If you are a true crime fanatic, then you’ve probably heard of the Golden State Killer.
And if you consume television like you eat your meals, especially during the pandemic, then you’ve probably seen the docuseries I’ll Be Gone in the Dark on HBO last year. Well, folks, the docuseries is airing a special episode this 21st of June on HBO and HBO GO. It will focus on the developments of the Golden State Killer case after the true-crime docuseries aired.
Director Elizabeth Wolff will take you back to Oak Park where author Michelle McNamara interviewed residents in 2013 and conducted extensive research which led to her finding inconsistencies with police work on rape and murder cases that happened there.
Because McNamara died in 2016, before the suspect Joseph James DeAngelo’s arrest, this special episode aims to close the I’ll Be Gone in the Dark author’s unfinished investigation as the special episode follows the sentencing of the convicted DeAngelo.
De Angelo pleaded guilty to multiple counts of rape, kidnapping, and murder in connection to the East Area Rapist and Golden State Killer cases last year. Apart from the sentencing of DeAngelo, the special episode also interviews DeAngelo’s rape victims, his murder victim’s surviving family, and how De Angelo’s life imprisonment may offer some sort of closure for them.
The special episode will also have some clips of actual courtroom footage as well as CCTV footage of DeAngelo in his prison cell to show the audience that the frail old man you see in the courtroom is not the man you see when alone in his cell. Courtroom footage will also show DeAngelo as well as the victims and their surviving families addressing the court.
Given that DeAngelo’s crimes date back all the way to the 1970s, the episode leaves you wondering if there is gross negligence on the part of the police who investigated cases linked to DeAngelo. It begs to leave the audience contemplating if all the lives lost or destroyed could have been avoided if police investigators were more diligent in their police work.
It also implores the deeper question of whether more funding or resources should be allocated to police investigation to help with the efficiency in solving crime cases.
Catch I’ll Be Gone in the Dark’s special episode on HBO or stream it on-demand on HBO GO.
