1974 Satanic Ritual Murder Still Unresolved

“IT HAS NO CULT-LIKE OVERTONES — IT JUST HAPPENED TO OCCUR IN A CHURCH’ SAID SANTA CLARA COUNTY
 UNDER SHERIFF TOM ROSA.  WHY WERE THE OCCULT ASPECTS OF THIS BRUTAL RITUAL KILLING COVERED UP?
WHY HAS IT NOT BEEN SOLVED TO THIS DAY? WHY IS THIS PART OF A LARGER PATTERN?

Recently married to her high school boyfriend, Perry (formerly Dykema) moved with her husband to the campus while he studied at Stanford. Perry’s dead body was said to be found to the left of the altar, partially disrobed, and in the words of a church official—-lying in a “ritualistic and satanic” position.

Perry’s blouse was ripped open and her hands held a votive candle folded across her chest. Horrifically, another votive candle protruded from her vagina. Evidence indicated she was beaten, then choked. The savage blow of an ice pick behind her left ear caused her death. Its handle was seen protruding from her skull when a security guard found her body. The presence of the ice pick at the scene indicates premeditation—the murderer brought the unusual weapon to the church with the intent to kill.

Horrified and shocked by the crime, the local authorities kept the occult signatures of the murder from the public. Initially, local police believed a local sexual psychopath committed the killing. Santa Clara detectives knew that personal possessions of Arlis Perry were removed from the murder scene as either souvenirs or proof that the murder occurred.

The occult murder of Arlis Perry remains unsolved.

THE ULTIMATE EVIL

The opening chapter in Maury Terry’s book The Ultimate Evil retells the awful story of Arlis Perry’s demise. Terry stumbled upon on the murder of Arlis Perry while researching a series of murders that took place in New York City from the summer of 1976 to August of 1977.

Maury Terry came into possession of a book on witchcraft formerly owned by Berkowitz. . Berkowitz underlined a sentence in a section about the Process Church: “Thou shalt kill. They say they are dedicated to bringing about the end of the world by murder, violence and chaos–but they, the chosen, will survive to build a new world of Satanic glory.” (p.372)

Additional writings were added to the margins of the book. “The shade of Aleister Crowley looms large in the area [L.A.], but his excesses pale into insignificance compared to today’s devil worshipers.”

In his own hand, David Berkowitz wrote information about the occult murder of Arlis Perry at Stanford : “ARLISS PERRY, HUNTED, STALKED AND SLAIN. FOLLOWED TO CALIFORNIA. STANFORD UNIV.

Both Vincent Bugliosi, prosecutor of Charles Manson, and Ed Sanders, author of The Family, believed Manson was a member of the Process Church.

One of the murders committed by the Manson Family had occult signatures similar to those left at the Arlis Perry murder.

Berkowitz believed he knew who murdered Arliss Perry, but never provided an exact name. The Son of Sam called the murderer Manson II, who belonged to a cult in California that killed often.

Perry’s husband Bruce Perry behaved suspiciously. He had blood on his shirt when he was interrogated but claimed it was from a nose bleed. He later became a psychiatrist and campaigned against  “Satanic panic.”

Arlis Perry was murdered on October 12th, a day which was also the birthday of black magician Aleister Crowley. Berkowitz had already tagged Crowley as an inspiration for his cult. Followers of Crowley, also known as Thelemites, revere October 12th as a holy day and refer to it as Crowleymas.

Was Arlis Perry deliberately stalked by cult members affiliated with the Process Church and killed in a Satanic sacrifice specifically in honor of Satan’s Prophet, Aleister Crowley?