Murder Under God's Eye

The Nightmare Killing in Stanford's Church

By: Scott Herhold

Narrated by: Harry Shaw

The murder of Arlis Perry inside Stanford Memorial Church flummoxed detectives for nearly 44 years. Then the case ended with a bang.

Early on the morning of Oct. 13, 1974, a security guard found the body of 19-year-old Arlis Perry underneath a pew inside the historic church at the heart of Stanford's campus. The deeply religious wife of a Stanford sophomore, Arlis had gone to pray in the sanctuary late the night before.

She was strangled, with an ice pick thrust into her brain, her body laid out in ritual fashion. Detectives pursued name-brand killers like Ted Bundy and David Berkowitz. But the answer was closer to home.

©2023 Scott Herhold (P)2023 Scott Herhold

Critic reviews

"A fascinating chronology of a diabolical crime." (Retired Stanford Police Captain Raoul K. Niemeyer)

The Most Complete Story of Arlis Perry

Well narrated and giving what seems to be the most comprehensive overview of one of the most intriguing stories of true crime. I really enjoyed it and might have to re-listen to it again.

Every woman’s worst nightmare

The murder is chilling and learning the details was interesting. The book could use a little editing.

It was a stretch

While the core story was interesting, the book seemed full of extraneous details, perhaps to lengthen it.

Great Story!

Very interesting story, well researched and we'll written. The narrator does a good job, too.

Totally unconvincing

I'm giving 2 stars because Herhold occasionally admits his own story is a stretch and requires imaginative links. He ridicules Maury Terry as a conspiracy theorist (as proof, his only offer is that Terry appeared on a Geraldo Rivera program) and then himself engages in MUCH thinner speculation than Terry's exhaustive tome. His theory of Steve Crawford as the killer of Arlis Perry is wholly unconvincing.