Apparently the Golden State Killer had a wife and children

Following the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo on April 24, more details are emerging about the suspected Golden State Killer. In a current feature of the LA Times, DeAngelo is portrayed as a typical neighbor type – an older man who enjoys woodworking, cooking and tinkering under the hood of his truck. DeAngelo, suspected of murdering 12 people, raping more than 40 women and robbing 120 homes in the San Francisco area in the late ’70s and early ’80s, also apparently started a family during his crime spree. In fact, the Golden State Killer had a wife and three daughters.

DeAngelo reportedly met his wife, Sharon M. Huddle, an attorney, while attending Cal State Sacramento, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He and Sharon married in 1973 – just three years before DeAngelo committed his first confirmed rape and robbery.

After the birth of DeAngelo’s first daughter, Misha Louise DeAngelo, in 1981, the murders, rapes and robberies stopped for five years. His last known victim, 18-year-old Janelle Cruz, was raped and killed in 1986. NPR reports that DeAngelo and his wife eventually divorced and that DeAngelo was living with Misha and his granddaughter Zasia when he was arrested on Tuesday, April 24.

Although DeAngelo saw Like your average elderly neighbor, residents of his Citrus Heights, California neighborhood knew he had a temper. A neighbor told me L.A. Times that DeAngelo was “argumentative” and others called him a “freak.” He reportedly shouted profanities whenever frustration arose.

A relative’s DNA sample from a genealogy website matched crime scene samples. That link led authorities to DeAngelo.

DeAngelo’s sister Becky Thompson told the Just She is in shock and hopes that the police have arrested the wrong man. She explained that her brother was “the kindest and gentlest man with his children.”

Further details are expected to be announced in the coming days and weeks.