The estranged wife of the so-called Golden State Killer has spoken out for the first time since the arrest of 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo.
Sharon Huddle, who has been cooperating with investigators, released a statement on her behalf through the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department on Friday, KTLA sister station KTXL in Sacramento reported.
“My thoughts and prayers are for the victims and their families,” Huddle said. “The press has relentlessly pursued interviews of me. I will not be giving any interviews for the foreseeable future. I ask the press to please respect my privacy and that of my children.”
DeAngelo, a former police officer, and Huddle married in Placer County on November 10, 1973.
Authorities believe DeAngelo, 72, committed 12 killings and at least 50 rapes across California in the 1970s and 1980s.
He was arrested April 25 after investigators matched a discarded DNA sample from his house to investigation evidence.
Authorities in Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties have also accused him of murder, according to officials and documents.
Santa Barbara County filed four counts of murder against DeAngelo on May 10, which brings the total number to 12.
KTLA’s Wes Woods II contributed to this story.