Arrest in 1970s cold-case murder points to serial killer

Editor’s note: This article contains graphic descriptions of violence.

Nearly six months after a Hayward man was charged in another murder that had gone unsolved for decades, DNA evidence has led investigators to accuse him of the 1974 killing of a 21-year-old woman near the Stanford University campus, San Mateo County sheriff’s investigators announced today.

John Arthur Getreu, 74, of Hayward, was arraigned today for the death of Janet Ann Taylor, whose body was found by a delivery driver on March 25, 1974 off the side of the road at Sand Hill Road and Manzanita Road, property owned by Stanford. Taylor was the daughter of former Stanford Athletic Director Chuck Taylor. She was not a Stanford student, a sheriff’s official said.

The night before, she was hitchhiking home to La Honda from a friend’s house in Palo Alto, the last time anyone saw her, San Mateo County Assistant Sheriff Gregory Rothaus said at a press conference Thursday morning.

The coroner’s office determined her death was a homicide by strangulation and concluded she wasn’t raped, but investigators determined there was a “sexual motivation” behind the alleged crime based on Getreu’s criminal history and other indicators found by law enforcement, according to Rothaus.

Getreu is the same man who was arrested for the murder of Leslie Marie Perlov, a Stanford University graduate who was last seen on Feb. 13, 1973, and found three days later under an oak tree in an area now known as The Dish. Getreu was taken into custody by Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies on Nov. 20, 2018, and has yet to enter a plea in that case.

Rothaus said investigators think there is a connection to the cases. Both women were seen leaving the Stanford campus and both were strangled. Getreu was living in the area at the time. He worked in trades such as carpentry, had been a security guard and worked at Stanford University for a time, Rothaus said.

What’s known of Getreu’s past

Rothaus stated that Getreu was previously convicted for the rape and death of a 16-year-old girl in Germany in the 1960s and also convicted in Santa Clara County for a 1975 rape.

Getreu had been convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for the 1963 rape and murder of the teenage girl while living in Germany with his father, a U.S. Army officer, according to The Newark Advocate newspaper in Ohio, where the Getreu once lived. The girl was the daughter of the chaplain of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division.

“I am deeply sorry for her parents, and if I could do something to bring her back, I would do it,” a 19-year-old Getreu said in court.

Because he was a foreigner and considered a juvenile under German law, the court said that he could be released on parole after serving two years and allowed to return to the United States, the 1964 article stated.

By 1972, Getreu was employed as a security guard by California Plant Protection Services of Palo Alto. That August, he was credited with having chased off potential arsonists at a Redwood City industrial plant, according to an article in the San Mateo Times. The Redwood City fire inspector told the Times that Getreu claimed he’d arrived at the plant at 10 p.m. and found an open door and kerosene poured on a pile of paper and several wooden matches on the floor. Desks and cabinets had also been rifled through, the inspector said, but nothing of value had been taken, the article stated. The three teens that Getreu said he’d scared away were never found.

DNA’s role in Getreu’s arrest

In pursuing the Leslie Perlov case last year, investigators submitted multiple pieces of evidence for DNA examination, which found “an unknown male DNA profile.” That sample was sent in July 2018 to Parabon NanoLab for further evaluation, Santa Clara County sheriff’s officials said last year. The Virginia-based DNA technology company developed a profile based on the sample and sent it to a public genetic genealogy database that matched it with Getreu based on the DNA of his relatives. Investigators obtained DNA samples from the Hayward man that were sent to the county crime laboratory for further testing, sheriff’s officials said.

On Nov. 9, 2018, the lab found the new DNA from Getreu matched the DNA samples gathered from the crime scene. According to the lab report, “the probability that a random, unrelated individual could be included as a possible contributor to this deduced profile was approximately 1 (in) 65 septillion.”

After Getreu’s arrest, San Mateo County sheriff’s investigators submitted additional items to the county crime lab, including Taylor’s clothing with DNA that was a match for Getreu.

Homicide detectives David Tresmontan and Rick Jackson told the Weekly they had inherited the case from another investigator who was retiring. She specifically asked them to reopen the case.

“I hope you can solve it,” Jackson recalled she said.

The detectives said they handle 14 cases every day and have spent hundreds of hours working on Taylor’s case. After learning that Getreu had been arrested by Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies for the Perlov killing, they resubmitted what they believed to be the most promising evidence to their county crime lab seeking a DNA match. Such evidence typically includes scrapings from under fingernails and torn clothing — anything that shows the victim engaged in a struggle with the killer, Tresmontan said.

In cooperation with Santa Clara County investigators, who found strong DNA evidence linking Getreu to Perlov’s death, they sought to match any DNA they would find on the evidence in Taylor’s case to Getreu’s DNA. They initially failed to find any DNA from Getreu on the primary evidence. But after submitting additional items, they found a match with Getreu on Taylor’s clothing.

“I’ve worked homicides for 30 years. When you get that call, it gives you goosebumps,” Jackson said.

The detectives have spoken to the family and Taylor’s former boyfriend.

“The family was very surprised that we were even looking at the case” Jackson said.

Tresmontan said he has spoken with Taylor’s former boyfriend on three occasions since solving the case.

“Each time he was quite emotional even 45 years later and is very appreciative,” he said.

Taylor’s family issued a statement released by the sheriff’s office Thursday in response to the news of Getreu’s arrest.

“Janet lived life with enthusiasm and courage. As a spunky, fun-loving youngest of three children, she added much laughter and joy to our family. She loved animals and cherished her friends. We have missed being able to have her in our lives. Janet’s future was bright. It would have been wonderful to see what she would have done. We can’t ever know all that we missed, but whatever she pursued, Janet would have served others with passion and kindness,” the statement said.

“We’re grateful today for the diligent, meticulous work of the law enforcement officers whose efforts have resulted in today’s announcement. They’ve done this difficult work with integrity and excellence, and with compassion for our family.”

The sheriff’s office sent its case to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office on May 10 and subsequently an arrest warrant was issued for Getreu, who is currently in custody in San Mateo County jail.

Thus far, detectives haven’t linked a Getreu to any other cold cases in San Mateo County, but they are still looking, Rothaus said.

Getreu made his first court appearance in the Taylor case this afternoon at the San Mateo County Hall of Justice, where he was arraigned on one count of homicide and did not enter a plea. His bail was set at $10 million bail and he iw scheduled to return to court on May 30.

He is expected to return to Santa Clara County’s custody following today’s hearing.

Anyone with information on the case or Getreu is asked to call the sheriff’s office anonymous tip line at 800-547-2700.

This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

Related content:

• Sheriff investigating whether Stanford watchman linked to other campus murders

With loss of downtown parking, Mountain View approves $9.5M to fund new garageJune 8, 2026 9:52 am

Mountain View looks to tackle downtown office vacancies as rate tops 30%15 hours ago

Planned office complex near San Antonio Road sparks debate17 hours ago