California police have arrested a former police officer for a notorious spree of murders, rapes and burglaries in the 1970s and 80s.
Sacramento police say they arrested suspect Joseph James DeAngelo, 72.
The suspect has been living in the Sacramento area and was identified after new efforts to solve the case, investigators say.
Police blame the so-called Golden State Killer for 12 murders, 51 rapes and more than 120 burglaries.
Mr DeAngelo is being held on suspicion of four counts of murder - the 1978 deaths of Brian and Katie Maggiore in Sacramento and the 1980 killings of Charlene and Lyman Smith in Ventura County.
Crime spree that terrorised communities
By James Cook, BBC News Los Angeles correspondent
After four decades of frustration for detectives, it turned out the suspect had been living under their noses all along.
"We found the needle in the haystack and it was right here in Sacramento," said district attorney Anne Marie Schubert.
Joseph James DeAngelo had apparently been living an ordinary life on a quiet suburban street, a former police officer with grown-up children who was "very surprised" when he was arrested and taken into custody.
Details of his alleged crimes are deeply disturbing and collective psychological scars endure.
Many police officers and prosecutors involved in the case vividly recall the terror of the crime spree in their communities.
"Everyone was afraid," said FBI special agent Marcus Knutson, who was born and raised in Sacramento, as he announced a fresh appeal for information on the case two years ago.
"We had people sleeping with shotguns, we had people purchasing dogs. People were concerned, and they had a right to be. This guy was terrorising the community. He did horrible things."
Golden State Killer: DNA links ex-officer to California cold cases
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