FINAL VERDICT AND IMPLICATIONS

The arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo in 2018 laid the foundation of the reformative quest for justice for the identified victims of the Golden State Killer. The case involved legal procedures, feelings, and important lessons for the criminal justice system and forensic science.

DeAngelo was arrested in Citrus Heights, California, in his home on April 24 in the year 2018. Blood samples identifiable from a given victim were instrumental in incriminating him. He was arrested based on 13 counts of first-degree murder besides kidnapping as well as rape (Bruen, 2018). Some of the victims had been attacked years back, and their attacks could not be prosecuted due to the deadline on the case. However, the murder charges helped to lock DeAngelo to face his crime as the law court warrants him. 

The legal proceedings took a long time because of the many victims and relatively old age of some of the crimes committed by the suspects. At first, during the trial, DeAngelo entered a not-guilty plea on all the counts leveled against him. (Smith, 2019) In the case development, the prosecutor in different California counties harmonized their effort and tried to ensure they had enough proof against him. In the pre-trial stage, there were discussions concerning the admissibility of the rather novel genetic genealogy evidence, which the court permitted.

In June 2020, DeAngelo made a legally advised decision to take a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty. He was found guilty of thirteen counts of first-degree murder and thirteen counts of kidnapping with the intent to rob. Further, he admitted to 25 other criminal charges, which included rapes and burglaries. It may be during that final stage of the trial that the survivors and families of the victims testified on the effects that the particular action by the culprit had on their lives (Wilson, 2020).

DeAngelo was convicted on August 21, 2020, and the judge sentenced him for his crimes to life imprisonment without the hope of parole. His sentence also contained eleven counts of life at perpetuity and another count of life and other counts. The defense counsel chose this plea since taking the death penalty appeals may take a long time, and responding to the case may bring consolation to the victims and their kin (Wilson, 2020). 

Despite this, DeAngelo appeared in court, and while the man did not talk very much and practically did not emote throughout the trial process, he also did not enlighten the court about the reasons for his actions. Still, during the sentencing stage, he could only briefly comment on the case and, because he looked bewildered, utter dull apologies to the victims and their families; many believed that the apologies were fake and could not, in any way, measure up to the enormity of the offense committed by the convict, which seemed to contribute to this image of a man who could not care less about his actions, the pain and suffering he has caused those girls – a ruthless predator (Murphy, 2020).

While the survivors and the victims' families witnessed DeAngelo being sentenced, which gave them closure in their pursuit of justice, it was too late since it took years and even decades for the case to be resolved. Several victims noted that they felt relieved by the punishment, confirming that for many of them, he deserved it, but some shared stories of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma. The case demonstrated that the victims were strong, with some fighting for justice over the years. However, the determination of the two lead detectives and improvements in forensic science made it possible to identify, arrest, and prosecute DeAngelo despite the delay.