Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

listen live donate
listen live donate
listen live
donate
  • News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
    Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
  • Podcasts & Shows
  • Schedules
  • Events
  • Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
    Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

Investigators: Help Us Identify The East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer

  •  Bob Moffitt 
Wednesday, June 15, 2016 | Sacramento, CA
Bob Moffitt / Capital Public Radio

The FBI has released sketches of the suspect known as the East Area Rapist and Golden State Killer.

Bob Moffitt / Capital Public Radio

The Federal Bureau of Investigations is now offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the identity of the man known as the East Area Rapist and Golden State Killer.

Investigators believe he raped 45 women and murdered 12 people in Sacramento, Contra Costa County and Santa Barbara from 1976 to 1986.

East Area Rapist Activity Sac Region This map shows the locations of crimes in the Sacramento region that are connected to the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer. FBI / Courtesy

Anne Marie Schubert is Sacramento County District Attorney. She says life in Sacramento was rather idyllic for a young woman in the early 1970's.  

"For those of us who grew up here, that all changed," says Schubert. "My sister, who's four years older than me, was a baby sitter in 1976 and was terrified to baby-sit kids because she was afraid that he was coming. And that's how everybody felt."

The department is also posting all of the sketch artist pictures of the man and the dates and locations of the crimes he committed.

East Area Rapist Activity

This map shows the locations of crimes throughout California that are connected to the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer. FBI / Courtesy

Paul Belli is the cold case supervisor with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. He says not all of the sketches resemble one another, but the suspect's method of operation is the same.

"It's a very unique M.O., it hasn't been repeated since then and I'm very confident that it's not two separate people that were operating at the same time, doing the same thing," says Belli.

The suspect often tied up his sexual assault victims and their spouses and stole jewelry and coins from the home.

east area killer three shot

FBI / Courtesy

He was also known to place dinner plates on the tied-up family of victims before committing the rapes.

He is suspected in the 1978 killings of Brian and Katie Maggiore of Modesto.

Investigators say they have DNA evidence that links the southern California and Contra Costa-area crimes, but do not have the evidence from the Sacramento crimes.

The man is also a suspect in more than 150 burglaries.

Investigators think he may have had a connection to the military due to the proximity of the crimes to bases in the state.

Belli says the suspect would be in his 60s or 70s now and may have had ties to the military due to the proximity of the crimes to McClellan, Mather Field, Travis Air Force Base and bases near Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

"We've always had the help of OSI (Office Of Special Investigations) for the Air Force," says Belli. "We've also enlisted the Navy's assistance investigatively as well and have been trying to track two very large bases with people who were coming in and out for training and a variety of things like that."

As far as law enforcement agencies know, the crimes stopped from 1981 to 1986. Belli says it's not unusual for such a break to happen in serial cases, which are caused by incarceration or by the arrival of a child or other significant event in a suspect's life.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo

    Genealogical Websites Helped ID Suspected Golden State Killer

    Thursday, April 26, 2018
    (AP) - Prosecutors say they used online genealogical sites to find a DNA match for a suspect in the case of the Golden State Killer, also known as the East Area Rapist.
  • Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

    After Four Decades, Golden State Killer Suspect Arrested In Sacramento

    Wednesday, April 25, 2018
    Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was arrested on two counts of murder connected to the case of the Golden State Killer, also knows as the East Area Rapist, who terrorized the Sacramento region in the 1970s and 1980s.

Bob Moffitt

Former Sacramento Region Reporter

Bob reported on all things northern California and Nevada. His coverage of police technology, local athletes, and the environment has won a regional Associated Press and several Edward R. Murrow awards.  Read Full Bio 

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Stories

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Republican plan would outlaw homeless camps near California schools or parks

January 26, 2023

Many Americans don't know basic abortion facts. Test your knowledge

January 27, 2023

Eric Thayer/Getty Images

New details emerge in the Monterey Park, California shooting that left 11 dead

January 23, 2023

Most Viewed

California coronavirus updates: Judge blocks California law preventing doctors from spreading COVID-19 misinformation

4 storylines to watch in this weekend's NFL conference championship games

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Behind The I-80 Castle: A Drag-Racing, Beauty School Mogul’s Dream House

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

California coronavirus updates: Judge blocks California law preventing doctors from spreading COVID-19 misinformation

4 storylines to watch in this weekend's NFL conference championship games

10 new California laws that go into effect in 2023

Behind The I-80 Castle: A Drag-Racing, Beauty School Mogul’s Dream House

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    •  
      (916) 278-8900
    •  
      (877) 480-5900
    •  Contact / Feedback
    •  Submit a News Tip
  • About

    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Stations & Coverage Map
    • Careers & Internships
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Press
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile Apps
    • Smart Speakers
    • Podcasts & Shows
    • On-Air Schedules
    • Daily Playlist
    • Signal Status
  • Connect

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen Live

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2023, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.