New York Times asks Professor Joh about Golden State Killer case

On June 29 in Sacramento, Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 26 charges of murder and kidnapping resulting from a 12-year rape and killing spree in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Professor Elizabeth Joh spoke to the New York Times about genetic genealogy, the method through which DeAngelo was caught. Joh has raised privacy concerns about genetic genealogy, which uses DNA that has been uploaded to genealogy databases to identify criminal suspects.

“The resolution of the Golden State Killer case should be lauded for bringing closure to these investigations, but the means by which DeAngelo was identified remains troubling,” Joh told the Times. Read the story

Professor Joh's scholarship focuses on criminal procedure and policing, with a special emphasis on DNA evidence, undercover policing, and new surveillance technologies. She is the recipient of King Hall’s 2017 Distinguished Teaching Award.