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ABC News-SAN FRANCISCO -- A former police officer who terrorized California as a serial burglar and rapist and went on to kill more than a dozen people while evading capture for decades pleaded guilty Monday to murders attributed to the Golden State Killer.
Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. had remained almost silent in court since his 2018 arrest until he repeatedly uttered the words "guilty'' and "I admit'' in a hushed and raspy voice as part of a plea agreement that will spare him the death penalty for a life sentence with no chance of parole.
DeAngelo, 74, did not cooperate with authorities but muttered a confession of sorts after his arrest that cryptically referred to an inner personality named "Jerry'' that he said forced him to commit the wave of crimes that appeared to end abruptly in 1986.