FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – The alleged “Golden State Killer” may have ties to Visalia.
The “Golden State Killer” is believed to have killed at least 12 people, raped at least 50 people and committed multiple home burglaries throughout California in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced on Wednesday that 72 year-old Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested overnight Tuesday, April 23 in Citrus Heights on a warrant out of Ventura County.
He’s been called a lot of things by law enforcement; the East Area Rapist, the Original Nightstalker, and the Golden State Killer
Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar (above) believes DeAngelo may also be the Visalia Ransacker, with a crime spree linked to the Golden State Killer cases.
“We hope to generate new leads that will aid our detectives to bring full closure to this case in Visalia,” said Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar, speaking to the media during a press conference held at the Visalia Emergency Communications Center on Burke Street.
[Photo: FBI]Chief Salazar said 100 residential burglaries took place in Visalia between 1974 and 1975, the same time that DeAngelo, a former police officer, was working in Exeter.
The Visalia Police Detectives have established a public hotline and are asking anyone who knew or associated with Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, while in Tulare County in the 1970s, to call (559) 713-4132.
Click to listen to the report by Liz Kern:
