Tag Archives: Joseph DeAngelo

Guilty plea expected in case of Golden State Killer, East Area Rapist suspect Joseph DeAngelo

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Joseph DeAngelo, the man arrested in 2018 on suspicion of a string of kidnappings, rapes and murders stemming from his time as a police officer in the 1970s and 1980s, is expected to formally enter a guilty plea to some of those charges during a court hearing on Monday.

But the hearing won’t happen in a typical courtroom. Instead, prosecutors have announced the hearing will take place inside a large ballroom at the California State University’s Sacramento campus.

Legal experts speculate the unusual move was made to accommodate more than 100 families and friends of the Golden State Killer and East Area Rapist’s victims, some of whom are expected to make impact statements during the hearing.

California criminal defense attorney and legal expert Mark Reichel told CBS13 News the decision to hold the hearing at CSU Sacramento makes sense because “this is a highly unusual case, probably the biggest case in California history.”

Under normal circumstances, a judge would allow a certain number of victims, members of the public and news reporters into the courtroom to observe a hearing, then provide an overflow space for anyone else who wanted to attend.

Courts have been forced to modify their operating procedures in the wake of the global health crisis brought on by the novel coronavirus COVID-19.

“I think it is driven by the [coronavirus] epidemic,” Reichel said in another interview with FOX40 News. “Normally, they would allow a certain amount of people in the courtroom.”

To ensure those who want to attend in person can, the ballroom at CSU Sacramento was selected so that court officials could accommodate the family and friends while attempting to adhere to social distancing rules and other guidelines that have been put in place in public spaces throughout California.

No matter where the hearing takes place, Mark hopes a guilty plea will spare victims the experience of having to go through a lengthy trial.

“Now we have a guilty plea, I think that’s what’s going to happen. We have a guilty plea. We have a guilty finding,” Mark said. “No more trial. No more guessing. No more speculation. No more fighting. That type of finality is probably good for everyone.”

Golden State Killer suspect Joseph DeAngelo expected to plead guilty

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The man suspected of carrying out a string of burglaries, rapes and murders in the 1970s and 1980s is expected to enter a guilty plea at a court hearing later this month.

That guilty plea will likely spare Joseph DeAngelo from a death sentence and preserve millions of taxpayer dollars that would have been spent on a lengthy criminal trial, according to legal experts.

DeAngelo, a former police officer from Northern California, was arrested in 2018 after DNA submitted to a genealogy website reportedly match some of DeAngelo’s distant relatives. The DNA allegedly proved a link between DeAngelo and an unknown man whom police called the East Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker.

Prosecutors charged DeAngelo with 13 counts of kidnapping and 13 counts of murder. Though he is suspected of other crimes associated with the East Area Rapist and Original Night Stalker cases, statutes of limitations in California law prevented prosecutors from seeking charges for those alleged crimes.

Rumors of a possible plea deal began swirling in early March after attorneys representing the man said they were trying to “resolve” the case.

A footnote in a supplemental court filing seeking the dismissal of certain charges said DeAngelo had offered to plead guilty to other charges in exchange for a lifetime sentence.

Court hearings were delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 global health crisis, but as proceedings started up again, the Sacramento Bee published a report on Monday saying attorneys had been contacting victims with information about a plea deal.

The Bee’s report said the deal is still in the works and had not been finalized, and that any plea deal could collapse due to DeAngelo’s erratic nature.

Sacramento criminal defense attorney Mark Reichel told CBS13 News a plea deal would save California taxpayers a considerable amount of money and spare victims and their families from what was sure to be a lengthy trial.

“Many times, this was referred to as what was going to be the biggest trial in the history of California,” Reichel said, adding that the costs associated with litigation were expected to be around $50 million.

DeAngelo’s plea could be entered as early as June 29, which would coincide with his next court appearance.

Mark Reichel discusses plea offer in case of East Area Rapist

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A 74-year-old former police officer who is suspected of being the East Area Rapist has filed a motion through his attorneys that aims to avoid a lengthy criminal trial.

In exchange for pleading guilty to certain offenses, Joseph DeAngelo — who is also suspected of being the Golden State Killer — has agreed to answer for his alleged crimes if the threat of the death penalty is taken off the table.

In exchange for his guilty plea, DeAngelo acknowledges he would likely be incarcerated for the rest of his life.

“The lawyer is saying if the death penalty were off the table, the case could resolve,” Mark Reichel told CBS13’s George Warren in an interview on Wednesday, noting that thanks to a moratorium on executions in California imposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, the outcome between the plea deal and a sentence following a trial would likely be the same, assuming DeAngelo were convicted.

“The chances that this individual will be executed are very slim, in my opinion,” Mark said. “The chances of the likelihood that he would die in custody far exceed the chances that the state would execute him.”

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office declined to local media outlets about DeAngelo’s offer. Last April, officials with the DA’s office affirmed they would seek the death penalty in DeAngelo’s case if he were convicted at trial.

DeAngelo is charged with 13 counts of murder and five dozen counts of rape stemming from incidents that occurred between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s. Authorities arrested him after they said the suspect’s DNA matched that submitted through a genealogy website.

DeAngelo also stands accused of more than a dozen kidnapping and abduction attempts.

While some may be opposed to a plea deal, Mark said it could be in everyone’s best interest to avoid a lengthy trial — not just because of the financial cost associated with court cases like this, but also because the emotional and mental toll could be insurmountable.

“The cost, not just in money but in time and happiness that will be drained out, that never comes back,” Mark told FOX40 News.

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Wife of Accused Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo Files for Divorce

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A new twist in the Golden State Killer saga has opened up new possibilities in the trial against Joseph DeAngelo, the man charged with several decades-old crimes.

Speaking with FOX40 News, Mark said DeAngelo, who has been behind bars for 10 months, faces a new legal hurdle as he awaits what could be California’s biggest criminal trial in state history.

 

Court records show DeAngelo’s wife filed for divorce in state superior court last year.

“There’s now a divorce pending, which means they’re no longer legally married, and that’s significant,” Mark said. “I think this is a treasure trove for the prosecution now. She can really be a domestic diary of the daily activities of this person.”

If the couple had remained married, defense attorneys for DeAngelo could have stopped prosecutors from forcing his wife to testify, citing spousal privilege. But now she can testify, though with certain limitations.

“She can’t talk about [specific] communications, but she can talk about observations — he wasn’t home this night, this night he came home with these clothes, this night he took the truck,” Mark said.

The trial could still be up to a year away.

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