DNA catches alleged East Area Rapist, who murdered 12, raped 45 Published on April 26, 2018 at 08:40AM by By Sarah Ravani, Melody Gutierrez, Jenna Lyons and Sophie Haigney The notorious East Area Rapist, or Golden State Killer, was reportedly taken into custody early Wednesday morning in Sacramento — more than 30 years since he allegedly committed 12 murders and 45 rapes from 1976 to 1986. Former Auburn Police Officer Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was arrested by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and booked on two counts of murder into the Sacramento County Jail at 2:30 a.m., according to jail records. On Tuesday evening, Fox40 reported that sources had confirmed that the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department made an arrest in the grisly case. DeAngelo is being held without bail.