Sacramento DA’s new book offers first insider account

Includes details from one of Contra Costa County’s darkest chapters

By Angelle Barbazon, Lead Publicist, Books Forward

SACRAMENTO – In “The People vs. the Golden State Killer” (Third State Books), Thien Ho, the current District Attorney of Sacramento County, delivers the first official account of the investigation, capture and prosecution of Joseph James DeAngelo, Jr., one of California’s and America’s most notorious serial predators. Known by many chilling names over the years, including the East Area Rapist, the Original Nightstalker, the Visalia Ransacker and finally the Golden State Killer, DeAngelo terrorized California communities for over a decade – and then disappeared without a trace for more than 30 years.

After more than 40 years of fear and unanswered questions, it was Thien who finally secured DeAngelo’s life sentence. Now, for the first time, Thien is pulling back the curtain in “The People vs. the Golden State Killer”. The book includes never-before-heard survivor testimony, chilling details of DeAngelo’s deception and behind-the-scenes insights from the investigators who refused to let him escape justice.

The book covers one of Contra Costa County’s darkest chapters. DeAngelo’s crimes included more than 120 burglaries, over 50 rapes and 13 murders across six counties, with Contra Costa residents among the victims he terrorized for decades. All the while, he lived in plain sight as a cop, a husband and even a neighbor, hiding in the very communities he stalked. (See related Herald articles here and here).

As the lead prosecutor on the case, Ho recounts the exhilarating and harrowing experience of bringing a cold-case killer to justice and putting him behind bars for life. Rather than focusing solely on the criminal and the crimes, Ho’s narrative centers the dedicated law-enforcement teams who never gave up their pursuit of the GSK; and the courageous survivors of his crimes who fought to heal and regain control of their lives. “The People vs. the Golden State Killer” includes hundreds of never-before-revealed details and firsthand insights. Unlike previous accounts, this is the first time the public hears directly from the lead prosecutor who helped close the case. The book also features the authorized voices of survivors who turned their trauma into powerful advocacy.

A portion of the book’s proceeds will benefit Phyllis’s Garden, a nonprofit that honors a GSK survivor and champions victims’ rights.

Ho also recounts his equally compelling personal story: a Vietnamese refugee whose family fled Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War, he arrived in the United States knowing no English. He rose from being an intern to being elected Sacramento County District Attorney in 2022, becoming one of only 10 Asian American district attorneys out of 2,400 nationwide. He brings both legal authority and emotional truth to a case that gripped the country and the world.

About the Author

Thien Ho is the author of “The People vs. The Golden State Killer.” He was elected District Attorney of Sacramento County in 2022 and took office in 2023. Over a 25-year legal career, he has prosecuted hundreds of high-profile sexual assault, gang, and homicide cases and served as supervisor of the Gang and Hate Crime Unit. In 2017, he received Prosecutor of the Year honors from both the National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association and the Sacramento DA’s Office. He is best known for successfully prosecuting Joseph DeAngelo, a.k.a. the Golden State Killer.

What Others Are Saying

“Ho’s careful, well-written account chronicles [how] DeAngelo was brought to justice. . . . A disturbing real-world procedural about ‘the bogeyman who couldn’t be found—until we found him.’” – Kirkus Reviews

“A worthwhile account of a well-covered case . . . Most affecting are Ho’s interviews with DeAngelo’s surviving victims, who starkly recount their kidnappings and assaults. The autobiographical sections in which Ho discusses his path from Vietnamese war refugee to Northern California prosecutor are inspiring.” – Publishers Weekly

“Sacramento DA Thien Ho is a tenacious prosecutor who played a crucial role in putting the Golden State Killer in prison for life. ‘The People vs. the Golden State Killer’ is a riveting behind-the-scenes account about the investigation, capture, and prosecution of Joseph DeAngelo.” – Paul Holes, bestselling author of “Unmasked”

An Interview with Thien Ho

You explore Joseph DeAngelo’s backstory and early signs of violence. How did that psychological profile affect the way you viewed him?

His early behavior showed a clear escalation … voyeurism, theft, then rape and murder. It was a classic profile of a predator who felt entitled to power and control. Understanding that helped us anticipate his behavior and build a stronger case. But it also underscored how many warning signs were missed. That made our pursuit of justice all the more urgent. We could not change the past, but we could make sure he never hurt anyone again.

He led a split life – a police officer by day, predator by night. What did you learn about how he managed to keep that double identity hidden for so long, even from his family?

DeAngelo was meticulous. He compartmentalized his life with surgical precision. He was not impulsive, he planned, he stalked, he adapted. That is how he avoided capture for so long. It was chilling to realize that someone could commit such evil while maintaining the appearance of normalcy. But evil does not always look like a monster. Sometimes it looks like your neighbor.

DeAngelo’s behavior during the interrogation was chilling. He tried to fake insanity and even hurt himself after the arrest. At what point did you and your team stop seeing these actions as confusion or remorse, and start seeing them as strategy?

Very early on. We saw through the act. He whispered to himself in the interrogation room, trying to create this narrative of mental instability, but the timing and the manner were too deliberate. It was not remorse, it was manipulation. He had eluded capture for decades using deception. This was just another tactic. But this time, it did not work.

DeAngelo tried to appear weak and frail in court. How did that version of him compare to the man you knew he really was behind the scenes?

It was an act, a carefully staged performance. In reality, DeAngelo was calculating, manipulative, and far more aware than he pretended to be. I had seen the evidence, the way he moved, how he covered his tracks. He wanted the world to see a broken old man. But we knew better. The survivors knew better. And the truth won.

At one point, you made a rare promise to a survivor that you would get her justice. What made you make that promise, and did it stay with you during the case?

She had waited decades to be believed, and when she looked me in the eye and asked if this time would be different, I knew I could not let her down. I promised I would fight for her like she was my own family. That promise was with me every day of the case. It guided every decision, every argument, every late night. And when justice came, I thought of her first.

Unlike most books and documentaries that focus on the killer, your book centers the survivors and the people who brought him to justice. Why was that shift so important to you, and how did you approach telling such personal, painful stories with care?

Too often, the spotlight stays on the monster. I wanted to shift the focus to the heroes; the survivors, the investigators, and the prosecutors who never gave up. These are people who found the courage to speak, to remember, and to fight back. I approached their stories with the same care I brought to court … listen deeply, tell the truth, and honor their humanity. They are the soul of this case.

Hearing survivor impact statements must have been an incredibly powerful moment. Was there one that especially stayed with you?

Every single statement hit me hard, but one survivor, someone who had never spoken publicly before, looked DeAngelo in the eye and told him she was no longer afraid. That moment stuck with me. Her strength, after everything she endured, reminded me why we fight so hard for justice. It was not just about locking him up, it was about restoring power to those he tried to destroy.

Now that DeAngelo is behind bars for life, what can you share about his life in prison?

What I can say is this, DeAngelo lives in a prison cell, just as he once trapped his victims in fear. He is no longer in control. He no longer gets to hide behind a mask of normalcy. And he will never walk free again. That is the justice system doing its job, and it will do so until his last breath.

Are there any unanswered questions or unresolved pieces of this case that still weigh on you?

There are always questions that linger in a case like this. Some of DeAngelo’s crimes remain unconfirmed or unsolved, and I suspect there may be victims we still do not know about. We did everything in our power to connect the dots, but the passage of time erases evidence, and sadly, sometimes, voices. I carry the weight of what we could not prove alongside the pride of what we did.

After years of work, what did “justice” look like for you – not just legally, but personally and emotionally – when this case finally concluded?

Justice, for me, was not just a sentence; it was a sense of peace for the survivors who carried these scars for decades. Seeing DeAngelo wheeled into court, forced to hear the voices of the people he tried to silence, was powerful. But it was also deeply personal. I came to this country as a refugee fleeing violence. To now serve as the elected District Attorney and bring one of the nation’s most brutal serial predators to justice was full circle. It meant something bigger than any verdict.

What justice means to him

Bringing DeAngelo to justice was not only a legal victory. It was a personal, full-circle moment that symbolized hope and accountability.

“The People vs. The Golden State Killer”

Thien Ho | Nov. 11, 2025 | Third State Books | Nonfiction / True Crime

Hardcover | 979-8890130358 | $29.95

Available on Amazon.com at The People vs. the Golden State Killer: Ho, Thien