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Marcus Sanfratello Gets 20 Years for 1983 Killing of Teresa Peroni

DNA testing on a skull found in 1997 unlocked the proof investigators needed.

Overview

  • Sanfratello, 73, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison, with at least 10 years to serve.
  • Peroni, 27, vanished in July 1983 after a party near Selma, Oregon, and witnesses last saw her walking into the woods with her boyfriend, Sanfratello.
  • A human skull recovered on nearby private land in 1997 was later identified as Peroni’s through DNA analysis by experts at the University of North Texas.
  • The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office reopened the case in 2024, reinterviewed witnesses, gathered new DNA, secured a June 27, 2025 grand jury indictment for second-degree murder, and worked with Chico, California police to arrest and extradite Sanfratello.
  • Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said the outcome brings long-awaited answers for Peroni’s family, while the defense cited a complex health diagnosis and said Sanfratello will receive treatment in custody.