Joseph Deangelo: The Golden State Killer

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Joseph DeAngelo was a killer that hid in plain sight. DeAngelo operated his killing sprees from 1978-1986. He looked like a normal everyday person which is why he could get away with everything that he did. He was a ruthless person and that started way back when he was a child growing up. His parents made him who he was, they were so abusive to him and his siblings. Seeing all of that, he thought it was okay to do the same because that is what his parents did to him. Being such a stealthy killer he knew how to get things done in a timely manner. He targeted mostly couples and younger women since they were easy to get his hand on. Joseph DeAngelo, also known as the “Golden State Killer”, was one of the most famous serial killers that took place …show more content…

In his early days of school, he attended Mills Middle School. When he got to high school, he attended Folsom High School on the outskirts of Sacramento California and graduated from high school in 1964. He decided not to go right to college and joined the United States Navy. While in the Navy, he was aboard the cruiser USS Canberra, and his duty was as a repairman during the Vietnam War (quotes). He was brave enough to fight for our country and even though he was a killer, he should still get credit for serving. DeAngelo was only a part of the war for around twenty-two months, so almost two years. After returning home, he was greeted well by the community since he served our great country. He later earned his National Defense Service medal, Vietnam War medal, and Vietnam Campaign medal …show more content…

The first nickname that he was known for was “The Visalia Ransacker”, the reason for the name was that he committed crimes in the Visalia area of California (Zimmerman). Since he was staying in the house for long periods, he would go through everything in the house, stealing their valuable items, and leaving behind money (SC 4). The next nickname he got was “The Cordova Cat Burglar”, he would go to multiple houses per night near Rancho Cordova. He even broke into his childhood home. He was very good at stealing things from his childhood home since he grew up there and knew the home like the back of his hand