Santa Barbara County investigators are hoping to jog 40-year-old memories in their efforts to tie a suspected serial murderer and rapist to killings and attacks in Goleta.
The Sheriff’s Department on Monday distributed vintage photographs of former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo, who was arrested last week in Sacramento and alleged to be the Golden State Killer, a prolific criminal who terrorized California in the late 1970s until the mid-1980s.
After eluding identification and capture for some 40 years, DeAngelo, 72, of Citrus Heights in the Sacramento area, was linked to several of the Golden State Killer crimes through DNA evidence, officials have said.
The Golden State Killer, also known as the Original Night Stalker and the East Area Rapist, is believed responsible for at least 12 homicides, 45 rapes and 120 burglaries, according to the FBI.
Included among his victims are two Goleta-area couples: Dr. Robert Offerman, 44, and Dr. Debra Alexandria Manning, 35, who were slain in their condo on Avenida Pequena on Dec. 30, 1979; and Cheri Domingo, 35, and Gregory Sanchez, 27, who were killed on July 27, 1981, in a residence on Toltec Way.
A third couple were attacked in their home on Queen Ann Way on Oct. 1, 1979, but were able to escape.
DeAngelo was an officer with the Exeter Police Department in the San Joaquin Valley from 1973 to 1976, and with the Auburn Police Department in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of Sacramento from 1976 to 1979.
He was fired from the latter agency for shoplifting a can of dog repellant and a hammer from a store in Citrus Heights, and there has been speculation the items may have been intended to be used in his alleged crimes.
“The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in establishing a timeline for the ongoing investigation involving the murders,” said Kelly Hoover, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
The suspect was believed to be in Santa Barbara County between 1978 and 1986, Hoover said.
“If you believe you saw him anywhere in Santa Barbara County, or personally know him, please contact the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Bureau at 805.681.4150, or go to the sheriff’s website at www.sbsheriff.org/anonymoustips.html.”
DeAngelo was arrested last Tuesday at his home, and is being held without bail in Sacramento County Jail. He made his first court appearance on Friday.
So far, he has been charged with two counts of murder in Ventura County, two counts in Sacramento County, and four counts in Orange County, but other jurisdictions, including Santa Barbara County, are expected to follow suit in the coming days and weeks.
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley told Noozhawk late last week that she has been in communication with both local and state-wide team members throughout the lengthy investigation.
“I am reviewing recent documents, as they arrive, and I hope to be able to have all the info I need to make a decision within a week,” she said.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with
