Joseph James DeAngelo Jr, also known as the infamous Golder State Killer, will likely avoid a death penalty trial following reports the prosecutors are planning to strike a plea deal this month.

According to Fox News, the 74-year-old suspect is expected to plead guilty on June 29 to over 62 charges, including rape and murder he committed in the 1970s and 1980s, in exchange for a life sentence without the possibility of parole. 

In a report by NY Post, the decision was made half a month ago after prosecutors consulted with the survivors and the families of the victims. A consensus was reached among the survivors to go along with the plea deal. 

The hearing to read the charges filed against DeAngelo is expected to take a day and will be held in an undetermined venue.

Who is Joseph DeAngelo?

DeAngelo was one of the most notorious criminals from 1976 to 1986 who went by many names: the Golden State Killer, the Diamond Knot Killer, and the East Area Rapist. He was responsible for killing a dozen people, raping at least 45, and burglarizing over 120 homes across California, the NY Times reported. 

Joseph was serving in the Navy as a damage control man on a warship during the Vietnam War. Between 1973 to 1976, he was employed as an officer with the Exeter Police Department. In 1976, he transferred to the Auburn Police Department-the same year the first attack was reported. 

He was fired from his position in 1979 after the police department received a call DeAngelo was caught stealing dog repellant and a hammer from a local drugstore. 

What did he do?

DeAngelo's crime spree began after he was removed from the Exeter Police Department. He began stalking his victims, studying their schedules, and planning every small detail before he attacks. The killer would break into the target's homes and bind his victims using intricate knots. 

Some of his crimes were documented by a website named Cold Case - EARONS which is run by sleuths who followed the East Area Rapist's cases for decades. Here are some of the vilest and most shocking acts he committed. 

In June 1976, the Golden State Killer broke into a Racho Cordova home at around 4 AM. DeAngelo reportedly removed his pants and his underwear before he straddled the victim who was sleeping on her bed. He bound the female victim using rope then proceeded to rape her. 

In December 1978, a San Jose nurse and her husband were assaulted in the middle of the night. DeAngelo forced the woman to tie her husband's hands as he placed kitchen dishes on the male victim's back. "I'll kill you if I hear them fall," DeAngelo said. The female victim was raped in front of her husband. 

How was he caught?

Detectives tasked to investigate DeAngelo's crimes initially struggled to identify the attacker. However, in 2018, investigators successfully linked their DNA sample to a family member after they uploaded DNA evidence on a site called GEDmatch. 

As reported by Wired, they created a genetic profile that gave them a pool of relatives who all shared part of the killer's genetic material. They used other clues such as age, sex, and residence to rule out suspects-which left them with only one probably suspect: DeAngelo. 

To confirm their suspicions, they staked out his home and obtained his DNA. After running it against multiple samples obtained from crime scenes, they found a match. 

Ann Marie Schubert, the Sacramento District attorney, announced his arrest  April 25, 2018. "We found the needle in the haystack, and it was right here in Sacramento."

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