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Judge Rules Man Accused Of Being Serial Killer Who Struck On South Coast Must Provide DNA Samples

(Pool photo by Randy Pench, Sacramento Bee)
Joseph DeAngelo, the man accused of being the Golden State Killer, makes his second court appearance in Sacramento

A judge ruled that a man accused of being a serial killer responsible for 12 murders, including six in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties has to give additional DNA samples and other physical evidence. The decision came during the third court appearance for the 72 year old man accused of being the Golden State Killer.

Joseph DeAngelo didn’t speak as he was brought into a Sacramento courtroom handcuffed to a wheelchair.

A judge upheld a warrant seeking additional DNA samples, fingerprints, and photographs of DeAngelo’s body. He still hasn’t entered pleas to any of the charges he’s facing.

The Golden State Killer is blamed for 12 murders, more than 50 rapes, and 120 plus burglaries.

Meanwhile, a retired detective who worked on the case for decades says he thinks he knows why the killer stopped his attacks for about five years before resuming. Retired Det. Paul Holes told ABC's "20/20" that he believes fear of being confronted by a victim caused him to halt the attacks after the murders of Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez in Goleta. Sanchez fought back before he was murdered, but the detective thinks the physical altercation with Sanchez scared the killer. After the 1981 killings, there was a five year break in the attacks before the crimes resumed.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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