Joseph DeAngelo Speaks Before Sentencing: "I'm Truly Sorry to Everyone I've Hurt", 2020

After decades of silence and three days of statements from the people he harmed, the Golden State Killer stood, lowered his mask and spoke to the court for 25 seconds.

Subject

Joseph James DeAngelo

Recorded

August 21, 2020

Runtime

0:56

Content warning: Refers to murders and sexual assaults.

The Statement

On August 21, 2020, before Judge Michael Bowman imposed sentence, Joseph James DeAngelo rose from his wheelchair, lowered his face mask and spoke to the court. The words that follow are his only public statement since his arrest beyond the formal answers of his plea. In this short broadcast clip he says: "I've listened to all your statements, each one of them. And I'm truly sorry to everyone I've hurt." He thanks the judge and sits down. The judge answers, "Thank you, sir."

Historical Context

Between 1974 and 1986 an unidentified man committed dozens of rapes and at least thirteen murders across California. He was known by several names as the investigations grew: the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker. In 2018 investigators used genetic genealogy to identify him as DeAngelo, a former police officer living in Citrus Heights, outside Sacramento. He was arrested on April 24, 2018.

Circumstances of the Statement

On June 29, 2020, DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of kidnapping, and admitted dozens of other crimes that could no longer be charged. In exchange the prosecutors from several counties did not seek the death penalty. From August 18 to 20, survivors and the families of those he killed spoke at his sentencing hearing. Because of COVID-19 distancing rules, the court held the final session in a ballroom at California State University, Sacramento. His statement came just before sentence was imposed on the last day. He received multiple consecutive terms of life without the possibility of parole.

What the Statement Covers

The statement is brief. DeAngelo addresses the people who spoke at the hearing as a group, says he listened to every statement, and says he is sorry. He names no one and says nothing about the crimes themselves.

What Makes the Recording Significant

DeAngelo did not testify, gave no interviews and offered no explanation. Apart from the formal answers he gave when entering his plea, these few words are all he has said in public. Survivors and relatives of his victims had waited decades for the case to be solved, and many of them were in the room.

Archival Importance

The clip records the close of one of the most important cases in the history of forensic genetic genealogy. It preserves the defendant's own words at the moment of sentencing, spoken in open court.

Important Caveats

The expression of remorse is DeAngelo's own statement, recorded here as what he said, not as a judgment of its sincerity. Press reports at the time quoted the statement with small differences ("truly sorry to/for everyone I've hurt"). The machine transcription hears "really" where the station's caption and press reports have "truly"; this is marked in the transcript for a listening check.

DeAngelo: I've listened to all your statements, each one of them. And I'm [truly] sorry to everyone I've hurt.

DeAngelo: Thank you, Your Honor.

Voice from the bench (probably Judge Bowman): Thank you, sir.