Thien Ho, the prosecutor who helped bring the notorious Golden State Killer to justice, has revealed the compelling story behind one of California's largest criminal cases in a new book. The Sacramento County District Attorney's account focuses on the victims' decades-long wait for closure and the legal battle that finally ended the killer's reign of terror.
The Face Behind the Mask: A Prosecutor's Demand
In 2020, as Joseph DeAngelo, a 74-year-old former police officer and navy veteran, prepared to plead guilty to a horrific series of crimes, prosecutor Thien Ho made a specific request to the court. He insisted that the man known as the Golden State Killer, who had hidden his identity for over a decade, should not be allowed to conceal his face during the proceedings.
Despite pandemic-era masking rules, Ho asked the judge to order DeAngelo to wear a clear face shield. "He shouldn't be allowed to hide behind a mask like he has done all his life," Ho argued, determined that survivors finally see the face of the man who had shattered their lives.
A Reign of Terror and a Historic Prosecution
Joseph DeAngelo's crimes were both prolific and brutal. Between 1974 and 1986, he admitted to committing more than 100 burglaries in California's Central Valley. His confirmed offences include at least 51 rapes and 13 murders, stretching from Sacramento to Orange County.
He stalked neighbourhoods, breaking into homes to rape and torture women and girls, and murdered couples and women in their beds. Shockingly, for part of this period, he was serving as a police officer. He later raised a family in a community he had once targeted, living a chilling double life.
The case remained unsolved for nearly half a century until a breakthrough in 2018. Authorities used a pioneering DNA technique called investigative genetic genealogy to finally identify DeAngelo. He was arrested, pleaded guilty two years later, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Amplifying the Voices of Victims and Survivors
In his book, The People vs the Golden State Killer, Ho states his aim is to shift the focus away from the criminal and onto the resilience of those he harmed and the law enforcement officers who never gave up. He considers his work the third part of a 'trilogy', following Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark and investigator Paul Holes's account of the capture.
Ho reveals poignant new details about the devastating long-term impact on victims. He recounts meeting Phyllis Henneman, DeAngelo's first known sexual assault victim in Sacramento. She was 23 at the time of the attack and introduced herself to Ho decades later as "victim No 1."
"When I held her hand, it was as if I was reaching through time and space," Ho writes, describing the visible pain etched on her face. Henneman, who was battling cancer, saw DeAngelo sentenced before she passed away three months later, obtaining a measure of justice after 40 years.
Why the Killer Finally Confessed
Ho offers insight into why DeAngelo ultimately chose to plead guilty. He suggests the killer could not bear the thought of losing control in a public trial. "If this was to go to court, all these people testify, all his dirty secrets... That is the ultimate form of losing control," Ho explains. Facing exposure of every humiliating and violent detail was a prospect DeAngelo could not withstand.
The prosecutor describes DeAngelo as a "master manipulator" with a God complex, who used his job, uniform, and family as masks to conceal the monster beneath—a man driven by a need to control and dominate others.
A Legacy of Resilience and Changed Justice
The case has left a permanent mark on California. Ho notes how communities installed bars on windows and doors, with some families sleeping on roofs out of fear. One woman told him that after DeAngelo's arrest, her family slept with the windows open for the first time in 40 years.
The investigative genetic genealogy technique used to catch him has since revolutionised cold case investigations globally, solving nearly 1,000 cases. Ho also highlights improved communication between law enforcement agencies and advances in forensic science that make such prolonged crime sprees far less likely today.
Ultimately, Ho hopes the public takes away a message of human resilience. "They were able to turn their pain into power," he says of the survivors. He recalls survivor Gay Hardwick's powerful court statement: "You raped us... But we didn't turn around and become serial killers and monsters. It's a choice that you made." For Ho, the case is a stark reminder of the daily choice between embracing light or darkness, goodness or evil.
