if it hadn't been for him. >> the crime started here in visalia. >> reporter: tulare county district attorney believes snelling was the first victim murdered by joseph deangelo, the suspected golden state killer. he we're filing first degree murder charges against mr. deangelo, along with an allegation that he used a firearm in the commission of that murder. >> reporter: during the 1907s and '80s deangelo committed at least 12 other murders and 50 rapes in ten california counties. dna evidence led to his arrest in april deangelo is not dectly linked to snelling's murder by dna, jason salazar said he can prove he was the ransacker. >> we have witnesses that can identify mr. deangelo as the suspect in that time. they were tied directly to the murder of snelling. >> reporter: he worked as a police officer about 12 miles away in the town of exeter. he is also suspected of 1 #00 burglaries and attempted sex assaults in visalia. >> the only crime that we can attribute to mr. deangelo that has not passed the statute of limitations is the murder of mr. snelling. >> reporter: deangelo has not