Evil Has a Name

The Untold Story of the Golden State Killer Investigation

By: Paul Holes, Jim Clemente, Peter McDonnell

Narrated by: Paul Holes, Jim Clemente

Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Golden State Killer. The East Area Rapist. The Original Night Stalker. The Visalia Ransacker.

The monster who preyed on Californians from 1976 to 1986 was known by many aliases. And while numerous police sketches tried to capture his often-masked visage, the Golden State Killer spent more than 40 years not only faceless, but nameless.

For his victims, for their families and for the investigators tasked with finding him, the senselessness and brutality of the Golden State Killer's acts were matched only by the powerlessness they felt at failing to uncover his identity. To be sure, the chances of obtaining closure—or any form of justice—after so many years were slim to none, at best.

Then, on April 24, 2018, authorities arrested 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo at his home in Citrus Heights, Calif., based on DNA evidence linked to the crimes. After a decades-long hunt, a suspect was behind bars. Could it be that evil finally had a name?

Delivering all-new details about the investigation and a stunning final act to the events of Michelle McNamara's haunting bestseller, I'll Be Gone in the Dark, this is the true story of how the suspected Golden State Killer was captured, as told, first-hand, by those closest to the case:

Paul Holes—the forensic criminologist and retired Costa County detective who spent 20 years trying to crack the Golden State Killer case, and finally did.

Jim Clemente (Host)—a retired FBI profiler and former New York City prosecutor who has investigated some of the highest profile criminal cases in U.S. history, including the Unabomber.

Please note: This work contains descriptions of violent crime and sexual assault and may not be suitable for all listeners. 

©2018 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.

Rank this with the best in true crime.

This was the most compelling book I have listened to in years. It's not like any other audio book.
Interwoven stories, research, interviews, from multiple points of view. If you're interested in true crime, detective work, profiling, sensitive accounts from victims and police investigators... you will be captivated. I can't really say enough about it. 6 hours flew by in a flash. And such a relief to have an ending like this one.

Audible Raises The Bar On True Crime Genre

There's not another true crime book like this. In fact, I'm not sure this is a book. It's a collection of interviews woven together to tell the story of capturing the Golden State killer. It's like a very well put together audio documentary. Instead of giving the single perspective of one author, the book gives many perspectives of people speaking in their own voices. From victims to police, the story goes behind the scenes in a way few books do.

Much respect for the Victims and the Families

Full Disclosure: I am one of the narrators of this project. But I have to say, being given the opportunity to work with Ret. Det. Paul Holes and the Survivor Sisters has been amazing and humbling. They are all true Heroes and Sheroes! The insights they provide and the courage they all displayed is epic.

True Crime Audio Documentary

This is more than an audiobook. It’s a full production including interviews with survivors, investigators and more. I finished it in one day because it’s that good.

Listened all in one sitting

Jim Clemente and Paul Holes together my two true crime heroes , yes please! Thank you Paul for never giving up!

Bravo!

I’m in awe at the tenacity and strength of, not only the victims of this cockroach, but the team of investigators who have put their hearts and souls into ridding the public of a dangerous killer. This audiobook includes the voices of the victims and their families, a well as the voices of the the main actors in this true crime story. Well done.

Chapter 12

This was well done very informative but also sad and tragic as it should be because what that man did was horrid. GSK was, is a monster and thank God it seems (I believe) he has been captured after so long and will have what's coming to him. Out of all the chapters, the chapter that stood at the most for me was chapter 12. Sitting in my truck, listening at a local grocery store just before I was ready to go in and shop. Couldn't go in until I finished the very and had wiped away the tears. I just can't even imagine.

Fascinating interviews

An excellent audio documentary in the same very effective format as West Cork, this is a collection of interviews with victims, law enforcement figures, scientists and investigators involved in this recently solved, epic case. If you were mesmerized by Michelle McNamara’s “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” you’ll find in this book a satisfying resolution to the mysteries she addressed. A must-read for true crime fans.

Excellent!

Very nicely put together and love the fact that it was mostly narrated by Paul. Thank you Paul for your passion in law enforcement to provide justice.

Couldn’t put it down!

I looked forward to being in traffic- this was so interesting. I loved the twists and turns in the investigation. I learned a lot about geneology.

Frustrating

The story is interesting but it's dragged out a bit. I'm not sure why the free ones are split into short episodes. It's very frustrating as they don't carry on, you have to select each one. This is a bad idea since listeners are often driving.

Brilliantly told

love this, finished all 14 episodes in one day. has you booked start to finish. a very interesting story told by the detective and other people that lived it. stars deducted as in a couple of episodes audio snippets over lap each other to the point you can't make out what is being said. otherwise, brilliant.

easy to follow, tense and facinating

loved it! great documentary. very technical and shows you how hard detective work actually is. loved narration and would love to hear more of series like this. episodes are a good length and were easy to follow who is speaking and when.

I now hate this man more than any other human ever

A story of ineptitude of the American police forces in the 70's when it came to sharing information , of a truly evil man and of the birth of a DNA technique which may render serial crimes like this a thing of the past. An incredible overview of a mans determination to bring a faceless man to justice. Well told, well structured and well narrated. A must listen.

Breathtaking

An amazing piece of work. I was gripped, horrified, terrified and inspired by this brilliant podcast. I felt the terror if the victims, the anger and dispair of the families and friends of the victims, and the volcanic frustration of the investigating team. At times I felt voyeuristic hearing the horror of the attacks, but it clarified how evil can exist among us, in disguise, in amongst familiar people. How glad I am that the clever guys got this monster. How good it was to hear those he had attacked, clearly and powerfuly tell him he had not controlled their lives. Incredible brilliant work all involved.

Excellent

Excellent book/listen... in depth, heart rendering but informative... and best of all... it was free!

Great Series

I could not believe that this person managed to escape every time when he was sighted or came face to face with someone. It is scary that he managed to evade capture for so long and how he escalated each time after he was nearly caught in the act. DNA is a great tool, The authorities in the USA & here in the UK won’t allow every bit of evidence to be tested because of the privacy of people. What about the privacy of the murdered person or the victim of a sexual attack? I think their justice should be put above privileged privacy. If you have done nothing wrong then you don’t need to hide.

Anyway. This is Well worth a listen and you get drawn in and start to feel for the people who take part of this program. This is one of the best I have come across but I think you should read/listen to I’ll be Gone in the dark 1st.

Well done & Congratulations

Terrifying - for more than one reason

Firstly I would recommend any survivors of sexual violence, home invasion or other violence think hard about listening to this. There are multiple graphic descriptions with only a cursory content warning at the beginning of the episode.

Secondly it's important to note that - as of time of recording - the person finally arrested in 2018 has not stood trial yet.

The person arrested in all probability is guilty. But the way the investigation was conducted is highly problematic. That fact coupled with the high profile of the case and publicity (including this series proclaiming their absolute guilt) I fear may lead to the accused being released due to the undue influence it would have on the jury. I think the investigators and Audible may have done the victims and survivors a grave injustice.

Removing ourselves from this particular case the series highlights the staggering incompetence, lack of foresight and unethical methods police and investigators will take to make a case fit a suspect. But all this goes completely unchallenged by the series.

Paul Holes was absolutely convinced on more than one occasion that he had the killer, but they were later discounted. He went and talked to their friends and family and implanted the idea they were the GSK/EAR. Even after they were discounted you can imagine the psychological damage that was caused. Despite admitting that his mistake in cherry picking evidence with the first suspect he went on to do it again...and again...and again

Methods of collecting DNA from suspects were unethical and uncontrolled which I would imagine render them inadmissible at best and leading to false-positives or false-negatives at worst.

Fraudulently uploading someone's DNA to a public and open source database without any kind of oversight constitutes a gross violation of privacy. Things such as warrants exist exactly for this purpose. Why not get a warrant and search the official databases? How reliable is the data on there in the first place in order to make the links? This is not only the the person to whom the DNA belongs but also anyone it links to.

The methods of investigation are sloppy and so prone to error even the most incompetent of defenders will be able to poke holes in it.

I have to hope there is supporting evidence other than the DNA and the fact the alleged killer sometimes acted a bit weird and once lost his job as a police officer.

A Great Series.

This is a very well written story of the crimes of the Golden State killer. The story manages to fit an incredible tale of over 40 years worth of information into 14 episodes. The most touching episode for me was Cheri and Greg's story, truly there is not enough justice for any of the victims and what the criminal had put them through. This was my first audible series to listen to, and it was truly captivating, Although the science behind the forensics could have been explained a little better. Overall I highly recommend listening to this series of the victim's stories and how science had advanced over the course of 40 years to aid in solving crime.

Excellent

I did this from start to finish in one sitting. I really enjoyed it and would advise everyone to give this a listen. Would love to listen to more like this.