After 40+ years the Golden State Killer may be in custody

[ernie]

From my understanding there was nothing in her book or notes pointing to this suspect. The DA/police said that the book was not the reason for the arrest...they had decided to take a fresh look at the case a couple years ago and that recent information pointing towards the suspect was received/found only in the past couple of weeks.

There was a series on HLN detailing this case last month (I watched it in my hotel room while St. Paul got buried in snow). Can't help but wonder if that is what led to a tip.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I don’t recall him being mentioned, but her work was exhaustive, detailed, organized, and the book brought further attention to the case.

If she didn't identify this guy specifically, did she deduce that it was likely someone in law enforcement?


I have not read this book but plan on doing so this summer while camping etc.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by transplant99

If she didn't identify this guy specifically, did she deduce that it was likely someone in law enforcement?


I have not read this book but plan on doing so this summer while camping etc.

I believe they suspected that he had military or law enforcement experience, and at one point believed he may have experience as a pilot.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by transplant99

If she didn't identify this guy specifically, did she deduce that it was likely someone in law enforcement?


I have not read this book but plan on doing so this summer while camping etc.

A couple of quotes from the book:

... those with military background, felt his authoritative posture and unyielding demeanor we reminiscent of someone with a background in the armed forces. "The dishes trick," as his unusual alarm system came to be known, struck some as a technique right out of jungle warfare."

Shelby wondered if the hadn't caught him for another reason. He noticed that they would station undercover patrols in a neighborhood he was known to frequent, but that night the EAR [East Area Rapist] would attack somewhere else. HE seemed more aware of police procedure than the average citizen. He always work gloves and parked outside that standard police perimeter. "Freeze!" he shouted once at a woman as she tried to scramble away from him

[ernie]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Don't most of them stop when they get older? This guy's whole MO was based around being athletic, climbing and breaking into places, overpowering adults. He would have been in his early 40s in 1988.

I don't think that is quite true. While he was athletic his MO wasn't overpowering adults. It was making them absolutely terrified so he didn't have to overpower them. He knew every aspect of their lives before he attacked. He let them know he had been in their houses before and would be again etc etc. He was pretty meticulous in his planning and ruthless if something didn't quite go his way or as planned.

To the posts above: The suspect is a vietnam vet and of course we knew he was former police officer. The one police sketch looks quite a bit like he did at the time.

[MRCboicgy]

One of Patton's Tweets from yesterday (can't spend the time to find it atm) stated that Michelle actually had a list of about 1,000 possible suspects, and Patton was looking to see if this dude was on it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.c7c0a8349f6d

[kermitology]

Michelle McNamara was definitely pushing with one of the long time case investigators to work with genealogy websites.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/u...te-killer.html

Investigators used DNA from crime scenes and plugged that genetic profile into a private online genealogy database. They found distant relatives of Mr. DeAngelo’s and traced their DNA to him.

[Violator]

What are the chances this guy had access to evidence and was tampering thus delaying his capture.Sounds more like a crappy TV or Movie plot.

[BloodFetish]

Very interesting! So I guess the question is if this goes to trial with their method stand up in court? Did they get a warrant to submit his DNA to a geneology website, or even need one?

Could be a groundbreaking new way to solve cold cases.

[ernie]

Originally Posted by BloodFetish

Very interesting! So I guess the question is if this goes to trial with their method stand up in court? Did they get a warrant to submit his DNA to a geneology website, or even need one?

Could be a groundbreaking new way to solve cold cases.

They have crime scene DNA sequenced and they compared that against the genealogy database and found some DNA was that was related. Found out who that person was and then tracked down relatives that were the correct age and in the area. They then legally acquired two samples of suspect DNA from discarded items "in the public domain" and compared it against the crime scene DNA to get complete matches.

The issue doesn't seem to be whether they can submit the suspect DNA (they submitted the crime scene DNA) but whether it's proper to compare against the DNA in that database when the people who have populated that database with there DNA likely didn't do so with the expectation it could be used in a criminal investigation. It's more about the rights of those using the genealogy company rather than the suspect.

Some further info concerning original investigations:

The sheriff's team investigating the crimes had a strong suspicion the rapist had law enforcement experience.

"It was a lot more than a hunch," said Wendell Phillips, a former Sacramento sheriff's deputy who was part of a team searching for East Area Rapist. "There was no doubt he was either military or law enforcement or both."

Phillips said the perpetrator knew police tactics and how to elude capture. He picked houses that backed up to a culvert or greenbelt, and always left a back window open. And the way he tied the knots on his victims suggested he had been in the Boy Scouts or Navy.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department had a "good-sized unit hunting him every night," Phillips said.

But if it closed in on him, he would go into "the biggest, thickest, nastiest bush he could find," then cover himself with leaves. "The search would go right over the top of him," he said.

Phillips said they were so sure that the rapist was a cop that any officers who wanted to join the team hunting him had to submit saliva samples to ensure they didn't share a rare genetic trait they found in the suspect's bodily fluids.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...427-story.html

[burn_this_city]

Feel bad for his family, his wife is an attorney, his daughter an ER physician, other daughter grad student. On top of finding out the worst secret anyone could keep, they are sucked into the media vortex by it.

[fundmark19]

Originally Posted by ernie

The issue doesn't seem to be whether they can submit the suspect DNA (they submitted the crime scene DNA) but whether it's proper to compare against the DNA in that database when the people who have populated that database with there DNA likely didn't do so with the expectation it could be used in a criminal investigation. It's more about the rights of those using the genealogy company rather than the suspect.

I thought I read that the partial DNA match came from someone convicted of Methamphetamine charges. In my mind if you are convicted of a crime your DNA should absolutely be on file and used for future crimes. You give this up when you commit a crime.

[Wormius]

That’s kind of interesting. I wonder if they could just send DNA samples into one of those 23andme or Ancestry DNA sites and see what shows up.

[ernie]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

I thought I read that the partial DNA match came from someone convicted of Methamphetamine charges. In my mind if you are convicted of a crime your DNA should absolutely be on file and used for future crimes. You give this up when you commit a crime.

If that was the case then absolutely. I had just read (several times) that it was through comparison with a commercial genealogy database. Perhaps the media interpreted "genealogy database" to mean a commercial database rather than an internal law enforcement database.

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by Wormius

That’s kind of interesting. I wonder if they could just send DNA samples into one of those 23andme or Ancestry DNA sites and see what shows up.

I believe this is exactly what happened. They submitted his DNA, found a relative and other ancestor info. They researched the relative for family that could have committed the crimes and there he was.

McNamara's book, although in the news, had little to do with anything. There has been a rather large active group on Reddit that has been analyzing this crime, and many others, for many years. Victims and their families have worked hard over the years as well to remind the police the case is still going on.

McNamara's book is certainly getting a big push right now, we are all talking about it, but that is only because of the good timing and some high rollers backing it.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

I believe this is exactly what happened. They submitted his DNA, found a relative and other ancestor info. They researched the relative for family that could have committed the crimes and there he was.

McNamara's book, although in the news, had little to do with anything. There has been a rather large active group on Reddit that has been analyzing this crime, and many others, for many years. Victims and their families have worked hard over the years as well to remind the police the case is still going on.

McNamara's book is certainly getting a big push right now, we are all talking about it, but that is only because of the good timing and some high rollers backing it.

Lol her bestselling book had nothing to do with it but the geniuses at reddit deserve credit? The same reddit that frequently misidentifies perpetrators and ruins their lives only to have the real person caught after?

Her book is a huge reason this remained in the public spotlight, which in turn is one of the reasons why the police continued to pursue it.

[ernie]

So the criminal databases held no DNA matches. They uploaded the profile the GEDmatch.comwhich is a site used by genealogists. It allows anyone to upload raw DNA data and does not guarantee privacy (and you can use an alias). A relative of the suspect had uploaded some data. They traced the data back to a common relative in the 1800s and found a section of the family tree that came out west.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...427-story.html


https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...genealogy-site

McNamara likely can be credited with keeping authorities interested in the case which maybe helped get it reopened but I think that’s the most (and I think California was on a mission to open cold cases anyways).

[gargamel]

As badly as this guy deserves to be punished, I don't think I'm comfortable with the police using DNA evidence in this way. It will be really interesting to see what happens.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by gargamel

As badly as this guy deserves to be punished, I don't think I'm comfortable with the police using DNA evidence in this way. It will be really interesting to see what happens.

Not comfortable using DNA this way? This isn't a case of entrapment, its a new investigative tool in the toolbox. Similar to going to the public archives and looking up family records. The real question will be what was the legal agreement/terms with the genealogy site and its patrons, and how will that change going forward in the industry.

[8 Ball]

Originally Posted by gargamel

As badly as this guy deserves to be punished, I don't think I'm comfortable with the police using DNA evidence in this way. It will be really interesting to see what happens.

What makes you uncomfortable? I agree trace DNA can raise false flags, but this animal left obvious bodily fluids full of his DNA all over the crime scene. He would draw pictures with his semen on his rape victims windows.