Janelle Cruz's house

This is the house where Janelle Cruz was murdered.

It is located at 13 Encina in Irvine, California.

Cruz is the last known victim of the Golden State Killer (aka EARONS).

On May 4th, 1986, Cruz's mother, stepfather, and younger brother went on a vacation to Mexico. Meanwhile, she remained behind at their family home in Irving.

The 18-year-old pizza parlor cashier was reportedly nervous about the idea of spending the night by herself. Consequently, she invited a male coworker and friend to come over and visit.

That evening, the pair heard strange noises outside Cruz's bedroom window and near the garage door. However, after investigating these sounds and finding nothing, they quickly assumed that it was just a cat or the washing machine.

Unfortunately, the truth was unfathomably worse.

Prowling outside in the darkness that night was a sexual predator who had been lying dormant for nearly five years. By that stage in his "career", EARONS had already broken into countless homes, raped dozens of victims, and taken the lives of at least 12 people.

After checking who was inside the house, it is likely that the killer began probing the exterior for a suitable entry point.

Cruz's male friend left at around 10.45 p.m.—a decision that undoubtedly saved his life.

Although most killers prefer attacking lone victims, EARONS was a different kettle of fish. During his East Side Rapist spree (1976–1979), he seemingly took a sadistic liking to targeting couples. By doing so, he could tie the pair up, separate them, rape the female, and taunt her helpless male companion.

Such was his preference for couples that he may have even been slightly disappointed when he noticed that Cruz's coworker was leaving.

The following afternoon, a real estate agent arrived at the house.

Cruz's parents were trying to sell the property, and their agent had recently found a prospective buyer who was interested in seeing it.

After knocking on the door and receiving no answer, the agent presumed that it was OK to proceed with the viewing.

Shortly after entering the house, he found Cruz's lifeless body lying diagonally on her bed. The teenager had been struck over the head, bound at the wrists, raped, and bludgeoned to death.

Investigators found blades of grass on the bed and footprints in the backyard. It is believed that the killer beat the teenager to death with a pipe wrench that he picked up on the property.

For more than three decades, her murder remained unsolved. As the years whizzed by, it seemed more and more unlikely that her killer would ever be brought to justice.

However, all of that changed on April 24th, 2018, when the authorities suddenly announced that they had arrested a 72-year-old man named Joseph James DeAngelo in connection with the Golden State Killer case.

To spare himself from the death penalty, DeAngelo eventually agreed to plead guilty to 13 murders, including Cruz's. In September 2020, he received multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.