May 3 (UPI) — The Golden State Killer suspect appeared in court Thursday with his public defender, to learn whether prosecutors can collect more DNA, fingerprints and photographs of his body.
The judge ruled in favor of prosecutors, which stemmed from a motion Wednesday by the defense to block a search warrant that prosecutors sought to collect more evidence.
“I’m not going to stop the execution of the search warrant,” Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Sweet said, saying gathing DNA evidence, photographs and fingerprints is routine when a suspect is booked.
Joseph James DeAngelo, accused of killing 12 people in California between 1976 and 1986, was arrested last week after officials say he was identified through a crime scene DNA link to genealogy websites.
He is being held on charges for the 1978 killings of Katie and Brian Maggiore — victims police had long attributed to the Golden State Killer, also known as the East Area Rapist. DeAngelo also is suspected of committing more than 45 rapes.
Prosecutors in the town of Davis are trying to learn if they can add rape charges, despite a three-year statute of limitations that was in effect during the late 1970s, when many sex assaults were attributed to the East Area Rapist.
It’s unclear how many of the 45 rapes attributed to the Golden State Killer could be included in DeAngelo’s case. Most occurred in Sacramento County, not far from where DeAngelo was arrested at his home in Citrus Heights.
“They can’t try every case or the case would go on for years,” attorney Ken LaMance told the San Francisco Chronicle.
“One murder conviction is enough to keep him in jail for the rest of his life,” LaMance, who’s written about California’s complex laws on statutes of limitations, said.
