Murder in a Pew: The Death of Arlis Perry

Written by: Kenzie Desrosiers

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On August 17, 1974, Arlis K. Dykema, 19, married her high school sweetheart, Bruce D. Perry, also 19, at the Bismarck Reformed Church in North Dakota. The newlywed’s left Bismarck and moved to Santa Clara, California where Perry was a pre-med sophomore at Stanford, he would go on to become a renowned psychiatrist. After the move, Arlis worked as a receptionist at a Palo Alto law firm.

Six weeks later, the young couple got into a small spat about their car’s tire pressure. Around 11:30 p.m., Arlis parted ways with her husband and walked to the Stanford Memorial Church to pray. Fifteen minutes later, night watchman, Stephen Blake Crawford, conducted a security sweep and looked the doors to the church. Crawford claimed he conducted a second security sweep at 2 a.m., which was later proven false.

When Dykema failed to return home, Perry called the police at 3 a.m. to report her missing. The Stanford police went to the church and found all the outer doors locked.

At 5:45 a.m., Crawford found Arlis’ body partially hidden under a pew in the church’s east transept, near the altar. During the call to police, Crawford said, “Hey, we’ve got a stiff here.” Dykema was spread eagle on her back. Her head to the left with her right arm, palm down, under the waist. Deputies noted deep purple bruises on her neck that matched the pattern of her brown wood-and-glass beaded necklace. These bruises suggested attempted strangulation.

A 24-inch beeswax alter candle had been shoved between her breasts with enough force to break both bra straps. Another candle was used to sexually assault her.

Embedded deep into her brain – so deep that it wasn’t discovered until the autopsy – was a 5 ½ inch ice pick. The ice pick was jammed into the base of her skull behind her left ear, at a 45-degree angle.

While Dykema had not been raped, deputies found semen stains with type O blood on a kneeling cushion near the body. Additionally, deputies found a partial palm print on one of the candles.

When deputies arrived, they found a door on the west side of the church ajar, suggesting that the killer had broken out after Crawford locked the church.

Deputies obtained a DNA sample from Perry, but after passing a polygraph test, Perry was cleared as a “person of interest.” According to Captain Frank Mosunic, “[Perry] was never seriously considered as under suspicion.” Deputies also obtained a DNA sample from Crawford; however, he was unable to be ruled out due to DNA testing not being available in criminal cases until the mid-80s.

Deputies were given descriptions of seven people who were in the church before close, six of whom were identified. The seventh visitor was a 5ft10 medium build male with brownish curly hair.

The investigation into her murder revealed another strange detail; When Dykema and Perry moved onto Campus, the telephone company had another Bruce D. Perry listed at Stanford. Since then, the second Bruce Perry has gone missing. Former journalist and writer, Maury Terry, theorized that he may have been the one who killed Dykema.

In 1979, Son of Sam serial killer, David Berkowitz sent The Anatomy of Witchcraft to Lieutenant Terry Gardner with the message “Arlis Perry, hunted, stalked, and slain. Follow to California. Stanford Univ.” He claimed to know the individual who killed Perry. Two years later, he sent a second message to the Stanford police. However, when deputies spoke with him, he would not reveal the identity of the killer, as he was worried someone would kill his father for snitching.

While many theorized that the killing was ritualistic or satanic, Undersheriff Tom Rosa of Santa Clara County said, “the murder seems to fit the typical pattern of a sexual psychopath. It has no cult-like overtones. It just happened to occur in a church.”

Unfortunately, with no solid leads, the case would go cold.

Between 1974 and 2016, deputies interrogated Stephen a handful of times. Crawford was a military vet and former Stanford police officer. For unknown reasons, his job was reduced to unarmed security guard. As revenge, Stephen began stealing art and books.

In 2018, deputies would get the breakthrough they were waiting for. A DNA sample from a piece of Arlis’ clothing was a match to Crawford. According to the San Jose Police Department, “During the execution of the search warrant, sheriff’s deputies made verbal contact at a closed front door with an occupant in the apartment. As deputies made entry, they observed an adult male with a handgun, and the deputies immediately backed away. A short time later a gunshot was heard. No deputies discharged their weapons. Deputies eventually entered the residence and discovered an adult male with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The male was pronounced deceased at the scene. No one else was present or injured.”

Inside his apartment, deputies found former journalist and writer Maury Terry’s novel, “The Ultimate Evil.” About the Son of Sam serial killer and mentioned the murder of Arlis.

“We look at this as closure and we believe that we had solid evidence to arrest and even convict Stephen Crawford for the murder of Arlis Perry,” said Sheriff Laurie Smith. Smith is open to the possibility that Stephen had more victims.