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Visalia Ransacker

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Visalia Ransacker
Police sketch
Years active1974–1975 (possibly began in 1973 and possibly continued until 1976)
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Time at large
44 years
Details
State(s)California
Location(s)Visalia
Killed1
Date apprehended
April 24, 2018

The Visalia Ransacker is a serial prowler, voyeur, burglar, and murderer who operated in Visalia, California in the mid-1970s. He is suspected to have committed around 120 crimes.[1][2] In most of his crimes, the Ransacker would break into a single-family home and tear apart the interior while stealing only small items.[3] Within the law enforcement community, it is believed that the Ransacker's crime spree began in March 1974 and ended in late 1975 (the crimes might have begun in mid 1973 although there is not enough evidence to confirm the Ransacker as the culprit),[4][5] the majority of his crimes having been committed near the College of the Sequoias.[6]

Over time, there was increasing evidence that the Ransacker moved away from Visalia shortly after he committed his only murder, and eventually became the East Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker, later referred to as the Golden State Killer.[7]

In April 2018, Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested as a suspect in the case, and was later charged with the first degree murder of Claude Snelling. In June 2020, he confessed to the Snelling murder and other crimes.

Burglaries

The first recorded ransacking was on Tuesday, March 19, 1974 when $50 of coins was stolen from a piggy-bank.[8] Most of the Ransacker's activities involved breaking into houses, rifling through or vandalizing the owner's possessions, scattering women's underclothes, and stealing a range of low-value items, while often ignoring banknotes and higher valued items in plain sight.[9] The Ransacker would also often arrange or display items in the house. Items emptied included piggy banks and coin-jars, and stolen items often included Blue Chip Stamps, foreign or historic coins, and personal items (such as single earrings, cuff-links, rings, or medallions), but also included six weapons and various types of ammunition.[8][10][11] Multiple same-day ransackings were common as well,[6][12] including 12 separate incidents on Saturday, November 30, 1974.[8]

Common MOs of the burglaries included:[1][8][13]

  • scaling fences and moving through established routes such as parks, walkways, ditches, and trails
  • attempting to pry open multiple points of entry, particularly windows
  • leaving multiple points of escape open, especially windows as well as house, garage, and garden doors
  • moving removed window screens onto beds or into bedrooms
  • placing "warning items" such as dishes or bottles against doors and on door handles
  • wearing gloves (given the absence of fingerprint evidence)

Shootings

After a spree of 18 months, the Ransacker's crimes took a darker turn on September 11, 1975. On this date a man, who is strongly believed to be the Ransacker, broke into the home of Claude Snelling (45) at 532 Whitney Lane (now South Whitney Street).[14] Snelling, a journalism professor at the College of the Sequoias (and who had previously chased a prowler discovered under his daughter's window around 10:00 p.m. on February 5, 1975[8]) was awakened around 2:00 a.m. by strange noises in his home.[15] Upon leaving his bedroom, Snelling shouted and ran through the open back door and confronted a ski-masked intruder in his carport attempting to kidnap his daughter, who had been subdued with threats of being stabbed or shot.[16][17] Snelling was then shot twice, staggered back into the house to his wife, and later died.[9][18] After the shooting the assailant fled the scene,[19] leaving behind a stolen bicycle at 615 Redwood Street.[9] After the murder, Beth Snelling (16), a cheerleader at Mt. Whitney High School, underwent hypnosis in order to gather further details.[18] The Visalia Police Department also committed more resources to apprehending the Ransacker,[15] and a $4000 reward was posted. Nighttime stakeouts were set up near houses that he had previously prowled, but the ransackings continued.

Around 8:30 p.m. on December 12, 1975,[20] a masked man entered the back yard of a house at 1505 W. Kaweah Avenue, near where the Ransacker had been reported to frequent.[21][22] When Detective William McGowen (on stakeout inside the garage) attempted to detain the man, the suspect shrieked, removed his mask, and feigned surrender after McGowen fired a warning shot.[22][23] However, after jumping the fence to house 1501, he also pulled out a revolver with his left hand, and fired once near McGowen's face, shattering his flashlight.[7] Nearby officers rushed to aid McGowen, and the shooter was able to escape.[23] Items collected as evidence included the flashlight, tennis shoe tracks, and dropped loot (Blue Chip stamps, and a blue sock full of coins).[22]

Investigation

The Visalia Police Department (alongside the Tulare County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol) investigated, and slowly pieced together all of the reported incidents. Some incidents were not immediately reported, given their "trivial" nature, i.e., stealing coins from piggy banks, or because nothing of value seemed to have been taken. However, given the voyeurism, the personal nature of the thefts, the focus on girls' photos or women's clothing, the deliberate ransacking behavior, or the theft of one of a pair of items, a darker motive seemed to be at play. Further, given the number of Mt. Whitney High School students targeted in incidents, the location of crimes around the College of the Sequoias, and eyewitness reports, investigators suspected a student may have been involved,[8] and 21 of the 37 main suspects listed by police by late-1975 were teens.[22] Despite physical analysis, and the unusual presence or use of hand lotions, no sign of "masturbation discharge" was detected at crime scenes.[18] Size 9 Converse tennis shoe prints and pry marks from various crimes also matched each other. Similarly, ballistics matched the .38 Miroku revolver stolen on August 31, 1975 with shots fired by its owner during practice, to the one used to kill Snelling.[11] Following the second shooting, the Ransacker was not believed to have committed another major crime in Visalia,[24] and the investigation remains the most expensive in Visalia's history.[25]

Profile

The Ransacker was described as young, Caucasian, male, around 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm), and 180 to 200 pounds (82–91 kg). He was physically fit, and able to run, bicycle, and scale garden fences with relative ease. He also appeared to be left-handed, and skilled with using weapons. He also seemed obsessed with personal trinkets over items of higher monetary value.

Other crimes

It is possible that several earlier reported prowler and voyeur incidents in Visalia starting from mid-1973, an attempted rape on October 9, 1974, or a rape/kidnap on April 3, 1975, were also the work of the Ransacker.[24][26] Other similar burglaries and ransackings in the Exeter area, dating from as far back as 1968[27][28] are also speculated to be connected based on MO similarities. Similarly, MO links are being made to the 1972 to 1973 crime spree of the 'Cordova Catburgler',[29] and a couple of crimes after the McGowen attack may also be linked.[26] There is also some speculation that other incidents, such as the death of Mt. Whitney High School student Jennifer Armour (aged 15; disappeared November 15, 1974; found dead November 24, 1974) could also be related.[10][24][30][31] Donna Richmond (aged 14; killed December 27, 1975), was also thought to have been a possible victim. However, Tulare County has made claims that he is no longer a suspect in this case based on DNA evidence, but this decision is disputed.[32][33][34] He is now being accused of a 1973 rape of a then-12-year-old girl named Elizabeth Silva and a February 1974 rape, beating and attempted murder of a woman named Pamela Escalante, however there is no evidence to support the former case and the biological evidence for the latter case has since been discarded so there won't be any DNA to test against the suspect.[35][36]

Connection to the Golden State Killer

Several months after the McGowen shooting, a prolific burglar and serial rapist, then called the East Area Rapist and now dubbed the Golden State Killer, began invading and attacking people in their homes roughly 200 miles (320 km) north in Sacramento County, California. Based on witness descriptions of the Rapist and the method of operation used to carry out his crimes, Detective McGowen attempted to link the Ransacker crimes to the sexual attacks in the Sacramento-area.[37][38] Both the Ransacker and the Rapist were described as young-looking, physically fit white males in their twenties.[39]

In terms of MO, both the Ransacker and the Rapist pulled cold and hot prowl burglaries on single-story, detached homes in the middle of the night. Neither the Ransacker nor the Rapist took valuable items from the homes they burglarized, but often focused on personal items. Additionally, both the Ransacker and the Rapist carried and used firearms, both created multiple potential escape points by removing screens and unlocking/opening windows throughout the house, and both used items from within the household to create a series of alarms to detect movement. Both were also known to use stolen bicycles and local geography for movement. Both wore ski-masks and tennis shoes.

Based on such evidence, it is strongly suspected that the Ransacker and the Rapist are the same person.[4][19][40][41][42] In all, the Ransacker is believed to be responsible for one murder and more than 100 burglaries in Visalia,[43] while the Rapist/Killer committed 12 homicides, 51 rapes and more than 120 burglaries across California.[40][44] However, unlike the Golden State Killer case, no current DNA link exists.[1] In a 2017 interview, Contra Costa County DA cold case investigator Paul Holes was skeptical of the link between the two, based on credible witness descriptions,[45] but upon identification of DeAngelo, he is now certain that the Golden State Killer was also the Visalia Ransacker.[46]

DeAngelo arrest

Joseph James DeAngelo
Mugshot of an older man
DeAngelo's 2018 mugshot
Born (1945-11-08) November 8, 1945 (age 79)
Bath, New York
Occupation(s)Police officer (formerly), Truck Mechanic (formerly)
Children3 daughters
Conviction(s)1st degree Murder
Main article: Golden State Killer § Joseph James DeAngelo

Police made a breakthrough in the case on April 24, 2018, confirming that 72-year-old Citrus Heights resident Joseph James DeAngelo had been arrested the night before for two of the Original Night Stalker killings. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, during a news conference in Sacramento, stated that DeAngelo's case included suspected links to the Ransacker.[1][47] It was also mentioned that DeAngelo had served as a police officer in nearby Exeter between May 19, 1973, and January 1976 before moving to Auburn.[28] Fellow officers in Exeter at the time regarded him as a serious, aloof, and ambitious loner,[48] who may have actually ended up investigating some of his own crimes.[49] His connection to the region may extend back earlier than 1973, given that his sister is known to have moved to the area in 1969.[28][50] Similarly, he is known to have trained at the College of the Sequoias prior to his time in Exeter.[51]

A similar media session held by Visalia Chief of Police Jason Salazar confirmed that DeAngelo had served in Exeter during that time.[1] Salazar stated that while there was no DNA linking DeAngelo to the Central Valley cases, his department had other evidence that would play a role in the investigation, and that he was "confident that the Visalia Ransacker has been captured."[1] Though the statute of limitations for the burglaries had expired,[52][53] DeAngelo was formally charged on August 13, 2018, with 13 counts of first degree murder, including the shooting of Claude Snelling in 1975.[54][55][53]

In June 2020, DeAngelo pled guilty to the murder of Claude Snelling, the remaining 12 murder charges and the 13 kidnapping charges, confirming that he was the Visalia Ransacker.[56]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Alleged serial killer arrested in Sacramento also known as Visalia Ransacker, officials say". ABC30 Fresno. 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  2. ^ "DeAngelo Redacted Search Warrant - page 129" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-06-30.[dead link]
  3. ^ Hoffman, Rob (April 27, 2017). "The Golden State Killer". The Times Union. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Garcia, Natalie (2007). "Retired officer looking to solve 1975 cold case" (PDF). Visalia Times-Delta. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  5. ^ http://www.visaliaransacker.com/incidents.php
  6. ^ a b "Podcast VR Map -- A - Google My Maps". Google My Maps. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  7. ^ a b "Case 53: The East Area Rapist – 1976 (Part 1) – Casefile: True Crime". Casefile: True Crime Podcast. 2017-05-14. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Ep. 8 The Visalia Ransacker, Part One, retrieved 2018-04-21
  9. ^ a b c Ep. 9 The Visalia Ransacker, Part Two, retrieved 2018-04-21
  10. ^ a b 12-26-75. "12-26-75 - Golden State Killer". 12-26-75. Retrieved 2018-04-21. {{cite web}}: |last= has numeric name (help)
  11. ^ a b "The Visalia Ransacker – List of Stolen Items". True Crime Articles. 2018-03-13. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  12. ^ "Podcast VR Map B - Google My Maps". Google My Maps. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  13. ^ "The Visalia Ransacker - Basics". The Visalia Ransacker. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  14. ^ "Gunshot kills man fighting girl's kidnap". Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Kent, Jane, ed. (September 18, 1975). "Slayer of journalist sought by police" (PDF). The Rampage. Fresno, California: Fresno City College. p. 8. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  16. ^ "Rapist kills man aiding daughter". Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  17. ^ James, Cory (2018-04-27). "Visalia Ransacker's victim speaks out for the very first time". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  18. ^ a b c Ep. 10 The Visalia Ransacker, Part Three, retrieved 2018-04-22
  19. ^ a b "The mystery of the Visalia Ransacker won't go away after 41 years". fresnobee. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  20. ^ "DeAngelo Redacted Search Warrant - page 130" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-06-30.[dead link]
  21. ^ Rupe, Megan (2018-03-16). "National network shining light on more than 40-year Visalia cold case". YourCentralValley.com. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
  22. ^ a b c d Ep. 11 McGowen Shooting, retrieved 2018-04-22
  23. ^ a b Pedersen, Gary (December 11, 1975). "Prowler Fires at Officer, Escapes". Visalia Times-Delta. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  24. ^ a b c Ep. 12 Donna, Jennifer, and the VR, retrieved 2018-04-22
  25. ^ Ep. 15 What's Next?, retrieved 2018-04-23
  26. ^ a b "The Visalia Ransacker - Incidents". The Visalia Ransacker. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  27. ^ Ep. 16 PS Where Are My Pants? | 12-26-75, retrieved 2018-06-08
  28. ^ a b c Ep. 16 Sgt. Joe DeAngelo, Exeter PD | 12-26-75, retrieved 2018-06-08
  29. ^ Oreskes, Richard Winton, Benjamin. "Golden State Killer suspect may be linked to earlier Cordova cat burglar attacks". latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-06-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "Tulare County Sheriff's cold case detectives say former Exeter police officer is a suspect in the murder of Jennifer Armour of Visalia". The Sun-Gazette Newspaper. 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  31. ^ "Golden State Killer suspect in 1974 Tulare Co. cold case". ABC30 Fresno. 2018-07-13. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  32. ^ "Golden State Killer cleared as suspect in Donna Richmond murder". Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  33. ^ "Golden State Killer suspect cleared in Donna Richmond murder". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  34. ^ "An innocent man framed by the Golden State Killer?". KXTV. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  35. ^ "Golden State Killer Suspect committed rape before he was the Visalia Ransacker".
  36. ^ "Pamela was raped and left to die. 44 years later she saw her attacker's face on the news". Mamamia. 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  37. ^ Shuper, Miles (May 19, 1977). "Link to Rapist Still Sought". Visalia Times-Delta. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  38. ^ "Police seeking to link rapist to Snelling slayer". Visalia Times-Delta. May 18, 1977.
  39. ^ "Police Probe Crime Link". Visalia Times-Delta. May 18, 1977. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  40. ^ a b "Was Visalia the training ground?". Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  41. ^ McNamara, Michelle; Oswalt, Patton; Flynn, Gillian (2018). I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer. HarperCollins. pp. 88–91. ISBN 9780062319807. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  42. ^ Ep. 13 VR = EAR?, retrieved 2018-04-23
  43. ^ "The Visalia Ransacker". http://www.visaliaransacker.com. Retrieved 2018-04-21. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  44. ^ "Sources Report Possible Arrest in East Area Rapist Case". FOX40. 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  45. ^ "Case 53: Bonus Interviews (Part 1 and 2) - Casefile: True Crime Podcast". Casefile: True Crime Podcast. 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  46. ^ KTVU (2018-05-02), Full Interview: Golden State Killer investigator Paul Holes, retrieved 2018-08-12
  47. ^ Staff, Newsroom (2018-04-25). "Accused 'Golden State Killer' charged with murders in Ventura County". KEYT. Retrieved 2018-04-25. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  48. ^ Parvini, Joseph Serna, Richard Winton, Sarah. "As a young cop, Golden State Killer suspect was aloof, ambitious, 'always serious'". latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-05-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  49. ^ "Visalia Ransacker suspect was a 'black sheep,' described as a loner in Exeter". Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  50. ^ The Exeter Sun (May 23, 1973). "r/EARONS - More information on LE connection!". reddit. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
  51. ^ "DeAngelo Redacted Search Warrant - page 127" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-06-30.[dead link]
  52. ^ Johnson, Brian (April 27, 2018). "Tulare DA awaits reports connecting 'Golden State Killer' to 'Visalia Ransacker'". ABC30 Fresno. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  53. ^ a b "Alleged Golden State Killer to be charged for his very first murder | Watch News Videos Online". Global News. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  54. ^ "Police 'confident' Golden State Killer committed 1975 murder of Claude Snelling | Watch News Videos Online". Global News. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  55. ^ "California district attorney announces 1st degree murder charges against alleged Golden State Killer | Watch News Videos Online". Global News. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  56. ^ "Man accused of being Golden State Killer pleads guilty to 1975 Visalia murder". KFSN. 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
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