Leslie Marie Perlov (left) (Photo Credit: Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office), John Getreu (center) and Janet Ann Taylor (right).
A 79-year-old who was convicted of being a serial rapist and murderer, and was sentenced only five months ago for the murder of a Stanford Law librarian on university property, has passed away while in prison.
John Arthur Getreu was finally sentenced to life in prison for the 1973 murder of Leslie Marie Perlov after 50 years as per Law and Crime report on Sunday, October 2, 2023.
This came almost two years after he was incarcerated for the 1974 murder of Janet Ann Taylor, who was the daughter of former Stanford football coach Chuck Taylor and a student at Canada College.
In September 2021, a California jury found John Arthur Getreu guilty of murdering Janet Ann Taylor, and he was subsequently sentenced for his heinous crimes in November 2021.
Taylor’s body was discovered in a ditch on Stanford University’s property in 1974, showing signs of strangulation, beating, and an apparent intent to rape.
The breakthrough in solving both Taylor and Leslie Marie Perlov’s murders came from discarded evidence containing DNA samples, specifically from a disposable coffee cup.
Authorities had held vital DNA evidence from the Perlov case for 45 years, with Getreu’s DNA found under Perlov’s fingernails, linking him to the crimes.
Perlov’s body was found on February 16, 1973, in the hills near Stanford University with a floral scarf tightly knotted around her neck.
John Arthur Getreu, who was already serving a sentence for the murder of Janet Ann Taylor, chose not to go through another trial and instead pleaded guilty to Perlov’s murder in January 2023.
He was handed a second life sentence in April but passed away five months later in September, due to natural causes while in state prison.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe described Getreu as a profoundly wicked individual who faced justice only towards the end of his life.
On the other hand, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen reportedly responded with a word of approval upon learning of the murderer’s death.
Before his recent convictions, Getreu had been found guilty of violation involving a teenage girl who was part of his Explorer Scout Troop in 1975.
Additionally, he had a prior conviction for the rape and strangulation murder of 15-year-old Margaret Williams in Germany in 1964.
As reported by The Almanac, Getreu spent close to six years in prison out of a 10-year sentence for a rape that resulted in a fatality.
He was released because German authorities believed he was inclined to live a morally upright life.
