John Getreu

John Getreu
Born
John Arthur Getreu

(1944-08-26)August 26, 1944
DiedSeptember 22, 2023(2023-09-22) (aged 79)
Spouses
Susan Getreu
(m. 1970; div. 1978)
Lynda Getreu
(m. 1978; died 2003)
Children2
ConvictionsRape, murder (1963)
Statutory rape, Santa Clara County (1975)
First-degree murder (2021)
First-degree murder (2023)
Criminal penaltyRape, murder sentence (as juvenile): 10 years (1963), served: 5 years
Statutory rape sentence: 6 months (1975), served: 6 months
First-degree murder sentence: 7 years to life (2021)
First-degree murder sentence: 7 years to life (2023)
Details
Victims3+
Span of crimes
1963–1975
CountryWest Germany, United States
StatesRhineland-Palatinate, California
Date apprehended
November 20, 2018

John Arthur Getreu (August 26, 1944 – September 22, 2023) was an American serial killer who was convicted of one murder in 1963 in West Germany and convicted of two more that took place in 1973 and 1974 in the United States. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the latter murders, and died at the California Health Care Facility while serving his sentence. He was identified through genetic genealogy by CeCe Moore in 2018.