#GOLDEN STATE SERIAL KILLER VICTIMS SERIAL#
MORE: Suspect in serial killings lived in tidy California suburb Given the way the alleged serial killer worked, a law enforcement background was not a shock, said Totten. Some 38 years later, it would be the arrest of a former cop in connection with the murders that would bring back that old feeling.
His law colleagues called, and police officers swarmed the house. Lyman Smith was a prominent attorney and days away from becoming a judge.Īfter he was found dead, reporters came knocking and loved ones were asking to come over. It’s something they might try to do this weekend, Carole said. The whirlwind of media coverage about the alleged killer’s arrest hasn’t given the siblings a chance to sit down and talk.
His youngest, Gary, found the bodies of Lyman and Charlene Smith. Lyman Smith had three children: Jenny, Jay and Gary. View Gallery: See Ventura's connection to the Golden State Killer A familiar feeling The switch made it harder to track down her and her phone number, Carole said.Įven though it was nice to hear from the folks who once knew her only as “Jenny,” the attention reminded her of the day she found out her dad had died. She was also impressed because she had changed her surname from Smith to Carole in 1980, something she had wanted to do before the murders to differentiate herself from others with the common name. A look at DNA testing that ID’d a suspected serial killer.DNA match from Ventura murders led to arrest of Golden State Killer suspect.Golden State Killer suspect arrested and charged in 1980 Ventura cold case.It’s been amazing, and that’s a powerful statement about 1980 Ventura,” Carole said. “I just want to really acknowledge my gratitude, and frankly, the support I feel from old Ventura.
Many of the people who reached out were her hometown friends in Santa Paula and Ventura, which made her realize how wounded the community was by the “small-town horrendous murder.” It would end up being the first of many messages that day.Īn unbelievable outpouring of supportive calls, text messages and social media posts came her way when the news broke. The text sent a shot of adrenaline through her body, and she found herself shaking. The text message alerted her to news of an arrest, the one that was confirmed later on by Totten. That turn of events started with a morning text message from one of Carole’s loyal “wingmen,” a friend who has supported her throughout the different turns in the high-profile case. The arrest also meant that the other 10 murders, 50 rapes and dozens of break-ins thought to have been perpetrated by a person known for decades as the Golden State Killer, East Area Rapist, Original Night Stalker and Visalia Ransacker potentially had been solved.Ĭarole, a 56-year-old Buena High School graduate, said the arrest marks an unexpected new chapter for the Smith family.
MORE: Golden State Killer likely motivated by animosity toward ex-fiancee, investigator says The phone call she dreamed about but never thought would come became reality Wednesday, about 90 minutes before Totten announced capital murder charges had been filed against Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, in connection with the March 1980 bludgeoning deaths of Lyman and Charlene Smith.ĭNA left at the crime scene in their High Point Drive home in Ventura, where Charlene Smith was also raped, led to DeAngelo’s arrest Tuesday evening at his Citrus Heights home near Sacramento. “He goes, ‘Jen, it’s a 100 percent match.’ And it turns out, hot damn! It’s just amazing to me we found the person,” Carole said. That’s the only question Jennifer Carole had when Ventura County District Attorney Greg Totten told her that police had caught the man they believe killed her father and stepmother nearly 40 years ago. Watch Video: Golden State suspect formally charged in court
0 kommentar(er)
