The attacks were attributed to a single person, who became known as the East Area Rapist, or EAR. Over the course of the following years, investigators attributed at least fifty-one sexual assaults to him across multiple Sacramento-area counties and later in communities farther from Sacramento. The geographic reach eventually extended to Modesto, Stockton, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
On February 2, 1978, Brian and Katie Maggiore were shot to death while walking their dog in Rancho Cordova. Both were young — Brian was twenty-one, Katie was twenty. The shooting appeared connected to the EAR’s operational area and pattern, though it did not fit the rape-and-binding profile precisely. DeAngelo later admitted to their killings in his guilty plea.
The Sacramento-area community’s response to the East Area Rapist crimes was the kind of sustained, disrupting fear that fundamentally changes how people live. Residents added locks. Neighborhood watch efforts organized. Women who lived alone or with other women reported modifying their routines. The crimes continued for years despite the efforts of investigators working with the resources available in the late 1970s.
Investigators built a behavioral profile of the offender. He appeared to understand law enforcement procedures, possibly from a background in police work or military service. He was physically capable and appeared fit. He seemed to select victims with some deliberate attention before acting. He was not deterred by near-misses or the increasing community awareness of his crimes. He communicated, in calls and in one documented letter, in ways that reflected a desire to be recognized and feared.