Serial Killer caught 45 years later: Who really is John Getreu? Key details from ABC 20/20, explored in depth

The ABC 20/20 segment "Cold Case: The Getreu Killings," on re-investigating the crimes of John Arthur Getreu, explores one of California's most sinister cold case closures. By means of decades of investigation, forensic breakthroughs, and the perseverance of law enforcement, the program uncovers the crimes of Getreu and the road to his ultimate convictions.

ABC 20/20 takes viewers back to the 1960s and 1970s, during which Getreu perpetrated a string of crimes on two continents, only to languish on the periphery for decades. This special episode shows how he returned to American life after an early conviction abroad and lived in obscurity for decades before new DNA techniques uncovered links to two cold murders outside Stanford University.

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Early conviction in Germany

Before the California offenses, John Getreu had been convicted in 1963 of raping and killing 15-year-old Margaret L. Williams in West Germany. Getreu was stationed at a U.S. Army base with his family at the time. Williams, the daughter of a military chaplain, was found murdered after visiting a youth club meeting.

Getreu, at the age of 18, was convicted based on admissions and circumstantial evidence. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail. He served six years, was released, and came back to the United States.

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The murder of Leslie Perlov (1973)

On February 13, 1973, Stanford law library clerk Leslie Perlov, age 21, vanished. Her car was found abandoned, and her body was located three days later, on February 16, in the Stanford foothills. She was strangulated with a ligature. The initial case, stories subsequently covered on ABC 20/20, went cold due to a lack of leads and forensic technology at that time.

In 2018, DNA technology reached as far as linking Getreu to DNA recovered from the crime scene. He was arrested in 2018 and, naturally, pleaded not guilty. In March of 2023, Getreu altered his plea, pleading guilty to Leslie Perlov's murder. He received a prison term ranging from seven years to life. The ABC 20/20 special attributes this case to one of the positives in forensic genealogy for cold cases.

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The killing of Janet Taylor (1974)

Less than a year later, in March 1974, Stanford University athletic director's daughter Janet Ann Taylor, who was 21, was last seen hitchhiking home from the vicinity of campus. Her body was discovered on March 25 along Sand Hill Road to the west of Interstate 280. She was also strangled. The case was unsolved for more than forty years.

In 2018, DNA evidence again implicated Getreu. Getreu was arrested and charged with Taylor's murder. Unlike in the Perlov case, Getreu was tried in 2021 and found guilty by a jury. Getreu was sentenced to seven years to life. ABC 20/20 examines the tearful testimony entered into during the trial and how DNA evidence aided in establishing Getreu as the murderer.

It is important to note that Getreu was convicted of Janet Taylor's murder and pleaded guilty in the Perlov case, both earning consecutive sentences of seven years to life, which, because of his age, meant he remained imprisoned until his death.

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Evidence of sexual assault and forensic evidence

ABC 20/20 shows that both Perlov and Taylor showed evidence of sexual assault, though the forensic details vary between sources available. In both instances, the availability of biological evidence played the central role in connecting Getreu to the offenses. New examinations were made possible by the development of DNA analysis using genetic genealogy databases.

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Life in plain sight

Upon being released from prison in Germany in 1970, Getreu led a humble life in California, married and had children. He was a volunteer Boy Scout and an active member of the community organizations in the Bay Area. ABC 20/20 reports that most who knew him had no idea of his previous conviction or anything criminal that he had done.

The juxtaposition of his public image and his previous crimes raised questions regarding the extent to which systems monitor violent offenders in the long term and internationally.

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Legal summary of Getreu's known cases

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Death in custody

ABC 20/20 verifies that John Arthur Getreu passed away on September 22, 2023, at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton. He passed away while serving his life sentence. There was no homicide suspicion, and the authorities stated it was of natural causes.

With interviews of Getreu, archival footage from the period, and studying each case thoroughly, ABC 20/20 provides a detailed timeline of Getreu's offenses and convictions, highlighting both the shortcomings of previous investigations as well as the capabilities of modern forensic science.

Also read: ABC 20/20: She Was Almost Home - Who was Sierah Joughin, and what happened to her? Disturbing details of the 2016 homicide, revisited