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'Golden State Killer' sentenced to life in prison

"I've listened to all your statements... And I'm truly sorry to everyone I've hurt…"

Former California police officer Joseph James DeAngelo, who lived a double life as the "Golden State Killer" was sentenced to life in prison Friday for a string of murders and rapes in the 1970s and '80s.

The case was ultimately solved through the use of public genealogy websites.

A frail DeAngelo showed no emotion during the nearly two-hour sentencing that took place in a makeshift courtroom at Sacramento State University.

Judge Michael Bowman: "Mr. DeAngelo's sentence to a total of 11 life without the possibility of parole sentences, plus an additional life sentence plus an additional eight years. This is the absolute maximum sentence the court is able to impose under the law. And while the court has no power to make a determination of where the defendant is imprisoned, the survivors have spoken. Clearly, the defendant deserves no mercy."

In June, DeAngelo confessed to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges for crimes carried out between 1975 and 1986 as part of a plea deal with prosecutors sparing him from a potential death sentence.

For years, the identity of the Golden State Killer remained a mystery, and his crimes went unsolved for decades until DeAngelo's arrest in Sacramento County in 2018.

Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert: "These rapes and these murders, in the words of our victims, have cut across families, friends, generations, and entire communities... Know that the monster of your childhood or your younger years is gone forever, and will die alone in the dark."

Prosecutors said he invaded 120 homes across 11 counties during his crime spree.

Investigators tied DeAngelo to the crimes using a then-novel technique of tracing him through family DNA from commercial genealogy websites.