Joseph James DeAngelo has been on both sides of crime with his alias ‘Golden State Killer’. He was a police officer who terrorized California from the 1970s to the 1980s. For years, authorities struggled to solve his crimes, and ultimately, he was arrested in 2018. Among the serial killers in the United States, DeAngelo became quite infamous. Most people now know him as the Golden State Killer..
His reign from the 1970s to the 1980s caused at least 13 murders, 45 s—-l assaults, and over 120 burglaries. It wasn’t until decades after his era that detectives managed to crack the case. He was confirmed as the man behind the horror after his DNA was found on a genealogy website.
Following his arrest in 2018, the former cop confessed to 13 murders as part of his plea deal to avoid the death penalty. He continues to serve a life sentence in prison. Among all of the killings, one particular case sent a shockwave through the nation.
Joseph DeAngelo, ‘the Golden State Killer’ speaks in Court.
DeAngelo is an American serial killer, serial rapist, burglar, and former police officer who committed at least 13 murders, 51 rapes, and 120 burglaries across California between 1974 and 1986. pic.twitter.com/p5hpNIHtDK
— Morbid Knowledge (@MorbidKnowledge) December 18, 2023
It was July 1981 when Cheri Domingo, 35, was in charge of taking care of a relative’s house in Goleta, Santa Barbara. That night, she decided to spend some quality time with her boyfriend, Gregory Sanchez, 27, in the master bedroom. Unbeknownst to the pair, DeAngelo broke into the house in the early hours of July 27.
He went straight to the bedroom and shot Sanchez first in his left cheek. Although it wasn’t fatal, the man was bleeding severely. When Greg attempted to fight back, DeAngelo attacked him with a blunt object. According to court documents, he beat him several times, inflicting at least 24 wounds and lacerations.
Gregory suffered a brain hemorrhage and lost his life. The former cop then bound Cheri’s wrists and ankles together and raped her. He also hit her with the same blunt object. When it struck the right side of her head, Cheri died from a massive skull fracture. Afterwards, DeAngelo untied the woman and left her on the bed, carelessly covering her with a blanket.
“Golden State Killer” Joseph DeAngelo reportedly tried to blame his gruesome murders on having a split personality named Jerry, who “made” him commit crimes against his will.
Details: https://t.co/2kOm6CYYxO pic.twitter.com/X35197SoVf
— TMZ (@TMZ) November 25, 2025
The double homicide shocked everyone, especially the detectives in charge of the case. At that time, it was yet to be concluded who could have been going around committing these brutal killings. Carl Stincelli, one of the investigators at that time, described the perpetrator as “one of the evilest men.”
“He is one of the evilest men ever to walk the planet. He was just born that way,” said Stincelli at that time.
