Handcuffed to a wheelchair and appearing frail, the former California policeman accused of being the notorious "Golden State Killer" appeared in court on Friday and was charged with two counts of murder. Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, who was arrested on Tuesday after a 40-year manhunt, did not enter a plea to the charges at the brief arraignment in a Sacramento court.
DeAngelo was charged with the February 2, 1978 murders of Brian and Katie Maggiore, a newlywed couple who were shot dead in Rancho Cordova, a Sacramento suburb, while walking their dog. DeAngelo had both wrists handcuffed to a wheelchair and was wearing an orange jumpsuit as he made his first court appearance since his arrest.
The balding, unshaven alleged serial killer appeared weak and struggled to answer the judge's questions. Asked if he had a lawyer, DeAngelo replied in a raspy voice: "I have a lawyer." A public defender has been appointed to represent DeAngelo. DeAngelo's next court appearance was set for May.
Besides the Maggiore killings, DeAngelo is a suspect in 10 other murders committed in central, northern and southern California between 1976 and 1986, according to the authorities. In addition to the murders, the Golden State Killer has been linked by DNA or other evidence to more than 50 rapes and 150 burglaries.
DeAngelo was arrested on Tuesday after investigators tracked him down using a genealogy database and DNA left at crime scenes. The decade-long crime spree of sadistic rapes and murders by the man known as the Golden State Killer sparked terror over much of California.
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