Perhaps unsurprisingly, Joseph James DeAngelo, the serial rapist and murderer known as the “Golden State Killer,” has not had a completely “typical” experience behind bars.
DeAngelo, now 80, was arrested in April 2018 for myriad crimes he committed across California in the 1970s and ‘80s. In June 2020, he agreed to plead guilty to 13 murders and kidnappings in order to avoid the death penalty, according to People.
In total, DeAngelo burglarized more than 120 homes, raped at least 40 individuals and murdered at least 13 people around Los Angeles for a decade, per People. He wasn’t arrested until DNA advancements helped steer investigators to him.
Despite his list of accused crimes being much larger than the 13 murders he pleaded guilty to, he could not be charged with the rapes or burglaries because the statute of limitations had expired. During the time of the crimes, he was known as the “East Area Rapist” and the “Night Stalker.”
After his arrest, the former cop was taken to the Sacramento County Main Jail and, unlike most people incarcerated there, was left in a cell by himself due to the notoriety of his case, a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department investigator told ABC News at the time. He was also placed on suicide watch.
