John Arthur Getreu

Serial Killer

John Arthur Getreu: The Stanford Serial Killer

John Arthur Getreu was an American serial killer and sexual predator whose known crimes stretched from West Germany in the early 1960s to the communities surrounding Stanford University in California during the 1970s. For decades, two of his murders remained unsolved. The eventual identification of Getreu as the killer came through preserved DNA evidence and genetic genealogy, demonstrating how evidence collected long before modern DNA testing could later become decisive. Getreu was ultimately held responsible for the murders of three young women: Margaret Williams, Leslie Marie Perlov, and Janet Ann Taylor.

Confirmed Murder Victims

• Margaret L. Williams, 15 Date of death: June 9, 1963, following an attack that began during the night of June 8. Location: a playing field in the Bad Kreuznach American military community in Bad Kreuznach, West Germany. Williams was the daughter of a U.S. Army chaplain. Getreu raped and violently assaulted her after meeting her at a school dance. She never regained consciousness and died at the scene.
• Leslie Marie Perlov, 21 Date of death: February 13, 1973. Location: the hills overlooking Stanford University in Santa Clara County, California, in an area near what is now the Stanford Dish. Perlov was last seen leaving work in Palo Alto that afternoon. Her abandoned car was found near an old quarry, and her body was discovered on February 16 beneath an oak tree. She had been strangled with a floral scarf.
• Janet Ann Taylor, 21 Date of death: March 24, 1974. Location: near Sand Hill Road and Manzanita Way, west of Interstate 280 in the Woodside and Stanford area of San Mateo County, California. Taylor was last seen hitchhiking near Stanford. Her body was discovered beside Sand Hill Road on March 25. She had been beaten and strangled, and investigators determined that the crime was sexually motivated.

The Murder of Margaret Williams in Germany

Getreu's first known murder occurred while he was an 18-year-old student living in West Germany, where his father was stationed with the U.S. military. During the evening of June 8, 1963, Getreu attended a school dance in the Bad Kreuznach American military community. There he met 15-year-old Margaret Williams, whose father was serving as an Army chaplain. According to evidence from the German investigation that was later described in a California courtroom, Getreu and Williams left the dance together and walked away from populated areas. Williams eventually resisted his sexual advances and wanted to return home. Getreu attacked her in an effort to silence and overpower her. He struck her, restricted her breathing, and raped her after she became unconscious. He later left her on the playing field. Williams did not regain consciousness. Her brother later testified that she was killed on June 9, after the encounter had begun the previous evening. Getreu was arrested and prosecuted in Germany. On July 13, 1964, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for an offense translated in later American court proceedings as rape with fatal consequences. The sentence was the maximum applicable punishment under the circumstances. He served approximately six years before being released and returning to the United States in 1969. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Margaret Williams Age: (15), Date of Death: 1963-06-08

Suspected Victims:

Theresa Smith Age: (15), Date of Death: 1980-04

Survivors:

Ellen/Diane Doe Age: (17), Date of Attack: 1975-01-19

John Getreu - Wikipedia