It's been an unusual week for small penis topics, especially for psychopaths.
First it was revealed that DNA evidence shows that Hitler may have had a very small penis, and now a new book claims that the "Golden State Killer", the infamous serial killer who was caught with the help of Michelle McNamara, the wife of actor Patton Oswalt, may have been caught solely because of his very small penis.
Note: The Golden State Killer is the name given to Joseph James DeAngelo, a US serial killer who operated in California from 1976–1986 and was captured in 2018. He was responsible for dozens of rapes, robberies, and 13 confirmed murders.
The book is called "The People vs. the Golden State Killer" and the author, Thien Ho, a Sacramento prosecutor, writes that the small detail of the penis was the key that led detectives to link several different crimes to the same person.
Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was identified through DNA as a serial killer and rapist and appeared in California Superior Court in Sacramento on April 27, 2025. He had initially been arrested for several serious crimes in California, but police suspected he could also be the person known as the “East Area Rapist.”
Note: The East Area Rapist was the name police gave a serial rapist before it was realized he was the same person as the Golden State Killer.
Victim testimonies for both sets of crimes described the attacker as having a very small penis. Without DNA evidence linking him to these cases, prosecutor Ho said:
"I needed more evidence to confirm the extremely small size of his penis."
Police and a photographer were assigned to take pictures of DeAngelo's genitals while he was in custody. The photographer got tired after several failed attempts. One of the officers said in frustration:
“There's nothing there.”
Police reportedly said:
"It is smaller than the circumference of a coin and its length is the tip of your little finger."
This evidence helped corroborate the victims' testimonies. In 2020, DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 26 felonies, including the East Area Rapist attacks. He was sentenced to life in prison.
