Decades old Golden State murder cases cracked? Suspect held

The police in California have arrested a former lawkeeper on charges of a spree of rapes, murders and burglaries in the 1970s and 1980s.

Sacramento Police said they arrested the suspect - 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo. He has been a resident of Sacramento area and was picked after a fresh effort was launched to crack the case, sleuths said.

The suspect was accused of 51 rapes, 12 murders and over 120 burglaries. DeAngelo has been charged for four murders in 1978 and 1980 in Sacramento and Ventura County, respectively, and more charges were to be filed, reports said.

The police said they had been tracking the suspect and also used "discarded DNA" to match him to the crimes committed, reports cited Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Johns as saying.

In 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation declared a reward of $50,000 for anybody who could help solve the old case.