A Dark Rabbit Hole
A few weeks ago, I sent my mom a copy of Tangerine, a staggeringly brilliant piece of writing that evokes both Patricia Highsmith and Harper Lee.I've read all of Highsmith's Ripley novels, and I read a bit of true crime, and then today I saw the headlines, and welcome to the rabbit hole.
The headlines were about the "Golden State Killer", a serial burglar, rapist, and murder who was active from 1975-1986. He committed crimes in both northern and Southern California, prolifically, and was never caught. Over fifty rapes and twelve murders have been attributed to him, and the investigation has been going on for over forty years.
In a remarkable twist, Patton Oswalt's deceased wife, Michelle McNamara, had obsessively investigated this case for years, had done much valuable work, and was in the process of writing I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer when she died suddenly at age 46.
McNamara's work, and the work of a group of "Internet detectives", generated an incredible number of leads and additional information about the case.
Of course, I bought McNamara's book and spent much of the day reading it, and it's an intricate, detailed look at the case and her investigation. It's fascinating.
So, the punchline: they caught him. Story: Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, Arrested After 40-Year Hunt, Authorities Say.
He was a former policeman.
Many more details will surely be forthcoming, but it's incredible that he's finally been caught.
Another story: Suspected Golden State Killer, a former police officer, arrested on 'needle in the haystack' DNA evidence.
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