Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Judge Sets Preliminary Hearing in 'Golden State Killer' Case
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
January 23, 2020

Share

SACRAMENTO — A California judge on Wednesday set a May hearing to decide if prosecutors have enough evidence to go to trial against a man suspected being the notorious “Golden State Killer” who eluded capture for decades.

The rapist would break into couples’ suburban homes at night, binding the man and piling dishes on his back. He would threaten to kill both victims if he heard the plates fall while he raped the woman.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Steve White ordered the preliminary hearing for Joseph James DeAngelo to start May 12.
That’s more than two years after investigators said new DNA techniques linked the former police officer to at least 13 murders and more than 50 rapes across California in the 1970s and 1980s.
The rapist would break into couples’ suburban homes at night, binding the man and piling dishes on his back. He would threaten to kill both victims if he heard the plates fall while he raped the woman.
Defense attorneys had argued in court filings that they need another year to sort through the 250,000 pieces of evidence turned over by prosecutors. Prosecutors said they expect to call 150 witnesses over eight to 10 weeks, The Sacramento Bee reported.
White said he had to consider that witnesses and victims are growing older.
FILE – In this April 27, 2018, file photo Joseph James DeAngelo, the alleged Golden State Killer appears in Sacramento County Superior Court in Sacramento, Calif. DeAngelo’s home was sold last month to a couple who intend to live there, The Sacramento Bee reports. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File )

Some Witnesses Now Are in Their 80s and 90s

“I wish to make the case that there cannot be a case that’s too big to go to trial,” White said, drawing applause from victims sitting in the courtroom when he set the date.

“It was the defendant who decided to embark upon a crime spree that spanned 10 counties.” — Prosecutor Thien Ho
One man in the audience earlier shouted “Amen” when a prosecutor said aging rape victims deserve to see the case advance, the Bee reported.
“Given the number of charges in this case, the amount of discovery is extraordinary,” supervising public defenders Alice Michel and Joseph Cress wrote in seeking the delay. “If forced to set a preliminary hearing date at this time, the defense will be unable to provide competent and effective representation for Mr. DeAngelo.”
Prosecutor Thien Ho countered that DeAngelo, 75, is responsible for the volume of charges.
“It was the defendant who decided to embark upon a crime spree that spanned 10 counties,” Ho said.
Some witnesses now are in their 80s and 90s, he told the judge, and a Santa Barbara investigator recently died from cancer in his 70s.
Prosecutors from Sacramento, Santa Barbara, Orange and Ventura counties in April said they would seek the death penalty if DeAngelo is convicted, making their announcement shortly after Gov. Gavin Newsom put a moratorium on executions so long as he is governor.

DON'T MISS

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

DON'T MISS

Canadian School Boards Sue Snapchat, TikTok and Meta for Disrupting Students’ Education

DON'T MISS

California Law Enforcement Agencies Obstruct Transparency Efforts in Use-of-Force Cases

DON'T MISS

No Police Charges for Taylor Swift’s Dad Over Paparazzi Incident in Sydney

DON'T MISS

Biden Administration to Lend $1.5B to Restart Michigan Nuclear Power Plant, a First in the US

DON'T MISS

Tonight’s Biden Fundraiser With Obama and Clinton Already Nets a Record $25 Million

DON'T MISS

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP Pick in 2000, Dead at 82

DON'T MISS

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

DON'T MISS

CA Insurance Market ‘in Chaos,’ Says Former Insurance Commissioner. Can Lara Fix It?

DON'T MISS

Police Had About 90 Seconds to Stop Traffic Before Baltimore Bridge Fell. 6 Workers Are Feared Dead

No data was found

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

10 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

10 hours ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

10 hours ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

10 hours ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

11 hours ago

Biden’s Fundraiser with Obama and Clinton Nets a Record $25 Million, His Campaign Says

11 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Self-Protection Racket Is Hurting Our Kids

11 hours ago

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

12 hours ago

Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates

14 hours ago

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

15 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Riverside Golf Course Introduces Military Veterans to the Game

PGA HOPE, now underway at Fresno’s Riverside Golf Course, is designed to introduce golf to veterans and active duty military members t...

8 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Fresno's Riverside Golf Course
8 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Riverside Golf Course Introduces Military Veterans to the Game

9 hours ago

Cronenworth’s Big Hit Helps Lift the Padres to a 6-4 Win Over Melvin’s Giants

10 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Reaches 3 Times in Home Debut as the Dodgers Rout the Cardinals 7-1

10 hours ago

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

10 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

10 hours ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

10 hours ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

11 hours ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend