GSK Victim Impact Statements And Sentencing
Photo sources: NBC News, CBS46
After 4 decades and 3 days of heart wrenching victim impact statements, 74 year old Joseph James DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer, has been formally sentenced.
DeAngelo avoided capture for 40 years but he was finally identified by DNA in 2018 and confessed to 13 murders and nearly 50 rapes between 1975 and 1986. In June he plead guilty to 13 counts of 1st degree murder and 13 kidnapping related charges. There were dozens of rapes in California between 1976 and 1979 that he admitted to but couldn’t be charged with because the statute of limitations had expired. DeAngelo’s crimes were committed across 11 different counties in California.
The first day of Victim Impact Statements began on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, at the Gordon D. Schaber Sacramento County Courthouse in California. In the 3 days of statements, we heard from survivors of the assaults DeAngelo committed in Sacramento, survivors of his attacks in the Bay Area and Central Valley and families of his murder victims. When all was said and done, dozens of victims and their family members unleashed decades of the grief, rage, pain and now, finally, relief toward the monster who caused it all. Before they spoke, Judge Michael Bowman told them, “Remember, you waited a long time for this. There is no need to hurry.”
We heard from Patricia Murphy, who was 29 years old when DeAngelo raped her, raided the pantry and drank beer from the refrigerator before stealing her car. Her daughter, Patti Cosper, read the statement that Patricia prepared and it said, in part, “I never felt safe for many years. I was always looking over my shoulder expecting someone to jump out at me,” “he punched me in the face and broke my nose. I had a concussion from falling backwards and hitting my head on the pavement, I did what I had to do to stay alive.” “It is my hope that you punish him to the full extent of the law for the horrific crimes he committed. He truly is an evil monster with no soul.” Her daughter added, “He’s not feeble, and he’s also a pedophile, and a rapist and a murderer.”
Pete Schultz, who was 11 when DeAngelo broke into his home remembered how he, “tied me to the bedpost ’til my hands turned blue. Locked my sister in her room. And performed horrific acts against my mother while she was bound and blindfolded”. Schultz also said, “While we have all suffered for 44 years, your suffering, sir, has just begun. May she enjoy the sun on her face, the love in her heart, listening to her grand kids talk on the phone and sleep well tonight knowing you are gone and the boogeyman is done.” He added that after the attack, his father went to sleep with a baseball bat and his sister slept under her bed.
Peggy Frink was 15 years old and home alone with her 16 year old sister, when DeAngelo broke in. She said, “After rolling out of bed and swinging at him, I was hit several times in the head before being tied up, gagged and blindfolded. We were both threatened, and I was raped several times.”
DeAngelo also raped 15 year old Kris Pedretti in her home and she spoke of learning that DeAngelo was never that far away, saying, “For decades he lived free in the same neighborhood that I lived in, as well as many others. He was free while each of his victims and their families lived in pain, often nearby. Who knows how many times I passed him in the grocery store, or sat near him at a restaurant, oblivious to the fact that the rapist who took so much from me was only a few feet away.
What sickens me most is that DeAngelo was able to live a normal life with his family for all those years,” said Elizabeth Hupp. Her dad, Claude Snelling, was DeAngelo’s first known murder victim and he was shot to death by DeAngelo on Sept. 11, 1975, when he tried to stop DeAngelo from kidnapping Elizaeth from their home. She said, “For many years, I felt guilt for what happened that night, I thought maybe there was something I could have said or done to keep him from coming out that night. My dad was such a gentle soul and loving, kind-hearted man who loved his family more than anything. My dad saved my life that night, and he’s my hero.”
In 1978, Kate and Brian Maggiore, 20 and 22, were out walking their dog when a masked DeAngelo began chasing them before he shot and killed them both. Kate’s brother, Ken Smith, had this to say; “Katie and Brian were special, and we all loved them so much. DeAngelo, you hurt our families and other families so much. But now that’s over. You lurked in the dark so you could prey on innocent victims. Now you are the prey, DeAngelo. You’re not important. We will remember Brian and Katie for the rest of our lives. But after you are sentenced you are nothing.”
You can watch all of the coverage on our By Proxy Facebook page or YouTube channel, Murder By Design. Usually we tell you to grab a glass of wine or your favorite beverage, but tissues will be necessary in this case. The pain these families have suffered through and endured will break your heart over and over again.
DeAngelo plead guilty in a deal that spared him the death penalty. As part of the plea agreement, he has to register as a sex offender and pay restitution to the victims or their families, as well as any fees or fines. Before he was officially sentenced on Friday, the monster known as the Golden State Killer, said, “I’ve listened to all your statements, each of them. And I’m truly sorry to everyone I’ve hurt.” Joseph DeAngelo was sentenced to 11 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, plus 15 life terms with the possibility of parole and eight years for weapons charges.
These are the charges that DeAngelo plead guilty to:
Contra Costa County
Four counts of kidnapping to commit robbery using a gun and knife between Oct. 7, 1978, and June 11, 1979, victims listed as Jane Does.
Orange County
Four counts of murder in the Aug. 21, 1980, murder of Keith Harrington, and the rape and murder of Patrice Harrington, the Feb. 6, 1981, rape and murder of Manuela Witthuhn and the May 5, 1986, rape and murder of Janelle Cruz
Sacramento County
Two counts of murder in the Feb. 2, 1978, shootings of Kate and Brian Maggiore. Nine counts of kidnapping to commit robbery using a gun and knife between Sept. 4, 1976, and Oct. 21, 1977, victims listed as Jane Does.
Santa Barbara County
Four counts of murder in the Dec. 30, 1979, rape and murder of Debra Manning and the murder of Robert Offerman, and the July 27, 1981 murders of Gregory Sanchez and Cheri Domingo.
Tulare County
One count of murder in the Sept. 11, 1975 murder of Claude Snelling, 45.
Ventura County
Two counts of murder in the rape and murder of Charlene Smith and the murder of Lyman Smith in March 1980.
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Originally published at http://madgingerentertainment.com.
