The Cop Who Hunted In The Dark: The 50-Year Hunt for the Golden State Killer | Full Documentary

Between 1973 and 1986, a shadowy predator terrorized California across ten counties. He committed more than 120 burglaries, assaulted over 50 women in their own beds, and murdered at least 13 innocent people. He went by many names: the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, the Diamond Knot Killer, and the Original Night Stalker. For nearly half a century, he seemed like a phantom—leaving behind no fingerprints, no obvious patterns, and vanishing silently down suburban canal paths and railroad beds before sunrise. What the public never suspected was the most terrifying truth of all: during the peak of his terror, the man behind the ski mask was wearing a badge and a police uniform. This comprehensive documentary chronicles the complete fifty-year manhunt for the Golden State Killer—from the first ransackings in Visalia and the terrorizing reign in Sacramento, to the tireless work of investigator Paul Holes, crime writer Michelle McNamara, and the revolutionary forensic genetic genealogy breakthrough that finally tracked 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo to his Citrus Heights driveway in April 2018. DISCLAIMER: This video is an educational and historical investigative documentary analyzing official court transcripts, law enforcement case files, archival news footage, and published public records. Viewer discretion is strongly advised due to graphic subject matter. #GoldenStateKiller #JosephDeAngelo #TrueCrime #ColdCase #EastAreaRapist #OriginalNightStalker #ForensicGenealogy #CrimeDocumentary #UnsolvedMysteries #PaulHoles #MichelleMcNamara