District attorneys mull over next steps for Golden State Killer prosecution

Christian Martinez | Ventura County (Calif.) Star

Show Caption Hide Caption DA unveils new charges in serial killer case Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announces charges against Golden State Killer suspect Joseph DeAngelo.

District attorneys involved in the murder cases of the Golden State Killer suspect have kept tight-lipped about how the cases will proceed but seem to be leaning toward a venue that best ensures his conviction.

As of Monday morning, Joseph James DeAngelo faces 12 murder charges stemming from killings in the late 1970s and mid-1980s in Ventura, Sacramento, Orange and Santa Barbara counties.

DeAngelo was in Sacramento County Superior Court again Monday but did not enter a plea.

Instead, his attorney, Public Defender Diane Howard, said she had not yet had access to documents related to his arrest and search warrants of his house. DeAngelo, 72, of Citrus Heights, is expected to return to court May 29 per the defense's request.

The former police officer could face trials in all of the jurisdictions in which he is facing charges.

But another scenario is for the district attorneys to settle on a single jurisdiction where DeAngelo would be tried only on the local charges, said a former prosecutor. There's also an outside chance his trial could include all 12 charges in one jurisdiction.

On Monday, Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten declined to state what factors are being considered in the decision-making process but said that of paramount concern was the success of the prosecution.

Totten said he and his fellow district attorneys wanted the best chance at a conviction and hoped to come to a decision "promptly." He said that DeAngelo's age was not a significant factor in their consideration.

Like Totten, Santa Barbara District Attorney Joyce Dudley did not offer many details regarding the discussions of the four district attorneys.

"We all just want to do what's in the best interest of the people," she said by email Monday.

The four district attorneys involved in the homicides met Friday in Santa Barbara to discuss the logistics of the cases but have yet to announce a decision. The attorneys are due to meet again in late June.

The Sacramento District Attorney's office declined to state why other counties, where DeAngelo is also suspected of crimes, were not yet involved in the court proceedings. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckus could not be reached for comment.

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But a former Ventura County district attorney said ultimately they will likely come to a mutual decision based on the swiftness of justice and the highest chance of a conviction.

Michael Bradbury, who served as Ventura County district attorney from 1979 to 2003 and helped investigate the murders of Ventura residents Lyman and Charles Smith, for which DeAngelo was arrested and charged, said the decision could hinge on how successful a jurisdiction is in prosecuting death penalty cases.

Bradbury said egos would not play a role in the selection of the venues.

"These are all professional people," he said. "The district attorneys all know each other well and have mutual respect."

"You always want to move these cases as quickly as possible," he said.

Regarding the desires of victims and their families, Bradbury said the district attorneys may be understanding if the prosecution took place in a venue that was not their own.

"The victims take a big picture view," he said, adding that DeAngelo's identification and arrest likely provided a sense of closure.

DeAngelo was first arrested on April 24 at his Citrus Heights home and was charged with the 1978 murders of Brian and Katie Maggiore in Citrus Heights, near Sacramento, and the 1980 murders of Lyman and Charlene Smith in Ventura.

On April 25, the Orange County District Attorney's Office filed charges against DeAngelo in connection with four murders; two that occurred in Dana Point in 1980 and two that occurred in Irvine in 1981 and 1986.

The Santa Barbara District Attorney's Office filed charges Friday against the 72-year-old in connection with two double homicides that occurred in 1979 and 1981 near Goleta.

DeAngelo is also suspected of more than 50 rapes throughout California, including in Contra Costa, Alameda and Tulare counties. Totten said that most of those cases are beyond the statute of limitations.

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Reno Gazette Journal reporter Sam Gross contributed to this report. Follow Christian Martinez on Twitter @oneandolnyct