This case has fascinated me for some time (and considering all of the amateur sleuths working on it, I was not the only one). Earlier this year, I listened to Casefile’s excellent 5 part series on it, and was also interested to learn that Patton Oswalt’s wife Michelle McNamarra was working on a book on this man when she passed away (published in March).
All of those women, every day knowing he was out there somewhere…
News conference at noon, per this SF Chronicle article. The article is lengthy and goes into the basics of the case.
I wonder what piece of evidence broke the case? The killer’s DNA has been on file a very long time, and no doubt has been compared to just about everyone who’s gone to jail in the US since DNA testing has been widespread.
I also wonder what other crimes he’s done, that didn’t make the light of day?
But, if this guy is the EAR/ONS, isn’t that exactly what he did? Just stop? Or is it alleged that he had been committing further rapes and murders since the last one officially attributed to the EAR/ONS in 1986?
I mean, was he in the pen or a mental hospital for the intervening years?
Another example, Dennis Rader, AKA the ‘BTK Killer’, stopped committing torture rape/murders in 1991, and took the next 13 years off. Though, per the wiki, he claimed that he was going to start his hobby back up again in 2004 but was caught before he could do so. Allegedly.
So these guys can and do stop for lengthy periods, that don’t necessarily involve them getting locked up or put in the ground.
It would be nice if we could figure out what switches them on and off.
This guy’s last suspected murder was in 1986. Wasn’t that right about the time that the admission of DNA evidence really kicked in? If he had a law enforcement background, he was knowledgeable enough to stop at that point.
I assume DNA was collected and preserved from the last couple of victims, who were killed in the early to mid-80s.
From what I can gather from early news reports today, they had tagged DeAngelo as a suspect (very recently, perhaps last 6 days), and reading between the lines, got a DNA sample off something in his garbage (“discarded DNA sample” was the term they used) and got confirmation.
I eagerly await the details on what led them to DeAngelo. Good old-fashioned police work, and years of it.
Yes, my daughter and grandkids live there too. I’m not far away myself in Roseville.
My daughter recently watched a documentary on this case and has been urging me to watch it. I wasn’t too interested, but I think now I may get caught up on the story.
I don’t understand why, but I am intrigued by this sociopathic serial killer stuff.
I’m just curious what makes people become this. They’re usually intelligent white men. It’s fascinating really. I don’t know why I am interested, but I certainly am.
I am guessing a tip, deathbed confession from someone he blabbed to, that sort of thing. Or (Applies tin foil) a close relative submitted genetic material to e.g., 23 and Me, and that profile was close enough to a reference DNA profile floating around VICAP’s database to warrant further inquiry. (Removes tin foil)
If doing these things was a compulsion, (And, what was it, nearly a 100 rapes and burglaries?), then I’d think DNA analysis coming on scene shouldn’t have slowed this guy down. Use a rubber/use some improvised DNA denaturants, or hell, take the victim with you and dispose of them elsewhere. Hard to do a DNA match if there’s no body to pull DNA from… But it’s an interesting idea, teela.
It’s hard to think of a mind that’s really into rape and murder as a compulsion, where the guy is doing it multiple times a month for years, and then just give it up for thirty years. Since they took him alive, I guess we’ll find out.
It would be fascinating- I know with Russell Williams there was so much discussion about how there was very little in his past. Like one day he just decided to start breaking in an stealing underwear, to assault, to rape, kidnapping and murder.
I won’t be shocked to find this guy didn’t stop though - just maybe changed his MO enough that they didn’t connect the dots.
I have been reading bits of info all day so take this with a pinch of salt. It was said elsewhere he has 3 kids. One was born in 1981 and another in 1986(another in the early 90’s?). These two years are significant in ear/ons case. It may be coincidence he happened to have kids these years but maybe not.
The DNA was collected from most of his ONS murder phase. I think in only one ONS attack did he fail to leave DNA. Rumors abound about an Australian DNA link. It could be that his DNA was given to Australian authorities then “back doored” from Australia into a US DNA site in the hope of a match.
This is one of those days where finally after decades, there is name and face to a killer. I bet many, including relatives of the victims were resigned to never finding out this monster’s identity. Like others mentioned I also believe he changed his Modus Operandi after the 1986 murder of that girl, I can’t phantom that he simply stopped his impulses to kill in the intervening 32 years.
Now it would be even greater if they unlock the Zodiac Killer.
She said no way.