Small Package, Big Win: Golden State Killer's 'Micro-Sized' Manhood Helped Nail the Disgusting Predator After Decades-Long Investigation
The minuscule manhood ultimately helped investigators link the killer to a series of murders.
Nov. 12 2025, Published 7:49 p.m. ET
Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo's minuscule manhood ultimately helped investigators link him to a series of murders and rapes, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho exposed the sick killer's micro genitalia in his new book, The People vs. the Golden State Killer, revealing that DeAngelo's wand was smaller than a pinky finger.
Manhood Was So Small Police Photographer Couldn't Find It
DeAngelo was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes in 2020.
Ho described how a police photographer was told to take multiple photos of DeAngelo's manhood from different angles for investigative purposes.
The DA wrote that the photographer "grew frustrated after several failed attempts" after getting down on his knees to try to capture the barely-there member.
A detective eventually "threw up his hands in the air in exasperation and barked over the intercom, 'There’s nothing there.'"
Shocking Discovery
DeAngelo was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In an attempt to locate the hard-to-find genitalia, DeAngelo, 80, was told to "spread his legs and pull back the foreskin," and the photographer was met with a shocking discovery.
After finally getting the snapshots he needed, the cameraman observed that the notorious killer's equipment was "smaller than the circumference of a dime and its length is equal to the tip of your pinky."
Arrested 32 Years After His Last Known Crime
DeAngelo was finally taken into custody in 2018 after detectives cracked the cold case.
The former police officer's reign of terror began in the mid-1970s, and the sadistic serial killer went on to murder at least 13 people, along with committing numerous rapes, at least 120 burglaries, and various attempted murders that lasted until 1986.
DeAngelo proved challenging to track, as his crimes were spread out across 11 California counties.
He was living a quiet life in the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights, Calif., when detectives finally cracked cthe cold case of the Golden State Killer, thanks to forensic genealogy that wasn't available during his 12-year crime spree. DeAngelo was arrested in April 2018.
"He reminded me of a sloppy grandpa or an alcoholic uncle whom you avoided at all costs during Thanksgiving dinner," Ho told the Sacramento Bee ahead of his book's publication, about when he got a first look at DeAngelo after his arrest.
"What have I done?," DeAngelo asked Detective Kenny Clark during questioning when he accused him of the 1979 murders of a young couple who were out walking their dog.
"I don’t remember any of that. ... I've done nothing," DeAngelo maintained. "Please let me go home. I don’t remember any of that. I’ve done nothing."
'I'm Truly Sorry'
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DeAngelo apologized to the families of his victims after they gave impact statements at his sentencing.
DeAngelo eventually pleaded guilty in August 2020 to 13 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of kidnapping, in addition to 161 other related crimes. He received 11 consecutive life sentences, but the confessed killer was already an elderly man at the time.
Speaking at length for the first time at his sentencing hearing, DeAngelo stood and told the victims' families, "I’ve listened to all your statements, each one of ‘em. And I’m truly sorry to everyone I’ve hurt."
