If the Zodiac Killer was a resident of Vallejo or its surrounding areas, then a murder in the northwest corner of San Francisco would be the perfect choice for a number of reasons. With a vehicle positioned alongside the Presidio Park, a murder such as the one perpetrated on Paul Stine on October 11th 1969, would provide an escape from the big city in a matter of minutes via Highway 101 and the Golden Gate Bridge. If anything goes awry, the murderer has the added advantage of a wooded park for momentary respite from responding law enforcement. This is the one confirmed Zodiac attack where the killer would direct the victim to the scene of the crime and thereby control the location of his murder. Dr. Kim Rossmo stated "The San Francisco murder differs significantly from the Zodiac's other crimes. Up to this point he was hunting in locations that had a good probability of containing his desired victims. Target selection was a function of area, not of an individual. However, it is unlikely the Zodiac was successful in all his searches; serial killers typically engage in extensive hunting activities, and for every attack there are many unsuccessful search attempts. In San Francisco, however, the Zodiac controlled the situation through his selection of victim type. The need for such control could be indicative of the distance the Zodiac had to travel to the crime site. Criminals who travel longer distances to offend are less likely to use uncertain target selection techniques". The notion of a killer who lived a matter of blocks from the intersection of Washington and Cherry, while not impossible, presents a greater risk in a number of ways. Committing such a daring murder in your own neighborhood, possibly minutes from your residence, and hoping everything goes to plan without being spotted, is not the ideal choice after previously committing three successful crimes with a comfortable buffer zone around your residence. Why now bring your murderous exploits to the doorstep of your home?
There is every chance this murder was planned meticulously, from the standpoint of a waiting vehicle and immediate separation from San Francisco. The trip sheet of Paul Stine had a destination of Washington and Maple, but the taxicab was discovered one block further west at the intersection of Washington and Cherry. The movement of the killer, backtracking east along Jackson Street towards the Jackson and Maple intersection, strongly indicated the initial murder site had been pencilled in for Washington and Maple. If we compare the last three Washington intersections of Cherry, Maple and Spruce, and swivel Google maps around each intersection, it is clearly noticeable that this is the best choice from the perspective of a killer keen to avoid eyewitnesses. This may have indicated a level of forethought and planning.
The Zodiac Killer was last seen running into Julius Khan playground by eyewitnesses at Spruce Street. Therefore, a murder committed at Washington and Maple would allow the Zodiac Killer a walking distance of just 86 meters northwards, before heading east along Jackson Street and out of sight from the crime scene. He now has 131 meters to Spruce Street and the seclusion of Presidio Park and Julius Khan playground. This allows him three phases of separation: [1] Up Maple and east on Jackson [2] Into the park to reach his vehicle, and [3] Into his vehicle and over the Golden Gate Bridge. However, something happened as the taxicab approached the intersection of Washington and Maple, that forced a change of plan and Paul Stine to travel one block further west to Washington and Cherry. The reason for this switch could be manyfold, such as pedestrians at the desired location or occupied vehicles in the vicinity of Washington and Maple. Despite all the best laid plans, the Zodiac Killer was still reliant on the timing of the taxicab approaching a populous area with any number of distractions.
In his letter to the San Francisco Chronicle two days after the murder, the Zodiac Killer began his communication "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". By his statement of "last night", it is clear he is preparing this letter on Sunday, October 12th 1969. The Zodiac Killer may have scouted the area in advance, highlighting Washington and Maple as his preferred kill site, but this doesn't necessarily mean he knew every street in the area by name. He could have checked a map the following day and noted that his murder occurred at Washington and Cherry, but it didn't appear that this was the case or of high priority to him.
The newspaper headlines the following day were obviously unaware that this was a Zodiac crime, when the San Francisco Chronicle wrote on October 12th "A Yellow Cab driver was found shot to death in his cab last night, the victim of an apparent robbery attempt in Presidio Heights". The article continued, stating "Police said three youngsters saw a scuffle near the cab, which was stopped on Washington Street, near Cherry Street, about 10 pm". Although this should have told the Zodiac Killer the location of the murder site, we are not in a position to determine what time he prepared and sealed this letter with respect to the San Francisco Chronicle publication. If he sealed it before the article's release, he may have been unfamiliar with the road he traveled up after leaving the taxicab. I don't suppose noting down the street name after the murder was high on his priority list. If the letter was prepared after the newspaper publication and he had read it, then writing "I am the murderer of the taxi driver over by Washington St + Maple St last night" could have been a deliberate choice by the Zodiac Killer, signifying that he had knowledge of the destination contained within the trip sheet. There is no reason to conclude his writing of "by Washington St + Maple St" was evidence of his unfamiliarity with the general area he was operating.
The Zodiac Killer was last seen running into Julius Khan playground by eyewitnesses at Spruce Street. Therefore, a murder committed at Washington and Maple would allow the Zodiac Killer a walking distance of just 86 meters northwards, before heading east along Jackson Street and out of sight from the crime scene. He now has 131 meters to Spruce Street and the seclusion of Presidio Park and Julius Khan playground. This allows him three phases of separation: [1] Up Maple and east on Jackson [2] Into the park to reach his vehicle, and [3] Into his vehicle and over the Golden Gate Bridge. However, something happened as the taxicab approached the intersection of Washington and Maple, that forced a change of plan and Paul Stine to travel one block further west to Washington and Cherry. The reason for this switch could be manyfold, such as pedestrians at the desired location or occupied vehicles in the vicinity of Washington and Maple. Despite all the best laid plans, the Zodiac Killer was still reliant on the timing of the taxicab approaching a populous area with any number of distractions.
In his letter to the San Francisco Chronicle two days after the murder, the Zodiac Killer began his communication "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". By his statement of "last night", it is clear he is preparing this letter on Sunday, October 12th 1969. The Zodiac Killer may have scouted the area in advance, highlighting Washington and Maple as his preferred kill site, but this doesn't necessarily mean he knew every street in the area by name. He could have checked a map the following day and noted that his murder occurred at Washington and Cherry, but it didn't appear that this was the case or of high priority to him.
The newspaper headlines the following day were obviously unaware that this was a Zodiac crime, when the San Francisco Chronicle wrote on October 12th "A Yellow Cab driver was found shot to death in his cab last night, the victim of an apparent robbery attempt in Presidio Heights". The article continued, stating "Police said three youngsters saw a scuffle near the cab, which was stopped on Washington Street, near Cherry Street, about 10 pm". Although this should have told the Zodiac Killer the location of the murder site, we are not in a position to determine what time he prepared and sealed this letter with respect to the San Francisco Chronicle publication. If he sealed it before the article's release, he may have been unfamiliar with the road he traveled up after leaving the taxicab. I don't suppose noting down the street name after the murder was high on his priority list. If the letter was prepared after the newspaper publication and he had read it, then writing "I am the murderer of the taxi driver over by Washington St + Maple St last night" could have been a deliberate choice by the Zodiac Killer, signifying that he had knowledge of the destination contained within the trip sheet. There is no reason to conclude his writing of "by Washington St + Maple St" was evidence of his unfamiliarity with the general area he was operating.
The best chance of catching the Zodiac Killer is by re-examining all the evidence from his four crime scenes and hopefully extracting useable DNA from his communications mailed from 1969 to 1971. Unfortunately in recent years, despite the bloodstained shirt piece of the victim being mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle only two days after the murder, a select number of people still argue this murder could have been perpetrated by a hoaxer or group of nefarious individuals. So much so, this unknown third party decided that they should add a crime to the Zodiac portfolio that in no way resembled any previous Zodiac crimes. They were obviously aware of the murder and robbery attempt of Paul Stine, and thought they should gain access to the victim and surreptitiously tear a piece of bloodstained shirt from his body, before seeking out the trip sheet and noting the Washington and Maple destination. Or, they overheard Inspector David Toschi shouting out to all and sundry the contents of the trip sheet at the corner of Washington and Cherry, before sneaking onto the ambulance or creeping into the morgue unnoticed. Then finally, mimicking the Zodiac Killer's handwriting and threatening schoolchildren. The concept of creating well-thought-out counter narratives to the perceived narrative is a healthy one, but creating counter narratives for no other reason than you can, is counterproductive to ever pushing this case forward.
October 11th 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the murder of Paul Stine with little progress or resolution in sight. One day in the future the mask of the Zodiac Killer will hopefully be removed - the Zodiac circus will stop - and the traveling clowns will not be required to entertain the crowd anymore.
October 11th 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of the murder of Paul Stine with little progress or resolution in sight. One day in the future the mask of the Zodiac Killer will hopefully be removed - the Zodiac circus will stop - and the traveling clowns will not be required to entertain the crowd anymore.
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