The notorious Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo is now facing life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to 13 counts of murder and 13 counts of kidnapping with robbery.

DeAngelo, who was a former California police officer, apologized to the victims before he was sentenced to life with no parole on Friday.

Before hearing his sentence, DeAngelo told his victims and their relatives that he has listened to all their statements, and he was "truly sorry" to everyone he has hurt.

DeAngelo, now 74 years old, was a serial rapist, murderer, and burglar, who stalked his prey in at least six counties in California in the 1980s.

"When a person commits monstrous acts they need to be locked away where they could never harm another innocent person," Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman said in a report.

DeAngelo pleaded guilty last June to raping more than 50 women and murdering 13 people. Part of a plea deal was for DeAngelo to admit crimes he has not been charged with.

Bowan imposed 11 consecutive life sentences without parole, with an addition of eight years. The judge said this was the absolute maximum sentence the court can enforce under the law.

The judge noted that the statements delivered by the victims and the families would always stay with him.

"And while the court has no power to make a determination where the defendant is imprisoned, the survivors have spoken: Clearly the defendant deserves no mercy," Bowan said.

DeAngelo pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. Defense lawyers read letters from the defendant's friends and family, in which DeAngelo's father was described as a stern military man and a womanizer.

Friends and family of the defendant said that DeAngelo's father abused him as a child. DeAngelo's niece wrote that the defendant saved her after her own father physically abused her. 

Golden State Killer

DeAngelo has managed to escape capture for decades, and it took more than 40 years for law enforcement to link his crimes and catch him.

He was known by several monikers such as East Area Rapist, Visalia Ransacker, Original Nightstalker, and the Golden State Killer.

A second untested rape kit taken from Charlene Smith led to DeAngelo's arrest in April 2018. Semen collected from Smith's body was used to track down his family tree and point him as the suspect.

Investigators then spearheaded a new method of DNA tracing that involves building a family tree from publicly accessible genealogy websites to shorten the list of suspects.

Investigators linked the DNA from crime scenes to DeAngelo's distant relative. They then connected it to the defendant after clandestinely getting a discarded tissue from DeAngelo's trash can.

DeAngelo killed three Northern California victims when they tried to meddle with his assaults on women. He then moved to Southern California, where he had 10 known murders.

Many victims had wondered on how DeAngelo's ex-wife could not have known her husband's double life. DeAngelo's ex-wife, Sacramento attorney Sharon Huddle, said her husband lied and fooled her.

Prosecutors from several California counties such as Ventura, Sacramento, Orange, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Contra Costa have been eyeing the death penalty for DeAngelo. 

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