When the Golden State Killer Was Arrested Outside His Home, He Yelled Out “I Have a Roast in the Oven”
For more than 40 years, one of America’s most elusive and terrifying serial predators haunted California. Known by multiple names — the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, and later the Original Night Stalker — the man responsible for a brutal wave of rapes and murders evaded law enforcement for decades. His crimes spanned cities, counties, and eras, leaving investigators frustrated and victims traumatized.
That long nightmare finally came to an end in April 2018 with the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo — a former police officer who had quietly blended into suburban life. His capture not only stunned the public but also marked a turning point in modern criminal investigations, showcasing the power of genetic genealogy in solving cold cases once thought impossible to crack.
A Killer With Many Names
Between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s, California was terrorized by a criminal whose methods evolved over time. Early on, he burglarized homes in Visalia, earning the nickname the Visalia Ransacker. As his crimes escalated, he began committing violent sexual assaults across Northern California, becoming known as the East Area Rapist.
Eventually, the violence reached its most horrific stage. Couples were attacked in their homes, and victims were murdered to eliminate witnesses. This phase earned him the name Original Night Stalker. By the time the attacks stopped, investigators believed he was responsible for at least 13 murders and as many as 40 rapes — though many suspect the true number may be higher.
Despite extensive investigations, sketches, and task forces, the suspect vanished. For years, he appeared to have simply stopped, leaving behind unanswered questions and shattered lives.
The Breakthrough: DNA and Genetic Genealogy
The case went cold — until advances in DNA technology breathed new life into the investigation. In 2018, authorities turned to genetic genealogy, a technique that compares crime scene DNA with profiles uploaded to public genealogy databases.
Instead of looking for a direct match, investigators searched for distant relatives. Slowly, family trees were built and narrowed. One name began to stand out: Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer who once worked in law enforcement during the same period the crimes were committed.
At the time, DeAngelo was 72 years old and living in Citrus Heights, a quiet Sacramento suburb. He appeared to be an unremarkable retiree — a husband, father of three daughters, and former mechanic. But investigators believed they had finally found their man.
The Arrest Outside a Quiet Suburban Home
On April 24, 2018, a specialized Sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Team — ominously nicknamed the “Body Snatchers” — was assigned to arrest DeAngelo. The team watched his home carefully, waiting for the right moment.
That moment came when DeAngelo casually stepped outside his well-kept house. According to Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho, the suspect appeared to be preparing to do yard work, perhaps opening his garage or tending to chores like any other suburban homeowner.
As officers debated the safest way to approach him, the team leader made a split-second decision. Abandoning prolonged planning, he walked directly toward DeAngelo, pretending to ask for directions. Before DeAngelo could respond, officers moved in and took him to the ground.
It was over in seconds.
As he was being restrained, DeAngelo reportedly shouted an almost absurd line:
“I have a roast in the oven.”
To investigators, the comment symbolized how completely he believed he had escaped justice. After decades of freedom, he never expected to be caught.
Inside the Golden State Killer’s Home
When officers entered DeAngelo’s house, they found something chilling in its normalcy. The home was neat, orderly, and carefully maintained. Nothing about it suggested the monstrous crimes he was accused of committing.
One detail, however, stood out. DeAngelo had stocked large quantities of Dr. Pepper — a soda frequently found at some of the original crime scenes. Investigators had long noted that the East Area Rapist often drank Dr. Pepper while inside victims’ homes. The connection was unsettling confirmation of what they already believed.
Guilty Plea and Life Sentence
In June 2020, Joseph DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder and admitted to numerous other crimes. The plea deal allowed him to avoid the death penalty.
Two months later, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In court, survivors and family members of victims finally had the chance to confront the man who had stolen decades of peace from their lives.
Today, DeAngelo is housed in a Protective Housing Unit at a prison in central California, isolated due to the notoriety and severity of his crimes.
Questions That Still Remain
Despite the convictions, many investigators believe the full scope of DeAngelo’s crimes may never be known. Law enforcement officials have attempted to question him about other unsolved cases, but he has refused to cooperate.
District Attorney Thien Ho has pointed to gaps in DeAngelo’s timeline, particularly a three-year period in the late 1980s when his movements in Southern California were unclear. By that stage, DeAngelo’s behavior had escalated — he was killing victims rather than leaving them alive and removing ligatures from crime scenes to avoid detection.
Ho believes DeAngelo likely stopped killing not because of remorse, but because of age, declining physical ability, and increasing family responsibilities.
Yet disturbing behavior reportedly continued even while in custody. According to Ho, DeAngelo was observed engaging in sexually inappropriate behavior toward a female jail worker, reinforcing the belief that his deviant impulses never truly stopped.
A Case That Changed Crime Solving Forever
The arrest of the Golden State Killer marked more than the end of a decades-long manhunt. It transformed how law enforcement approaches cold cases. Genetic genealogy has since been used to solve numerous other violent crimes across the United States, offering hope to families who once believed justice would never come.
For the victims and survivors, DeAngelo’s capture did not erase the pain — but it delivered accountability. And for the public, the image of a seemingly ordinary man taken down outside his suburban home serves as a haunting reminder: monsters don’t always look like monsters.
Sometimes, they look like neighbors — worrying about a roast in the oven.
