Golden State Killer sentenced to 26 life terms over murders, kidnappings

Joseph James DeAngelo, the former police officer convicted as the Golden State Killer for a brutal series of rapes, murders and kidnappings in California in the 1970s and 1980s, was sentenced Friday to 26 life sentences, bringing to a close an serial killer investigation that spanned nearly five decades. 

DeAngelo began his spree in 1973 and finished in 1986, a period of time over which, per his eventual confession, he committed at least 13 kidnappings and 13 murders, among numerous other crimes.

As part of a plea deal orchestrated by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman, DeAngelo will serve 11 life sentences without parole, along with an additional 15 life sentences plus eight years. 

The hunt for DeAngelo spanned decades and was eventually solved with the use of California's convicted felon DNA database. He was charged in 2018.

Most of his attacks took place in northern California, though several were committed in and near Los Angeles.