SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A former California police officer who became known as the Golden State Killer told victims Friday he was “truly sorry” before he was sentenced to life imprisonment for a decade-long string of rapes and murders across a wide swath of California.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman said 74-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo will die in prison for his guilty pleas to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges between 1975 and 1986.

DeAngelo also publicly admitted dozens more sexual assaults for which the statute of limitations had expired.

Prosecutors called his more than decade-long spate of crimes “simply staggering,” encompassing 87 victims at 53 separate crime scenes spanning 11 California counties.

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