reporter: it turns out deangelo was engaged in 1970. the woman? bonnie jean colwell, who eventually broke it off. as investigators were narrowing their search through a dna profile, another clue. they learned deangelo, a former police officer had allegedly threatened to kill his police chief after he was fired back in the 70s. i have a lawyer. reporter: the man accused of 12 murders and more than 50 rapes appearing dazed in his first court appearance. families of his victims saying it s all an act. in court he turns into this incompetent man who can t even stand up, who can t even speak. what a coward. what a tremendous coward. witt johnson with us tonight. witt, many victims and their families were stunned to see him in court in that wheelchair barely audible. you re learning what he was doing in the days before his arrests. that s right. one of the lead investigators in the case describing deangelo