This so-called poem, measuring in its entirety just under 5.5 inches in length, was found by a janitor in a storage room at the Riverside City College library in the December of 1966. It was later determined to have been written with a blue ballpoint pen on the underside a folding plywood desk, describing either a sense of foreboding or impending murderous intent. The author signed off the poem with the letters rh, believed by many to be the initials of the author. The Riverside Desktop Poem has become inextricably linked to the murder of Cheri Josephine Bates on October 30th 1966 - and just like the November 29th 1966 Confession letter - there remains skepticism as to whether this was the work of the Zodiac Killer, despite similarities in the handwriting and the use of phrases employed in later authenticated Zodiac correspondence.
Cheri Jo Bates was a graduate of Ramona High School, situated at 7675 Magnolia Avenue in Riverside, which boasts a nationally acclaimed band and color guard as part of its Creative and Performing Arts program which has been featured in major motion pictures, television shows and commercials worldwide. California questioned documents examiner, Sherwood Morrill, formed the opinion that the handwriting on the desktop was consistent with that of the Zodiac Killer, however, because handwriting is subjective and open to interpretation, other experts in the field would disagree. Cheri Jo Bates was slashed numerous times and her throat cut by a presumed short-bladed knife on October 30th 1966 in an alleyway just off Terracina Drive, 75 yards west of the Riverside City College library. The middle distributor wire of her Volkswagen Beetle had been torn out, effectively disabling her car. There were no direct eyewitnesses to the murder, although people living in close proximity to the library recalled hearing screams sometime between 10:15 pm and 10:45 pm, and shortly thereafter, the sound of an old vehicle driving off. However, nobody alerted the police and it wasn't until 6:30 am on Halloween morning that her body was discovered by Riverside City College caretaker, Cleophus Martin. SEE CHERI JO BATES MURDER |
THE RIVERSIDE DESKTOP POEM
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A recent theory I have discovered for the rh written at the foot of the Riverside Desktop Poem is this:
The Zodiac Killer finished many of his communications with the running victim total. The Dripping Pen card gave us the time, in the form of a month, and the total. The Bus Bomb letter stated "up to the end of Oct I have killed 7 people".
The July 31st 1969 San Francisco Chronicle letter warned us of future murders "If you do not print this cipher by the afternoon of Fry.1st of Aug 69, I will go on a kill ram-Page Fry. night". The Halloween card is also believed by many to be a future threat towards Paul Avery.
What if we apply the same model to the Riverside Desktop Poem, where he signs off the poem with "Just wait till next time. rh". The Riverside Desktop Poem was discovered in the December of 1966. But it might very well have been written prior to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966, and the warning of "Just wait till next time. rh". was referring to the time and place of his next murder. Remember, the author of the Confession letter had suggested he was trying to lure Cheri Jo Bates into his vehicle. This may possibly indicate he had planned to murder Cheri Jo Bates later than the believed 10:30 pm, when screams emanated from the alleyway, likely on Halloween Day itself, but something clearly had resulted in the unplanned struggle in the alleyway and her 'premature' murder from the perspective of the killer. Had he achieved his objective in luring the young woman into his vehicle, the likely prediction of the Riverside Desktop Poem would have come true. "Just wait till next time. riverside, halloween".
The Zodiac Killer finished many of his communications with the running victim total. The Dripping Pen card gave us the time, in the form of a month, and the total. The Bus Bomb letter stated "up to the end of Oct I have killed 7 people".
The July 31st 1969 San Francisco Chronicle letter warned us of future murders "If you do not print this cipher by the afternoon of Fry.1st of Aug 69, I will go on a kill ram-Page Fry. night". The Halloween card is also believed by many to be a future threat towards Paul Avery.
What if we apply the same model to the Riverside Desktop Poem, where he signs off the poem with "Just wait till next time. rh". The Riverside Desktop Poem was discovered in the December of 1966. But it might very well have been written prior to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966, and the warning of "Just wait till next time. rh". was referring to the time and place of his next murder. Remember, the author of the Confession letter had suggested he was trying to lure Cheri Jo Bates into his vehicle. This may possibly indicate he had planned to murder Cheri Jo Bates later than the believed 10:30 pm, when screams emanated from the alleyway, likely on Halloween Day itself, but something clearly had resulted in the unplanned struggle in the alleyway and her 'premature' murder from the perspective of the killer. Had he achieved his objective in luring the young woman into his vehicle, the likely prediction of the Riverside Desktop Poem would have come true. "Just wait till next time. riverside, halloween".
