Thien Ho, Pacific Alum, for the People
Photo provided by Amaya Leiby
In an interview with The Pacifican, Ho shares his journey to becoming the Sacramento DA and prosecutor of the Golden State Killer.
In his new book, The People vs. The Golden State Killer, Thien Ho, McGeorge School of Law Alum and Sacramento District Attorney, discusses what it means to truly be on the side of “the people.” In a recent interview with The Pacifican, Ho shared how his personal journey inspired his prosecutorial actions, spoke on how the law and journalism intersect, and shared how the case redefined justice in his life. For Ho, then, representing the people meant far more than garnering another conviction. Instead, his life experience and legal expertise allowed him to aid in unmasking the Golden State Killer’s identity, freeing the people of his haunts.
Before being finally brought to justice at the age of 80, Joseph DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer, committed more than 120 burglaries, over 50 rapes, and 13 homicides. His criminal identity was disguised, as he also identified as a cop, neighbor, and husband. In court, not only did Ho finally put DeAngelo behind bars, but he also demonstrated how his early behavior mirrored that of a violent, power-obsessed predator, broke the seal on his double life as both a mechanic and cop, as well as a violent criminal, and diffused his attempt to fake insanity after arrest. Those details and more, which earned the case national recognition, are further discussed in Ho’s book, providing not only a chilling account of DeAngelo’s actions, but also shifting the spotlight from criminalistics to survival. Throughout the text, Ho affixes his commitment to survivors, the heroes of the story, taking a different angle than authors prior.
That said, when asked how it felt to publish a book with so many firsts, from never-before-heard testimony to survivor stories, Ho deemed excitement as the one emotion he felt while writing and publishing the book. He also shared that he has never been one to shy away from “firsts.” Coming to the United States as a refugee, Ho recounted memories of his adolescence as an immigrant, such as when he accompanied his mother to the DMV to serve as a translator. Further exemplifying Ho’s comfort with firsts is his time as a student at McGeorge, when hardly any other students looked like him or held similar viewpoints. Those experiences and more led to Ho not only confidently proving the truth in the courtroom, but also in print, as publishing his book was only another first for Ho to confront.
Beyond urging anyone with a voice not to falter when there is a story to be told, Ho also spoke on the parallel to be found in law and journalism between discovering truth and telling stories. For example, when Ho approaches a trial, just as he did with DeAngelo’s, he asks where in the story he is going to start the narrative. From that point, he decides from whose point of view to articulate the story. Furthermore, Ho advises all, whether law students or aspiring journalists, to ponder and eventually decipher what the subplots are. In his book, Ho identified the crimes committed as one plot, of course, but also holds space for the importance of his own personal reckoning, as well as the victims’ stories.
Throughout Ho’s book, one theme rings ever true: justice for the people. One victim’s story, Phyllis Zitka, stood out for Ho. He shared that Zitka was DeAngelo’s first rape victim, a crime that occurred in Sacramento. During the trial, Zitka was always one of the first people in the gallery, but one day, her attendance waned. Ho found out that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. When the time came for victim statements to be read, her sister read her words, making it clear what DeAngelo had done. However, justice is meant to be obtained, and Zitka embodied that sentiment. When DeAngelo was sentenced, she again sat in the gallery, battling cancer, approximately 47 years after the crime committed against her.
Stories like Zitka’s made working on this case “the honor of a lifetime” for Ho. In reflection about what this case meant to him, and for his career, Ho also shared that when he first became the District Attorney, he found a box with black and white photos of all the previous DAs dating back to 1850. He hung the photographs up in the lobby of his office to remind himself daily that sooner or later, we are all nothing more than a photograph, and that it always takes a “first.”
That said, despite the fact that Ho was one of the few students with his background at McGeorge School of Law, he said that his heart will always be with the University of the Pacific, cementing how impactful his Pacific education was. Not only did it inform his ethics and legal expertise, as eclipsed by his success as a Prosecutor, but it also provided mentors in his life. All in all, Ho embodies the sentiment that when you see something, you can believe something, and when you believe it, you can be it.
If you are interested in learning about the book, there will be a book signing on November 12th at 6 pm at the Main Library in Downtown Sacramento. Meet Thien Ho in person, shake hands with survivors, and if you are one of the first 100 people at the event, get a free copy of the text!
Photo provided by Amaya Leiby