Police arrested ex-cop, 72, who might be the Golden State Killer

When she was alive Michelle McNamara was obsessed with finding a man she called the Golden State Killer. She even wrote a book about the killer.

The crime bestseller was published in February 2018. Now, two months after the book came out, police have said that they’ve found the man who they believe is the killer according to The Daily Beast.

Michelle McNamara’s true crime bestseller I’ll Be Gone in the Dark chronicled her hunt for the Golden State Killer. Now California police have arrested a man named Joseph James DeAngelo, 72.

He’s been charged him with two counts of murder. The Golden State Killer, also known as the East Area Rapist, was thought to be responsible for “12 homicides, 45 rapes, and 120 home burglaries in California in the 1970s and ‘80s”

Billy Jensen was an investigative journalist who worked with McNamara. He tweeted after the news broke that DeAngelo was once accused of stealing ‘dog repellant and a hammer’ from a drug store.

‘#GoldenStateKiller #IllBeGoneInTheDark #MichelleMcNamara One of the more surreal days of my life. We’ll be watching the press conference at 3pm EST. Looks like they got him. #stepintothelight.’

Patton Oswalt, Instagram, April 25, 2018

DeAngelo was a former police officer who was said to be a nice old grandpa by his neighbors. He lost his job because of the accusations but avoided jail time and further investigations into his private life.

In her book, the authoress and crime blogger made it clear from the introduction that she never identified the killer before her sudden death. The introduction was written by Gillian Flynn.

McNamara died last year at the age of 46. Her widower, Patton Oswalt, suggested that DeAngelo’s arrest would not have happened without her years of research and investigation.

The Sacramento Police Department held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. On Wednesday, McNamara’s widower uploaded a video on Instagram where he stated, “I think you got him, Michelle.”

He was also responsible for the afterword in her book.