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==Arrest, trial, and imprisonment==
In 1975, Laudenberg confessed to his future daughter-in-law that he had killed four women — three in San Pedro and one in San Francisco — which he called his “four sins.” The woman believed his story and told the authorities, but despite their efforts, they couldn’t prove the veracity of the claims. In 2002, however, he told the same story to another son’s ex-wife Renee in far greater detail.<ref name=cold/> She notified the [[San Luis Obispo, California|San Luis Obispo]] police, who, armed with advances in DNA, began re-examining the cold cases. Since Laudenberg had no criminal record, they had to find a way to obtain his DNA through other means.<ref name=trap/>
An undercover officer invited Laudenberg for coffee at a [[Torrance, California|Torrance]] restaurant. After discussing various topics, Laudenberg walked away without throwing out his cup. Another officer swept in and got the cup, from which DNA samples were extracted and sent for testing; they matched seminal fluid found on Lois Petrie's corpse.<ref name=uphold/> Armed with this evidence, authorities tracked down Laudenberg’s camper van and arrested him, holding him on a $1,000,000 bail. He was charged with Petrie’s murder.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-sep-10-me-kill10-story.html|title=Man Is Charged in 1972 Murder; He Is Suspected of More Killings|author=Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=September 10, 2003}}</ref> Despite his statements declaring his innocence, he was found guilty of the Petrie killing and sentenced to [[life imprisonment]].<ref name=ques>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-nov-21-me-killer21-story.html|title=Man, 80, convicted in '72 murder|author=Peter Y. Hong|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 21, 2006}}</ref>
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