1 00:00:10,140 --> 00:00:12,533 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:12,577 --> 00:00:15,232 - He was a sex offender, a rapist. 3 00:00:16,755 --> 00:00:19,149 - They called him the Golden State Killer. 4 00:00:19,192 --> 00:00:21,281 - The pressure to catch this man has been mounting. 5 00:00:21,325 --> 00:00:24,154 Citizens began buying everything they could think of 6 00:00:24,197 --> 00:00:25,894 to protect themselves. 7 00:00:25,938 --> 00:00:28,288 Gun sales are way up. 8 00:00:28,332 --> 00:00:29,768 [fires gun] 9 00:00:29,811 --> 00:00:32,249 - He was extremely frightening. 10 00:00:32,292 --> 00:00:35,730 He was entering homes in the middle of the night 11 00:00:35,774 --> 00:00:38,037 when the victims were sleeping. 12 00:00:38,081 --> 00:00:39,821 He'd ransack their homes 13 00:00:39,865 --> 00:00:43,608 and would sexually assault the female victim. 14 00:00:43,651 --> 00:00:46,480 - He favors quiet, upper-class suburbs. 15 00:00:46,524 --> 00:00:49,483 Usually works in the predawn hours, wearing a ski 16 00:00:49,527 --> 00:00:52,095 or stocking mask. 17 00:00:52,138 --> 00:00:57,622 - All told, over 50 women were raped and 13 people murdered. 18 00:00:57,665 --> 00:00:59,537 - But no one could ever catch him. 19 00:00:59,580 --> 00:01:02,366 None of the sexual assault victims got a look at him. 20 00:01:02,409 --> 00:01:04,803 - We have a composite. It's a guy wearing a ski mask. 21 00:01:04,846 --> 00:01:08,023 - And that's it. So how do we identify him? 22 00:01:08,067 --> 00:01:09,895 - By going after their DNA. 23 00:01:09,938 --> 00:01:11,505 - We knew it was a long shot, 24 00:01:11,549 --> 00:01:14,291 but the FBI was not going to let this go. 25 00:01:14,334 --> 00:01:18,207 ♪ 26 00:01:18,251 --> 00:01:21,820 - In the FBI, we make a lot of headlines-- 27 00:01:21,863 --> 00:01:24,953 ♪ 28 00:01:24,997 --> 00:01:29,567 drug busts, mob stings, 29 00:01:29,610 --> 00:01:31,699 terrorist takedowns. 30 00:01:31,743 --> 00:01:33,484 - Get down! [shouting] 31 00:01:33,527 --> 00:01:35,921 - We understand why people want to tell stories about us. 32 00:01:35,963 --> 00:01:37,879 - Mark it. - Freeze! 33 00:01:37,923 --> 00:01:39,403 - FBI. - FBI! 34 00:01:39,445 --> 00:01:40,752 - Action! - But they don't know 35 00:01:40,795 --> 00:01:41,796 the half of it. 36 00:01:43,407 --> 00:01:45,844 What really goes down, 37 00:01:45,887 --> 00:01:48,063 we save that for each other, 38 00:01:48,107 --> 00:01:50,153 when we're talking agent-to-agent. 39 00:01:53,156 --> 00:01:55,984 This is "FBI True." 40 00:01:59,945 --> 00:02:02,904 [dark tone] 41 00:02:02,948 --> 00:02:05,429 ♪ 42 00:02:05,472 --> 00:02:09,128 Kristy Kottis is a 24-year veteran of the FBI. 43 00:02:09,171 --> 00:02:12,566 She worked gangs, crimes against children, 44 00:02:12,610 --> 00:02:14,742 as well as human and drug trafficking. 45 00:02:14,786 --> 00:02:17,267 Kottis was the supervisor of the FBI's 46 00:02:17,310 --> 00:02:18,964 threat response squad 47 00:02:19,007 --> 00:02:21,401 overseeing the Bureau's response to terrorism threats 48 00:02:21,445 --> 00:02:23,447 in New York City. 49 00:02:26,624 --> 00:02:31,150 [light music] 50 00:02:31,194 --> 00:02:34,675 - Julia, why don't you tell me what your role was in the FBI, 51 00:02:34,719 --> 00:02:36,372 and how did you get on the case? 52 00:02:36,416 --> 00:02:40,159 - At the time that I was assigned this case, 53 00:02:40,203 --> 00:02:44,424 I was assigned to the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. 54 00:02:44,468 --> 00:02:48,384 - Julia Cowley was with the FBI for over 22 years. 55 00:02:48,428 --> 00:02:50,256 She was selected to join the Bureau's 56 00:02:50,300 --> 00:02:52,084 Behavioral Analysis Unit. 57 00:02:52,127 --> 00:02:55,521 Cowley was the lead FBI profiler on this case. 58 00:02:55,566 --> 00:02:59,091 - When I joined the FBI, this was the kind of case 59 00:02:59,134 --> 00:03:02,573 that I hoped to work on and to contribute to. 60 00:03:02,616 --> 00:03:04,531 I was still fairly new in the unit, 61 00:03:04,575 --> 00:03:08,622 and my boss called me in, and he said, 62 00:03:08,666 --> 00:03:11,886 "Have you ever heard of the East Area--" 63 00:03:11,930 --> 00:03:13,497 and I said, "East Area Rapist?" 64 00:03:13,540 --> 00:03:16,195 I had heard about the case many years before. 65 00:03:16,239 --> 00:03:20,155 I was a younger agent, and I was on maternity leave, 66 00:03:20,199 --> 00:03:22,941 and I saw a documentary on the case. 67 00:03:22,984 --> 00:03:26,074 And I became very interested in the case. 68 00:03:26,118 --> 00:03:27,859 - It was the first case that was assigned 69 00:03:27,902 --> 00:03:29,861 to me as a homicide detective. 70 00:03:31,122 --> 00:03:33,343 - Larry Pool worked as an investigator 71 00:03:33,386 --> 00:03:34,953 with the Orange County Sheriff's Department 72 00:03:34,996 --> 00:03:37,347 for over 15 years. 73 00:03:37,390 --> 00:03:40,915 In 1994, he was the first law enforcement officer 74 00:03:40,959 --> 00:03:43,744 to spot OJ Simpson fleeing in the White Ford Bronco. 75 00:03:46,094 --> 00:03:50,185 He's assigned the case of the East Area Rapist in 1998. 76 00:03:51,186 --> 00:03:53,798 - Julia, what was it about this case that intrigued you? 77 00:03:53,841 --> 00:03:59,543 - Just how frightening that this individual was. 78 00:03:59,586 --> 00:04:01,893 [suspenseful music] 79 00:04:01,936 --> 00:04:03,938 - A California community unhinged. 80 00:04:03,982 --> 00:04:07,681 Every month from 1976 to 1979, 81 00:04:07,725 --> 00:04:10,684 the so-called East Area Rapist would strike. 82 00:04:10,728 --> 00:04:13,644 Who was he? And was he hiding in plain sight? 83 00:04:15,950 --> 00:04:18,997 - He was entering homes in the middle of the night 84 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:21,346 when the victims were sleeping. 85 00:04:21,391 --> 00:04:24,045 He threatened to kill them, 86 00:04:24,089 --> 00:04:28,920 and then he would sexually assault the female victim. 87 00:04:28,963 --> 00:04:33,707 ♪ 88 00:04:33,750 --> 00:04:35,361 - Residents are so horror-stricken, 89 00:04:35,405 --> 00:04:37,015 some women rent motel rooms. 90 00:04:37,058 --> 00:04:38,364 - Just out of fear? 91 00:04:38,408 --> 00:04:39,670 - I believe so. 92 00:04:39,713 --> 00:04:41,454 Yes, I definitely believe so, yes. 93 00:04:41,498 --> 00:04:43,326 - Which motel are they going to? 94 00:04:43,369 --> 00:04:46,285 - The one gal that I know went to Howard Johnson's. 95 00:04:46,329 --> 00:04:48,983 - Citizens began buying everything they could think of 96 00:04:49,027 --> 00:04:50,898 to protect themselves. 97 00:04:50,942 --> 00:04:52,509 Gun sales are way up. 98 00:04:52,552 --> 00:04:54,293 - I live alone, and I would like to learn 99 00:04:54,337 --> 00:04:55,773 how to protect myself. 100 00:04:55,816 --> 00:04:56,991 [fires gun] 101 00:04:57,035 --> 00:04:58,210 - And, you know, just to clarify, 102 00:04:58,253 --> 00:05:00,125 he was called the East Area Rapist 103 00:05:00,168 --> 00:05:02,606 for the series of sexual assaults. 104 00:05:02,649 --> 00:05:05,173 - By the early '80s, the East Area Rapist 105 00:05:05,217 --> 00:05:07,567 was now linked to several murders. 106 00:05:07,611 --> 00:05:10,918 By the 2010s, he got a new moniker-- 107 00:05:10,962 --> 00:05:12,964 the Golden State Killer. 108 00:05:13,007 --> 00:05:14,835 The relentless evil was startling. 109 00:05:14,879 --> 00:05:16,881 Over 50 women raped, 110 00:05:16,924 --> 00:05:19,884 13 murdered. 111 00:05:19,927 --> 00:05:23,409 - The last homicide that was attributed to him 112 00:05:23,453 --> 00:05:27,457 was in 1986, so he had stopped. 113 00:05:27,500 --> 00:05:29,459 So how do we identify him? 114 00:05:29,502 --> 00:05:31,286 How are we going to find him? 115 00:05:31,330 --> 00:05:36,422 So I ended up reviewing 45 sexual assault cases 116 00:05:36,466 --> 00:05:40,557 and 13 homicides. 117 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,950 Behaviors are really important. 118 00:05:42,994 --> 00:05:44,561 How did they commit their crime? 119 00:05:44,604 --> 00:05:47,476 What steps did they take or not take? 120 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,436 What did they say? What words did they choose? 121 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:53,439 All this stuff can tell you a lot. 122 00:05:53,483 --> 00:05:55,572 I got involved many years 123 00:05:55,615 --> 00:05:59,184 after Larry had been on the case. 124 00:06:00,968 --> 00:06:03,275 - Detective Larry Pool in Santa Ana 125 00:06:03,318 --> 00:06:05,886 is obsessed with finding a brutal serial murderer 126 00:06:05,930 --> 00:06:08,889 and rapist who frequently telephoned his victims 127 00:06:08,933 --> 00:06:10,456 before his attacks. 128 00:06:33,914 --> 00:06:36,439 - Not only is the killer terrorizing his victims, 129 00:06:36,482 --> 00:06:38,702 he also taunts the Sacramento Police. 130 00:06:48,015 --> 00:06:50,540 - Our offender is one of the most brazen, 131 00:06:50,583 --> 00:06:52,585 if not most brazen, serial killers 132 00:06:52,629 --> 00:06:55,283 of perhaps American history. 133 00:06:55,327 --> 00:06:56,981 There was a lot of public pressure 134 00:06:57,024 --> 00:07:00,375 to identify the Golden State Killer. 135 00:07:00,419 --> 00:07:02,116 We have a composite for that person. 136 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:04,423 It's a guy wearing a ski mask. 137 00:07:04,467 --> 00:07:06,860 But it's of no investigative value. 138 00:07:07,861 --> 00:07:10,124 - But the rapist and killer does leave 139 00:07:10,168 --> 00:07:11,996 something behind that could unravel 140 00:07:12,039 --> 00:07:14,259 the mystery of his identity. 141 00:07:14,302 --> 00:07:18,524 Semen was found with several of his murder victims. 142 00:07:18,568 --> 00:07:20,526 - In August 19, 1980, the murder 143 00:07:20,570 --> 00:07:22,354 of Keith and Patrice Harrington, 144 00:07:22,397 --> 00:07:25,183 and then February of 1981, 145 00:07:25,226 --> 00:07:27,141 Manuela Witthuhn in Irvine. 146 00:07:27,185 --> 00:07:31,929 And then May of 1986, Janelle Cruz, also in Irvine. 147 00:07:33,974 --> 00:07:36,063 And thankfully, through our crime lab, 148 00:07:36,107 --> 00:07:38,544 they were able to extract the perpetrator's DNA 149 00:07:38,588 --> 00:07:40,459 from his semen. 150 00:07:40,503 --> 00:07:42,722 - Why didn't this lead to the identification of the killer? 151 00:07:42,766 --> 00:07:46,073 - There are a lot of databases that investigators 152 00:07:46,117 --> 00:07:50,121 back in the original homicides didn't have access to. 153 00:07:50,164 --> 00:07:52,776 The FBI National DNA databank 154 00:07:52,819 --> 00:07:56,040 didn't come online until about 1998. 155 00:07:56,083 --> 00:08:01,175 - So even though we have DNA for the East Area Rapist, 156 00:08:01,219 --> 00:08:02,960 we don't have that in a database. 157 00:08:03,003 --> 00:08:04,614 - Yes, that's correct. 158 00:08:04,657 --> 00:08:06,050 - That must have been frustrating. 159 00:08:06,093 --> 00:08:07,530 So now you're back to square one. 160 00:08:07,573 --> 00:08:08,705 So what are you doing? 161 00:08:08,748 --> 00:08:10,054 Take me through that. 162 00:08:10,097 --> 00:08:12,273 - So it started with me looking back 163 00:08:12,317 --> 00:08:13,579 through the investigations, 164 00:08:13,623 --> 00:08:17,409 ensure that I had every document, note, 165 00:08:17,452 --> 00:08:19,542 anything that had ever been written 166 00:08:19,585 --> 00:08:22,327 pertaining to each investigation. 167 00:08:22,370 --> 00:08:25,809 What I was thinking was that when the killing stopped, 168 00:08:25,852 --> 00:08:27,550 something interrupted him. 169 00:08:32,946 --> 00:08:34,207 - So one of the studies that I did is people who 170 00:08:34,252 --> 00:08:35,948 are incarcerated during that period of time, 171 00:08:35,993 --> 00:08:39,779 and I figure that's probably where he was--in prison. 172 00:08:39,823 --> 00:08:43,783 So I place a heavy emphasis on looking at people 173 00:08:43,827 --> 00:08:48,266 who were free up until July 27th in 1981 174 00:08:48,309 --> 00:08:50,573 and then in custody at least up until, 175 00:08:50,616 --> 00:08:54,489 let's say, May 4th of 1986, 176 00:08:54,533 --> 00:08:56,361 in that window of time. 177 00:08:58,276 --> 00:09:02,367 There was a time when I went to death row, 178 00:09:02,410 --> 00:09:04,412 looking at offenders on death row. 179 00:09:04,456 --> 00:09:07,111 Because I figured, well, we've got a pretty captive audience 180 00:09:07,154 --> 00:09:09,635 here that we know that they're committing, 181 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:12,203 you know, the worst, worst crimes. 182 00:09:12,246 --> 00:09:14,640 - Pool's hunch about incarcerated perps 183 00:09:14,684 --> 00:09:17,512 doesn't lead anywhere. 184 00:09:17,556 --> 00:09:20,428 - The case went cold, so what am I doing wrong? 185 00:09:20,472 --> 00:09:22,605 That's where Julia comes in. 186 00:09:22,648 --> 00:09:25,869 - So we're going to bring in a profiler 187 00:09:25,912 --> 00:09:29,263 to have access to more information that potentially 188 00:09:29,307 --> 00:09:30,830 could identify him. 189 00:09:30,874 --> 00:09:32,440 - That's correct. 190 00:09:32,484 --> 00:09:34,007 - Julia, how long did you work on the case 191 00:09:34,051 --> 00:09:36,053 before you contacted Larry? 192 00:09:36,096 --> 00:09:39,273 - I had been working on the case about six months 193 00:09:39,317 --> 00:09:42,233 before Larry and I actually had any contact. 194 00:09:42,276 --> 00:09:44,539 I went out to California from Quantico. 195 00:09:44,583 --> 00:09:50,415 ♪ 196 00:09:50,458 --> 00:09:52,199 All the different jurisdictions were there 197 00:09:52,243 --> 00:09:53,374 all the detectives. 198 00:09:53,418 --> 00:09:57,030 And he looked over at me and said, 199 00:09:57,074 --> 00:10:00,991 "I'll be very interested to see what the FBI has to say. 200 00:10:01,034 --> 00:10:03,384 That is, if they're willing to share their opinion." 201 00:10:03,428 --> 00:10:06,170 And I just said, "I'll tell you what I think. 202 00:10:06,213 --> 00:10:07,650 I'm not afraid to tell you what I think." 203 00:10:07,693 --> 00:10:09,434 And he just went, "OK." 204 00:10:09,477 --> 00:10:11,436 - [laughs] - And I wasn't sure 205 00:10:11,479 --> 00:10:13,264 how to take that, but I took it 206 00:10:13,307 --> 00:10:15,092 as maybe he was skeptical. 207 00:10:15,135 --> 00:10:17,703 But I took it to heart because 208 00:10:17,747 --> 00:10:19,096 I didn't want to disappoint him. 209 00:10:19,139 --> 00:10:22,577 I had gone through all the material, 210 00:10:22,621 --> 00:10:27,495 and I had a pretty good understanding of the offender. 211 00:10:27,539 --> 00:10:29,323 - What did you come up with? 212 00:10:29,367 --> 00:10:32,544 - In my initial assessment, 213 00:10:32,587 --> 00:10:35,373 I thought he was a very insecure individual, 214 00:10:35,416 --> 00:10:38,202 that this was the ultimate overcompensation 215 00:10:38,245 --> 00:10:41,988 for his lack of confidence 216 00:10:42,032 --> 00:10:46,601 and his feelings of ineffectiveness. 217 00:10:48,125 --> 00:10:50,257 He was very ritualistic in what he did. 218 00:10:51,955 --> 00:10:55,567 And he did it the same way almost every single time. 219 00:10:56,829 --> 00:11:00,093 He would put fragile items on the doorknobs 220 00:11:00,137 --> 00:11:03,662 so that if people came home, he would hear them, 221 00:11:03,706 --> 00:11:04,924 and he'd be able to escape. 222 00:11:04,968 --> 00:11:08,798 ♪ 223 00:11:08,841 --> 00:11:11,322 - He usually works in the pre-dawn hours, 224 00:11:11,365 --> 00:11:14,499 wearing a ski or stocking mask, and often spends 225 00:11:14,542 --> 00:11:16,283 several hours in the home, 226 00:11:16,327 --> 00:11:18,895 tying up husbands or male companions. 227 00:11:18,938 --> 00:11:21,158 - Once he had the victims bound, 228 00:11:21,201 --> 00:11:24,030 he would go ransack the house, 229 00:11:24,074 --> 00:11:25,771 and he was very loud about it. 230 00:11:25,815 --> 00:11:29,514 He would open and close drawers and slam cabinets. 231 00:11:29,557 --> 00:11:33,779 And he would be gulping food in their kitchen. 232 00:11:33,823 --> 00:11:36,086 And once he spent a lot of time doing this, 233 00:11:36,129 --> 00:11:38,958 he'd separate the female victim from the male, 234 00:11:39,002 --> 00:11:42,048 I think to mitigate any risk that the male victim 235 00:11:42,092 --> 00:11:43,441 was going to try to intervene. 236 00:11:45,095 --> 00:11:47,488 - Cowley believes the attacker's motivation 237 00:11:47,532 --> 00:11:49,664 was not just about his female victims. 238 00:11:52,015 --> 00:11:54,321 - In my opinion, the victim selection was really 239 00:11:54,365 --> 00:11:56,280 about the male victim. 240 00:11:56,323 --> 00:12:00,763 This is a man who wanted to dominate other men, 241 00:12:00,806 --> 00:12:04,114 and this was a way that he could exert his control 242 00:12:04,157 --> 00:12:06,290 and take over-- take over their home, 243 00:12:06,333 --> 00:12:10,076 have sexual access to their female companions 244 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:12,818 right in the same home with them. 245 00:12:12,862 --> 00:12:16,822 And I was very interested in evidence that really 246 00:12:16,866 --> 00:12:19,346 factored in to this idea 247 00:12:19,390 --> 00:12:22,610 that he was a very insecure individual. 248 00:12:22,654 --> 00:12:26,440 The majority of the female victims, 249 00:12:26,484 --> 00:12:29,530 in describing the offender, 250 00:12:29,574 --> 00:12:32,838 said he had an abnormally small penis. 251 00:12:32,882 --> 00:12:34,579 - Even in the erect state? 252 00:12:34,622 --> 00:12:40,106 - Yes. And they were very descriptive about its size. 253 00:12:40,150 --> 00:12:42,543 I didn't put all the weight-- oh, he's got to be insecure, 254 00:12:42,587 --> 00:12:44,284 he's got a small penis. 255 00:12:44,328 --> 00:12:46,852 It was all of the behavior he exhibited 256 00:12:46,896 --> 00:12:49,463 in front of his victims when he tried to portray 257 00:12:49,507 --> 00:12:54,817 this big, tough, scary individual in control. 258 00:12:55,905 --> 00:12:59,256 And from then on out, he's taken the ultimate control, 259 00:12:59,299 --> 00:13:01,040 which is to murder them. 260 00:13:02,912 --> 00:13:04,957 - Larry, when you first heard Julia's findings 261 00:13:05,001 --> 00:13:08,047 on the profile of the potential subject, 262 00:13:08,091 --> 00:13:09,570 what were your thoughts? 263 00:13:09,614 --> 00:13:11,659 - My thoughts were everything that 264 00:13:11,703 --> 00:13:17,491 she described was consistent with my feelings at the time. 265 00:13:17,535 --> 00:13:19,798 I felt that it was pretty spot on. 266 00:13:19,842 --> 00:13:22,583 As you take all those elements into consideration, 267 00:13:22,627 --> 00:13:24,107 it gives you a better chance of being able 268 00:13:24,150 --> 00:13:25,935 to solve the investigation. 269 00:13:25,978 --> 00:13:27,980 - There was also evidence he was 270 00:13:28,024 --> 00:13:30,940 very good at entering homes. 271 00:13:30,983 --> 00:13:34,117 - Through either prying a regular door, a sliding door, 272 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:36,423 removing screens from windows, prying windows, 273 00:13:36,467 --> 00:13:39,774 opening windows-- 274 00:13:39,818 --> 00:13:43,213 he essentially entered a home just about every way but, 275 00:13:43,256 --> 00:13:45,041 you know, coming down the chimney. 276 00:13:46,346 --> 00:13:48,783 - There is also evidence of the Golden State Killer's 277 00:13:48,827 --> 00:13:51,308 tactical expertise. 278 00:13:51,351 --> 00:13:55,051 - When he was confronted with a life or death situation 279 00:13:55,094 --> 00:13:59,316 or with a situation where he would have to get 280 00:13:59,359 --> 00:14:05,713 into a physical fight with an able-bodied, competent male, 281 00:14:05,757 --> 00:14:08,934 he immediately went to deadly force, 282 00:14:08,978 --> 00:14:11,110 and that was with a gun. 283 00:14:11,154 --> 00:14:15,071 And he was very good at using a gun, very accurate, 284 00:14:15,114 --> 00:14:19,727 able to hit his target in a high-stress situation. 285 00:14:19,771 --> 00:14:22,382 And I ended up telling the working group 286 00:14:22,426 --> 00:14:27,431 that I thought he had some sort of formal firearms training. 287 00:14:27,474 --> 00:14:30,434 - What I was thinking was that, was he prior military? 288 00:14:30,477 --> 00:14:32,349 - Why did you think that? 289 00:14:32,392 --> 00:14:36,701 - Military history was a fairly common thread to be found 290 00:14:36,744 --> 00:14:37,963 in many serial offenders. 291 00:14:38,007 --> 00:14:39,747 - Right. 292 00:14:39,791 --> 00:14:41,836 - But the other really interesting part of this case 293 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:45,710 was his ability to evade law enforcement. 294 00:14:45,753 --> 00:14:49,975 I mean, at the height of his attacks in Sacramento, 295 00:14:50,019 --> 00:14:52,021 patrols were everywhere. 296 00:14:52,064 --> 00:14:54,675 And I wondered if he had some sort of inside information, 297 00:14:54,719 --> 00:14:57,548 if he understood law enforcement tactics 298 00:14:57,591 --> 00:14:58,984 when it came to surveillance 299 00:14:59,028 --> 00:15:01,421 and where they would be sitting. 300 00:15:01,465 --> 00:15:05,382 And I thought he potentially was 301 00:15:05,425 --> 00:15:09,038 a police officer at some point in time. 302 00:15:09,081 --> 00:15:11,475 - Larry, what are you thinking? - It really wasn't a stretch, 303 00:15:11,518 --> 00:15:13,172 especially back in the '70s and '80s, 304 00:15:13,216 --> 00:15:16,132 to say that a serial offender could be in law enforcement. 305 00:15:16,175 --> 00:15:18,525 There are other well-known cases 306 00:15:18,569 --> 00:15:22,051 where police officers were convicted of serial crimes. 307 00:15:22,094 --> 00:15:24,749 I felt that we should be putting more information out, 308 00:15:24,792 --> 00:15:28,187 getting things out on social media, to the media, 309 00:15:28,231 --> 00:15:30,407 informing the public as much as we can 310 00:15:30,450 --> 00:15:32,757 without actually hindering the investigation. 311 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:35,803 - That might help to identify him. 312 00:15:35,847 --> 00:15:39,198 - Our Top Story At 6:30, the FBI is making a renewed effort 313 00:15:39,242 --> 00:15:41,418 to find a serial murderer and rapist 314 00:15:41,461 --> 00:15:44,421 who struck all around the Bay Area in the '70s and '80s. 315 00:15:44,464 --> 00:15:46,423 Agents say he's been on the loose ever since, 316 00:15:46,466 --> 00:15:48,860 and they believe he can still be found. 317 00:15:48,903 --> 00:15:53,778 - Did the FBI offer a substantial financial reward 318 00:15:53,821 --> 00:15:55,475 for any information? 319 00:15:55,519 --> 00:15:57,564 - They offered $50,000 reward. 320 00:16:01,046 --> 00:16:04,223 - The unknown suspect committed more than 45 rapes 321 00:16:04,267 --> 00:16:07,835 and a dozen homicides between 1976 and 1986. 322 00:16:09,663 --> 00:16:11,535 - They did this public information campaign, 323 00:16:11,578 --> 00:16:13,363 put out a lot of information about the case, 324 00:16:13,406 --> 00:16:16,235 about the offender to try to get him identified. 325 00:16:16,279 --> 00:16:18,759 - His primary entrance into a residence 326 00:16:18,803 --> 00:16:20,848 was by prying open doors or windows. 327 00:16:20,892 --> 00:16:23,199 - The campaign and the reward failed 328 00:16:23,242 --> 00:16:25,201 to produce any strong leads. 329 00:16:25,244 --> 00:16:28,421 - It was almost becoming a last chance that we were 330 00:16:28,465 --> 00:16:30,119 going to be able to catch him. 331 00:16:30,162 --> 00:16:32,817 - But fortunately there was hope due to advancements 332 00:16:32,860 --> 00:16:35,602 in DNA technology. 333 00:16:35,646 --> 00:16:40,129 - By 2018, the DNA analysis available to law enforcement 334 00:16:40,172 --> 00:16:44,002 has evolved significantly, with up to 13 million 335 00:16:44,046 --> 00:16:48,137 criminal profiles in the FBI's DNA databank. 336 00:16:48,180 --> 00:16:51,140 - And with that, we stood more of an opportunity 337 00:16:51,183 --> 00:16:54,099 to identify the subject. 338 00:16:54,143 --> 00:16:57,755 - So the DNA from semen found decades earlier was submitted 339 00:16:57,798 --> 00:16:59,887 to the crime lab to see if it could 340 00:16:59,931 --> 00:17:01,715 lead to some potential subjects, 341 00:17:01,759 --> 00:17:04,370 possibly a police officer. 342 00:17:04,414 --> 00:17:07,199 - So I had more candidates than I thought I would. 343 00:17:07,243 --> 00:17:09,113 We had about 1,000. - Wow. 344 00:17:09,158 --> 00:17:11,638 - But we had some very talented analysts in Sacramento 345 00:17:11,681 --> 00:17:15,294 at the DA's office that began to work on that list. 346 00:17:15,338 --> 00:17:18,428 Essentially that initial list of 1,000 347 00:17:18,471 --> 00:17:23,128 was reverse engineered back to about a list of 25. 348 00:17:23,171 --> 00:17:25,738 And that 25 was a workable list. 349 00:17:25,783 --> 00:17:29,308 - And this one suspect really stood out. 350 00:17:29,352 --> 00:17:30,788 - What was it? 351 00:17:30,831 --> 00:17:32,616 - I think the number one thing is that 352 00:17:32,659 --> 00:17:35,575 he was living in Sacramento, in Citrus Heights. 353 00:17:35,619 --> 00:17:37,751 - Yeah, he was a police officer 354 00:17:37,795 --> 00:17:42,321 at Exeter Police Department from '73 to '76. 355 00:17:42,365 --> 00:17:45,107 In '76, he's resigned. 356 00:17:45,150 --> 00:17:50,721 And then he moved from Exeter to the Sacramento area 357 00:17:50,764 --> 00:17:54,725 right around the time when our East Area Rapist occurs. 358 00:17:54,768 --> 00:17:58,076 - And that suspect is? 359 00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:01,035 - Joseph DeAngelo. 360 00:18:01,079 --> 00:18:03,995 - Divorced and a father of three adult daughters, 361 00:18:04,038 --> 00:18:08,304 DeAngelo becomes the prime suspect in the case. 362 00:18:08,347 --> 00:18:13,178 - So in 2018, the deputies at the Sacramento County 363 00:18:13,222 --> 00:18:15,659 Sheriff's Office, they put him under surveillance 364 00:18:15,702 --> 00:18:21,360 and they obtained a DNA sample surreptitiously. 365 00:18:21,404 --> 00:18:23,580 - There was DNA that was lifted from the door handle 366 00:18:23,623 --> 00:18:26,583 of DeAngelo's car, and additional DNA 367 00:18:26,626 --> 00:18:30,674 material was obtained after that from a discarded tissue. 368 00:18:30,717 --> 00:18:32,589 - Wow. Amazing. 369 00:18:32,632 --> 00:18:35,331 - I was getting pretty excited, but at the same time 370 00:18:35,374 --> 00:18:38,682 I learned to not get very excited over the years. 371 00:18:38,725 --> 00:18:40,205 Because the more excited you get, 372 00:18:40,249 --> 00:18:41,989 the more let down you are. 373 00:18:42,033 --> 00:18:46,037 - So Paul Holes, who was one of the investigators on the case 374 00:18:47,734 --> 00:18:52,783 had this idea to submit one of the samples of DNA 375 00:18:52,826 --> 00:18:58,180 from a crime scene to one of these online ancestry 376 00:18:58,223 --> 00:19:00,747 companies that track heritage. 377 00:19:00,791 --> 00:19:05,056 - And then that was ingested into the ancestral databanks 378 00:19:05,099 --> 00:19:07,754 where that information is pooled. 379 00:19:07,798 --> 00:19:11,584 - The genealogical website GEDmatch.com contains 380 00:19:11,628 --> 00:19:14,152 the genetic profiles of thousands of users 381 00:19:14,196 --> 00:19:17,590 looking to research their family trees. 382 00:19:17,634 --> 00:19:19,897 It's a Hail Mary from investigators, 383 00:19:19,940 --> 00:19:23,509 but if Joseph DeAngelo or any of his relatives 384 00:19:23,553 --> 00:19:26,033 have entered their DNA into the site, 385 00:19:26,077 --> 00:19:29,863 it could confirm the investigators' suspicions. 386 00:19:29,907 --> 00:19:32,126 - That DNA sample was a match. 387 00:19:33,650 --> 00:19:36,218 - I think the initial list was around 1,000, 388 00:19:36,261 --> 00:19:37,828 but that was culled down, 389 00:19:37,871 --> 00:19:39,438 and people were brought on board 390 00:19:39,482 --> 00:19:41,745 with the expertise in having that ability 391 00:19:41,788 --> 00:19:44,791 to reverse engineer a family tree 392 00:19:44,835 --> 00:19:48,621 until we were whittled down to a list of 25. 393 00:19:48,665 --> 00:19:52,321 And certainly, on that list, Mr. DeAngelo bopped. 394 00:19:52,364 --> 00:19:55,715 - That ultimately led to the identification 395 00:19:55,759 --> 00:19:57,151 of the Golden State Killer. 396 00:19:57,195 --> 00:19:58,979 That's what solved it. 397 00:19:59,023 --> 00:20:00,981 - And we begin with breaking news out of California, 398 00:20:01,025 --> 00:20:03,201 where authorities tonight say they have arrested 399 00:20:03,245 --> 00:20:05,682 a serial killer tied to dozens of murders 400 00:20:05,725 --> 00:20:07,336 and sexual assaults, 401 00:20:07,379 --> 00:20:09,555 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo. 402 00:20:09,599 --> 00:20:12,210 - We all knew as part of this team 403 00:20:12,254 --> 00:20:16,562 that we were looking for a needle in a haystack. 404 00:20:16,606 --> 00:20:18,956 We found the needle in the haystack. 405 00:20:18,999 --> 00:20:20,087 - And what did that feel like? 406 00:20:20,131 --> 00:20:21,219 What are you both thinking? 407 00:20:21,263 --> 00:20:22,916 - I was exhilarated. 408 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:25,745 - I got the call as soon as he was arrested, 409 00:20:25,789 --> 00:20:30,228 and I couldn't have been happier to hear it. 410 00:20:30,272 --> 00:20:32,665 - DeAngelo is a former police officer, 411 00:20:32,709 --> 00:20:35,407 and DNA led investigators to him, 412 00:20:35,451 --> 00:20:37,670 police arresting him at his home in Citrus Heights 413 00:20:37,714 --> 00:20:39,542 near Sacramento, accused of at least 414 00:20:39,585 --> 00:20:43,633 12 murders, 45 rapes, and dozens of burglaries 415 00:20:43,676 --> 00:20:45,417 across the state. 416 00:20:45,461 --> 00:20:48,028 - A tent was set up as FBI agents collected evidence. 417 00:20:48,072 --> 00:20:50,379 Neighbors looked on, wondering if they had been living 418 00:20:50,422 --> 00:20:52,903 in close proximity to the notorious rapist 419 00:20:52,946 --> 00:20:56,341 and killer who spread fear across the state. 420 00:20:56,385 --> 00:20:59,953 - Joseph James DeAngelo has been called 421 00:20:59,997 --> 00:21:02,695 the Golden State Killer. 422 00:21:02,739 --> 00:21:07,613 Today, it's our pleasure to call him defendant. 423 00:21:07,657 --> 00:21:09,093 - His first appearance in court, 424 00:21:09,136 --> 00:21:11,922 his eyes were vacant. 425 00:21:11,965 --> 00:21:15,534 - 72-year-old Joseph DeAngelo, handcuffed to a wheelchair, 426 00:21:15,578 --> 00:21:18,102 looked like he could barely hold his head up as he made 427 00:21:18,145 --> 00:21:21,584 his first court appearance. 428 00:21:21,627 --> 00:21:24,543 - He looked as though he was a decrepit, old man, 429 00:21:24,587 --> 00:21:26,806 his posture, his gaze. 430 00:21:26,850 --> 00:21:28,765 He seemed very feeble. 431 00:21:28,808 --> 00:21:31,115 - That's Joe DeAngelo when all his control 432 00:21:31,158 --> 00:21:32,508 has been taken away. - Yeah. 433 00:21:32,551 --> 00:21:34,945 - He completely imploded. 434 00:21:34,988 --> 00:21:36,338 - Do you understand, Mr. DeAngelo, that you'll 435 00:21:36,381 --> 00:21:38,688 be entering guilty pleas to 13 counts of murder 436 00:21:38,731 --> 00:21:41,430 in the first degree, omitting special circumstances? 437 00:21:41,473 --> 00:21:44,998 - I don't think he could have sat there and gone through 438 00:21:45,042 --> 00:21:47,000 a trial, and he didn't. 439 00:21:47,044 --> 00:21:48,654 - How do you plead? 440 00:21:51,744 --> 00:21:52,963 - Guilty. 441 00:21:55,444 --> 00:21:58,360 - I heard just the incredible toll and impact that 442 00:21:58,403 --> 00:22:00,362 it's had on all the victims. 443 00:22:00,405 --> 00:22:04,670 - In the early morning of July 17, 1976, 444 00:22:04,714 --> 00:22:06,324 my life was changed forever. 445 00:22:06,368 --> 00:22:07,934 I was 15 years old. 446 00:22:07,978 --> 00:22:12,112 - He raped me, stole my innocence, my security, 447 00:22:12,156 --> 00:22:16,290 threatened my life, threatened the lives of my family. 448 00:22:17,770 --> 00:22:20,860 I was 13 years old. 449 00:22:20,904 --> 00:22:24,429 - DeAngelo, I want you to look at me. 450 00:22:24,473 --> 00:22:26,953 I want you to look at me, DeAngelo. 451 00:22:26,997 --> 00:22:29,956 - You hid in plain sight, and you are now visible 452 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,656 for everyone to despise, loathe, and abhor. 453 00:22:33,699 --> 00:22:38,138 The devil can keep you company in your prison cell 454 00:22:38,182 --> 00:22:40,706 as he gnaws away at whatever soul you have left. 455 00:22:42,752 --> 00:22:46,233 - Everyone is changed forever by an experience like this. 456 00:22:46,277 --> 00:22:48,540 The far-reaching impact that this man 457 00:22:48,584 --> 00:22:51,195 had on all of their families is really 458 00:22:51,238 --> 00:22:55,808 an untold number of people that this man has affected. 459 00:22:55,852 --> 00:22:59,682 - Today, I am in the room with the pathetic excuse 460 00:22:59,725 --> 00:23:02,685 of a man who will now finally be held 461 00:23:02,728 --> 00:23:04,774 accountable for his actions. 462 00:23:04,817 --> 00:23:08,386 - From now on, while he is withering away in prison, 463 00:23:08,430 --> 00:23:11,215 I will be spending my days fishing on the river, 464 00:23:11,258 --> 00:23:13,826 enjoying my family and grandchild, 465 00:23:13,870 --> 00:23:18,440 eating out and relaxing in the comfort of my home, free. 466 00:23:18,483 --> 00:23:23,836 I will be free of the fear he put me through for so long. 467 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:27,274 - I think what's really alarming is that if you saw 468 00:23:27,318 --> 00:23:29,625 Joseph DeAngelo walking down the street, 469 00:23:29,668 --> 00:23:32,279 you would never guess that this normal-looking 470 00:23:32,323 --> 00:23:36,327 old man was capable of carrying out such evil acts. 471 00:23:36,370 --> 00:23:37,720 [heavy breathing] 472 00:23:55,955 --> 00:23:58,523 [somber music] 473 00:23:58,567 --> 00:24:03,528 - It was an element of closure, although I think that word is 474 00:24:03,572 --> 00:24:08,054 inadequate to describe the feeling of satisfaction 475 00:24:08,098 --> 00:24:11,580 that you derive from having an offender like this identified. 476 00:24:11,623 --> 00:24:15,061 I know that many other law enforcement officers 477 00:24:15,105 --> 00:24:16,759 who were involved in the investigation over time 478 00:24:16,802 --> 00:24:18,717 felt the same way. 479 00:24:18,761 --> 00:24:23,026 - I think I was equally as happy for the detectives that 480 00:24:23,069 --> 00:24:27,378 have spent their entire careers working on it, as I was, 481 00:24:27,421 --> 00:24:29,989 for the victims and the victims' families. 482 00:24:34,124 --> 00:24:37,083 [dramatic music] 483 00:24:37,127 --> 00:24:44,047 ♪