Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, transferred to Corcoran prison protective housing unit

The first crime committed by the East Area Rapist occurred in mid-1976 in the Sacramento area. Over the next decade, more than 45 women were raped and 12 people were murdered by the man later called the Golden State Killer.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Action News has learned that convicted serial murderer and rapist, Joseph James DeAngelo, also widely known as the Golden State Killer, was transferred to the Protective Housing Unit at the California State Prison in Corcoran last week.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said DeAngelo was transferred on January 26 from a temporary reception center at North Kern State Prison, which is used to make housing determinations for inmates based on several factors, including security and medical needs.

RELATED: How the 'Golden State Killer,' a serial rapist, murderer, evaded capture for decades

The Protective House Unit is used to place inmates "whose safety would be endangered by general population housing," officials added. Inmates with high notoriety and whose cases have increased public interest are housed within the unit.

In June 2020, DeAngelo pleaded guilty to thirteen counts of kidnapping to commit rape, and thirteen murders, including the killing of Claude Snelling in Visalia almost 45 years ago.

He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in August.

RELATED: Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole

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