Alleged Golden State Killer appears in court

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) – The man accused of being the Golden State Killer appeared in court Wednesday where district attorneys from several California counties said that if he is convicted, they will seek the death penalty.

Joseph DeAngelo is charged with 13 counts of murder with many additional special circumstances and is accused of more than 50 rapes in six counties. He’s also charged with 13 counts of kidnapping for robbery, officials said.

Those crimes happened between 1975 and 1986, according to investigators. DNA evidence finally linked DeAngelo to the crimes.

Ron Harrington, whose brother and sister-in-law were victims of the Golden State Killer in 1980, spoke out after the hearing. “On behalf of at least some of the victims of the Golden State Killer, we are thrilled with the decision to seek the death penalty,” Harrington said. “This is the individual that killed my youngest brother and his wife. My dad found my youngest brother and his wife, Patty. They had been brutalized. My dad is one of the strongest individuals I have ever known. He found them and was never the same. This was 1980. My dad spent 15 years trying to solve this case.”

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