Arlis Perry
Newlywed Arlis Perry was murdered in Stanford Memorial Church in a ritualistic manner. The case went unsolved for 44 years until DNA linked security guard Stephen Crawford to the crime.
On October 12, 1974, nineteen-year-old Arlis Perry, a newlywed from Bismarck, North Dakota, was found murdered inside Stanford Memorial Church on the Stanford University campus in California. She had gone to the church to pray after an argument with her husband Bruce.
The crime scene was staged in a ritualistic manner that shocked investigators. Arlis had been strangled and stabbed, and religious objects were arranged around her body. The grotesque staging led to speculation about satanic involvement.
The case went cold for decades. Investigators periodically revisited the evidence but were unable to identify a suspect. The ritualistic nature of the crime generated extensive media coverage and true crime interest.
In 2018, genetic genealogy matched DNA from the crime scene to Stephen Blake Crawford, a former Stanford security guard who had been on duty the night of the murder. When investigators arrived at Crawford's home to arrest him, he died by suicide. The case was officially closed.
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