Plans were announced Tuesday morning to prosecute accused East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer suspect Joseph James DeAngelo in a Sacramento courtroom.
District attorneys from Sacramento, Orange, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties announced the news at the Orange County District Attorney's Office about what they are calling the "biggest trial in California history."
The 13 murder count charges will be refiled Tuesday morning in Sacramento Superioir Court to consolidate the case as well as another 13 counts attributed to the sexual assaults committed by DeAngelo will also be added.
DeAngelo, 72, is a former police officer who terrorized residents all over California for 12 years from 1974 to 1986.
He was caught after one of his relatives uploaded their DNA to an online genetic site, tracing back the family tree's DNA to those that matched DNA found at the crime scenes. He was arrested at his Citrus Heights home in April and has been held without bail in the Sacramento County Main Jail.
Since DeAngelo’s arrest, prosecutors have met and debated where to hold his trial and how to ensure that prosecutors from each jurisdiction where he committed crimes will be involved in the case.
Initially, the trial was suggested to be held in Southern California where there is concrete DNA evidence from rape-murder scenes attributed to DeAngelo but prosecutors ultimately decided to move the entire case to Sacramento.
DeAngelo will face his next hearing in Sacramento Superior Court on Sept. 5.
Golden State Killer Suspect to be Tried in Sacramento County
By RJ Johnson @rickerthewriter
Photo: Getty Images