‘Golden State Killer’ Joseph James DeAngelo’s neighbours say he was a ‘freak’ who threatened a ‘load of death’ over barking dog

THE shocked neighbours of the suspected Golden State Killer say he was known as the "freak" and once threatened to "deliver a load of death" in a row over a barking dog.

They claim former cop Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was "creepy, angry and odd" and used to launch X-rated rants from the porch of his well-kept home.

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The former police officer was arrested at his home in Citrus Heights, California after scientists reported a perfect DNA match to the Golden State Killer.

Cops believe the notorious murderer  - also known as the East Area Rapist -  committed 12 killings and at least 50 rapes across California from 1976 to 1986.

Those living near DeAngelo say even though he was notoriously moody, they were still shocked to learn he's now being linked to the infamous case.

“We used to just call him ‘freak,’” said Natalia Bedes-Correnti, who lives a few houses away.

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“He used to have these temper tantrums, not at anybody, just (expressing) his self frustration...usually because he couldn’t find his keys.”

Natalia  says DeAngelo was so loud, she could hear him from inside her house, although she added the tantrums seemed to quieten down several years ago.

Another neighbour, Eddie Verdon, said he once had a stare-down with DeAngelo after catching him prowling on his property.

“I had the creeps about this guy for a long time,” he said.

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Grant Gorman, who grew up next door to DeAngelo, described him as being so frightening it stopped him from playing with one of his daughters.

"This guy just had this anger that was just pouring out of him. He'd just be yelling at nothing in the backyard, pacing in circles," he said.

He added that DeAngelo left a voicemail message for his family around 1994 in which he said would "deliver a load of death" if they didn't stop their dog barking.

"He was the kind of person you didn't want to make mad," said Sonja Gorman. "There were enough times where we just knew not to bother him and not to incite him."

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Several neighbours said they saw DeAngelo working in his garage and in front of his house hours before his arrest.

Cory Harvey, his next-door neighbour, said she heard a commotion and looked out to see three or four law enforcement cars had pulled up, some wearing vests and helmets.

The local sheriff's office  said officers had conducted surveillance on the house for several days, watching DeAngelo's patterns, and decided to wait until he was outside his home to apprehend him.

An investigative team that included crews in FBI jackets set up an analysis scene on DeAngelo's driveway Wednesday with tents.

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By midday, investigators had pulled a Suzuki motorcycle and an outboard boat out of the suspect's garage and his backyard into the front driveway, as well as two newer-model cars, a Volvo and Toyota.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones said DeAngelo worked for the Auburn Police Department from 1976 to 1979.

He was sacked after he was charged with stealing a hammer and dog repellent from a Citrus Heights drug store, according to reports.

Jones said the investigation will include looking at whether what was taken is in anyway related to crimes the East Area Rapist was committing around that time.

DeAngelo  is being held without bail in Sacramento on two murder counts.

The arrest came just days after a book about the case shot to the top of bestseller lists across the world.

The publicity storm that followed I'll Be Gone In The Dark is though to have led to a vital tip-off.

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The book was written by Michelle McNamara and published posthumously with the help of her grieving husband Patton Oswalt.

The comedian - who shot to fame by voicing Remy the rat in Pixar hit Ratatouille - tweeted: "I think you got him, Michelle."

FBI officers first started probing DeAngelo after the tip last week - and soon had a DNA match from a piece of kitchen rubbish.

Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said: "We all knew that we were looking for a needle in a haystack.

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"It is fitting that today is National DNA Day. We found the needle in the haystack and it was right here in Sacramento."

In 2016, 40 years after the Golden State Killer's first attack, the FBI offered a $50,000 reward for any information that could lead to his arrest and conviction, as they said they had his DNA and it was a "solvable case".

The FBI described him as a white male, close to 6 feet tall, with blond or light brown hair.

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