Joseph James DeAngelo eluded the authorities for four decades before he was arrested in 2018 in a Sacramento suburb.
Widely known as the Golden State Killer, DeAngelo pleaded guilty on Monday to 13 counts of first-degree murder and special circumstances, and 13 counts of kidnapping that dated back to the 1970s.
It was the first high-profile case to be solved with genetic genealogy, which relies on identifying DNA collected at a crime scene by searching for the suspect’s relatives in genealogy databases. Genetic genealogist Dr. Barbara Rae-Venter was among those who helped identify DeAngelo.
We talk with Dr. Rae-Venter about it and how she helped crack the case.
Guests
