As previously reported, I have followed up with members of the Sacramento community who know Sharon Huddle, the wife of the Joseph DeAngelo (a.k.a. the suspected Golden State Killer), including a former client of hers. In addition, I spoke with one of DeAngelo’s victims who agreed to share part of her story with my audience. Due to the sensitive nature of the case, however, many of my sources have chosen to remain anonymous and I, of course, will respect this decision and indicate when pseudonyms are used.

New Murder Charges Qualify DeAngelo for the Death Penalty

Joseph DeAngelo, the suspected Golden State Killer, age 72, has been charged with four more counts of first degree murder in Santa Barbara County, the first occurring in December 1979 and the second in July 1981.

The victims were two couples living in Goleta, CA, which is located a few miles from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and where many university students reside, including myself during my college career. In both double homicides, the assailant allegedly burglarized the couple’s homes, armed with a gun. The assailant has further been accused of killing both women during the commission of a rape, which elevates these crimes to first degree murder with special circumstances, also known as capital murder, qualifying the suspected assailant, Joseph DeAngelo, for the death penalty.

Currently, DeAngelo is facing a dozen murder charges across the state of California. In all likelihood, this number will continue to escalate as local officials begin to reopen their cold cases.

Marital Bliss or Estranged Union: What Sacramento Locals Had to Say

I spoke to members of the Sacramento community who know DeAngelo and Huddle and they offered their unique insight into the couple’s marriage.My sources, who chose to remain anonymous, alleged the following:

Huddle purchased a second home in Roseville, CA in the late 90’s which is likely the reason various news outlets are reporting the couple to be estranged. If you are not familiar with the area, Roseville is a neighboring town to Citrus Heights, CA. In fact, growing up, my family’s home was just on the border of Roseville and Citrus Heights.

A close friend of the couple’s stated that Huddle split her time between the Roseville and Citrus Heights homes and that the pair continued to interact as a married couple until approximately 9 months prior to DeAngelo’s arrest.

Additionally, I was informed that the couple temporarily resided in Southern California during the 1990’s, but maintained their Northern California residence in Citrus Heights. It was reported that some of Golden State Killer’s murders occurred during the period of time that the couple was living in Southern California.

Please be aware that the facts contained in this segment of my report have not been verified, so they should not be taken as fact at this time. As always, I will continue to update you with any new information I am able to obtain.

Paul Holes, the Investigator Who Spent 24 Years Hunting the Golden State Killer, Offers His Opinion on DeAngelo and Huddle’s Marriage

Paul Holes, a former investigator for the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office and the man who spent 24 years of his career searching for the Golden State Killer, spoke to a captivated audience at Crime Con, a national true crime convention in Nashville, on May 4, 2018. He revealed details of his investigation as well as a brief insight into his thoughts regarding Sharon Huddle and Joseph DeAngelo.

An audience member asked Holes if Huddle, DeAngelo’s allegedly estranged wife, did not divorce him because “she knows something” and wouldn’t want to testify against him. Before I reveal Holes’ response to the audience member’s question, I will give you a brief overview of the “marital privilege” provision in the California Evidence Code, which explains the reason behind the inquiry.

California Evidence Code §§970-971 (Spousal Testimonial Privilege) . The Spousal Testimonial Privilege states that no one can be forced to testify in court, including in a criminal case, against their spouse. Importantly, this Evidence Code privilege does not prevent a spouse from testifying should they choose to do so, and it only applies to people who are married at the time the testimony would occur. The privilege protects a spouse from being forced to testify on matters that occurred before or during marriage, but the privilege terminates upon divorce, and the testifying spouse holds the privilege, meaning the accused spouse cannot prevent their spouse from testifying should they choose to do so.

California Evidence Code §980 (Confidential Marital Communications Privilege) . The Confidential Marital Communications Privilege states that any person who has ever been married has a privilege not to disclose in court any confidential communications that occurred between that person and their spouse while they were married. This Evidence Code privilege, however, belongs to both spouses, meaning the accused spouse can prevent his or her current or former spouse from testifying about confidential communications that that were exchanged during marriage.

The spousal privilege is an extremely important California evidentiary privilege. This is because many criminal defendants have spouses or ex-spouses to whom the marital privilege might apply—and because spouses are often valuable sources of information about the events giving rise to criminal charges.

Holes’ Response to the Audience Member’s Inquiry . In response to the Crime Con audience member’s inquiry regarding whether or not Huddle remained married to DeAngelo in order to claim the Marital Privilege, Holes responded, “It’s an unusual situation that someone so well versed in the divorce process has chosen not to have completed that process, and it becomes suspicious. I cannot go into any more detail than that at this time.”

http://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/golden-state-killer-joseph-deangelo-sharon-huddle-divorce

Holes’ unwillingness to divulge any additional information after opining on the suspiciousness of the circumstances is quite interesting and could be and indicator that this is a theory the police are currently investigating.

Six Degrees of Separation: A Shocking Revelation for One DeAngelo’s Victims

I spoke with DeAngelo’s youngest rape victim, Margaret Wardlow, who shared with me the shocking news she received after DeAngelo was arrested and accused of being the Golden State Killer.

Wardlow was only 13-years old when DeAngelo attacked her in her home. Wardlow, a San Diego resident, grew up in Sacramento and recalls being obsessed with the Original Night Stalker case as a child. Wardlow told CBS Sacramento that when awoken in the middle of the night in her childhood bedroom by an unknown assailant, she knew she would be the Original Night Stalker’s 27th victim. However, instead of panicking, Wardlow used the knowledge she gleaned through her studies of the case to help her survive the attack.

You can read the full story here: http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2018/04/25/east-area-rapist-margaret-wardlow/

Upon DeAngelo’s arrest, Wardlow and her brother were shocked to discover that they had another connection to the Golden State Killer and his family. There is a saying that we are all connected by six-degrees of separation, but this couldn’t be truer in Wardlow’s case. Following DeAngelo’s arrest, Wardlow and her brother, who owns a well-known and respected process serving and document filing company in Sacramento, were shocked to realize that Wardlow’s brother worked with Huddle, who hired him to serve and file documents for her law firm.

Wardlow had a profoundly deep impact on me. The level of courage and grace she has demonstrated is awe-inspiring. I can’t help but believe that Wardlow’s story will be a source of strength for young women everywhere who are currently struggling to recover from a similar horrific fate.

Wardlow’s connection to the Golden State Killer, however, does not end there.

Margaret Wardlow (depicted above)

A Twisted Turn of Fate: What One of Huddle’s Former Client’s Had to Say

Wardlow’s close friend since childhood, whom I shall refer to as Jane for the sake of anonymity, is the party who put Wardlow in contact with me. Jane shared her observations of Huddle, which she gleaned during the 8-months she spent as Huddle’s client. Her story is incredibly compelling, not only because it substantiates the allegations others have made online regarding Huddle’s inappropriate behavior towards her staff and clients, but also, because it highlights the positive aspects of Sharon and her zealous advocacy.

Former and Current Clients of Huddle Speak Out Online . If you are not familiar with Huddle or what her former and current clients have said about her, Gina Pace, of Oxygen’s Crime Time, provided a brief recounting of same in her article entitled, “Golden State Killer Suspect Joseph DeAngelo’s Wife is a Divorce Lawyer, but They Aren’t Divorced”. Pace described a Yelp review published by a former client of Huddle’s who stated, “Sharon goes through staff like underwear…She can’t keep anyone in there long. Sharon screams yells and cusses at her staff right in front of clients. It is so very awkward. If you are her client, there is a likely chance that her anger, hate, and narcissism-like behavior will spill over to you. I was screamed, yelled and cussed at by Sharon on her ‘off’ days.”

Pace went on to report about a tweet issued by @UlfCarlsson10 on May 4, 2018, who accused Huddle of “odd behavior” stating, “Sharon Huddle is my current attorney and the attorney who represented me during my trial in Peter J. McBrien’s court. She is also the wife of #EastAreaRapist #GoldenStateKiller…..this explains it all! She must have known and [this] explains her odd behavior.”

Moreover, while journalists have issued reports that Huddle is DeAngelo’s “ex-wife”, Tom Miller, a KCRA reporter in Sacramento, tweeted that he was informed by a law enforcement source that the pair are still technically married.

http://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/golden-state-killer-joseph-deangelo-sharon-huddle-divorce





Jane, Huddle’s Former Client, Offers Valuable Insight on Huddle’s Personality . Jane recounted to me her experience with Huddle, who represented Jane during her divorce in the early 2000’s. Jane stated that Huddle had boundary issues, at times seeming oblivious to the pain and emotional turmoil her clients were enduring. Jane recalled that Huddle would vent about her personal drama and would answer personal calls during office appointments, then would charge Jane for the time. With hourly rates for family law attorneys in the Sacramento area ranging anywhere from $200-$350 per hour for younger attorneys, to upwards of $500 per hour for more experienced attorneys, this time adds up, and it’s not cheap. Nevertheless, Jane acknowledged that while Huddle did not finalize her costly divorce, she was a zealous advocate for her, obtaining favorable results in court.

With regard to Huddle’s personality, Jane observed that it was clear that Huddle was an extremely intelligent woman, but that her personal issues appeared to be substantial. Jane recalled pondering why such an intelligent woman had such emotional problems, recalling how Huddle screamed at and berated her client’s and staff, as well as her extreme disorganization, both of which resulted in a revolving door of employees.

Jane describes herself as a compassionate and intuitive person which, in my opinion, is undoubtedly true based on her thoughtful commentary regarding Huddle’s inner-workings. Jane recalled that once her then-husband’s abusive nature was exposed, Huddle went into overdrive in her representation of her, even calling Jane with welfare checks during the evenings. Jane opined that this is likely indicative of Huddle’s compassion for abused women, and her angry outbursts towards clients and staff were likely indicative of the self-loathing she felt. Nevertheless, it was apparent to Jane that Huddle’s law practice and her children were the shining beacons in her life and her greatest achievements. When I informed Jane that Huddle was seen in court the week after DeAngelo’s arrest, Jane stated that she wasn’t surprised due to Huddle’s strong nature and passion for her law practice.

In a final and noteworthy statement, Jane opined that she “truly believes [Huddle] is a strong woman that raised three smart daughters with a lot of violence abuse, control and anger from [DeAngelo]…. Unless [Huddle] was complicit and aware of what [DeAngelo] was doing, I am guessing she is a very abused woman, on all levels.”

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Joseph DeAngelo, the Suspected Golden State Killer, and Wife, Sharon Huddle: DeAngelo’s Youngest Rape Victim and Huddle’s Former Client and Work Colleagues Speak Out was last modified: by

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