 SAN FRANCISCO — Prosecutors from six counties in California announced Tuesday that they were combining their cases against the man suspected of being the Golden State Killer, joining forces on charges of 13 counts of murder against Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., who was arrested in a Sacramento suburb in April. “It is very fitting that this journey for justice that has been sought for over 40 years ends in Sacramento,” said Anne Marie Schubert, the district attorney for Sacramento County, at a media briefing held in Orange County.
– Charges are piling up for Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., the suspected Golden State Killer. In addition to 13 counts of murder, DeAngelo will face 13 charges of kidnapping to commit robbery, prosecutors announced Tuesday. The 72-year-old will be tried in Sacramento County, the Los Angeles Times reports. The announcement of the new charges and trial venue were made during a press conference in Orange County. Prosecutors from Contra Costa, Sacramento, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura counties—all jurisdictions where DeAngelo allegedly committed crimes—were also on hand. DeAngelo, a former police officer, is believed to be responsible for a series of murders, rapes, and burglaries committed decades ago. He was arrested in April. The prosecutors from Northern, Central, and Southern California "stand united" on "team justice," Sacramento DA Anne Marie Schubert said, according to ABC. If convicted, DeAngelo, who is being held in Sacramento and has yet to enter a plea, is eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors have not decided whether to pursue it, per the LA Times. He will be arraigned on all of the charges on Thursday, reports the New York Times, which notes that it is unusual for charges from so many jurisdictions to be tried at a single trial.