TAKING THE DEAL

Golden State Killer Suspect Will Plead Guilty to Avoid Death Penalty: Report

Joseph James DeAngelo, 74, has reportedly agreed to admit to a slew of crimes he hasn’t been charged with to avoid the death penalty.

Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., a former police officer accused of being the Golden State Killer, will reportedly plead guilty later this month in a deal that will spare him from the death penalty, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday. While details of the agreement have not been formalized, DeAngelo is set to admit to at least 13 murders and as many rapes in Sacramento County on June 29. According to the Times, the 74-year-old has agreed to also admit to scores of crimes he has not been charged with since they fall outside the statute of limitations.

“It’s pragmatic. This makes sense. It is efficient. It is cost-effective. It is ultimately where we were going to end,” Jennifer Carole, whose father, Lyman Smith, was among those murdered, told the outlet. “So what is justice for that? I’m sitting with that [question] every damn day.” Prosecutors allege DeAngelo committed a slew of crimes between 1973 and 1986 across California. An investigation by the Times found that more than 106 victims were bound, tortured, raped, or killed during the Golden State Killer’s spree.