Suspected 'Golden State Killer' seemed shocked by arrest, told police he had a roast in the oven: Official
By Emily Shapiro,
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/febb6ce5-a4bc-35e4-b4b1-5b4e4fd616a6/%27golden-state-killer%27-suspect.html Whit Johnson
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Jenna Harrison
Apr 26, 2018, 12:37 PM ET
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PHOTO: Joseph James Deangelo, known as "The Golden State Killer," is seen in this police booking photo, April 25, 2018, after being apprehended. PlaySacramento Police Department
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The suspected "Golden State Killer" who was arrested this week for killing and raping dozens of California residents decades ago, seemed shocked to find police outside his home, according to Sacramento County Sheriff's Department official Paul Belli.
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Joseph James DeAngelo, a 72-year-old former police officer, was taken into custody on Tuesday at his home in Citrus Heights in Sacramento County, the same county where his alleged crime spree began in 1976. The crimes continued across the state until 1986.
DeAngelo lived at the home with family but was home alone when he was arrested, Belli told ABC News.
PHOTO: A view of the home of accused rapist and killer Joseph James DeAngelo is pictured on April 24, 2018 in Citrus Heights, Calif.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A view of the home of accused rapist and killer Joseph James DeAngelo is pictured on April 24, 2018 in Citrus Heights, Calif.more +
DeAngelo told police he had a roast in the oven, and officers said they could take care of it, Belli said.
He was placed under arrest without incident.
PHOTO: Joseph James Deangelo, known as The Golden State Killer, is seen in this police booking photo, April 25, 2018, after being apprehended. Sacramento Police Department
Joseph James Deangelo, known as "The Golden State Killer," is seen in this police booking photo, April 25, 2018, after being apprehended. more +
Colleen Fernandez, who lives in DeAngelo's neighborhood, told ABC News, "We walked by that house all the time ... but we never saw him."
"I'm just thankful he got caught," Fernandez said. "It's huge for this community. Even though it was 40 years ago, people still remembered."
Fernandez lived in the Sacramento area during the years of the "Golden State Killer" crime spree, calling it "a scary time."
"I was just a young woman. It was frightening. You'd definitely lock your doors and your windows," she said. "You had buddy system. I worked at a restaurant -- I made sure somebody walked me to my car."
Another neighbor, Robin Brown, noticed the police tape at DeAngelo's home but figured he was getting his driveway repaved.
"We've always felt safe in this neighborhood," she said.
PHOTO: A view of the home of accused rapist and killer Joseph James DeAngelo is pictured on April 24, 2018 in Citrus Heights, Calif.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A view of the home of accused rapist and killer Joseph James DeAngelo is pictured on April 24, 2018 in Citrus Heights, Calif.more +
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DeAngelo is believed to have committed 12 murders, at least 50 rapes and multiple home burglaries in the 1970s and 1980s.
His alleged "reign of terror" spanned from the Sacramento area in Northern California down to Orange County in Southern California, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said Wednesday.