The man suspected of being the Golden State Killer was arrested on Tuesday, after investigators used a DNA ancestry website to identify him

Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, looked frail as he appeared in a Sacramento court in a wheelchair on Friday

The hearing lasted a few minutes as the judge appointed a public defender to represent him as his next court date is scheduled for mid-May

DeAngelo has initially been charged with two murders, but investigators are working to tie him to 10 other killings in California four decades ago

Brian Maggiore and his wife Katie are believed to be the Golden State Killer's first murder victims

Katie's brother, Keith Smith, was sitting in the front row and observing the arraignment

Golden State Killer is also suspected of raping up to 51 women and burglarizing over 150 homes throughout California

The former cop suspected of being the Golden State Killer gave weary and rasping answers as he made his first court appearance on Friday afternoon in a wheelchair.

Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was shackled to the chair with handcuffs as he confirmed his name but did not enter a plea.

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The balding, unshaven alleged serial killer appeared weak and struggled to answer the judge's questions.

Asked if he had a lawyer, DeAngelo replied in a raspy voice: 'I have a lawyer.'

A public defender has been appointed to represent DeAngelo.

The tense courtroom was filled with people who knew many of the suspected serial killers' 12 murder and 51 rape victims.

Some were confronting the man who police believe attacked their friends and loved ones four decades ago in a terrifying rampage of violence across California.

The accused Golden State Killer made his first appearance in a California courtroom on Friday after being wheeled in on a chair

DeAngelo initially faces murder charges in the slaying of a couple from Rancho Cordova in 1978 but could face further charges as the investigation continues

The courtroom on Friday was packed as prosecutors declared an end to the decades-long case that terrorized California

DeAngelo is also suspected of raping as many as 45 women from Sacramento, the Bay Area, and Orange County in the 1970s and 80s

A law enforcement officer is seen above wheeling DeAngelo into the courtroom in Sacramento on Friday

Public defender Diane Howard (right) speaks with DeAngelo in court. Howard was assigned to represent him

A woman (center) who attended the hearing holds a photo of Cheri Domingo and her boyfriend Gregory Sanchez, who were killed in 1981

The case has attracted considerable interest from the public and the news media. Onlookers in court take photos with their cell phones

A woman is seen above outside the Sacramento court house holding a sign that says 'Victim of 1973, Visalia, California.' The Golden State Killer was also known as the 'Visalia Ransacker' who in the mid-1970s broke into hundreds of homes in central California and burglarized and vandalized a number of items

A crowd of reporters and onlookers wait outside the court room before they are allowed in to the hearing

Television news camera people and photographers pack into the courtroom in Sacramento for the arraignment on Friday

Three women who grew up in Rancho Cordova - the 'Rancho Girls' - were in court to witness the arraignment.

Judy Gelein, 61, said she attended high school in the 1970s with one of DeAngelo's alleged rape victims.

'He’s always been a Bogeyman and today I see the Bogeyman is real,' Gelein told East Bay Times.

'Me and my husband slept with our windows open for the first time in 42 years Tuesday night,' she said.

'He is the ultimate Bogeyman.'

DeAngelo was arrested Tuesday after investigators matched crime-scene DNA with genetic material stored by a distant relative on an ancestry site.

From there, they used that relative's family tree to narrow down the list of possible suspects.

DeAngelo initially faces murder charges in the slaying of a couple from Rancho Cordova in 1978.

Brian Maggiore and his wife Katie are believed to be the Golden State Killer's first murder victims.

The newlywed couple was shot dead while walking their dog in Rancho Cordova, California on February 2, 1978.

Katie Maggiore's brother, Keith Smith, was sitting in the front row and observing the arraignment, according to CBS 13.

DeAngelo is expected to face a total of 12 homicide charges, according to the Sacramento Bee.

He is likely to be charged with murdering Lyman and Charlene Smith at their Ventura County home on March 13, 1980.

They were bludgeoned to death with a fireplace log and were later found by their 12-year-old son.

Smith was an attorney who was just days from being appointed a judge. His wife worked as a court clerk.

Police believe DeAngelo is also behind the murder of Dr Robert Offerman and Alexandria Manning who were killed on December 30, 1979.

Offerman, 44, and Manning, 35, were killed at a home in Goleta near Santa Barbara. They had their hands bound with twine when their bodies were discovered.

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Married couple Patrice and Keith Harrington were killed in their home at Dana Point on August 19, 1980.

Police said they were beaten with a blunt instrument.

Patrice was a pediatric nurse and her husband was a medical student at UC Irvine.

Manuela Witthuhn, 28, was raped and beaten to death in her home in Irvine on February 5, 1981.

Joseph DeAngelo's mugshot

Sketch of the Golden State Killer released by police

Pictured are combination images the FBI released of sketches of the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer before his capture

She was home alone at the time because her husband was in the hospital recovering from an illness.

Cheri Domingo, 35, and her 27-year-old boyfriend Gregory Sanchez were murdered in their beds at a home in Goleta on July 27, 1981.

Domingo was found with her hands tied and suffering massive head injuries. Sanchez was shot and bludgeoned.

The final victim believed to have been killed by DeAngelo was 18-year-old Janelle Lisa Cruz. She was bludgeoned to death in her family's home in Irvine on May 4, 1986.

A real estate agent who was selling the family's home was the first to discover the teen's body. Blood was found spattered throughout the home and police believe she was beaten with a pipe wrench.

DeAngelo is also suspected of raping as many as 51 women from Sacramento, the Bay Area, and Orange County in the 1970s and 80s.

The courtroom on Friday was packed as prosecutors declared an end to the decades-long case that terrorized California.

At around 1:45pm local time, DeAngelo was wheeled into the courtroom wearing orange prison garb.

He looked frail and appeared to be laboring to keep his eyes open.

When the judge asked him if he was DeAngelo, he whispered: 'Yes.'

After the charges against him were read, DeAngelo did not enter a plea.

Paul Holes, the lead investigator on the case, said the team used GEDmatch, a Florida-based website that pools DNA profiles that people upload and share publicly. The site released this statement on Friday

The entire arraignment took a few minutes. The judge appointed a public defender to represent DeAngelo and scheduled another hearing for May 14.

DeAngelo became a focus of the investigation since he lived in the areas where the crimes happened and was the right age.

After he was identified as a possible suspect, cops conducted surveillance on DeAngelo and obtained a discarded DNA sample which they compared to the old crime scene samples.

The got the first results back on Friday, which showed 'overwhelming evidence' he was the serial rapist and murderer who terrorized the state in the 1970s and 80s.

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To be sure, they conducted a second test, and the results came back positive again on Monday.

DeAngelo was arrested the following morning at his home in the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights.

Police have linked more than 12 homicides to the Golden State Killer. Pictured are fingerprints police lifted from one of the crime scenes

The Golden State Killer is suspected of committing dozens and dozens of crimes in Sacramento County in the late 1970s. Pictured is crime scene evidence from one of the attacks

The killer is also suspected of committing 120 home burglaries across Sacramento County. Police believe they found ski masks worn by the Golden State Killer in this undated photo

The serial killer and rapist is also suspected of committing up to 51 rapes in California over the span of a decade. The above photo shows a home that was ransacked by the Golden State Killer

This undated photo released by the FBI shows a sketch and details of a stolen ring the attacker who became known as the East Area Rapist took from one of his victims

GOLDEN STATE KILLER'S THIRTEEN MURDER VICTIMS Claude Snelling: September 11, 1975 Claude Snelling September 11, 1975 Journalism professor Claude Snelling, 45, was asleep in his home in Visalia, California when he heard an odd noise outside at about 2am. He rushed outside to find a masked man dragging his 16-year-old daughter Elizabeth away. The abductor shot Snelling twice, killing him, and fled the scene on foot, leaving Elizabeth unharmed. She later told how her father saved her life. DeAngelo had woken her up, standing over her in a ski mask. He told her to go with him or risk her life. She said it was 'blurry' but that she remembered him dragging her. 'The kidnapper] threw me down and shot my dad twice. Then he pointed the gun at me.' DeAngelo hit her with the gun and kicked her but fled. Snelling died on his way to the hospital. The shooting was connected to the work of the Visalia Ransacker, believed to be responsible for 102 burglaries in the area, when ballistics matched the gun that killed Snelling to one that had been stolen in a previous break-in. Brian and Katie Maggiore February 2, 1978 Brian Maggiore, 21, and his wife Katie, 20, were walking their dog in their Rancho Cordova neighborhood, just outside Sacramento, on February 2, 1978. The FBI said the couple were chased down before being shot and killed by the Golden State Killer. Dr Robert Offerman Alexandria Manning Dr Robert Offerman and Alexandria Manning December 30, 1979 Dr Robert Offerman, 44, and Alexandria Manning, 35, were killed at a home in Goleta near Santa Barbara. Offerman, an osteopathic surgeon, and Manning, a clinical psychologist, had their hands bound with twine. DeAngelo is also charged with murdering Lyman and Charlene Smith at their Ventura County home on March 13, 1980 Patrice and Keith Harrington were killed in their home at Dana Point on August 19, 1980 Lyman and Charlene Smith March 13, 1980 Lyman Smith, 43, and his wife Charlene, 33, were bludgeoned to death with a fireplace log in their Ventura County home. Smith was an attorney who was just days from being appointed a judge. His wife worked as a court clerk. Patrice and Keith Harrington August 19, 1980 Patrice Harrington, 28, and her husband Keith, 25, were killed in their home at Dana Point. Police said they were beaten with a blunt instrument. Patrice was a pediatric nurse and her husband was a medical student at UC Irvine. Manuela Witthuhn Janelle Lisa Cruz Manuela Witthuhn February 5, 1981 Manuela Witthuhn, 28, was raped and beaten to death in her home in Irvine. She was home alone at the time because her husband was in the hospital recovering from an illness. Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez July 27, 1981 Cheri Domingo, 35, and Gregory Sanchez, 27, were house sitting in Goleta when they were murdered in bed. Domingo was found with her hands tied and suffering massive head injuries. Sanchez was shot and bludgeoned. Janelle Lisa Cruz May 4, 1986 Janelle Cruz, 18, was bludgeoned to death in her family's home in Irvine. She was home alone at the time and police found her lying across her bed. A real estate agent who was selling the family's home was the first to discover the teen's body. Blood was found spattered throughout the home and police believe she was beaten with a pipe wrench.

Investigators are now combing through his home in search of 'trophies' - or small items that were allegedly stolen from the scores of homicide, rape, and burglary victims that were left in his wake.

'We're looking for anything that links him to any of those crimes, whether they are trophies, whether they are weapons or ammunition that was used, anything that gives an indication or insight or link to any of these crimes,' Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones told the Sacramento Bee on Friday.

These potential 'trophy' items include class rings, jewelry, china stolen from homes, and ID cards.

Investigators said that so far DeAngelo has not been talkative. He has instead been answering detectives' questions with 'self-reflection mutterings.'

'He's not talking, he's not taking visits, he's fairly isolating himself,' Jones said.

'Of course, he's under observation and we're doing everything we can do to keep him safe.'

DeAngelo served as a policeman from 1973 to 1976 in the town of Exeter, south of Sacramento.

Exeter is near the town of Visalia, and DeAngelo is suspected of being the 'Visalia Ransacker' who was burglarizing homes in the area.

From 1976 to 1979, DeAngelo worked for the police department in Auburn, California, until he was fired for shoplifting a hammer and a can of dog repellent.

Golden State Killer launched his rape and murder spree because 'his fiancee named Bonnie dumped him' Paul Holes, an investigator who has been looking into the case for years, said one of the critical clues linking DeAngelo to the crimes was that he yelled out 'I hate you Bonnie' during one of his first alleged rape attacks, The Mercury News reports. DeAngelo was once engaged to a woman named Bonnie. 'Most certainly if he's making the statement, "I hate you, Bonnie," while he's attacking another female, he is what we call an anger retaliatory rapist. Instead of directing his anger at what's making him angry, he's directing it sideways onto someone else to be able to satisfy that anger,' Holes said. 'I do believe that's what happened here. I don't know what made him that way, but you've got to think Bonnie dumped him, he's not happy about that, he still had feeling for her, who knows? But something along those lines must have happened.' Paul Holes, an investigator who has been working the case since 1994, said one of the critical clues linking DeAngelo to the crimes was that he yelled out 'I hate you Bonnie' during one of his first alleged rape attacks. Holes is pictured above on Megyn Kelly's show Holes, who has been a key investigator in the case since 1994, said he helped test DNA from the various crime scenes and tie them all together. 'We always thought there was a Bonnie significant in his life, it could be a mother, a wife, a girlfriend, a childhood crush,' Holes said. He said that they closed in on him after the DNA match and realizing he had an ex-fiancee named Bonnie. Investigators searched DeAngelo's home on Thursday looking for class rings, earrings, dishes and other items that were taken from crime scenes 40 years ago. Sacramento County Sheriff's Lt. Paul Belli said authorities were seeking weapons and other items that could link the suspect to the crimes. He declined to say what, if anything, investigators had found. Investigators backed two vehicles, a motorcycle and fishing boat out of the home's three-car garage and installed tarps to block prying eyes and news cameras. It emerged on Thursday that DeAngelo was caught by using online genealogical sites to find a DNA match.

Paul Holes, the lead investigator on the case, told the Mercury News in San Jose, California, that the investigative team used GEDmatch, a Florida-based website that pools DNA profiles that people upload and share publicly.

Holes, a cold case expert and retired Contra Costa County District Attorney inspector, said GEDmatch was his team's biggest tool.

GEDmatch is a free site where users who have DNA profiles from commercial companies such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe can upload them to expand their search for relatives. The site does not offer it's own DNA testing kits.

Major companies do not allow law enforcement to access their genetic data unless they get a court order.

Holes said officials did not need a court order to access GEDmatch's database of genetic blueprints since all the information on the site is already public.

The company said in a statement on Friday that they were not approached by law enforcement or anyone else about this case of about the DNA'.

'It has always been GEDmatch's policy to inform users that the database could be used for other uses, as set forth in the Site Policy. While the database was created for genealogical research, it is important that GEDmatch participants understand the possible uses of their DNA, including identification of relatives that have committed crimes or were victims of crimes. If you are concerned about non-genealogical uses of your DNA, you should not upload your DNA to the database and/or you should remove DNA that has already been uploaded,' they added.

GEDmatch is a free site where users who have DNA profiles from commercial companies such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe (a 23andMe DNA testing kit seen above) can upload them to expand their search for relatives

Above is the sort of information users receive when they submit their DNA to an ancestry website

It's unclear if GEDmatch was the only ancestry site that investigators used in their search. The Sacramento County District Attorney's office refused to say which sites investigators used to track down the suspect.

All of the major DNA testing kit companies have said that law enforcement did not reach out to them for access to their DNA databases.

However, it's possible that law enforcement were able to search family trees on their site, if they were made public by users. Many family trees on such sites are public since it helps with collaboration among distant family members.

23andMe and Ancestry.com, perhaps the most well-known DNA testing kit companies, went into detail about how they handle requests.

'Broadly speaking, it's our policy to resist law enforcement inquiries to protect customer privacy,' a 23andMe spokesman said. '23andMe has never given customer information to law enforcement officials.'

Ancestry.com also said it 'advocates for its members' privacy' but said it has worked with cops before - including a 2014 hunt a man responsible for raping and murdering a woman in Idaho.

Ancestry.com publishes annual transparency reports which detail its work with law enforcement investigations. For example, last year the company received 34 requests for information, but they were all non-DNA related. They consented in 31 of the cases, which were mostly credit card misuse and identity theft crimes.

Both companies said they could be forced to give over information if there was a court order.

Police said DeAngelo was shocked to see officers at his home and that when they went to arrest him at his Citrus Heights home that he told them he had a roast in the oven

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However, they add that their databases are likely not much of a help since they analyze different regions of DNA than what forensics exports explore.

A 23andMe spokesman said it would also be difficult for a cop to submit DNA to a database to try and get information, since testing kits require saliva - a type of DNA not usually left behind at crime scenes, in the amount that testing companies require.

'We only process saliva in our lab and there has to be enough to fill a test tube,' the spokesman told the Mercury News. 'Our platform is only available to our customers, and does not support the comparison of genetic data processed by any third party to genetic profiles within our database.'

While these DNA testing kit companies rarely give out information, it still raises privacy concerns for the millions of people who submit their DNA to such sites to discover their heritage.

Joseph James DeAngelo Jr

DeAngelo, pictured in this 1962 photo,

Steve Mercer, the chief attorney for the forensic division of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, said there aren't strong privacy laws to keep police from trolling ancestry site databases.

'People who submit DNA for ancestors testing are unwittingly becoming genetic informants on their innocent family,' Mercer said, adding that they 'have fewer privacy protections than convicted offenders whose DNA is contained in regulated databanks.'

DNA potentially may have played an earlier role in the case. It was just coming into use as a criminal investigative tool in 1986 when the predator variously known as the East Area Rapist and the Golden State Killer apparently ended his decade-long wave of attacks.

DeAngelo, a former police officer, probably would have known about the new method, experts said.

'He knew police techniques,' said John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor Louis Schlesinger. 'He was smart.'

No one who knew DeAngelo over the decades connected him with the string of at least a dozen murders, 50 rapes and dozens of burglaries from 1976 to 1986 throughout the state.

DeAngelo was arrested at his home in Citrus Heights (above) on Tuesday after DNA linked him to crimes attributed to the Golden State Killer from the 1970s and 80s

After he was identified as the suspect, however, prosecutors rushed to charge him with eight killings.

In addition, police in the central California farming town of Visalia said Thursday that DeAngelo is a suspect in a 13th killing and about 100 burglaries in the area.

In 1975, of community college teacher Claude Snelling was shot while trying to stop a masked intruder from kidnapping his 16-year-old daughter from his home.

Investigators lacked DNA evidence so Snelling's death and the burglaries weren't included in the tally of Golden State Killer crimes but fingerprints and shoe tracks will be reviewed for matches to DeAngelo, Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar said.

Investigators searched DeAngelo's home on Thursday, looking for class rings, earrings, dishes and other items that were taken from crime scenes as well as weapons.

Meanwhile, DeAngelo's neighbors, relatives and former acquaintances all say they had no inkling that he could be a serial killer. He worked nearly three decades in a Sacramento-area supermarket warehouse as a truck mechanic, retiring last year. As a neighbor, he was known for taking meticulous care of his lawn in suburban Citrus Heights.

DeAngelo worked as a police officer in the farming town of Exeter, not far from Visalia, from 1973 to 1976.

DeAngelo was a 'black sheep' who didn't joke around with other officers, said Farrel Ward, 75, who served on the force with DeAngelo.

Ward said it's possible that DeAngelo helped with the search for Snelling's killer and the elusive burglar but he doesn't recall DeAngelo directly investigating the killing.

'I've been thinking, but there's no indication whatsoever that anything was wrong,' Ward said. 'How could you just go out and kill somebody and go back and go to work? I don't understand that.'

Later, DeAngelo joined the Auburn Police Department outside of Sacramento but was fired in 1979 after he was caught shoplifting a hammer and dog repellent.

Investigators say they have linked DeAngelo to 11 killings that occurred after he was fired.

James Huddle said he always hoped police would catch the killer whose attacks prompted him to buy a pistol.

But he was stunned to find out the man arrested was DeAngelo, his former brother-in-law.

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Huddle said it was 'still just going crazy in my mind.'