East Area Rapist Victims' Brother Led Crusade For DNA Database

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) — Bruce Harrington lost his brother and sister-in-law in a crime tied to the East Area Rapist.

He spoke on Wednesday after the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo, the man suspected of committing more than 50 rapes and a dozen murders across California.

"Closure to the anguish we have all suffered for the last 40-some-odd years," he said.

Harrington's brother and sister-in-law were killed by the East Area Rapist in the couple's Orange County home in August 1980.

Their deaths spurred Harrington on a quest to advance DNA sample collection in California. He pushed to help pass Proposition 69 in 2004, which now requires inmates to donate their DNA to a statewide database.

"This is not a current crime, but it's finally solved by DNA," he said. "It was 15 years until we finally heard there was a DNA sample taken from our crime scene, and there were other samples that became common to one unknown perpetrator

Harrington says his family's tragedy is fueling him to continue pushing for a more robust DNA database in California to help victims and families like him seek justice.