A decades-long search for a serial rapist and murderer came to an end, bringing one West Texas woman, and families across the nation, one step closer to finally seeing justice.
Sacramento authorities announced in a news conference Wednesday they have a man in custody believed to be the infamous Golden State killer. Police said Joseph James DeAngelo killed 12 people and committed more than 50 rapes.
Lamesa resident Debbi Domingo has been waiting to learn his name for almost 40 years.
“I do want to have the opportunity to look him in the eye and let him know that I think he did a lot more damage than he realized,” Domingo said. “”I spent two-thirds of my adult life wondering if we would ever get a solution.”
At 15 years old, Domingo came home to a crime scene at her Santa Barbara house, in the summer of 1981. Her mom Cheri Domingo and Cheri’s boyfriend Greg Sanchez were found dead.
“It was unimaginable, and it was really hard to cope with,” she said.
Debbie said the case went cold quickly, so eventually she moved out to West Texas to try to have a normal life.
Twenty years later, she got a call from detectives, who said they were actively looking into her mom’s case, believing it was connected to dozens of other violent crimes across California. Domingo said that call changed her life, sending her on a relentless search for justice for her mom.
“It is easy to feel insignificant in the system,” Domingo said, “but with those connections came a substantial degree of hope.”
At a news conference on Wednesday, Sacramento authorities announced it was DNA evidence that finally led them to the “needle in a haystack.” DeAngelo was still living in California at 72 years old.
The Sacramento District Attorney even mentioned Domingo in the news conference, saying it was everyone’s persistence that solved this case.
Now, Domingo said she’s relieved and ready to see justice done.
“I want to know every crime he did, and I want to make sure that everyone who deserves peace and closure from today’s arrest,” Domingo said. “I want to make sure they get that.”
DeAngelo is being held in Sacramento on two murder counts without bail.
