ABC7 Presents: Chasing the Golden State Killer

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The case of the "Golden State Killer," also known as the "East Area Rapist," started with a serial rapist and became a 40-year manhunt for a murderer that spanned 500 miles. ABC7 took a look back at decades of terror and torment, and combed through the archives to document the footprint of a predator.

ABC7 Presents: Chasing the Golden State Killer | Part I
The Golden State Killer's decades of terror ended when investigators announced an arrest -- but how did the suspect's crimes become so infamous? ABC7 dug through the archives to find reporting from the time when he was known as the "East Area Rapist" and "Visalia Ransacker."


ABC7 Presents: Chasing the Golden State Killer | Part II
The suspected Golden State Killer lived for decades in Citrus Heights, a neighborhood in Sacramento that was terrorized by him decades before. But who is this man? Here's what those who knew him thought of the arrest.


ABC7 Presents: Chasing the Golden State Killer | Part III
Solving the case of the Golden State Killer became an obsession for some and a passion for others. True crime author Michelle McNamara's book "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" inspired a whole slew of arm-chair detectives. Here's more on local sleuths who used their time and energy to research the killer's crimes.


On June 29, 2020, DeAngelo plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. Get the latest updates on the Golden State Killer here.

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