He looked like the guy next door because, for most of his life, he was the guy next door. Joseph James DeAngelo young was a sailor, a student, and eventually a police officer. People saw him as a focused, if somewhat intense, family man. Nobody knew that the same man catching burglars by day was spending his nights terrorizing the very neighborhoods he swore to protect.
The story of the Golden State Killer usually starts with his arrest in 2018, but the roots of his depravity go back decades. Understanding who DeAngelo was before the handcuffs is vital. It's about a man who studied the law just to learn how to break it.
The Fractured Early Life of Joseph James DeAngelo
Born in Bath, New York, in 1945, Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. didn't have a stable start. His father was a sergeant in the Army, which meant the family moved constantly. They lived on military bases across the U.S. and even in West Germany. This "military brat" lifestyle often leaves kids feeling rootless.
His home life was reportedly dark. Later, his sister Rebecca would claim their father was abusive. There is also a horrifying story from their time in Germany. A relative claimed a young DeAngelo witnessed the rape of his own sister by two airmen in a warehouse. If true, that kind of trauma doesn't just go away. It festers.
By the time he was a teenager, the family landed in Rancho Cordova, California. He wasn't some social outcast; he played junior varsity baseball at Folsom High School. But under the surface, things were already rotting. Prosecutors later revealed that during these teenage years, DeAngelo was already burglarizing houses and, perhaps more tellingly, torturing and killing animals.
Service, School, and the "Bonnie" Factor
In 1964, DeAngelo joined the Navy. He served 22 months in Vietnam on the USS Canberra and the USS Piedmont. He was a damage controlman—basically a high-stakes mechanic. He came home with a Bronze Star and a bunch of other medals. He looked like a hero on paper.
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He came back and went straight for a career in law enforcement.
Honestly, it's chilling.
He got an associate degree in police science from Sierra College and then a bachelor's in criminal justice from Sacramento State in 1972.
During this time, he met Bonnie Jean Colwell. They were engaged to be married. Bonnie was a nursing student, and by all accounts, DeAngelo was obsessed with her. But he was also manipulative. He once demanded she help him cheat on a psychology test. When she finally broke things off in 1971, he didn't take it well. He reportedly pointed a gun at her and tried to force her to go to Reno to get married.
She refused.
"Oh, Bonnie," he would later scream during his attacks years later.
That rejection seemed to be a core trigger for the violence that followed.
Joseph James DeAngelo Young as a Police Officer
It’s the most disturbing part of the timeline. From 1973 to 1976, DeAngelo was a cop in Exeter. While he was supposed to be stopping crime, a prowler known as the Visalia Ransacker was tearing through the nearby town of Visalia. This "Ransacker" did weird stuff. He didn't just steal; he moved things around, tossed underwear, and set "warning" dishes against doors.
It was practice.
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In 1976, he moved to the Auburn Police Department. He was an "average" cop, according to his chief. He even helped with Babe Ruth baseball fundraisers. But this was the exact window when the "East Area Rapist" began his reign of terror in Sacramento.
How did he get away with it?
- He knew police tactics.
- He knew how to avoid leaving fingerprints.
- He understood response times.
- He used his badge as a shield.
He was finally fired in 1979, but not for murder or rape. He was caught shoplifting a hammer and a can of dog repellent from a drug store. When the chief fired him, DeAngelo reportedly threatened to kill him. He even allegedly stalked the chief’s house afterward.
The Invisible Man of Citrus Heights
After losing his badge, DeAngelo didn't stop. He just got more violent. He moved to Southern California and became the "Original Night Stalker," transitioning from rape to cold-blooded murder.
He eventually moved back to Citrus Heights in 1980 and took a job as a truck mechanic for Save Mart. He stayed there for 27 years. He raised three daughters. His wife, Sharon Huddle, was a divorce attorney. Think about that—a man who spent his nights butchering couples was living with a lawyer and raising girls.
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His daughters later described him as a "perfect father." Neighbors just thought he was a "cranky old man" who yelled about his lawn. He was hiding in plain sight, a monster camouflaged by the mundane.
The myth that serial killers are all "loners" or "socially awkward" is a lie. Joseph James DeAngelo young was a husband, a veteran, and a public servant. He used those roles to mask a level of predatory behavior that the world had rarely seen.
What This Means for Us Today
The case of DeAngelo changed how we look at cold cases. It wasn't traditional detective work that caught him; it was investigative genetic genealogy. By uploading DNA from a 1978 crime scene to a public database, investigators found his distant relatives and worked their way down the family tree.
If you're looking for lessons here, it's about the "mask of sanity."
- Trust your gut: People who knew him, like Bonnie, saw the red flags early.
- Support DNA databases: These tools are now solving cases that were "unsolvable" for 40 years.
- Acknowledge the trauma: The early years of a person's life, especially in high-stress military families, can have massive ripple effects.
The most important step you can take today is to stay informed about how forensic genealogy is being used to clear backlogs of untested rape kits. Supporting legislation that funds DNA testing ensures that the next "guy next door" doesn't get forty years of freedom. You can check the status of backlogs in your own state through organizations like End the Backlog to see where advocacy is needed most.