Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo: The 1975 Murder That Exposed a Terrifying Trail of Crimes

In September 1975, a California father rushed to protect his teenage daughter from a masked intruder. His decision to intervene cost him his life. More than four decades later, investigators connected the killing to Joseph James DeAngelo, the man who would become known as the Golden State Killer.

The victim was Claude Snelling, a 45-year-old college instructor and father living in Visalia, California. On the night of September 11, 1975, a masked man entered the family’s home and attempted to abduct Snelling’s 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Hupp.

Snelling heard what was happening and rushed to help. According to investigators, the attacker knocked his daughter to the ground and shot Snelling twice before escaping. Snelling died on the way to the hospital.

The killing devastated the family, while the identity of the masked attacker remained a mystery for decades.

At the time, authorities were investigating a series of burglaries in Visalia attributed to an offender known as the “Visalia Ransacker.” The intruder had reportedly broken into numerous homes, stealing unusual items and leaving residents frightened. Investigators eventually came to believe that the burglar and Snelling’s killer were the same person.

Years later, a wider pattern of crimes emerged across California. An offender known as the “East Area Rapist” terrorized communities with a series of sexual assaults and home invasions. Later, couples were attacked and murdered in cases associated with the “Original Night Stalker.” DNA evidence eventually linked many of these crimes to the same perpetrator.

In April 2018, investigators arrested DeAngelo, a former police officer who had lived in California for decades. Genetic genealogy helped detectives identify him by tracing relatives connected to DNA evidence from the crime scenes.

In August 2018, prosecutors charged DeAngelo with the murder of Claude Snelling. Unlike several other killings in the case, Snelling’s death was not linked to DeAngelo through DNA evidence. Investigators instead relied on witness accounts, physical evidence and their findings connecting him to the Visalia burglaries.

Snelling’s daughter had spent years living with the memory of the attack. She later spoke publicly about her belief that the man who tried to abduct her was responsible for her father’s death.

In June 2020, DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 murders and admitted to numerous other crimes committed during his decades-long criminal spree. Two months later, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The case brought answers to victims and families who had waited decades for justice. But Claude Snelling’s story remains especially painful: he was killed while trying to protect his child, and his family endured years of uncertainty before investigators finally identified the man responsible.

Source: newsweek