Police may have arrested the Golden State Killer, solving one of the nation’s infamous cold cases

Police in California may have arrested the Golden State Killer, ending one of the nation’s most infamous cold cases. The killer was recently the subject of an intensively researched true crime book by the late Michelle McNamara, wife of comedian Patton Oswalt.

What's the story?

In the 1970s and 80s, a man dubbed by police as the East Area Rapist (EAR) committed 45 rapes, 120 home burglaries, and 12 murders. He would sneak into houses while the owners were home, then shine a flashlight into his victims' faces to temporarily disable them before tying them up and raping the women.

He reportedly rarely stole anything of monetary value, but would often taken items that had personal value to his victims. After two of his victims managed to escape, he began making sure that he never left anyone alive.

The EAR would also often break in to victims' houses when no one was home to prepare things for when he came back later.

“He disabled porch lights and unlocked windows. He emptied bullets from guns. He hid shoelaces or rope under cushions to use as ligatures. These maneuvers gave him a crucial advantage because when you woke from a deep sleep to the blinding flashlight and ski-masked presence, he was always a stranger to you, but you were not to him,” McNamara wrote in Los Angeles Magazine.

When did McNamara get involved?

McNamara learned about the EAR in 2007, and began researching every scrap of information she could find about him. It was McNamara who gave him the more memorable moniker “the Golden State Killer.”

“By day I’m a 42-year-old stay-at-home mom with a sensible haircut and Goldfish crackers lining my purse. In the evening, however, I’m something of a DIY detective,” McNamara said in a piece she wrote for Los Angeles Magazine.

McNamara spent years compiling witness accounts, police reports, and any other bit of evidence she could find to create her magnum opus, "I’ll Be Gone in the Dark," which was published posthumously in February.

Tragically, McNamara died in her sleep in 2016 with her book two-thirds of the way finished. She was only 46 years old at the time. After her death, her book was finished by Oswalt, along with researchers Billy Jensen and Paul Haynes.

When did police arrest the 'Killer'?

Police arrested Joseph James DeAngelo on Wednesday on two counts of murder. At a news conference scheduled to take place Wednesday afternoon, authorities are expected to confirm that they believe the 72-year-old DeAngelo is the same man who escaped their grasp decades ago. DeAngelo is a former police officer, who was suspended after he was caught trying to shoplift a hammer and a can of dog repellant.

Oswalt tweeted after the news of the arrest broke:

“If they’ve really caught the #GoldenStateKiller I hope I get to visit him. Not to gloat or gawk — to ask him the questions that @TrueCrimeDiary wanted answered in her “Letter To An Old Man” at the end of #IllBeGoneInTheDark.”

If they’ve really caught the #GoldenStateKiller I hope I get to visit him. Not to gloat or gawk — to ask him the questions that @TrueCrimeDiary wanted answered in her “Letter To An Old Man” at the end of #IllBeGoneInTheDark. pic.twitter.com/32EHSzBct5

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) April 25, 2018