Golden State Killer Suspect, Joseph James DeAngelo, On Suicide Watch In Psychiatric Ward

It appears as though the infamous Golden State murder case may have finally been solved with 72-year-old suspect Joseph James DeAngelo behind bars.

As the Inquisitr reported earlier this week, the man who is suspected to be behind the heinous crime spree was arrested at his Citrus Heights, California, home on Tuesday. Authorities believe that the former police officer is responsible for as many as 12 homicides, 45 rapes, and over 100 burglaries that terrorized California in the ’70s and ’80s.

USA Today reports that DeAngelo appeared in front of a judge today for the first time since his arrest. The 72-year-old did not walk into the courtroom by his own power, but was instead in a wheelchair escorted by police officers. When the details of his suspected crimes were read aloud in court, DeAngelo sat emotionless. Another court hearing will be held on May 14, but the former police officer has yet to enter a plea.

CBS News reports that the courtroom was packed today with many family members of DeAngelo’s alleged victims at the courthouse. Keith Smith, whose sister, Katie Maggiore, and brother-in-law, Brian Maggiore, were killed during the crime spree, sat in the front row.

Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones told the press that DeAngelo was brought to the Sacramento County jail and is currently in the psychiatric ward as he is on suicide watch. Jones also reported to press that DeAngelo has not said much since he was arrested, but he can often be heard mumbling to himself in his cell.

Joseph James DeAngelo was handcuffed in a wheelchair and five police officers surrounded him as he listened to the judge with his eyes barely open. https://t.co/wDZ5ECHA1U

— BakersfieldNow (@bakersfieldnow) April 27, 2018

When the police arrived at his home earlier this week, ABC News reports that DeAngelo was completely surprised when he was told that he was being arrested. He also told authorities that he had a roast in the oven and was worried about it, but the police assured him that they would take care of it.

Police are crediting a free-to-use and publicly accessible genealogy and DNA database in helping them solve the crime. According the CNN, GEDMatch.com helped find a pool of people who could have been ancestors of the Golden State killer. From there, they weeded out the mismatches and were eventually led to DeAngelo.

Investigators later believed that they had the right guy after they matched DNA samples from the killing with DNA samples from a discarded item from DeAngelo’s home.