| 21 | 1977-10-01 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #8 and John Doe #7 | Sacramento, CA | EAR Attack #24 | Guilty |
| 22 | 1977-10-21 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #9 and John Doe #8 | Foothill Farms, CA | EAR Attack #25 | Guilty |
| 23 | 1978-10-07 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #10 and John Doe #9 | Concord, CA | EAR Attack #37 | Guilty |
| 24 | 1978-10-13 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #11 and John Doe #10 | Concord, CA | EAR Attack #38 | Guilty |
| 25 | 1978-10-28 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #12 and John Doe #11 | San Ramon, CA | EAR Attack #39 | Guilty |
| 26 | 1979-06-11 | Kidnap to Rob (also admitted to Rape) | Jane Doe #13 and John Doe #12 | Danville, CA | EAR Attack #46 | Guilty |
| 28 | 1976-06-18 | Rape | Jane Doe #14 | Rancho Cordova, CA | EAR Attack #1 | Admitted |
| 29 and 30 | 1976-07-17 | Rape | Jane Doe #15 and Jane Doe #16 | Carmichael, CA | EAR Attack #2 | Admitted |
| 31, 32, and 33 | 1976-08-29 | Burglary and Attempted Rape | Jane Doe #17, Jane Doe #18, Jane Doe #19 | Rancho Cordova, CA | EAR Attack #3 | Admitted |
| 34 and 35 | 1976-10-05 | Rape | Jane Doe #20 and John Doe #13 | Citrus Heights, CA | EAR Attack #5 | Admitted |
| 36 | 1976-10-09 | Rape | Jane Doe #21 | Rancho Cordova, CA | EAR Attack #6 | Admitted |
| 37 | 1976-10-18 | Rape | Jane Doe #22 | Carmichael, CA | EAR Attack #7 | Admitted |
| 38 | 1976-11-10 | Rape | Jane Doe #23 | Citrus Heights | EAR Attack #9 | Admitted |
| 39 | 1976-12-18 | Rape | Jane Doe #24 | Carmichael, CA | EAR Attack #10 | Admitted |
| 40 | 1977-01-18 | Rape | Jane Doe #25 | Sacramento, CA | EAR Attack #11 | Admitted |
| 41 | 1977-01-24 | Rape | Jane Doe #26 | Citrus Heights | EAR Attack #12 | Admitted |
| 42 and 43 | 1977-02-07 | Rape | Jane Doe #27 and Jane Doe #28 | Citrus Heights, CA | EAR Attack #13 | Admitted |
| 44 | 1977-03-08 | Rape | Jane Doe #29 | Rancho Cordova, CA | EAR Attack #14 | Admitted |
| 45 | 1977-03-18 | Rape | Jane Doe #30 | Rancho Cordova, CA | EAR Attack #15 | Admitted |
| 46 and 47 | 1977-05-05 | Rape | Jane Doe #31 and John Doe #14 | Orangevale, CA | EAR Attack #19 | Admitted |
| 48 and 49 | 1977-10-29 | Rape | Jane Doe #32 and John Doe #15 | Sacramento, CA | EAR Attack #26 | Admitted |
| 50 and 51 | 1977-11-10 | Rape | Jane Doe #33 and Jane Doe #34 | Sacramento, CA | EAR Attack #27 | Admitted |
| 52 | 1977-12-02 | Attempted Rape | Jane Doe #35 | Foothill Farms, CA | EAR Attack #28 | Admitted |
| 53 and 54 | 1978-01-28 | Rape (two victims) | Jane Doe #36 and Jane Doe #37 | Sacramento, CA | EAR Attack #29 | Admitted |
| 55 and 56 | 1977-09-06 | Rape | Jane Doe #38 and John Doe #16 | Stockton, CA | EAR Attack #23 | Admitted |
| 57 and 58 | 1978-03-18 | Rape | Jane Doe #39 and John Doe #17 | Stockton, CA | EAR Attack #30 | Admitted |
| 59 and 60 | 1978-06-05 | Rape | Jane #40 and John Doe #18 | Modesto, CA | EAR Attack #32 | Admitted |
| 61 | 1978-06-07 | Rape | Jane Doe #41 | Davis, CA | EAR Attack #33 | Admitted |
| 62 and 63 | 1978-06-23 | Rape | Jane Doe #42 and John Doe #19 | Modesto, CA | EAR Attack #34 | Admitted |
| 64 and 65 | 1978-06-23 | Rape | Jane Doe #43 and John Doe #20 | Davis, CA | EAR Attack #35 | Admitted |
| 66 | 1978-07-06 | Rape | Jane Doe #44 | Davis, CA | EAR Attack #36 | Admitted |
| 67 | 1978-11-04 | Rape | Jane Doe #45 | San Jose, CA | EAR Attack #40 | Admitted |
| 68 and 69 | 1978-12-02 | Rape | Jane Doe #46 and John Doe #21 | San Jose, CA | EAR Attack #41 | Admitted |
| 70 | 1978-12-09 | Rape | Jane Doe #47 | Danville, CA | EAR Attack #42 | Admitted |
| 71 | 1979-06-02 | Rape | Jane Doe #48 | Walnut Creek, CA | EAR Attack #45 | Admitted |
| 72 | 1979-06-25 | Rape | Jane Doe #49 | Walnut Creek, CA | EAR Attack #47 | Admitted |
| 73 and 74 | 1979-04-05 | Rape | Jane Doe #50 and John Doe #22 | Fremont, CA | EAR Attack #44 | Admitted |
With thirteen confirmed murders, fifty rape victims, over two hundred burglaries, and countless years terrorizing the state of California, the Visalia Ransacker / East Area Rapist / Golden State Killer was one of the most prolific serial offenders in history. Despite all of those crimes, he left nary a clue as to his identity. The case went unsolved for decades, denying the families that he vicitmized a much-needed sense of justice and closure.
On April 24th, 2018, mask was finally lifted from this offender with the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo. DeAngelo was charged with 13 murders and 13 kidnapping/robbery cases.
Even though the trial process is coming to a close, the world is only beginning to understand the depths of the pain and suffering this individual caused. It's our hope that this website can serve as a resource for all of the facts and history of the case, assisting both researchers and those who were affected by these crimes in coming to terms with the Golden State Killer crime series.
The Crimes
The heart of this case is the attack pattern and the evidence left behind. This section goes through each and every crime and lays out all of the known the facts.
Comprehensive Timeline
This timeline compiles every attack, sighting, vehicle description, and phone call. It also provides functionality that allows you to filter down by event type or associated attack.
Library
Every composite, news article, and relevant material that I can find pertaining to this case gets placed in this section, along with functionality that allows you to filter by type or associated attack.
Map
This massive mapping project, created by Masootz, contains nearly 250 data points related to the EARONS crimes.
Evidence
This is where we dive deep into the various pieces of evidence, such as the composites, sightings, vehicles, phone calls, geography, MO, and other fascinating and important aspects of the case. All of the available facts pertaining to each topic is assembled, and then various explanations, ideas, and theories are offered.
Contact Info
Contact information for the FBI and the relevant law enforcement jurisdictions.