One Small Step – One Small Miracle

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Few experiences could be more life-affirming than seeing birds in debut flight. When those creatures happen to be two bald eaglets (fledging auspiciously close to July 4), gasps and tears are among observer reactions.

Among very few of their species in Sacramento County, a mated eagle couple is now completing a fourth breeding season on the American River. Having recorded each of those seasons, I note the 2020 nursery unique for surprise and heartbreak.

In spring, observers were astonished to find three chicks in the eagle nursery. In previous broods, the parents reliably raised only two babies.  Judging by its size, the unexpected baby probably hatched 10 days after the alpha we called Courage; and perhaps a week after middle sibling Hope. We named the surprise baby Miracle. “It’ll be a miracle if he survives,” predicted a riverside wit. But the smallest eaglet escaped bullying often suffered by raptor runts. His parents favored him with plenty to eat. A feisty, competitive personality quickly developed.

The family dynamic was disrupted when alpha Courage fell from the nest before he was old enough to fly. Though the parents fed him on the ground, coyote and bobcats must also provide for their own babies. One day the fallen eaglet simply disappeared. Crisis support arrived in the form of an eagle helper that has assisted the family in previous summers. The parents absented themselves as the babysitter we call “Hunter” dutifully mentored, fed and suffered the remaining two eaglets’ ingratitude. Mama and Papa took compassionate leave from months of exhausting hunting and childcare. 

In their absence, second eaglet Hope reached 12 weeks old and was poised for flight. Her debut promised a much-needed lift for her kin and for fans who had taken the family to their hearts. Hope did not disappoint. On summer solstice, she scrambled from the nest to a favorite branch. Here she spread massive wings and claimed her sky. An ungainly series of flaps got her 50 yards to an adjacent pine.

Before setting a course for the home tree, the debutante gave a "here I come" squeal. She flew with greater confidence to achieve a high limb. Though Hunter had just delivered a trout, she ignored his celebratory offering and chose flight over food. Off she winged to partly loop the river and descend on a new branch. Thence she sped to a new tree, then another. Alone for the first time in his life, sibling Miracle was beyond consolation. He screamed and screamed. An hour passed before Hope made a clumsy, talons-splayed touch-down in the nest. Hers was a text-book fledge that would have made absent Mama proud.

By last week, brother Miracle had also reached fly-by date and was jumping aggressively on branches outside the nest.  Mama and Papa returned, bearing fish and a small rodent as gifts. Unplacated, their runt screamed from noon till sunset, seemingly demanding maternal permission to fly. Perhaps fearing an evening fledge and the risk another of baby on the ground, Mama endured his awful cacophony and kept the wannabe pilot under her yellow thumb. By dawn, the reunited family and faithful Hunter watched Miracle’s brave first step into the abyss.

His 250-yard flight achieved a leafy bluff oak. Then he ventured a longer spin to a low, rotted stump. Papa and sister Hope perched encouragingly in a nearby pine. On an aborted relaunch, they saw him plummet over the bluff. Human observers groaned at the memory of Courage's ill-fated fall, but rookie Miracle did not tumble far. His eager little face soon reappeared and he regained his stump. His next flit -- to a mockingbird nesting tree -- brought on fierce harassment by its tiny occupants. Off he flew to join sibling Hope on a more hospitable pine. Though the older fledgling tried to bully him into takeoff, the new aviator stood firm.

When Miracle swooped to his next destination, his talons grabbed flimsy pine needles. This common rookie error flopped him upside-down and bat-like till he lost hold and fell to a solid branch. Here he quickly perceived a second error:  he was back in the mockingbird tree and under renewed attack.  Fleeing over the river, he soon returned to claim familiar cliff pines.

All morning and afternoon of a triple-digit day continued his thrilling adventure. Miracle’s fledge was a roller coaster of takeoffs, landings, a trapeze act, a tumbling turn and battles with wee birds. A fish dinner with the family would later crown his debut.

Days before a July 4 historically curtailed by COVID restrictions, the safe launching of new national bird generation came as a balm to nature lovers. May the spirit of Courage -- Hope and Miracle’s lost brother – forever be the wind beneath their wings.

Footnote: To protect the eagles, their nest location is not published. Susan Maxwell Skinner’s American River Nature Blog can be followed on Facebook.

Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. is Sentenced to Life without Parole

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – According to a press release issued by the Office of Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer:

Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., 74, pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of first-degree murder and 13 felony counts of kidnapping to commit robbery during a 13-year multicounty crime spree that terrorized much of California during the 1970s and 1980s. DeAngelo was identified through Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) in 2018, more than three decades after he raped and murdered his last victim in 1986.

DeAngelo also admitted to 161 uncharged crimes related to 61 uncharged victims, including attempted murder, kidnapping to commit robbery, rape, robbery, first-degree burglary, false imprisonment and criminal threats. The uncharged crimes occurred in Alameda, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Tulare and Yolo counties.

The decision by prosecutors to accept DeAngelo’s offer to plead guilty to the 26 charged crimes and admit the uncharged crimes was made in consultation with the victims and their family members. The totality of the circumstances, including the age of the victims, the age of witnesses and the death of other key witnesses, and the age of the defendant, were taken into consideration.

This six-county joint prosecution resulted in a guilty plea of: 

13 counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances allegations of multiple murders and murder during the commission of rape, robbery, and burglary.

13 felony counts of kidnapping to commit robbery with sentencing enhancements for personal use of a firearm and personal use of a knife during the commission of the offenses. 

DeAngelo also admitted to the uncharged crimes of:

Attempted murder, kidnapping to commit robbery, rape, robbery, first-degree burglary, false imprisonment and criminal threats.

DeAngelo’s crime spree began in 1975 when he was working as a police officer with the Exeter Police Department. The crimes, which continued long after he was fired from the Auburn Police Department in 1979, escalated from peeping through windows to stalking to rape and serial murder. 

The hearing was relocated to the Sacramento State Ballroom to accommodate the large number of victims and their family members in attendance and to ensure social distancing in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

“The investigation, identification and prosecution of the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer has been a long journey for justice – a journey marked by passion, persistence and sheer determination,” said Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. “Through the revolutionary tool of Investigative Genetic Genealogy, this serial rapist and murderer was not only identified and brought to justice but will spend the rest of his life in prison. It is my sincere hope that today brings healing to victims, their families and communities harmed by the atrocious crimes committed by Joseph DeAngelo.”

Joseph DeAngelo will be sentenced to life in state prison without the possibility of parole. The sentence will run consecutive and concurrent to his sentence for the first-degree murders to which he has pled. His sentencing hearing will commence on August 17, 2020. Victims will be given the opportunity to deliver victim impact statements prior to DeAngelo’s sentencing on August 21, 2020. The sentencing hearing location will be announced at a later date. 

His crimes earned him the nicknames of the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker, and the Golden State Killer. It was not until April 2018 that Sacramento authorities announced that Investigative Genetic Genealogy had identified DeAngelo as the person responsible.