The Zodiac Killer.

Zodiac killings are one of the most notorious, enigmatic crimes ever committed in human history. It started on December 20, 1968. The case is still open in some jurisdictions, and many aspects of the conundrum persist to allure true crime enthusiasts and researchers. Between December 1968 and October 1969, an unknown man terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area of California, murdering five people and wounding two others. The murderer adopted the moniker Zodiac and proceeded to mail taunting letters, cards, and cryptograms to law enforcement and newspapers, possibly leading to clues to his identity. Law enforcement has authoritatively corroborated five homicides associated with the Zodiac Killer, albeit the slayer professed to have taken 37 lives. The five confirmed killings associated with the Zodiac Killer are discussed below:

1. David Arthur Faraday & Betty Lou Jensen:

Mr. Faraday & Miss Jensen.

David and Betty were a high school couple; despite being from different schools, they were both dating. David studied at Vallejo High School while Betty studied at Hogan High School. The couple was in Vallejo, California. When they were killed, they were in Jensen’s car, near Benicia, California; near Lake Herman Road, parked on a lover’s lane; they were both shot with a .22-caliber weapon on December 20, 1968. At that time, David was 17 years old, and Betty was 16 years old. They were the very first victims of the Zodiac Killer. Mr. David Arthur Faraday was shot in the head, and Miss Betty Lou Jensen tried to run away and was shot multiple times in the back.

Evidence

• Shell casings.
• Tire impressions.
• Foot prints.

The time of the incident was estimated at 11:10 pm. Both of the victims died.

2. Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin & Michael Renault Mageau:

Miss Ferrin & Mr. Mageau.

On the evening of July 4, 1969, Darlene picked Michael up in her brown 1963 Corvair and drove to the Blue Springs parking lot to talk in private; the car was parked facing the golf course. A car arrived and pulled beside them at approximately 12:02 am, then left, then returned after a few minutes and stopped directly behind Darlene’s car. The driver came out of the car with a torch and fired multiple shots, then turned to his car. After hearing Michael groaning due to pain, the gunman fired more shots at both of the victims standing near the car. At the time of the incident, Miss Darlene Ferrin was 22 years old; she was a waitress at Terry’s restaurant in Vallejo. She was divorced and had a little daughter at that time. Mr. Michael Renault was 19 years old, and he was Darlene’s friend. The whole incident took place after midnight on July 5, 1969.

Investigators recovered 9 shell casings in total from the scene.

Evidence Approximately 40 minutes after the incident a man called the police from a payphone, the caller said: “- I want to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east on Collumbus Parkway to a public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9-millimeter Luger. I also killed those kids last year. Goodbye.”

Before the police could take any action or even the dispatcher could ask any question, the caller hung up; the dispatcher immediately notified the officers. Police arrived at the scene and rushed both the victims to Kaiser Hospital; unfortunately, Miss Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin passed away shortly after at Kaiser Hospital. Michael survived despite being struck in the face, neck, chest, and leg; he underwent emergency treatment.

Michael remained conscious for periods after the shooting, so the detectives were able to interview him. He described the attacker as:

• White man.
• In his late twenties or early thirties.
• Heavy build.
• Large face.
• About 5 ft 8 inches (173 cm) tall.
• Short, light brown, curly hair.

*Investigation: - Detectives interviewed hundreds of people.

• Ballistic experts investigated shell casings.
• Police searched for the public phone from which the killer had called.
• Newspapers reported extensively on the attacks, but no suspect emerged.***

First Zodiac Letters on July 31st 1969:

After twenty-six days, three identical letters were mailed to three newspapers of San Francisco Bay, California.

- Zodiac Letter Sent to San Francisco Chronicle:

The letter states that: “Here is a cipher, or that is part of one. The other 2 parts are being mailed to the Vallejo Times & S.F. Examiner.

I want you to print this cipher on the front page by Friday afternoon, Aug 1–69. If you do not print this cipher, I will go on a kill rampage Friday night. This will last the whole weekend. I will cruise around killing people who are alone at night until Sunday night or until I kill a dozen people.”

⌖

- Zodiac Letter Sent to San Francisco Examiner:

The letter states that:

“Dear Editor

I am the killer of the 2 teenagers last Christmass at Lake Herman & the girl last 4th of July. To prove this I shall state some facts which only I & the police know.

Christmass

1. brand name of ammo — Super X
2. 10 shots fired
3. Boy was on his back with feet to car
4. Girl was lyeing on right side feet to west

4th of July

1. Girl was wearing patterned pants
2. Boy was also shot in knee
3. Ammo was made by Western

Here is a cipher or that is part of one. The other 2 parts are being mailed to the Vallejo Times & S.F. Chronicle

I want you to print this cipher on the frunt page by Fry afternoon Aug 1–69. If you.

- Zodiac Letter Sent to Vallejo Times-Herald:

Cipher

This was the beginning of the Zodiac letters and his public campaign of mocking and taunting law enforcement and media.

The investigators were initially skeptical. Often newspapers received hoax letters after notorious crimes, but the details mentioned in those letters were only known by investigators or the murderer. Those details mentioned in the letters were confidential, so this convinced the investigators that the author of those letters was certainly the killer.

Though not exactly as the author had demanded, newspapers published the letters and the cipher, as the criminal threatened them.

The Hunt for the Cipher, August 1–8, 1969:

408-character cipher:

This became big news nationwide. Everyone began trying to solve the cipher: amateur codebreakers, university professors, military cryptographers, and the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). But none of them succeeded in doing so till August 7, 1969. Finally, on July 8, 1969, a California schoolteacher, Donald Harden, and his wife, Betty Harden, together solved the cipher at their home.

The 408- character decoded as: “I LIKE KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH FUN IT IS MORE FUN THAN KILLING WILD GAME IN THE FORREST BECAUSE MAN IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ANAMAL OF ALL TO KILL SOMETHING GIVES ME THE MOST THRILLING EXPERENCE IT IS EVEN BETTER THAN GETTING YOUR ROCKS OFF WITH A GIRL THE BEST PART OF IT IS THAE WHEN I DIE I WILL BE REBORN IN PARADICE AND ALL THE I HAVE KILLED WILL BECOME MY SLAVES I WILL NOT GIVE YOU MY NAME BECAUSE YOU WILL TRY TO SLOI DOWN OR ATOP MY COLLECTIING OF SLAVES FOR MY AFTERLIFE EBEORIETEMETHHPITI” (Note: Spelling errors match the original decryption).

But before the cipher was solved, a letter was sent to the San Francisco Examiner newspaper on August 4, 1969. The letter was published afterwards, even before the cipher was decoded. The original letter's pictures are:

Page 1.

Page 2.

Page 3.

The letter states that:

“Dear Editor

This is the Zodiac speaking.

In answer to your asking for more details about the good times I have had in Vallejo, I shall be very happy to supply even more material. By the way, are the police haveing a good time with the code? If not, tell them to cheer up; when they do crack it they will have me.

On the 4th of July:

I did not open the car door, The window was rolled down all ready. The boy was origionaly sitting in the front seat when I began fireing. When I fired the first shot at his head, he leaped backwards at the same time thus spoiling my aim. He ended up on the back seat then the floor in back thashing out very violently with his legs; thats how I shot him in the knee. I did not leave the cene of the killing with squealling tires & raceing engine as described in the Vallejo paper,. I drove away quite slowly so as not to draw attention to my car.

The man who told the police that my car was brown was a negro about 40–45 rather shabbly dressed. I was at this phone booth haveing some fun with the Vallejo cops when he was walking by. When I hung the phone up the dam X@ thing began to ring & that drew his attention to me & my car.

Last Christmass

In that epasode the police were wondering as to how I could shoot & hit my victoms in the dark. They did not openly state this, but implied this by saying it was a well lit night & I could see the silowets on the horizon. Bull Shit that area is srounded by high hills & trees. What I did was tape a small pencel flash light to the barrel of my gun. If you notice, in the center of the beam of light if you aim it at a wall or celling you will see a black or darck spot in the center of the circle of light about 3 to 6 inches across. When taped to a gun barrel, the bullet will strike exactly in the center of the black dot in the light. All I had to do was spray them as if it was a water hose; there was no need to use the gun sights. I was not happy to see that I did not get front page coverage.”

⌖

NO ADDRESS

This letter is very famous among the Zodiac letters, as in this letter the killer proclaimed a title “Zodiac”; he wrote, “ Dear Editor, This is the Zodiac speaking — .”

3- Cecelia Ann Shepard & Bryan Calvin Hartnell:

Miss Shepard & Mr. Hartnell.

Cecelia and Bryan were students at Pacific Union College. Cecelia was majoring in English and Bryan was studying pre-law. Cecelia and Bryan were close friends. On Saturday, September 27, 1969, Bryan picked Cecelia up earlier that day in his white Volkswagen Karmann Ghia and drove to Lake Berryessa in Napa County, California. After their arrival, they walked along the shoreline until they found a secluded grassy area overlooking the lake. They spread a blanket and sat there, enjoying the weather, the view, and good conversation. Although Lake Berryessa attracted many visitors that weekend as a picnic spot, the area where Bryan and Cecelia were was isolated and far enough not to be heard.

When they were sitting on the blanket, relaxing and talking, Cecelia noticed a man watching them from a distance. She pointed that man out to Bryan; Bryan later testified that the man disappeared in the trees several times before approaching them. The man was wearing the most unusual disguises in criminal history.

Bryan described him as wearing:

*- A black executioner-style hood covering his entire head.

• A black batib-like garment covering his chest.
• A large white crossed-circle symbol sewn onto the front.
• Gloves.
• Dark trousers.
• Clip-on sunglasses over the eye openings.*

Cecelia described the attacker as:

• Wearing a black hood.
• About 5 feet 11 inches tall.
• White male.
• Heavy build.
• Spoke calmly.

Bryan also described his nature as:

• Monotone.
• Deliberate.
• Slow.
• Nearly emotionless or numb.

The crossed-circle emblem matched the symbol that would later appear in the Zodiac’s letters. The hood had no visible openings except for the eyes, which were hidden behind the sunglasses. The man had a gun and a long knife in a sheath attached to his belt.

When the man approached them, he pointed the gun at Cecelia and Bryan. He told them that he was an escaped convict of Deer Lodge Prison in Montana, and he had killed a guard and stolen a car, and he wanted to travel to Mexico, and he needed their money and their car. Bryan later testified that n his voice was slow, controlled, and almost emotionless. Bryan believed him and tried to cooperate. Bryan handed the gunman his wallet; the gunman accepted it but didn’t search for money. This convinced the investigators that robbery was never the motive. The gunman produced pre-cut plastic clothesline. He gave one to Cecelia and instructed her to tie Bryan’s hands; then he checked the knots and tightened them himself. After that, he tied Cecelia’s hands himself. The man had deliberately made the bindings much tighter than Cecelia had. When both the victims were restrained, the man drew the knife and attacked them; he stabbed Bryan six times, and then the attacker turned to Cecelia and stabbed her ten times. Bryan remained conscious even after being stabbed 6 times; he told the investigators that the attacker never appeared excited or angry; instead, he carried each step with a deliberate calm; the attacker behaved almost mechanically. That composure became one of the most unsettled aspects of Bryan Hartnell’s testimony.

After leaving the victims, the attacker walked to Bryan’s white Volkswagen Karmann Ghia and on the driver’s door he wrote:

Vallejo 12–20–68 7–4–69 Sept 27–69–6:30 by knife

The first two dates corresponded to the Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs parking lot attacks; after writing that message, the attacker left. The inscription was one of the strongest pieces of evidence linking the three crimes.

At 7:40 pm, a man called the Napa County, California, Sheriff’s Office from a payphone outside the Napa car wash. The caller reported calmly:

“I want to report a murder. No, a double murder. They are two miles north of park headquarters. They were in a white Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. I am the one who did it.”

Then the caller hung up. Afterwards, Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the victims’ location.

A fisherman heard cries for help; some people and the fisherman found Bryan and Cecelia lying near the shoreline, and sheriff’s deputies also reached there soon after. Bryan and Cecelia were both alive. Despite severe injuries, Bryan was able to answer the questions of the deputies, and Cecelia also spoke to the investigators and described the attack to them, though she was gravely injured. Both victims were taken to the Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa, where doctors immediately began emergency treatment. Bryan Hartnell survived; Cecelia’s wounds were more severe. She fought for her life for two days; unfortunately, she passed away on Monday, September 29, 1969. Miss Cecelia Ann Shepard became the fifth confirmed murder victim of the Zodiac Killer. Mr. Bryan Calvin Hartnell survived and eventually recovered and became the first victim of the Zodiac Killer to describe the attack and killer accurately to the investigators, as he saw and spoke with the killer directly.

Evidence:

• Fingerprints from Bryan’s Volkswagen, though it was never established that all the fingerprints belonged to the killer.

• Handwritten message on the driver’s door of Bryan’s Volkswagen.
• Shoe impressions.
• Section of the plastic clothesline used to bind the victims.
• The distinctive crossed-circle symbol.

The investigation continued, but no one had been caught. The Zodiac Killer went silent for two weeks.

4- Paul Lee Stine:

Mr. Paul Lee Stine.

On October 11, 1969, Paul Lee Stine, a 29-year-old taxi driver at Yellow Cab Company, as usual, went to work. In the downtown theatre district, believed to be near Mason and Geary Streets, Paul picked up a passenger at approximately 9:45 pm. The passenger asked Paul to take him to Presidio Heights; the passenger sat on the back seat of the cab. The intended destination may have been Washington and Maple Streets, according to the trip sheet later found in the taxi. The ride only lasted for 10 minutes; the taxi stopped one block farther west at Washington and Cherry Streets. Investigators never determined the reason Paul stopped the taxi there.

At approximately 9:55 pm, the passenger produced a handgun as the taxi came to a stop; at close range, he shot Paul once in the right side of the head. The shot was fatal, making Paul unalive instantly lifeless. After shooting Paul, the passenger remained seated in the cab; he leaned across Paul’s body, removed Paul’s bloodstained shirt using a knife, so he could later prove the responsibility. Possibly in an attempt to remove fingerprints, the killer appeared to wipe portions of the cab. Three teenagers were standing on the second-floor window of their house; they had a clear view of the taxi. They watched a man standing on the driver’s side of the cab and immediately recognized that something was wrong. The teenagers called the police and described the suspect.

They described him as:

• Approximately 35–45 years old.
• About 5 feet 8 inches tall.
• Heavy build.
• White male.
• Reddish-blond or light brown crew-cut hair.
• Wearing glasses.
• Dark clothing.

Using this description, police artists created the first composite sketch of the Zodiac Killer, which became the most recognizable image of the Zodiac Killer.

Zodiac killer first ever sketch.

Based on the description of the teenagers, officials started an investigation, but here comes the most important part: the teenagers correctly reported a white male as a suspect; however, during the police radio dispatch, the description was mistakenly broadcast as a black male suspect, so the officers searched for the wrong person.

Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms, San Francisco Police Officers, responded to the call. They encountered a white man walking along Jackson Street near Maple Street, only a few blocks from the murder scene, while driving toward the scene. The officers didn’t stop him because the suspect was described as a black man. Years later, Officer Donald Fouke stated that after the error was corrected, he realized that the man they had passed was very likely the Zodiac Killer.

The suspect continued walking toward the edge of the Presidio, a large park adjacent to the neighbourhood. The suspect was not found despite an intensive search involving police dogs and patrol officers.

Evidence:

• Paul Stine’s wallet.
• Latent fingerprints.
• Blood evidence.
• Witnesses statements.

On October 13, 1969, two days after the murder, the San Francisco Chronicle received a letter, inside which was a Mr. Paul Lee Stine’s bloodstained shirt fragment. This conclusively proved that the author of the letter had been present at the murder. That bloodstained shirt fragment of Paul transformed the letter from a probable hoax into definitive evidence that the author of the letter was the killer.

The letter stated:

This is the Zodiac speaking.

I am the murderer of the taxi driver over by Washington St & Maple St last night, to prove this here is a blood stained piece of his shirt. I am the same man who did in the people in the north bay area.

The S.F. Police could have caught me last night if they had searched the park properly instead of holding road races with their motorcicles seeing who could make the most noise. The car drivers should have just parked their cars and sat there quietly waiting for me to come out of cover.

School children make nice targets, I think I shall wipe out a school bus some morning. Just shoot out the front tire & then pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out.

⌖

This murder was different from the previous murders by Zodiac as this time the victim was alone, the murder happened in a city’s neighbourhood rather than in a secluded area, police came within minutes, multiple eyewitnesses observed the killer, and the killer stayed at the scene long enough to remove a fragment of the victim’s shirt. However, this was the last confirmed murder by the Zodiac Killer.

The threat of attacking a school bus by the killer received enormous media attention. Parents became afraid of sending their children to school, schools increased police patrols, and bus drivers were instructed to remain alert for suspicious vehicles, although Zodiac never carried out such an attack; the threat became one of the most terrifying aspects of the case.

The Call:

On Wednesday, October 22, 1969, at 2:00 am, a man called the Oakland Police Department and claimed to be the Zodiac Killer. He told the dispatcher that he wanted to speak with one of the two famous attorneys, Melvin or F. Lee Bailey; he demanded that one of them appear on KGO TV’s Jim Dunbar show that morning. The police took the call seriously and contacted Melvin Belli and requested him to help; Melvin agreed. F. Lee Bailey was 3000 miles away in Boston, and he couldn’t reach them on such short notice. Jim Dunbar’s show began at 6:30 am in the morning, police requested viewers not to tie up the telephone lines. At about 7:00 am, Jim Dunbar introduced Melvin Belli; at 7:10 am the first telephone call came; the caller hung up immediately. It was stated that there were up to 54 attempts before a meaningful conversation for over two hours. The first meaningful conversation was like:

Jim Dunbar: “Hello.”

Caller: “I want to talk to Melvin Belli.”

Belli: “This is Melvin.”

Caller: “My name is Sam.”

Belli: “Hello, Sam.”

Jim Dunbar: “Talk to us. Just tell us what’s going on inside you right now.”

Sam: “I have headaches.”

Belli: “How long have you had those headaches?”

Sam: “Since I killed a kid.”

Belli: “Were you in the service?”

Sam: “I don’t know.”

Belli: “Does aspirin help?”

Sam: “No.”

The caller also stated something like that: “I don’t want to go to the gas chamber”.

Melvin Belli also persuaded the caller to agree to meet him. Belli contacted the San Francisco District Attorney seeking assurance that the man would receive a fair legal process. In Daly City, a meeting place was arranged; Melvin waited there, but Sam never arrived. Later, the police confirmed after the investigation that the TV caller “Sam” was not the killer but almost certainly Eric Weill, a psychiatric patient. Survivor Bryan Hartnell and dispatcher Nancy Slover, who heard the real Zodiac’s voice, also said that Sam didn’t sound like the man they had encountered. Also, Zodiac confirmed that he is not Sam in his “Dripping Pen Card” letter; the cipher remained unsolved for 51 years until it was deciphered in December 2020 by David Oranchak, Sam Blake, and Jarl Van Eycke, and the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) confirmed the solution.

The ‘Dripping Pen Card’ Letter:

The Zodiac Killer sent another letter to the San Francisco Chronicle on November 8, 1969. That was a greeting card decorated with the ink that appeared to drip downward; hence, it is famously known as the “Dripping Pen Card”. The letter also contained a 340-character Cipher famously known as Z340.

The letter states that:

This is the Zodiac speaking

I though you would need a good laugh before you hear the bad news. You won’t get the news for a while yet.and i can’t do a thing with it!

PS could you print this new cipher on your frunt page? I get awfully lonely when I am ignored, so lonely I could do my Thing!!!!!!

⌖

Des July Aug Sept Oct = 7

Translation of the cipher (decoded in December 2020), including faithful transliterations of spelling and grammar errors in the original.

“I hope you are having lots of fan in trying to catch me that wasnt me on the tv show which bringo up a point about me I am not afraid of the gas chamber becaase it will send me to paradlce all the sooher because e now have enough slaves to worv for me where every one else has nothing when they reach paradice so they are afraid of death I am not afraid because i vnow that my new life is life will be an easy one in paradice death”

Right after this letter, the very next day, Zodiac sent another letter to the San Francisco Chronicle on November 9, 1969. This letter was very lengthy, approximately 7 pages long.

The ‘Bus Bomb’ Letter:

This is the link to the pictures of that letter: https://zodiackillerfacts.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=9

The letter states that:

“S.F. CHRONICLE San Fran Calif Please Rush to Editor

This is the Zodiac speaking

Up to the end of Oct I have killed 7 people. I have grown rather angry with the police for their telling lies about me. So I shall change the way the collecting of slaves. I shall no longer announce to anyone. When I comitt my murders, they shall look like routine robberies, killings of anger, & a few fake accidents, etc.

The police shall never catch me, because I have been too clever for them.

I look like the description passed out only when I do my thing, the rest of the time I look entirle different. I shall not tell you what my descise consists of when I kill

As of yet I have left no fingerprints behind me contrary to what the police say in my killings I wear transparent finger tip guards. All it is is 2 coats of airplane cement coated on my finger tips — quite unnoticible & very efective.

my killing tools have been boughten through the mail order outfits before the ban went into efect. Except one & it was bought out of the state.

So as you can see the police don’t have much to work on. If you wonder why I was wipeing the cab down I was leaving fake clews for the police to run all over town with, as one might say, I gave the cops som bussy work to do to keep them happy. I enjoy needling the blue pigs. Hey blue pig I was in the park — you were useing fire trucks to mask the sound of your cruzeing prowl cars. The dogs never came with in 2 blocks of me & they were to the west & there was only 2 groups of parking about 10 min apart then the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west.

Must print in paperps. 2 cops pulled a goof abot 3 min after I left the cab. I was walking down the hill to the park when this cop car pulled up & one of them called me over & asked if I saw anyone acting suspicious or strange in the last 5 to 10 min & I said yes there was this man who was runnig by waveing a gun & the cops peeled rubber & went around the corner as I directed them & I disappeared into the park a block & a half away never to be seen again.

Hey pig doesnt it rile you up to have your noze rubed in your booboos?

If you cops think I’m going to take on a bus the way I stated I was, you deserve to have holes in your heads.

Take one bag of ammonium nitrate fertilizer & 1 gal of stove oil & dump a few bags of gravel on top & then set the shit off & will positivily ventalate any thing that should be in the way of the blast.

The death machine is all ready made. I would have sent you pictures but you would be nasty enough to trace them back to developer & then to me, so I shall describe my masterpiece to you. The nice part of it is all the parts can be bought on the open market with no questions asked.

1 bat. pow clock — will run for aprox 1 year

1 photoelectric switch

2 copper leaf springs

2 6V car bat

1 flash light bulb & reflector

1 mirror

2 18" cardboard tubes black with shoe polish in side & oute

the system checks out from one end to the other in my tests. What you do not know is whether the death machine is at the sight or whether it is being stored in my basement for future use. I think you do not have the manpower to stop this one by continually searching the road sides looking for this thing. & it wont do to re roat & re schedule the busses because the bomb can be adapted to new conditions.

Have fun!! By the way it could be rather messy if you try to bluff me.

PS. Be shure to print the part I marked out on page 3 or I shall do my thing ⌖

To prove that I am the Zodiac, Ask the Vallejo cop about my electric gun sight which I used to start my collecting of slaves.

The Zodiac Killer did nothing for six weeks straight, and then he sent a letter to a famous defense attorney, Melvin Belli, in San Francisco; he was well known for his television appearances.

The ‘Melvin Belli’ Letter:

This letter was sent on the exact day the Zodiac Killer committed his first confirmed murder, last year on December 20, 1969. Many investigators believe the Zodiac chose Belli because he was one of the country’s most recognizable lawyers and often represented unusual, high-profile clients.

Letter to D.A M.B.

The letter states that:

“Dear Melvin

This is the Zodiac speaking I wish you a happy Christmass. The one thing I ask of you is this, please help me. I cannot reach out for help because of this thing in me won’t let me. I am finding it extreamly dificult to hold it in check I am afraid I will loose control again and take my nineth & posibly tenth victom. Please help me I am drownding. At the moment the children are safe from the bomb because it is so massive to dig in & the triger mech requires much work to get it adjusted just right. But if I hold back too long from no nine I will loose complet all controol of my self & set the bomb up. Please help me I can not remain in control for much longer.”

⌖

Melvin Belli was a very famous defense attorney, so the letter received widespread publicity. The media extensively covered it.

After this letter, the next letter was sent on April 20, 1970. The Zodiac killer sent many letters in the year 1970, and after that his confirmed letters became increasingly infrequent. In his letter of April 20, 1970, he wrote: ‘My name is_,” and instead of giving his name, he enclosed a 13-character cipher known as Z13; that cipher was never conclusively solved.

Paul Lee Stine was the last confirmed murder of Zodiac; after that, the case was mainly based on letters. Now, after the Zodiac victims, we will discuss the people who are suspected to be the Zodiac Killer. Some suspects were officially investigated by law enforcement, and some people's names were found in police files, documentaries, books, and public speculation.

Suspects Officially Investigated by Law Enforcement:

The suspects who were officially investigated by law enforcement are discussed below:

1- Arthur Leigh Allen:

Arthur Leigh Allen.

Arthur Leigh Allen was born on December 18, 1933. He lived in Vallejo, California, and was an elementary school teacher later dismissed. Arthur Leigh became the most famous suspect largely because of the work of Vallejo detective Dave Toschi. After the interview of Donald Cheney (Zodiac’s former friend), Arthur became a prime suspect of the police. Dave Toschi and his fellow inspector William Armstrong both interviewed Arthur Allen, and later author Robert Graysmith, whose book inspired the 2007 film Zodiac, portrayed Arthur Allen as a prime suspect in the Zodiac case.

In 1971, Allen’s former friend Donald Cheney gave his statement to police; he stated that Arthur Allen had said that he wanted to become Zodiac, use a flashlight attached to a gun, hunt couples, send letters to newspapers, and call police after murders. Allen owned a Zodiac-brand wristwatch featuring the crossed-circle logo, very similar to the symbol used by the killer. Police noted this but did not consider it conclusive because thousands of people owned Zodiac watches.

Arthur Leigh Allen lived near Vallejo, close to:

• Lake Herman Road
• Blue Rock Springs

He was familiar with the areas where the first attacks occurred.

Arthur Allen was also interested in cryptography, according to some acquaintances.

However, his handwriting, fingerprints, and DNA didn’t match, these evidences didn’t identify Arthur Leigh Allen as Zodiac.

2- Lawrence Kane:

Lawrence Kane.

Lawrence Kane was later identified by Kathleen Johns; she said that he resembled the man who abducted her. There is no direct evidence linking him to murders. He was born in 1924; his name was Lawrence Klein, but later he changed his surname to Kane. Investigators looked at him because he lived near several Zodiac crime areas, had military experience, had a brain injury from an automobile accident, and Kathleen Johns identified him as her kidnapper, though the reliability of this identification has been questioned.

3- Rick Marshall:

Richard Marshall.

Rick Marshall became famous after Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle and a best-selling true-crime author of The Zodiac, suspected him. Robert Graysmith considered him a strong suspect because he was interested in old films, worked near a movie theatre, and owned typewriters. Police largely dismissed him because no forensic evidence linked him to the Zodiac Killer.

4- Ross O Sullivan:

Ross O Sullivan.

Ross O Sullivan was a library employee. He was suspected because he resembled the composite sketch of the Zodiac Killer, disappeared after one murder, and reportedly behaved oddly. However, no forensic evidence connected him to the crimes committed by the Zodiac Killer.

5- Richard Gaikowski:

Richard Gaikowski.

Richard Gaikowski was an editor at a newspaper. He was suspected of being the Zodiac Killer because he had a similar appearance, an interest in ciphers, and a history of travel. However, investigators never found any forensic evidence linking him to the murders committed by the Zodiac Killer.

6- Earl Van Best Jr. :

Earl Van Jr.

Earl Van Best Jr. mainly promoted his own son, who believed his father was the Zodiac Killer. The claims were that he had similar handwriting and a similar face. However, the evidence was generally considered unconvincing, and law enforcement didn’t consider him to be the Zodiac.

7- Gary Francis Poste:

Gary Francis Poste.

Decades later, a private volunteer investigative organization called The Case Breakers was led by the investigative journalist Thomas J. Colbert. The Case Breakers claimed in October 2021 that they believe Gary Francis Poste was the Zodiac Killer; it also stated that its investigation involved around 40 former law-enforcement and intelligence personnel, along with other researchers. They said that Poste and Zodiac had similar scars and that Gary Poste was involved in Cheri Jo Bates' murder, an 18-year-old college student murdered in California by a river side in 1966; the organization said that Bates was an earlier victim of the Zodiac, photographs from Francis Poste’s darkroom are evidence, and that the Zodiac Ciphers point to Poste. They also identified alleged forensic evidence such as fingerprints, handwriting, DNA, shell casings, photographs, cryptic material, and other physical evidence. However, law enforcement and the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) did not declare the Zodiac case solved; they never endorsed this conclusion. The evidence presented has been widely criticized by independent researchers.

Poste died in 2018, so he could not be interviewed or investigated as a suspect; law enforcement did not accept the identification.

Other Notable Suspects:

Over the decades, investigators and authors have examined many others, including:

• Ted Kaczynski (dismissed)
• Bruce Davis (dismissed)
• Louis Myers (family claim, unverified)
• Chester Clark Klingel (reportedly investigated but no evidence)
• Joseph Newton Chandler III (speculative)

None has been officially identified as the Zodiac.

The case officially remains unsolved. This is the detailed account of the Zodiac case, including his letters, ciphers, and some suspects.