A FEMALE CONFESSION LETTER?

6/25/2018

The idea that the murderer of JonBenet Patricia Ramsey on 25/26th December 1996 would break into the Ramsey household, write a two and a half page ransom note using a notepad and pen found within the house (taking in excess of 22 minutes to compose), rather than write the note beforehand, and then not actually kidnap the young girl, but kill her in the basement, beggars belief.
Analysis of the note and the language contained within it, tends to indicate that it was written by a female.

Mr. Ramsey,
Listen carefully! We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction. We do respect your bussiness but not the country that it serves. At this time we have your daughter in our posession. She is safe and unharmed and if you want her to see 1997, you must follow our instructions to the letter.
You will withdraw $118,000.00 from your account. $100,000 will be in $100 bills and the remaining $18,000 in $20 bills. Make sure that you bring an adequate size attache to the bank. When you get home you will put the money in a brown paper bag. I will call you between 8 and 10 am tomorrow to instruct you on delivery. The delivery will be exhausting so I advise you to be rested. If we monitor you getting the money early, we might call you early to arrange an earlier delivery of the money and hence a earlier delivery pick-up of your daughter.
Any deviation of my instructions will result in the immediate execution of your daughter. You will also be denied her remains for proper burial. The two gentlemen watching over your daughter do not particularly like you so I advise you not to provoke them. Speaking to anyone about your situation, such as Police, F.B.I., etc., will result in your daughter being beheaded. If we catch you talking to a stray dog, she dies. If you alert bank authorities, she dies. If the money is in any way marked or tampered with, she dies. You will be scanned for electronic devices and if any are found, she dies. You can try to deceive us but be warned that we are familiar with law enforcement countermeasures and tactics. You stand a 99% chance of killing your daughter if you try to out smart us. Follow our instructions and you stand a 100% chance of getting her back.
You and your family are under constant scrutiny as well as the authorities. Don't try to grow a brain John. You are not the only fat cat around so don't think that killing will be difficult. Don't underestimate us John. Use that good southern common sense of yours. It is up to you now John!
Victory!
S.B.T.C Youtube.

Cheri Jo Bates

This will be an exploration into the premise that the November 29th 1966 'Confession' letter, the Riverside 'Desktop Poem' and the three Bates letters were written by a female, consumed with hatred and jealousy towards her fellow womenfolk, and not by the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates, brutally stabbed and beaten in a Riverside alleyway on October 30th 1966. Here is the wording contained within the typed 'Confession' letter:

She was young and beautiful. But now she is battered and dead. She is not the first and she will not be the last. I lay awake nights thinking about my next victon. May'be she will be the beautiful blond that babysits near the little store and walks down the dark alley each evening about seven. Maybe she will be the shapely blue eyed brunett that said xxx no when I asked her for a date in high school. But maybe it will not be either. But I shall cut off her female parts and deposit them for the whole city to see. So dont make it to easy for me. Keep your sisters, daughters and wives off the streets and alleys. Miss Bates was stupid. She went to the slaghter like a lamb. She did not put up a struggle. But I did. It was a ball. I first pulled the middle wire from the distributor. Then I waited for her in the library and followed her out after about two minutes. The battery must have been about dead by then. I then offered to help. She was then very willing to talk to me. I told her that my car was down the street and that I would give her a lift home. When we were away from the library walking, I said it was about time. She asked me "about time for what". I said it was about time for her to die. I grabbed her around the neck with my hand over her mouth and my other hand with a small knife at her throat. She went very willingly. Her breast felt very warm and firm under my hands. But only one thing was on my mind. Making her pay for all the brush offs that she had given me during the years prior. She died hard. She squirmed and shook as I chocked her. And her lips twiched. She let out a scream once and I kicked her in the head to shut her up. I plunged the knife into her and it broke. I then finished the job out cutting her throat. I am not sick. I am insane. But that will not stop the game. This letter should be published for all to read it. It just might save that girl in the alley. But that's up to you. It will be on your conscience. Not mine. Yes I did make that call to you also. It was just a warning. Beware....I am stalking your girls now.
CC.
Chief of Police Enterprise.

Although not wholly scientific, the wording from the 'Confession' letter was placed into two online tools to determine the gender of its author. Textgain, a web service for predictive text analytics, predicted a female of 25 years or over, with 75% confidence. Hacker Factor, in formal genre, scored 849 for female and 428 for male, and a weak emphasis for European origin.

This analysis is not pushing the idea that the author of the Riverside communications was a female, simply considering it a possibility based on the language used - particularly within the 'Confession' letter and Riverside 'Desktop Poem'.

The 'Confession' letter author appears to be reveling in the murder and demise of Cheri Jo Bates, a trait not exhibited by the Zodiac Killer, who not only never mentioned his victims by name, but didn't dwell on the nature of the murders themselves. Here, the author is positively wallowing in the details of their achievement, opening with the lines "She was young and beautiful. But now she is battered and dead". In addition to being morally bankrupt, the author is going out of their way to exhibit a spiteful and malicious streak in the tone of the letter. Providing details of the crime to prove their connection to it, which they ultimately failed to do, appears of secondary importance to the author.

Scouring any piece of text to discover the gender of its author is similar to handwriting comparison - it's subjective and dependent on the observer - and therefore cannot be scientifically validated. This is important to remember when reading the following observations. Would a male individual have used the language contained within the 'Confession' letter? Just like the JonBenet Ramsey ransom note, the author appears to be selling a story - how "the shapely blue eyed brunett said no when I asked her for a date in high school" or maybe they will kill "the beautiful blond that babysits near the little store and walks down the dark alley each evening about seven". Phrases such as "the shapely blue eyed brunett", "the beautiful blond that babysits near the little store", "she went very willingly. Her breast felt very warm and firm under my hands", "keep your sisters, daughters and wives off the streets and alleys" and "it just might save that girl in the alley. But that's up to you. It will be on your conscience. Not mine", raises some questions as to the gender of the 'Confession' letter typist, who is adding superfluous detail into the story behind the murder of Cheri Jo Bates. In addition to this, making sure we understood that 'he' was rejected "by the shapely blue eyed brunett" and was "brushed off" by Cheri Jo Bates many times in 'his' pursuit of a heterosexual relationship.

For those who believe a Riverside connection to the Zodiac Killer, another factor must be considered. Despite the addresses of the Bay Area victims being widely publicized in the newspapers, not once did the Zodiac Killer write to the family members of the victims, such as David Faraday, Betty Lou Jensen and Darlene Ferrin, to name but three - as typified by the author of the Joseph Bates letter, in what can only be described as a cruel and unnecessary act. The mailing of the Joseph Bates letter, again exemplified the callousness of an individual who seemingly bathed in the misery of the murder itself, something evidently absent from the Zodiac communications.

Are these observations, particularly regarding the 'Confession' letter, suggestive of a female author, or a male of effeminate tendencies or inadequacies who just got "brushed off". Or possibly a complete stranger. Your thoughts on either the 'Confession' letter or the JonBenet Ramsey ransom note would be welcome.

24 Comments

Drew

6/25/2018 07:59:55 am

I've never been convinced by the 'story' within the Confession letter. It is really well written as far as supervillain character development but the brush offs business, the time to die dialogue is beyond difficult to accept. The scream and the phone call sound like they were mentioned to match with what was published as does the inference that the murder took place during library hours. The broken knife as well sounds like a sick fictional flourish, although a curious one because it suggests that a broken blade would be found in the body. If there was and that has been kept quiet it is confirmation; if not it was a bold addition to the text. I'm not certain in this situation that a coroner could conclude whether this happened or not - obviously no such ruling has ever been made public.

One reason to doubt that it was written by the Zodiac is that it was typed rather than handwritten. The envelope writing was also disguised using a bold font method Zodiac never employed. Perhaps the author thought disguising gender was necessary to sell the story. It is a bit strange though that Cheri Jo's first name wasn't used if the intention was to infer that a student suitor was the culprit.

It has been suggested that the author and the killer were not the same individual. If Zodiac was the claimer of someone else's crime we can understand the writer's desire to capitalize on the gruesome opportunity for public attention. This would explain why he chose the word 'activities' in his claim in 71 and why he previously excluded the murder from his precious death count. Persuasively for me, Morf has said he would bet his house that Zodiac was the writer if not the killer.

If Zodiac did turn out to be the Riverside Killer I would be inclined to believe perhaps all of the popularly discussed outlier crimes attributed to him as it would give us previous examples of the auto manipulation con, abduction, victim knowledge, years of killing history, a wider hunting radius, and it would prove he didn't become a complete liar in his letters post-Stine.

As for the Ramsey letter and crime I agree that the surface narrative is impossible to believe. The case is just too sad for me to study in depth. It does read like it was written by a woman, but not quickly and without planning while at the crime scene. I think the demanded figure given was also suspicious, but I don't remember why.

Richard

6/25/2018 10:54:23 am

The police certainly made some errors in the search for Zodiac, but they certainly covered all bases in the Riverside investigation. I know Michael Morford and many others have a leaning towards Ross Sullivan as the Zodiac. I also accept that they believe Ross might not have murdered CJB, but authored the letters. The watch at the crime scene was torn from the killer's hand and was broken by the watch face, meaning it was still secured through the strap holes. This is what enabled police to conclude that the "Timex wristwatch indicating the suspect had a 7" wrist circumference".
Ross Sullivan worked at the library, he along with every other suspect would have had this watch circumference checked to their wrist. Assuming no subterfuge with "planting of watch" scenarios, which is not likely, the police would have been instantly able to rule out people quite easily. A 7 inch wrist size is very small for a man, particularly for a 6'3", big framed, overweight man like Sullivan. My guess is his wrist size was checked- for police to have not done so would defy logic. This fact alone, not to mention he was likely devoid of scratch marks to his face, hands or arms, I assume, would have ruled him out very early on in the investigation.
Yes Drew, the fact the letter was typed doesn't help the Zodiac connection, and neither does the ridiculous effort to disguise the handwriting on the Bates letters, where every capitalized letter varies from its like capitalized letter. The Zodiac never went to these lengths, with his handwriting (fake or real) uniform for most of the time. It is perfectly plausible the Riverside Desktop poem has no connection to either the Bates or Confession letters. The word "activities" again is open ended, in case the crime is ever solved. It leaves him a get out clause.

Drew

6/25/2018 11:33:35 am

On the subject of a connection between Ross Sullivan to either the Riverside Killer or Zodiac I disagree with the conclusions of Morf and many others for all the reasons you have mentioned and more.

I have a couple of questions for discussion. Is it possible that the watch did not belong to the killer? Would you say there is better than a fifty percent chance of this?

Beyond the watch would you assume that the killer was smallish yet unlikely to be a woman? Has lab testing confirmed that a male donated the hair in Bate's grasp? Were the blood drops on Cheri Jo's pants actually found to be male or was that just an outright lie for television? It is hard to keep track of all the BS that came out of that History Channel show!

Richard

6/25/2018 01:46:51 pm

Humans normally have 46 chromosomes, which come in 23 pairs, as well as some mitochondrial DNA. From the mitochondrial DNA, and 22 of the 23 other chromosome pairs, there is nothing to tell you whether the DNA came from a male or a female. The genetic difference between males and females resides in that last chromosome pair, the sex chromosomes. At the sex chromosomes, women have two X chromosomes, while men have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome.
So, if you have a discrete source of your DNA sample, like a hair, you could do a couple of things. You could test it for the presence of Y-chromosome genetic material. If the DNA source was female, you should not find any. Of course, that requires basing your conclusion on a negative result (the absence of a Y chromosome), which is not ideal, since it is possible that you could miss the material for technical reasons (e.g., failure of a particular chemical reaction).
The real thing you would look for to indicate that you had DNA from a female is the presence of two different X chromosomes. That means you need to identify the DNA sequence on part of the X chromosome. You can do this by actually sequencing a region of the chromosome, but this is probably unnecessarily expensive. After all, the vast majority of sites on the chromosome are going to be identical, not just in the X chromosomes in your sample, but in every X chromosome in every human being in the world.
http://jonfwilkins.com/2013/04/how-does-the-fbi-know-it-found-female-dna/

It is certainly possible the watch is not from the killer. It could have been planted by the killer to throw investigators off. But I find this unlikely because of the disorganized nature of the attack and the fact CJB clearly put up a valiant and prolonged attempt to save her life, which likely resulted in the watch being ripped from the assailant's wrist. If you really wanted to throw investigators off, then smash the watch after setting the time earlier or later, to possibly give yourself an alibi. It's possible it is extraneous to the crime scene, but all we can do is go with what is more likely. I would put the watch as belonging to the killer above 95%. If she was attacked by two people, it isn't beyond the realms of possibility the watch was ripped from the accomplice but not the killer. But this crime didn't require two people and there is no evidence to support a second person. I believe the killer was around Cheri Jo Bates' age-possibly somebody who had an unhealthy interest in her. A powerful man with a knife, I believe, should have been able to overpower a young woman- but this attack with the amount of defensive wounds, the alleyway churned up and the fact it clearly lasted for a prolonged period, indicates to me, the assailant was not experienced and likely not a particularly strong individual. But this is hardly a scientific interpretation, so is open to disagreement. I don't know about CJB's clothing and what the History Channel deduced. Like you Drew, I took most of it as entertainment rather than a serious investigation.

Drew

6/26/2018 08:33:46 am

Thanks for the breakdown Richard this is great info on something I knew nothing about! I also appreciate your opinion on the watch. I suppose the killer forgetting his watch at the scene is another strong indication that the crime coincided with the 9:30 scream, when it was too dark for him to find it in a hurry. Surely the murderer was a man and not one so powerful or experienced as to be able to efficiently or quietly commit the violent act. In terms of him knowing her, choosing such a small weapon to me implies spontaneity or passion and therefore probably knowledge of her. He may well have been brushed off by Cheri Jo in the past at school or the bank but the attack could also have been provoked by something that occurred that evening, somewhere away from the library. I wonder if we will ever learn where she may have been that night after dropping off her books. Thanks man

Rubislaw 32 link

6/25/2018 10:17:31 am

Up to about 100 years ago,it was socially unacceptable for a female writer,to have her work published.

So some adopted male pseudonyms.and some even adopting a male style of writing.

Male writers are often required to write as a woman.I am not sure,in either case,what the range of ''trade secrets'' are,that this encompasses.

As Drew as alluded to,the Bates confession letter is tricky to analyse.Questions certainly arise,with regard to its accuracy to,and truthfulness of,the Cheri Jo slaying.

But I suspect,as Sherwood Morrill was convinced,that the confession letter,is the work of the man who became the Zodiac.

I don't believe that ''Zodiac'' ever intended to be mistaken for female authorship....but he certainly had a habit of slipping in to ''theatrical camp-ness'',when it suited him.

Indeed,the debate over Zodiac's culpability,or not,for Cheri Jo's actual slaughter continues,without resolve.

The confession letter appears to suggest,that ''Zodiac'' was not responsible for her death.

Zodiac,I think.does have a habit of slipping in to pomposity and ''general speak'',when fibbing about something that he hopes to be blamed for.

July 24th 1970 :

''...the woeman & her baby that I gave a rather interesting ride for coupple howers...''

March 13th 1971 :

''......I do have to give them credit for stumbling across my riverside activity....''

These are the ramblings of a man,who tended towards effeminate leanings,in his style,than could ever be mistaken,as a female writer [?].

Richard

6/25/2018 02:18:45 pm

The Riverside Police have kept their files under wraps for 52 years and are quite possibly holding something back. In most murder investigations the police usually hold some information from the public, so if the killer contacts them, they can verify whether it is the killer or a hoaxer. This was evident at Lake Herman Road. If the Zodiac Killer really was the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates, he knew details about the crime that nobody else knew, information regarding the disabling of the Volkswagen, what time he killed her and possibly something unique about the Timex watch. There would have been some pertinent information that would have convinced Riverside Police of his involvement in the crime, had he been more forthcoming in the March 13th 1971 letter. But all he does is blab about being crackproof and mentions "riverside activity" as Drew pointed out. There isn't one of his first seven letters in which he didn't provide proof of his involvement. He bent over backwards to prove he was responsible for the LHR and BRS murders by supplying details of the crime. He mailed shirt pieces in the October 13th letter, the Bus Bomb letter and the Belli letter to attach himself to Presidio Heights. He wrote on the car door at Berryessa, which he mistakenly thought would be proof, but has offered not one shred of evidence, known only to him and the police, to connect him to Riverside. As you point out, why didn't he tell us how he burnt Kathleen Johns vehicle, something distinguishing about her vehicle, or something from the police report not told to the public.All his admissions were vague, including the inference of the Radetich murder, the Riverside activities and the Kathleen Johns abduction. I'm even wavering on the Donna Lass disappearance, other than the "sought victim 12" statement which I suggested. Of course, he could have just been playing mind games and keeping us wondering. I have written some articles attempting to bolster the Riverside connection, because it has to be presented as an argument, but I see little to connect Zodiac to Riverside. However, I wouldn't be stupid enough to rule it out either.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/25/2018 03:17:10 pm

Indeed this appears true that Zodiac was virtually tripping over himself,in an effort to let L.E.know,as soon as he had committed murder.

And,with Paul Stine,he even posted the forensic evidence,necessary to convict him.

The ''LHR'' delay...still a bit of a mystery.And this is why I believe that his genuine motive,for the Bay Area spree,became the ''undercard'' to engagement motivation,with the cops and the press.

That ''undercard'' being related to a persecution of Mr.Grant.

And as you refer to the peripheral possibilities,of Radetich,Johns and Lass,Richard.....I would go even as far as dismissing them entirely,as the responsibility of Zodiac.

Though,I believe L.E. used the claims of Ms.Johns,to draw Zodiac back into engagement,with them.

I can understand your frustration with the whole Riverside ''link'.

I merely go with ''scribe'',simply on the basis that ''Zodiac'' happened to reside reasonably locally,at that time ['66/67]....was a regular gatecrasher to college facilities....and became inspired by what had taken place.

Rubislaw 32 link

6/26/2018 08:29:00 am

Let's just be a bit more brave on this Riverside link.

As far as I am aware,Robert Graysmith and one other person,are the only persons,in the public domain,to have full lists of student enrolment,for Riverside College 1966-1967.

I have ''Zodiac'' down as taking a part time welding course,at the college,at that time.

''Big deal'',people might say...and what does it prove ?

The point I am trying to make is,that if the network of amateur sleuths was more generous and facilitating to one another,more could be achieved.

Mr,Graysmith may well have elected to retire from the Zodiac arena.

But,as time goes on,and in particular areas of investigation,I can see one or two newspapers,worth their salt,giving individuals,like Mr.Graysmith....a hard time,whether he likes it,or not.

In the words of the song ''Hotel California'' :

''You can check out any time - but you can never leave.''.

Anna Morris

7/30/2018 01:01:40 pm

For several years I have been following the work of www.jonbenetinvestigation.com . I believe the writer of the JonBenet ransom note was a man who lived in a neighbor's basement and who had a clear view of the Ramsey home. This work has recently been covered in the tabloid press and some other media sources have written about it, including an article I wrote for www.freedomfightersofamerica.blogspot.com . The man's name has been given but I am more comfortable referring to him as The Organizer of G.M., the General Manager.

The man created an excuse basically to crash the Ramsey family Christmas party on 23 December, 1996. (His landlords were invited guests.) It is theorized that he took a notepad from the home at that time and wrote the letter on his own time in his basement dwelling. On the night of the crime the letter AND the notepad were returned, plus the pen he used was put into a container of pens in the home.

The note was indeed a ransom note as well as a letter of instruction. Every word of it was meant to be taken seriously though on the surface it seems insane. I have been involved with jonbenetinvestigation for a long time and have at time expressed various opinions arguing against this. I finally understand how it all went together and absolutely agree that the note was meant to be taken seriously.

The Organizer had accomplices. None of them had their own cars or a place to take the victim. The Ramsey home was HUGE, of proportions most of us cannot fathom. For instance the distance between JonBenet's bedroom and her brother's was something like 80 feet. It was a three story house with a basement. Sound from the basement could not be heard on the top floor.

It was a simple crime--to which I facetiously add, what could possibly go wrong? Accomplices took JonBenet to the basement. Tragically one or both of them were sadists and they tortured their victim for hours. G.M. was probably not present at that point. He and his accomplices depended on the Ramsey family believing every word of the letter, obtaining the ransom and delivering it to another accomplice "out on the trails". The criminals were able to "monitor" the family from the basement and otherwise. When police were called, JonBenet was killed. Interestingly, neighbors probably saw one of the killers leaving the premises AFTER the police arrived. He was likely present with JonBenet's body behind a door the police assumed had been "painted shut", thus it was not opened. Later in the day it opened easily.

The G.M. may have had female tendencies or, in my opinion, he had had enough contact with Ramsey family members that he mimicked things they had said. The Ramsey family had a fairly close relationship with the neighbors who were G.M.'s landlords though the family apparently did not know about the boarder in the basement.

I do not have an opinion about the confession letter presented here other than I do not feel it is comparable to the JonBenet ransom note.

Anna Morris

7/30/2018 01:06:23 pm

I probably messed up the first link above by not giving enough information. Hopefully this will work=> https://www.facebook.com/jonbenetinvestigation/

Sorry.

Howard link

8/9/2018 01:02:40 am

In reference to the “desktop” poem. I located the original photographer who took all photos of the desk. I was in his home in Riverside once and exchanged emails with him some 3 or 4 times.
He said on the morning of the Bates murder he got a call from RSPD asking him to bring his camera equipment for taking photos of a crime scene. He rushed over to RCC. and took several photos. I have seen them but was told by the Enterprise they belonged to them.

Later in the year he was called to photograph a school desk that was found. He told me several times that the poem was on the underside of the desktop not the top itself. He told me he had to crouch and take photos from different angles due to the fact it was the underside of the desk surface.
He said he said the underside was clearly not finished with varnish like the top surface was. He was adamant as l kept asking him about the poems location that he saw the poem and it was inscribed on the underside.
It seems the desk was in the music room at one time. Cheri took music classes in piano. She was fairly good at playing that instrument. RH means Right Hand which is seen on music sheets and has to do with stop. A music major told me that.
It seems the writer saw the desk upside down or on a side position stacked ina closet and wrote the poem. I spoke to an old professor that was teaching at RCC when Cheri was killed. He said in answer to my question did the construction workers who were working on the RCC building project 1966/7 were able to go into closets as they were locked. He said yes he recalls some would go into closets as they had a key. He said Cheri was murdered next to the Black Students Union building.
Putting all this together it was someone who had access to that stored desk locked up in that closet. I think it was a construction worker. They or the union were bringing skilled workers in from all over. I researched this large project.
What has also been pretty much ignored is the fact Cheri had two part time jobs. When l posted this yeas back there was some disagreement even when l quoted her Death Certificate which says she was employed at RS National bank which l have seen and which was no longer in business at that time. GS writes about this job. Perhaps her killer spotted the pretty young blonde ( she dyed her hair) bank teller. Then cert. says she worked as a “part time typist”at RCC. Varuoys construction workers needed papers typed as well as school,offices so the killer may have seen her there and tried to flirt with her, but was rebuffed.
An RS det. told me Cheri was ‘very friendly,’but her friends said she could get angry in a moment and rebuke a guy if she was offended someone was crossing the line. The Confession writer did say she gave him brush offs pl.The indication was she not willing to even talk to him.
A friend of Cheri’s according to a past Z poster who contacted her said that the workers would whistle give out cat calls,etc.,but she ignored them. She recalled one “welder” who had a “mustache named Bruce” who would call out to her also only to be ingnored.

Richard

8/9/2018 02:31:55 am

Yes Howard, I have certainly considered this the most likely option. An individual that may have been loosely connected to the Riverside College during its renovation, but not a student (who were routinely fingerprinted and cross examined). The person who killed Cheri Jo Bates, not being a complete stranger (ie:first time encounter), but somebody who crossed paths with Cheri Jo Bates, and had access to the college, such as a worker. The desktop writing, as you suggest, written while the desktop was stored rather than in its 'studying position'. The specks of paint on the watch may also indicate such a connection. I have never believed the murderer was a close friend of CJB or a complete stranger, but somebody who occasionally crossed paths with her.
The unlocked doors and rolled windows (and possibly passenger door slightly ajar, as if not closed properly) suggests to me the interaction she had with her killer was trusting to some extent when her vehicle failed to start, but turned fractious at the location of her vehicle, and subsequently being forced to the location she was killed. I highly doubt she would leave her prized Volkswagen Beetle in such a state. I agree with you Howard that, if the desktop poem was authored by the killer of CJB, then the likely perpetrator is somebody who had access to the college, but not enrolled in it, and thereby may have bypassed the routine screening.

Amber

8/31/2018 07:05:28 am

“I first pulled the middle wire from the distributor. Then I waited for her in the library and followed her out after about two minutes. The battery must have been about dead by then.”

This part of the letter makes no sense. Pulling the coil wire will not cause the battery to discharge.

Amber

8/31/2018 07:36:24 am

To clarify my comment, pulling the middle (coil) wire will disable the vehicle by cutting off the flow of electricity, but it will not drain the battery. So Cheri Jo’s killer knew how to disable her vehicle. However, the automotive knowledge of the author of the letter is very limited if he/she mistakenly believed a drained battery was the reason the VW wouldn’t start. This could indicate that either the killer didn’t have much automotive knowledge or that the letter writer was not the killer and merely guessed at how the car was disabled. People have speculated that because all the details of the crime as put forth in the letter were publicly available in newspaper articles of the time, the letter writer was a fraud. However, if I’m not mistaken, the articles used the term “coil wire” whereas the letter author used the term “middle wire”. I’m not sure what to make of that.

Richard

8/31/2018 07:49:55 am

The article then details the car being disabled. The Confession letter similarly switches to the Volkswagen Beetle, stating 'I first pulled the middle wire from the distributor', but the author retrieves some additional material from later in the article, where it states 'the distributor and coil wire had been torn loose.'
This topic of the 'middle wire' has been hotly debated in many forums, on whether the author of the Confession letter is supplying information only known to the killer. Here is some additional information to help you decide. "The ignition coil is the unit that takes your relatively weak battery power and turns it into a spark powerful enough to ignite fuel vapor. Inside a a traditional ignition coil are two coils of wire on top of each other. These coils are called windings. One winding is called the primary winding, the other is the secondary. The primary winding gets the juice together to make a spark and the secondary sends it out the door to the distributor.
You'll see three contacts on an ignition coil, unless it has an external plug, in which case the contacts are hidden inside the case. The large contact in the middle is where the coil wire goes (the wire that links the coil to the distributor cap."

See here Amber

Richard

8/31/2018 07:50:24 am

https://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/the-confession-letter-killer-or-not

Richard

8/31/2018 07:47:50 am

That's bang on Amber.

Amber

8/31/2018 09:12:14 am

Thanks, Richard. I’ve just recently discovered your website and have yet to read more than a few of your entries. I’ve always been interested in the crimes attributed to the Zodiac but am nowhere near as knowledgeable as those like yourself who have written extensively about the case. Appreciate your work!

sandy betts link

11/23/2019 08:39:37 am

I am wondering about the watch that was found at Cheri Jo's crime scene. I know that it was a military Timex watch.
If the military Timex watch that was found at her crime scene, is in fact the military Timex watch that was taken from the body of Johnny Swindle on Feb. 5 th 1964. It could change the direction of both cases. Both watches ( I believe was one watch) had household paint spatters on it. I do feel strongly that the Celebrity Cypher card was sent by Zodiac and he was giving a clue to the Swindle's murder. The stamp alone with Marianne Moore on it, she was a poet who died on Feb 5th 1970 was clue enough. Eddie B and I were texting about the card, I asked him if he knew who it was on that stamp, because I forgot her name and felt that Zodiac gave clues in the stamps he picked. He told me her name and then asked me what the date was of the Swindle's murder? I told him Feb 5th and he told me that matches the death date of Marianne Moore! Zodiac knew that and I am very sure it was not a coincidence.
If I am correct about the watch and the card, that could prove Zodiac was the killer in both cases. Did Riverside ever have that watch tested for DNA?

Richard

11/23/2019 09:30:35 am

According to Tahoe27 DNA was found on the watch, but what kind of DNA makes the difference (probably touch). I think it's fairly irrelevant the type of DNA found on the watch because we almost certainly have the killer's DNA retrieved from the base of Cheri's right thumb. This has all the power to eliminate (or not) everybody's favourite suspect for the Zodiac murders, if they believe Zodiac killed Cheri Jo Bates. Then we have the cigarette butt retrieved from the alleyway close to where a mystery man was seen standing at 9:30 pm. Either way, the hair in her hand inextricably links the murderer to her time of death. I would add, I would find it incredible considering the wounds to Cheri's hands, that if she had ripped the watch from the assailant's wrist, no blood would be found on it.

Yes, Johnny Ray Swindle had done some painting work for his landlady and his watch was apparently removed by the killer. Then, the argument goes, it may have been the same watch discovered laying 10 feet from Cheri Jo Bates' body. The watch had flecks of paint on it. Was there a connection between Ocean Beach and Riverside? The connection is tenuous, because we first have to presume Swindle wore the watch when he was painting, got paint on it if he did, the killer was Zodiac (or possibly someone else), who then placed it in the alleyway 2 years later. In addition, Timex watches were abundant back then, so tying two together over 100 miles apart has its drawbacks. However, it certainly isn't impossible. Then we have the Celebrity Cypher that may or may not be Zodiac. I'm unsure about the card, but again, despite the date, tying all three together - watch, Riverside and Celebrity Cypher requires several leaps of faith - again, not impossible - just questionable. I think at this juncture Sandy, it depends wholly on what we believe rather than any concrete evidence. Interesting thoughts nonetheless.

Richard

11/23/2019 04:07:51 pm

The Timex was a 1963 Marlin Men's watch.
https://www.zodiacciphers.com/uploads/4/9/7/1/4971630/marlin_orig.png

Richard

11/23/2019 04:35:57 pm

Each Timex watch made after 1963 has numbers inprinted on the dial which denote the catalog number, movement number and year of manufacture. These numbers are printed on the face of the dial and is usually visible. In some instances, it will not be visible until the movement is taken from the case. Watches made before 1963 are much harder to date. Sometimes the inside of the caseback will still have the original rubber stamp - the last two numbers represent the year of manufacture.

Watches manufactured between 1963 and 1970:

1. The last two numbers represent the year of manufacture.

2. The two numbers immediately preceeding the year of manufacture to the left represent the movement model number.

3. The first four digits represent the Timex sales catalog number with the last digit omitted.

This what it states on Tom Voigt's site "The origin of the watch was eventually traced to a military post, possibly in England." However, if it was traced to a military post, why would the country be in doubt.
In Zodiac Unmasked Graysmith states "The Timex had been purchased at a military base exchange."
Inside Detective Magazine stated "It was determined that the watch had been sold in an Armed Forces PX at an overseas military base."
An exchange is a type of retail store found on United States military installations worldwide. Originally akin to trading posts, they now resemble contemporary department stores or strip malls.
Base Exchanges sell consumer goods and services to authorized patrons such as Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, Retired Members of the U.S. Uniformed Services and their dependents. Other authorized patrons include Honorably Discharged Veterans certified 100% disabled and/or Totally and Permanently Disabled (TPD) by the Veterans Administration, Recipients of the Medal of Honor, Military Transition Personnel[clarification needed], DoD Employees when stationed outside the United States, Red Cross Personnel who are U.S. citizens assigned outside the United States with the Military Service. Authority to use these facilities is normally determined by presentation of the U.S. Uniformed Services Privilege and Identification Card, either when entering the store or when paying for goods and services. Wiki.

By the mid 1960s the Timex facilities in Dundee were massive — 240,000 square feet at Milton of Craigie, 190,000 square feet at Dunsinane Avenue and the flagship factory at Harrison Road was the UK’s largest supplier of watches. This was in Scotland.

https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/2015/08/28/the-good-the-bad-and-the-timex-a-factory-of-the-future-until-tough-times-hit/

sandy betts link

11/23/2019 07:37:22 pm

Thanks Richard, I didn't know it was a 1963 Timex Marlin. The hour and a half drive from San Diego to Riverside isn't that uncommon. Remember the girl who was forced to drive some guy from Riverside to San Diego not long after Cheri Jo's murder?

It was Johnny Swindle's land lady who said that she noticed paint specks on his watch the day he was killed. I don't think that Zodiac would fit in the military. I don't see him as being able to take orders from anyone. If DOJ was telling the truth about Zodiac having a lazy eye, that could make him 4-F and not able to join. He was perhaps a wanna - be military? I was given information that Riverside's DNA is useless and that is why we don't hear anything about their DNA. If they found DNA on that watch, then that happened recently. Sady we can't trust much of what Graysmith has written unfortunately. The idea that the military watch found near Cheri Jo's body and the one taken from Johnny S , is still something to think about, even if it seems a bit of a stretch. There is a lot about the Zodiac case that is very hard to believe.

A FEMALE CONFESSION LETTER?

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