golden state mystery:SOLVED

UPDATE! THEY CAUGHT HIM! And on DNA Day!

In case you're living under a rock or have been buried underground by a Jon Hamm-lookalike cult leader, his name is Joseph James D'Angelo and I'm not going to post his ugly mug here.

I WILL tell you, as part of Picks & Pans, that the Criminology Podcast broke the story and is a definite "pick".

ORIGINAL POST:

Investigation Discovery's 4-part series and Michelle McNamara's posthumously published book could bring this creeper out of the shadows. Is that the whole point?

Although I fancy myself a true crime junkie, I had never heard of Michelle McNamara until she died suddenly in 2016, leaving behind a young daughter and her husband, Patton Oswalt. As a writer and armchair detective, she authored a blog and was particularly obsessed with an unsolved string of rapes and murders in California in the 70s and early 80s by a guy she dubbed The Golden State Killer.

She passed away before her book on the subject, "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" was completed, but Patton managed to get it published based on the progress she had made, plus reams of notes she hadn't yet organized into the text. I'm midway through the book now, so other than to say that it's RIVETING, I'm going to focus primarily on the ID miniseries.

It's clear that they cleverly timed the release of the show to coincide with McNamara's book drop. For some reason, the Golden State Killer never got the kind of wide-ranging publicity that Zodiac, BTK and others.... enjoyed? But in so many ways, this case is even more compelling. The show does a good job laying out most of the horrific details of the rapes and murders, of which he racked up 50 in total. (the book is far more specific and gruesome). Interviews with survivors and investigators are fascinating. I found it particularly brave that anyone is willing to speak on camera about this dude because he is out there and likely paying attention.

But the big question is, will this fresh publicity bring him out again? It was clear during his spree that he was reading his press, that he may have even attended some community meetings set up to educate and warn neighbors about the monster in their midst (one man had spoken out at a meeting, criticizing investigators, and then he and his wife were attacked days later). Is that what investigators are hoping for?

It would be wild if his identity is uncovered because he's pissed off about some inaccurate detail...if he just can't operate in his own best interest and that it's his ego that gets him in the end. (rather Trumpian, just sayin') I just hope, if this what investigators are counting on, that they get him before he's able to do any more damage. They state more than once in the series that he's "in his 60s now" implying that he's too decrepit to pose a threat. Let me assure you that being in your 60s doesn't prevent you from doing all kinds of stuff that people think you're too old to do, KWIM??? ;-)

PS: I've gotten a bit farther in the book and jeeeeeeeez... it's quite chilling. If you're into this sort of thing I highly recommend reading it but also watching the ID series to put some faces to names.

#GoldenStateKiller #EastAreaRapist #IllBeGoneInTheDark #DNADay #josephdangelo #EARONS #EAR #ONS #VisaliaRansacker #PaulHoles