John Arthur Getreu: Serial killer and rapist responsible for Stanford University murders dies in prison
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA: A serial killer and rapist has met his fate behind bars just five months after he was sentenced for the strangulation slaying of a Stanford Law librarian on university land.
It took five decades for John Arthur Getreu, 79, to receive a life sentence for the murder of Leslie Marie Perlov, 21, in 1973, Daily Mail reports.
Getreu was handed the punishment nearly two years after he was jailed for the 1974 murder of 21-year-old Janet Ann Taylor, a Canada College sophomore and the youngest daughter of former Stanford football coach Chuck Taylor.
When was John Arthur Getreu found guilty of the murder of Taylor?
In September 2021, Getreu was found guilty by a California jury of murdering Taylor and was then sentenced for his “evil and despicable crimes” in November of that year.
A truck driver found the victim's body in a ditch on the land belonging to Stanford University on March 25, 1974.
Taylor was reportedly strangled and beaten to death and her clothes were ripped apart. According to San Mateo County prosecutors, Getreu intended to rape Taylor.
How were Taylor and Perlov’s murders solved?
In the case of other highly publicized serial killer cases, discarded evidence containing a DNA sample was the first step in making an arrest.
This case, DNA from a disposable coffee cup was pivotal in solving both Taylor and Perlov’s murders.
Authorities had crucial DNA evidence in their possession for 45 years from the Perlov murder. Like Taylor, Perlov fought back against her killer in her final moments. Getreu’s DNA was found underneath Perlov’s fingernails.
When was Perlov's body found?
Perlov’s body was discovered on February 16, 1973, Santa Clara County prosecutors said. Her corpse was discarded in the hills that overlook the Stanford University campus.
She was found with a floral scarf wrapped and “tightly knotted” around her neck.
The convicted murderer, already sentenced for murdering Janet Ann Taylor, made the decision not to face another trial and pleaded guilty in January 2023 to murdering Perlov.
The 79-year-old then received a second life sentence in April, but he would only live for five more months before dying of natural causes in September 22 in state prison.
What did the authorities say about John Arthur Getreu's death?
While San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe reportedly called Getreu a “truly evil human being who was not held accountable until the end of his life,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen reportedly said “good” upon hearing of the murderer’s death.
Getreu was previously convicted of the statutory rape of a teen girl who was a member of his Explorer Scout Troop in 1975.
He was also convicted of the rape and strangulation murder of 15-year-old Margaret Williams in Germany in 1964.
According to the reports of The Almanac, Getreu served nearly six years out of a 10-year sentence for rape with fatal consequences. He was released after German officials determined he was likely to lead a “righteous life.”