Joseph James DeAngelo, the former police officer known as the notorious ‘Golden State Killer’ has confessed to 13 murders in a deal with US prosecutors to avoid the death penalty.
As per Al Jazeera, 74-year-old DeAngelo spoke publicly since his arrest at his home in Sacramento in April 2018, repeatedly muttered “guilty” and “I admit” during the deal that now lands him a life sentence with zero chance of parole.
His confession, which was witnessed by a makeshift court in a university hall in Sacramento, also included evidence of him admitting to having an inner personality named “Jerry”, who would make him carry out the Golden State Killer’s crimes.
According to Sacramento Country prosecutor Thien Ho, DeAngelo spoke of “Jerry” while alone in an interrogation room after his arrest, talking about how this other persona made him commit a staggering number of assaults, rapes, and murders while he was on the police force throughout the 70s and 80s
“I didn’t have the strength to push him out,” he apparently said.
“He made me. He went with me. It was, like, in my head, I mean, he’s a part of me. I didn’t want to do those things. I pushed Jerry out and had a happy life. I did all those things. I destroyed all their lives. So now, I’ve got to pay the price.”
Alongside the 13 counts of murder, he’s also admitted to burglaries, dozens of counts of rape that are now too old to prosecute, and other crimes linked to the Golden State Killer.
The next court hearing is scheduled for August, where victim impact statements will be read out and DeAngelo’s life sentence is expected to be handed down.
