As fear spreads through Sacramento, the public demands answers. Communities hold meetings. Newspapers cover the case. And all the while, Paul Holes believes the East Area Rapist was likely watching closely. In this episode, we examine a chilling turning point in the series: the first known attack with a man present in the home, and the possibility that the offender targeted that couple after a town hall comment. The case draws more public attention, and the crimes become more calculated.

The case moves into Cordova Meadows, a Sacramento-area neighborhood that became key to understanding the East Area Rapist. Through maps, geography, victimology, and old case files, Paul Holes explains how the offender’s movements revealed familiarity, planning, and confidence. What may have looked random from the outside begins to look very different when Paul studies the streets, fences, backyards, and anchor points that help shape the investigation.

The crimes move north, and a new name emerges: the East Area Rapist. Paul Holes explains how the offender’s behavior changed after Visalia, how early attacks in the Sacramento area unfolded, and how investigators struggled to understand whether they were dealing with a new offender or just someone who had evolved. As the crime spree expands, Paul begins to unpack one of the most disturbing facts of the case: Joseph DeAngelo was a police officer.

Paul Holes begins the story in 1970s Visalia, California, when the Golden State Killer was just beginning to make a name for himself. Before the East Area Rapist, before the Original Night Stalker, there was the Visalia Ransacker, a prolific offender breaking into homes and leaving fear behind. Paul walks Yeardley, Dan, and Dave through the early crimes, the killing of Claude Snelling, the shooting of Officer McGowan, and the case files that first pulled Paul into what would become a career-defining 24-year pursuit.