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'He's Not A Feeble Old Man': Jail Footage Shows Golden State Killer Climbing Around Room, Exercising
During his trial, the 74-year-old Joseph DeAngelo has often appeared wheelchair-bound and frail, but one prosecutor says that was simply a ruse.
Authorities released jailhouse footage showing Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo moving easily about his cell, apparently belying the feeble appearance DeAngelo cultivated during multiple court appearances since his 2018 arrest, many of which featured him wheelchair-bound.
DeAngelo, 74, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Friday, officially bringing to a close the reign of fear he presided over in California during the 1970s and '80s, which included 13 murders and at least 50 rapes. The serial killer, who had often appeared frail and disengaged, changed his demeanor only briefly to apologize to the victims of his crime spree, rising from his wheelchair to tell them he was "truly sorry."
The sentence was handed down after three days of victim impact statements from dozens of his victims and their relatives.
Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert showed the public clips of the serial killer from his jail cell at a news conference following the sentencing.
“The truth of who Joseph DeAngelo is lies not just in what happened in the courthouse but what has happened in his jail cell,” she said. “One only needs to look back a few months from today to see the real Joseph DeAngelo.”
She played footage of DeAngelo moving freely about his cell. He even climbs up onto furniture to cover light panels with paper to, as Schubert put it, “hide the light and remain in the darkness.”
Other footage released by her office, obtained by Oxygen.com, shows him exercising. He does jumping jacks and even climbs up onto a panel above his bed.
“We, as part of this team, felt that it was critically important to show the victims, the public and perhaps the world this sociopath in action,” Schubert said.
“He’s not a feeble old man as he portrayed himself to be” she added, further lambasting DeAngelo as a "person who lacks a conscience or a soul."
DeAngelo pleaded guilty in June to 26 murder, rape and kidnapping charges and admitted to 62 uncharged offenses that expired due to the statute of limitations; his plea deal allowed him to dodge the death penalty. In all, DeAngelo victimized 87 people at 53 separate crime scenes spanning 11 California counties.
A judge denied prosecutors’ request to play the jailhouse recordings during Friday’s sentencing, as DeAngelo's defense team never cited his supposed frailty as justification for a more lenient sentence.
