Twenty-six days later, Sacramento County deputies arrested DeAngelo in his side yard. Holes learned about the arrest after the fact, from news coverage. He later said he was “one hundred percent sure” they had the right man.
Who DeAngelo Was
Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. was born in 1945 in Bath, New York. He grew up in a family that moved several times; he attended Folsom High School in Sacramento County and graduated in 1964. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. After his military service, he earned an associate’s degree in police science from Sierra College and later a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from California State University, Sacramento.
He worked as a law enforcement officer with two California agencies. His first position was with the Exeter Police Department in Tulare County, where he served beginning in 1973. He also worked for the Auburn Police Department, located about thirty miles northeast of Sacramento.
In October 1979, DeAngelo was fired from the Auburn Police Department following an arrest for shoplifting from a Citrus Heights drugstore. He had taken a hammer and a can of dog repellent. His police chief also cited other grounds for the termination. The firing effectively ended his law enforcement career. He subsequently worked as a truck mechanic and continued in that occupation until retiring in 2017.
He married Sharon Huddle in 1973. They had three daughters. The family lived in the Citrus Heights area for most of the subsequent decades. After DeAngelo’s arrest, his wife filed for divorce; the divorce was finalized in 2019.