The former policeman accused of being the Golden State Killer headed back to court Thursday to fight prosecutors’ efforts to collect more of his DNA, the Associated Press reports. Diane Howard, the public defender for Joseph DeAngelo, 72, has filed a motion to block efforts by the district attorney to take DNA, fingerprints and photos of DeAngelo’s body. Prosecutors arrested DeAngelo last week and said they used DNA to identify him as the killer responsible for at least a dozen murders and 50 rapes across California between 1976 and 1986. The case was cold for decades, and the killer was known by nicknames such as the East Area Rapist, the Original Night Stalker and, more recently, the Golden State Killer.
Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert got a warrant last week to gather the samples and photographs. Howard argued that the search warrant should be stopped because it was approved before DeAngelo was arrested and arraigned last week. Prosecutors say the search warrant is still relevant and said collecting the evidence won’t be “testimonial in nature.” The Associated Press and other news organizations have filed a motion to unseal the full search and arrest warrants for DeAngelo, which could provide additional details about the DNA techniques prosecutors used to identify him.