On Monday, August 13th, 2018, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference to announce that they will be charging Joseph DeAngelo, the alleged Golden State Killer, for September 11th, 1975 murder of Claude Snelling.
Snelling was shot to death while stopping a masked intruder from kidnapping his daughter. Ballistics evidence from the bullets used to shoot Snelling were matched to a gun stolen by the Visalia Ransacker in late August 1975.
It’s unknown at this time when or where DeAngelo may be tried for this crime, as other jurisdictions and counties are lining up to prosecute him for twelve other murders. He’s been appearing in Sacramento County court since his arrest on April 24th, 2018.
At the press conference, Jason Salazar, Chief of Police of the Visalia PD spoke about the basics of the case (including the burglaries, the modus operandi, and the timeframe). He detailed the Snelling case for which DeAngelo is being charged, and he also detailed an incident where the Ransacker shot at a police officer.
Little known fact that didn’t come up at the press conference — Salazar’s father was one of the original investigators on the Visalia Ransacker case.
Salazar emphasized that there’s no DNA in the Snelling case, but there’s other physical evidence, strong modus operandi links, and witnesses.
Tim Ward, Tulare County District Attorney, spoke next. He announced that today he filed first degree murder charges against DeAngelo, thus taking the first step toward “providing justice not only for the victim’s family, but for the community as a whole.”
With no DNA in the case, he told the press that science and DNA played less of a role in the Visalia cases — it was good old-fashioned police work.
He spent time thanking the other jurisdictions for their help and partnership.
The DA explained that the reason that the burglaries, kidnappings, and attempted murder of McGowen aren’t being prosecuted is because they’re past the statute of limitations. Out of the 102 crimes that are officially attributed to the VR, the Snelling murder is the only one they can prosecute.
Chief Salazar emphasized that the Snelling murder is the only one they’re investigating as being committed by DeAngelo, dashing many hopes that the 1974 murder of Jennifer Armour may be mentioned in the press release or even the 1975 murder of Donna Richmond.
The team doesn’t know yet when he’ll be arraigned or what the next step will be — a lot of it will depend on the Sacramento District Attorney’s office and the other jurisdictions that are investigating the case.
When asked again about the physical evidence, Salazar informed the press that the gun used to kill Snelling has never been found, but that the modus operandi link between the Visalia Ransacker and Golden State Killer cases is very strong and that the ballistic information tying the Snelling crimes to the VR series is also a strong link. He mentioned that there is additional physical evidence that he’s not willing to discuss yet at this time.
Salazar also mentioned that he’s not aware of any sexual assaults committed by DeAngelo in his jurisdiction during the VR phase.
Comprehensive information about the Visalia Ransacker case and its ties to the Golden State Killer case can be found in our book, Secret Origin of the Golden State Killer: Visalia Ransacker (link).
Details about the Snelling murder can be read online at http://www.visaliaransacker.com/snelling.php