I wasn't there. >> I'm confused. On one hand you said you weren't there, but on the other hand you said you were young. >> I wasn't there. >> Your DNA is there. >> I'm nothing. I'm just let it go. >> What do you mean? >> A lawyer. I'd like I'd like a lawyer. >> A 74-year-old serial killer sits across from detectives calmly insisting he knew nothing about a murder from 1973. For decades the case had gone cold. The evidence boxed away as the world moved on. And after 45 years he likely believed whatever happened back then would stay buried forever. But before he ever entered that interrogation room an undercover officer was already knocking on his front door. Posing as a driver who had accidentally backed into one of his parked cars, the undercover officer asked John Arthur Getreau to step outside and inspect the damage. >> Go ahead and face the car on your back. Face the car. Go ahead and face the car. >> All right. What's this? >> We'll talk to you in a bit. Do you have anything on you that's going to hurt me? >> No. >> Anything I need to know about? >> No. >> All right. >> You know There's no There's nobody in the back. >> Lift your left foot up for me. All right. He's clear. >> Have him take a seat in the front of the Jeep right here. >> All right. Go over to this Jeep right here. Yeah, the Jeep right here in the driveway. >> Let me take a seat. Ow. Can you adjust your handcuffs? >> Yeah, we'll we'll take care of that in a minute, right? >> All right. >> Just a dog in the house? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> It's the only thing I have in there. >> After decades of living an ordinary life, the man investigators believed was responsible for a series of brutal killings was finally in custody. All right. Go ahead and get your uh right foot up. >> [clears throat] >> Lean forward. There you go. Step on out. Go ahead and turn around and face the wall. >> When John Arthur Getreu was brought into the interrogation room, he no longer looked like the image most people would associate with a serial killer. By that point, he was living a quiet life as a father in Hayward, California, and seemingly far removed from the violence detectives [music] were about to confront him with. Sitting across from investigators, the elderly man appeared calm, occasionally confused, speaking as though the events they were discussing [music] belonged to another lifetime entirely. >> So, I'm Sergeant Okay. Um I'll let you know what's going on and why you're here today. >> Yeah, I'd like to know. >> Yeah, yeah, absolutely, of course. Um >> [clears throat] >> Before I Before I let you know what's going on, I just want to get your personal information. Just Just confirm your your name. Your full name is John Arthur >> Getreu. >> Getreu? >> G E T [clears throat] R E U. >> Okay. Do you go by any other names? >> No. >> No, okay. And and your address is uh >> Street. >> Okay. Do you have a home phone and cell phone? >> I don't remember them. >> Okay. >> But detectives weren't there to talk about the present. They wanted answers about a murder from 1973. >> Okay. So, >> [snorts] >> I've been doing this investigation, okay, and in this investigation I've talked to numerous people and your name came up in my investigation as well. That's why you're here and I want to talk to you about that investigation. And I like to tell you what's going on, but before I ask you any questions, I'm going to read you your rights, okay? You have [clears throat] the right to remain silent. Do you understand? >> Yes. >> Okay. Anything you say can be used against you in court. Do you understand? >> Right. >> Okay. You have the right to the presence of an attorney before and during questioning. Do you understand? >> Right. >> Okay. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided appointed for you free of charge before any questioning if you want to. If you want. Do you understand? >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, I'd like to tell you talk to you about this investigation that I'm doing and your name came up in my investigation. Do you know Do you know why you think you're here? >> Do what? >> Do you know why you think you're here? >> No, I don't. >> Okay. You don't have any idea of why I'd be talking to you? >> No. >> Okay. Um can you tell me just a little bit about yourself? You mentioned that you were in Germany. You went to college in Germany? >> Yeah, I went to went to school in Germany. I lived with my parents. >> Okay. >> My father was in the army for 36 years. >> Okay. Where did you originally Where did you Where were you born? >> I was born in Newark, Ohio. >> Newark, Ohio? Okay. How long did you live there? >> Uh off and on for about 4 years, I guess. >> Okay. And then you mentioned your father was in the military? >> Yeah. >> So, obviously you probably moved around a lot. >> Yeah, 41 41 schools, elementary schools. >> Wow. >> Or two high school. >> Did you get to travel the world at least other than Germany? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Japan. >> Japan? >> Yeah. >> Okay. And then around the United States as well? >> Um so, in high school, where did you go to high school? >> Uh Bad Kreuznach, Germany. >> In Germany? >> Yeah. >> And then you ended up staying in Germany and going to college there as well? >> Yeah. >> Okay, did you graduate from college? >> No. >> No? Okay. Um, and then from Germany where'd you go? After you grad- after you left college? >> to the United States. >> Okay, where'd you where'd you move to? >> Um, North Carolina. >> Okay. >> [clears throat] >> When did you um, end up here? >> Oh man. Years would be the year would be impossible. >> As questioning began, investigators slowly introduced the evidence that had reopened the decades-old cold case. >> Um, So, I want to tell you a little bit about my investigation, okay? Um, and I'm hoping you can help me out because my job is merely to find the truth, you know, in this investigation. Are you familiar with the uh, with Palo Alto area? Stanford area? Uh, the hills and and Stanford? >> Yeah. >> Um, Do you ever go out there? >> I did. >> You did? >> I was a scout leader. I traveled all those hills. >> Uh, what what hills do you which hills are you talking >> Well, we were way out out in the Bay uh, Half Moon Bay hills. >> Okay. >> And uh, I traveled up through there hiked with the boys. >> Okay. Um, >> That was about it. And years don't ask me the years. >> Okay. >> I don't remember. >> So, you were a scout leader and you'd go out to like the Santa Cruz hills >> Yeah. >> to do hiking. >> Yeah. >> Was when was this like on the weekends? >> Yeah, we mostly weekends. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Um, how old were the uh, scouts back then? >> Oh, scouts were anywhere from 11 till 18 I guess it was. I never had any older old boys, but >> Okay. How long did you do that? >> Oh, for quite a few years. >> Okay. Um [snorts] Did you ever go in the hills like in the area around Page Mill Road? Page Mill Road, like just west of Stanford? >> No. >> No, you never you never went to that area? Okay. Um [snorts] So, I'm investigating a uh there's a murder up there in the hills. Um and um would there be any reason that you were ever up in those hills? No? >> No. >> Okay. >> [clears throat] >> Um do you ever recall being in the area of Page Mill Road and Old Page Mill Road? There used to be an old quarry back there up in the hills. >> No. >> Never never been up in that area? >> No. >> Okay. >> An old quarry? >> Yeah, there's an old quarry back [snorts] there. There was a back in '70 3, a young man committed suicide up there. Did you ever ever hear about that? >> No. >> You were you were probably living in Palo Alto at the time. >> Yeah. >> Um >> Oh, wait a minute. No, I don't I don't I don't think it was. He committed suicide or something. >> Did you do you remember hearing about that? >> I read it glanced at the paper. I don't remember the >> Okay. A young man went up there committed suicide um with a shotgun. >> Oh, no. >> No? No? [snorts] You didn't hear about that? >> No. >> I'm sure it was you know, back then. A lot of probably a lot of people probably talked about it in Palo Alto since it >> No. >> Um >> with Scouts then. >> Okay. >> Sergeant Mc was a was my advisor for you know, I think he's retired he must be retired now. >> Sergeant with uh what department? >> Police Department. >> Okay. >> [snorts] >> Okay. >> that's who it was. >> How old do you you think he's still around or probably not? >> Yeah. >> Um at the time when you were living in Palo Alto, um what type of vehicle did you drive? >> I don't remember. >> You don't remember? Um did you have a Dodge? 1966, maybe? No? You don't recall at all what kind of vehicle you drove? Um when you were going to work uh what Do you know what kind of vehicle you were driving at the time? No? Just doesn't bring back memories at all? No? >> No. >> Okay. >> DNA recovered from underneath the victim's fingernails had recently been re-examined using modern forensic technology. Detectives also revealed that they had secretly collected discarded DNA connected to Getreau from the cup he threw during surveillance, and the results had come back as a match. [music] At that moment, the gap between 1973 and the present suddenly disappeared. Getreau immediately began denying everything. He claimed he didn't know the victim, denied recognizing the crime scene, and repeatedly insisted he had nothing to do with the incident. >> Um Do you Do you remember ever going to like again uh the area of like Page Mill Road, Old Page Mill and seeing an an orange car parked on the street over there? >> No. An orange car? Orange Nova? >> No. >> No? You don't remember ever stopping by and looking at into it or looking at it? >> Not me. I don't know. >> Okay. >> I don't stop by any for any cars. >> When you were working as a scout leader, um did you ever present yourself like law enforcement or anything like that? >> No way. >> Okay. >> No way. >> Okay. I had to ask. this is okay. All right. >> But as detectives pressed harder, his demeanor subtly shifted. The calm confidence began to give way to visible discomfort. Investigators carefully explained that DNA beneath a victim's fingernails is extremely difficult to dismiss as accidental contact. To them, it suggested violent physical interaction during a struggle. The pressure inside the room kept building. Detectives made it clear that this wasn't weak circumstantial evidence or a vague witness statement. According to them, the forensic evidence physically placed him with the victim during her final moments. The case Jon Arthur Gatrell believed had been buried in the 1970s was suddenly alive in front of him. But to understand why investigators never stopped chasing this case, we have to go back to 1973. Because long before advanced DNA databases and modern forensic science existed, a 21-year-old woman vanished near Stanford University under terrifying circumstances. And for decades afterward, it seemed like the man responsible had disappeared into ordinary life right alongside the truth. In early 1973, Leslie Perloff was just beginning the next chapter of her life. At only 21 years old, she was intelligent, ambitious, and had recently graduated from college. Friends and family saw her as bright and full of potential. Someone stepping into adulthood with her future still unfolding ahead of her. Around the Stanford area where she worked, Leslie appeared to be building an ordinary young life. One that should have stretched decades into the future. But on February 13th, 1973, [music] something went terribly wrong. After work, Leslie suddenly disappeared. When she failed to return home and nobody could reach her, concern quickly spread among those close to her. The situation became even more alarming when her orange Chevrolet Nova was discovered [music] abandoned near Old Page Mill Road, an isolated area close to Stanford University. Even before her body was found, investigators sensed something deeply unsettling about the scene. Her car hadn't simply been left behind casually. It felt abandoned in a place chosen for a reason. Then, 3 days later, the case turned horrifying. Leslie Perlov's body was discovered near the roadside. Investigators determined she had been strangled with a floral scarf and probably a before her death. The brutality of the crime shocked detectives, and the isolated location only added to the eerie feeling surrounding the investigation. But hidden within the evidence collected from the crime scene [music] was something no one in 1973 fully understood yet. Something microscopic that would survive for decades, waiting silently for science to evolve enough to uncover the truth. In the months following Leslie Perlov's murder, investigators worked the case aggressively. Detectives conducted interviews, explored potential suspects, and searched for anything that could connect someone to the brutal crime. But despite their efforts, the investigation slowly began losing momentum. The problem wasn't a lack of determination. It was the limitations of the 1970s. Advanced DNA testing didn't exist yet. Forensic genealogy was still decades away, and biological evidence could be collected, but was not fully understood the way it is today. Detectives had clues, yet they didn't have the technology to interpret them. Still, one crucial decision would later change everything because investigators had carefully preserved Leslie's fingernail clippings and other biological evidence for decades. As years turned into decades, the public slowly forgot the case, while Leslie's killer continued living freely. But by 2018, forensic science had changed completely. Decades after Leslie Perlov's murder, investigators reopened the cold case and began re-examining the preserved evidence using modern DNA technology with advancements that would have seemed impossible back in 1973. Among the most important pieces of evidence were the fingernail clippings collected from Leslie's body. As the DNA profile developed, detectives identified a possible suspect, who was none other than John Arthur Getreu. Surveillance teams quietly monitored him before secretly collecting discarded DNA from his cup. When testing confirmed the match, the decades-old mystery suddenly cracked open. By the early 1970s, John Arthur Getreau appeared to be living an ordinary life in California. >> [music] >> He worked as a medical technician at Stanford University, blending into the environment around him while building the image of a quiet and educated man. Decades later, as an elderly father living in Hayward, he seemed even further removed from the brutal crimes detectives were investigating. >> [snorts] >> Uh, are you currently married? >> Yes, I'm married. >> You're married? Okay. Uh, what's your wife's name? And what's her last name? >> Same No, she goes uh married get married uh well She's married >> Okay. >> But she goes to work by >> Okay. >> [snorts] >> Do you have any uh children? >> Yes, I have a son and a daughter. >> Okay. And what's your son's name? And your daughter? >> Uh >> Also? >> No. >> Okay. >> He lives in uh uh lives in um Texas. Uh I'm sorry, Arizona. And my daughter is uh married to um to a gentleman by the last name of um Oh, [ __ ] >> That's okay if you don't remember. >> But during interrogation, investigators uncovered a far darker history hidden beneath that ordinary exterior. Getreau initially denied ever having a criminal past at all. >> Um have you ever been arrested in the past? >> No. >> No? Okay. And are you in under any doctor's care currently? >> Yes, I am. >> Um Okay. Do you take medication? >> Yes, I do. >> What type of medication? >> I take about uh 10 pills. >> Okay. And that's a lot. >> I don't remember them by name >> Okay. That's fine. >> And it's for diabetes. >> Okay. All right, got it. >> Gastrointestinal and a few other medical things. >> Okay. Um any alcohol or drug use recently? Okay. >> But detectives already knew about a juvenile conviction in Mainz, Germany involving and murder, which were violent crimes committed years before Leslie Perloff's death. >> jail. >> So you This was as you were juvenile at the time? >> Yeah. This was when I was, you know, >> Uh about how old do you think you were uh when this happened? >> Just out of high school. >> Okay. Right out of high school and then they accused you as as a juvenile. >> Yeah. As a juvenile. >> Okay. >> With some with a girl. >> Okay. >> You know, and that was it. >> Okay. Um did you I mean, obviously you talked to the authorities there about what happened, right? >> Yeah. I talked I was investigated by the authorities. And then not by the military. >> By the German authorities. >> Yeah. German police. >> Did it happen Did this incident happen on the base or >> Off the base. >> Off the base. Okay. >> But in a house military housing area. >> Uh And so you you spent actually 6 years in prison over it? >> Something like that. >> Wow. And then how after you released, what happened? >> I just was dropped off at McGuire Air Force Base and my father picked me up and that was it. >> That was it. You came back to the United States? >> from them. Nothing. >> Okay. Okay. And then at some point there was another accusation against you about a uh from police department. >> Police department. That's when I was the leader of an Explorer post. >> Okay. Can you tell me about what happened there? >> Nothing. >> Okay. >> You know, I just accused, interviewed, and that was it. >> Okay. Did uh Did you end up serving time for that? Do you Do you remember? >> Uh No. I didn't I didn't >> As questioning continued, the denial slowly collapsed and he was eventually forced to acknowledge the conviction. >> Why she would allege this against you? >> I don't know. >> Did the I mean did the police tell you what happened or what was the allegation against you? >> name was Mitensky. >> Okay, that that was her name. >> me. He told me that >> Okay. What did he tell you? >> He just said that you know that I was accused of >> Okay. >> They got me an attorney. At least I think it was their attorney. >> Okay. And then and then but do you recall what happened after that? >> Oh, he just interviewed me once. >> Mhm. >> You know, took a background, you know. >> Sure. >> And then you know, just the way it went. >> Okay. >> I don't even know how long it lasted. >> Okay. And do you I know you told me that you actually went to her this girl's house. Did you have I mean I'm going to ask you, did you have sex with her? >> Nope. >> No? Do you remember? >> Nope. >> Okay. >> I wish I could help you out but I you know >> Yeah. Yeah, and I'm hoping that talking about this will bring back some some of those memories. You don't recall having sex with her? >> No. >> Okay. >> They can check DNA, I guess. You know. >> Yeah, possibly, right? >> Yeah. Possibly. You know and I don't know. >> Yeah. Right. So you you don't recall You told me you recall going to the house but you don't recall if you had sex with her. >> No. Yeah. >> Okay. And you recall talking to the police but you don't you don't remember if you got arrested. >> No, I was walked around all the time. >> So you never booked physically into a jail? Okay. And then, you from that accusation, did you have to go to court? >> To probably is what they, you know, it wa- it wasn't an open courtroom. >> Okay. Did you ever give Did you ever have to plea to this accusation? Did you ever have to tell them, you know, you you plead not guilty, guilty? >> not guilty. I mean, >> Okay. >> Through my attorney, you know, I guess. >> And what was the outcome of that accusation? >> Don't know. I'm still walking around. >> Yeah. So, you never spent time in jail for this for that accusation? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> To investigators, the revelation was deeply disturbing. This was no longer a cold case pointing to one isolated attack. It suggested a violent pattern stretching across decades and even across countries. The past John Gacy tried to bury in Germany had followed him all the way to California, and detectives believed Leslie Perlov was never his only victim. Inside the interrogation room, Gacy continued repeating the same denials. He insisted he didn't know Leslie Perlov. He claimed he had never been to the road where her body was discovered and denied any involvement in the murder over and over again, even as detectives carefully laid out the evidence in front of him. >> Yeah, on the side of the road. Do you [snorts] ever see this young lady? Do you know her? >> No, who's that? >> Uh it's a young lady that investigation I'm doing and she was murdered. Do you ever see her at all? >> No. >> Does she look familiar? >> Uh-uh. >> Um again, yeah, I mentioned to you that uh >> [snorts] >> um she was murdered up in the hills uh west of Stanford. Again, by Page Mill Road. >> Yeah, I know where Page Mill is. >> Do you remember Page Mill and there's Old Page Mill, the side road that goes up to >> No. >> Did you ever stop there at all? >> No, Old Page unless I come in from the >> So if you're going from >> Coming in from back at Stanford to the near the golf course straight through. >> Okay. >> And up the hill or through Alma. >> Okay. >> That That's the only times I've been up up that way. >> Okay. Did you ever Did you own a pet back then early '70s? Did you ever own a uh >> I don't remember. >> Did you own a dog? >> A what? >> A dog. >> Yeah, I've got one now. >> No, I mean did you own a Did you own a dog back when you were living in Palo Alto? >> I've owned so many dogs so many times I don't know. >> Okay. >> And cats. >> Well, I mean I I think you would remember if you had a dog living on Alma which >> No, I don't remember. >> Okay. Okay. >> Cuz [snorts] a lot of apartments don't allow pets. >> Oh, I see. >> So >> So both your residence in Palo Alto, Alma and were apartments? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> The investigators never raised their voices. They didn't need to. Instead, they calmly explained why the DNA evidence was so devastating. Leslie's attacker had likely struggled with her moments before her death, leaving biological material trapped beneath her fingernails. >> Um you familiar with DNA? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Um Would there any I think I asked you would Would there be any reason for your DNA to be on this young lady here? Okay. Cuz you You said you didn't know her. >> I don't I don't even recognize her. She don't even look familiar. >> Okay. >> No, I'm sorry. >> Okay. Do you remember ever stopping by the side of the road and looking into this vehicle? >> No. an orange uh Nova. No. No. >> No, sir. >> Okay. >> [snorts] >> There's a couple more pictures in there. >> Yeah, yeah. It's It's Yeah, it's this one and then uh >> There's a colored photograph. >> Yeah, these are the the photos of the vehicle. >> Oh, there's a >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> You take a look at >> No, I never never never never seen this vehicle. Nope. >> So, if you notice in the background there, that's the area. >> farm, it looks like. >> Yeah, that's >> Cuz off of Pageville up in that area >> Yeah. >> is all farms. >> Do you Did you ever go You ever go up in those hills? >> No. Not this side of on this side that Park City Park and I think it's one I'm but you know, I've always been on the other side. >> On the other side of >> of the hill. >> Of the hill? >> That's what I call them. >> Okay. >> Of the of the mountain or whatever it is. >> So, how would you access that to get to that hill there if you recall? >> I don't know. Oops. >> Oh, that's okay. That's okay. You want me to get it? You got it? >> Yeah. >> So, you don't recall ever seeing this car, stopping by this car? Um okay. Would you have any idea this uh murder on the Best Guessing in 1973? A murder in 1973? >> In Best Um Now, I know you heard about the guy that committed suicide in those hills. >> The same time this she came Her murder came out the same time. Do you recall seeing that in the paper? I mean, it was out there. >> No. >> Okay. So, and and I know that you said your DNA would not be on her, right? >> Yeah, it shouldn't be. I mean, not I >> [panting] >> You know. >> Yeah. >> Well, I should I didn't even date a girl in >> Okay. You were married at the time? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Do you Do you have any idea who would do something like that back then? >> Well, I don't know DNA if it's so many points on DNA it could be couldn't be somebody else. >> Sure. >> Unless there's somebody in my chain or something. Or the the chain. >> Okay. Is there anybody in your chain like twin brother or anybody anything like that? >> I don't have a twin brother. >> You have a brother, right? Older or younger? >> Younger. >> Where does Where does he live? >> He lives in Modesto. >> Okay. Where was he living in 1973? >> I would say San Jose. >> Okay. Now this this young lady was obviously murdered, like I said. Um she was strangled. >> Mhm. >> Um would you ever think about doing anything like that? >> Nope. >> Okay. What about um I know you had chips >> when I was married to >> Sure. >> [laughter] >> After you found out she was cheating on you, right? >> Yeah. >> Um I know that um you were accused of an Um would you ever think about committing a so so >> I have no reason for it. >> And I'm going to ask you these tough questions because it's just part of the investigation. Um So you do you ever think about doing anything like that? I think I asked you that. >> No. >> Okay. If um >> Now if it was the last 5 years you're going to be it's up a tree. >> What's that? What do you mean? >> If it was a a crime like that happened within the last 5 years >> Mhm. >> I'm potent impotent. >> Oh, okay. Okay. >> don't >> All right. >> [clears throat] >> All >> [laughter] >> You have >> The thought's still there. >> Sure. Sure. >> When you [snorts] were younger, did you >> [clears throat] >> Did you ever fantasize about uh you know assault? Uh >> It's what it sounds like, but looking at my record. >> Yeah. Yeah. Um or killing a young woman? Okay. >> No. >> [snorts] >> Um in this investigation, if your DNA was on this young lady, how do you think Why would you think your DNA was on her? >> I haven't the slightest idea. >> Would you Were you involved in in the murder of this young girl? >> Nope. >> If uh If I had a lie detector test right >> I'll take a lie detector test. >> Oh, yeah? >> Yeah. >> What would it come back as? Feel >> Should come back negative. >> Okay. >> Depends on what questions you ask me. >> Sure. If I If I asked you if you killed her, what would it say? >> No. >> Okay. And that's the reason I'm talking to you right now. Okay. All right. >> Combined with the evidence of sexual assault, the DNA made it clear this wasn't something that could be explained away through coincidence or accidental contact. As questioning continued, Getreau's behavior became increasingly uneasy. His answers [music] shifted, certain details were forgotten, while others were strangely specific. >> What do you know about DNA and how it works? >> Just what I've read. I mean, in in novels and you know, today is one of the investigative >> [cough and clears throat] >> areas are of of uh of investigating a crime. >> Mhm. >> That's That's my >> Do you know the different forms of DNA? The different types that are out there? You mentioned two, saliva >> Yeah. >> and semen. >> Yeah, there I don't know of anything else, really. >> Okay. Um have you ever heard of contact DNA? >> I've heard of No, yeah, I think contact DNA. >> Joe, what what's your understanding of contact DNA? >> Yeah. Well, it just contact there. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> So, if a person touched a surface >> if they grab somebody. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Um So, obviously there's there's DNA in this investigation, right? And you've come up as one of the people um that's been tied to this investigation through some sort of DNA, all right? And you'd mentioned semen, you'd mentioned saliva. All right, now there's contact DNA. There's other types of DNA. There's hair, right? There's skin cells. >> think the hair [laughter] is. >> Um and I know Sergeant you a photograph >> Right. >> and you said that you didn't you didn't know who that person was. Um what I'd like to do is Do you have a copy of the photograph with you? >> Yeah. >> What we're going to do is I'd like to leave you with the copy of that photograph for a little while. All right? And now knowing that there are different types of DNA, I'd like you to just sit here for a little while and think about, you know, maybe maybe you met this girl in passing >> Mhm. >> you know, at one point in your life. >> No, I I I >> I'm going to give you a little bit of time to think about it, okay? Like I said, we we need to be thorough in these investigations. We need to make sure that when we rule people out that they truly didn't commit a crime. All right? Especially when somebody's lost their life. So, I'm going to give you a little while to think about um this case, you know, how your DNA may have possibly ended up involved in this association. And I understand that, you know, and maybe maybe maybe given a little bit of time you'll think about it and you'll come up with a way that maybe it did happen. Maybe you did meet this girl somewhere um in passing. >> Mhm. In passing. >> And in the meantime, um we would like to get you some food. Do you have any dietary restrictions? >> No. >> None. >> at all? Okay. What do you like to eat? >> Nothing. >> [laughter] >> I know you may not be hungry now, but what do you like to eat? >> Um steak, medium rare. >> [laughter] >> I don't know if we're going to find a steak around here. >> I don't I don't like steak anyway. >> Okay. >> Um No. >> What do you normally eat? >> Whatever there's a cook or put on the table. >> Okay. All right. We're going to grab you some food. We'll be back in a little while, okay? Go ahead and hang on for a second. >> I don't need it. To me >> Nervous pauses began filling the room, and despite all the denials, he never gave investigators a believable explanation for why his DNA was there. Eventually, the interrogation slowed after Gatrell requested an attorney, and in many ways, that moment seemed to signal that reality had finally caught up with him. >> I find that interesting. >> [snorts] >> Okay. >> Okay. So, when I'm talking to somebody that's been involved in them, I generally like to find out the circumstances and why. >> No. >> All right. It makes me better at my job. >> Yeah. That's good. I wish [clears throat] you luck. >> So, what happened What happened in Germany? >> No. >> You said you were young. >> Yeah. I was young. I was a fresh out of school. I Um Who knows? >> How did you meet the girl in Germany? >> Just a random Random person. >> Did you guys live on the same military base? >> Yeah. Her father was in the military there. >> What'd your dad do in the military? >> I can't say. >> You can't say because you don't know, or you're just not allowed to say? >> I'm not allowed to say it. >> Okay. So, you'd mentioned Was he in special forces? >> Mhm. Could be. >> Could be. Okay. Did the girl in Germany What was her name? >> I don't know. >> Did you guys meet in school? >> I never met her in school. >> Okay. That's how you were introduced. Were you guys in the same age? >> No. Not that I know of. >> Was she younger or older? >> I guess they said I was older. >> You were older? Do you remember how much older? >> No. >> So, what were the circumstances that led up to the situation in Germany? >> Uh the situation there was not situation they accused me of originally was not true. >> What did they accuse >> I wasn't there. >> Well, I'm confused. On one hand, you said you weren't there, but on the other hand, you said you were young. >> Well, what do you >> the situation the circumstances were were completely different. >> I wasn't there. >> You find >> [snorts] >> Do you understand how difficult it is for us to believe that >> Yeah, I I understand it. >> There's a situation in Germany where a girl ends up dead and you weren't there. >> Mhm. >> And we have a situation >> here >> here >> years later after you came back to the states where a girl ends up dead and you say you weren't there, yet your DNA is there. >> Mhm. >> What do you think the chances are of that happening? >> I don't know. >> What would you do if you were us and you were investigating this case? What would that look like to you? >> There's There's a brick wall. >> What do you mean there's a brick wall? >> Well, I mean you found out you couldn't find out, so >> What do you mean I found out and I couldn't find >> Oh, nothing. I'm just let it go. I'm I'm >> Well, you understand it's my job not to let things like that go, right? >> I I have I have nothing to say else say about it. >> It's got to be quite a burden, John. >> Mhm. Well, I'm going to put the questioning from here on unless I'm represented by somebody in the courts. >> What do you mean? >> A lawyer. >> You'd like a lawyer? >> I'd like a lawyer. >> Okay, okay. Thanks John. >> John Arthur Getreu ultimately pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Leslie Perloff. After decades of denials, shifting explanations, and mounting DNA evidence, the case that had remained unsolved since 1973 finally reached its conclusion in court. The court accepted the plea, bringing long-delayed legal closure to a case that had haunted investigators for nearly half a century. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. For Leslie Perloff, who was just 21 years old, justice came decades too late, but it finally came through. A young life taken in 1973 finally got its answer in court in the modern era. Decades later, science succeeded where time had failed. John Arthur Getreu died on September 22nd in state prison in Stockton at the age of 79, bringing the final chapter of the case to a quiet legal close. For the family of Leslie Perloff, [music] the outcome could never truly restore what was lost, but it did bring long-awaited answers to a case that had remained unresolved for nearly half a century. But, what do you think stood out most in this case? Was it the DNA under the fingernails or how he managed to live free for over four decades? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.