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Richard Grinell, Coventry, England
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A WHITE CHEVROLET IMPALA AT BLUE ROCK SPRINGS?

7/16/2017

 
The white Chevrolet Impala spotted at Lake Herman Road has been considered a prime candidate for involvement in the murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968. But what are the chances that this vehicle was the one that pulled into the parking lot on two occasions at Blue Rock Springs Park on July 4th 1969 and was instrumental in the attack on Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin? Frank Gasser (69) and Robert Connelly (27), along with Bingo Wesner, were in agreement that they spotted a white Chevrolet Impala parked in the turnout circa 10:00 pm at Lake Herman Road. These were older gentlemen who clearly knew the vehicle they had observed (and it was corroborated), whereas Michael Mageau (19) was altogether vague, on not only the assailant's description, but was indecisive on the vehicle he observed that night. He evidently was not an avid car enthusiast. Factor in the traumatic night's events and it is not surprising his recollection of details are sketchy at best.

Michael Mageau stated 
"Dea turned the lights and motor off and had the radio playing. They were there just a very short time, a few minutes, and three cars pulled into the parking lot where they were. They were apparently young kids and they heard some laughing and carrying on and a few firecrackers were set off, then the three vehicles left within a short time. This was just a short space of time, a few minutes. Shortly after this and about 5 minutes before the shooting occurred, a vehicle pulled into the lot, coming from the direction of Springs Road and Vallejo. The driver turned the lights off on the car and pulled around to the left or east side of their car, approximately 6 or 8 feet away and sat there for a minute. He asked Dea if she knew who it was and she stated 'Oh, never mind'. "  He added "He could not see the car too clearly, however the shape of the car looked similar to the car that Dea owns, a Corvair. He could not see the color or anything as it was too dark out there".   
PictureMichael Mageau
The vehicle was only 6-8 feet away but he couldn't make out the "color or anything", but it looked similar to Darlene Ferrin's Corvair. It seems he didn't really know and may have just been trying to please the police by giving them something, rather than nothing.
The next statement he gave puts it into context "The car then drove off at a fairly fast rate of speed. Five minutes later the vehicle pulled up approximately 10 feet behind and to the right side of Dea's car. The vehicle's lights were left on and the subject got out and walked toward the car. He had a large high-powered flashlight, the kind you carry with a handle". The assailant's vehicle was directly behind, facing the Corvair, in an extremely dark parking lot - and Michael Mageau had both the headlights from the other vehicle and a high-powered flashlight in his eyes. There is absolutely no way he could determine with confidence what vehicle was parked behind them. If he couldn't determine the "color or anything" of the vehicle parked 6-8 feet to the left 5 minutes earlier, when his vision was unobstructed, he had no chance here.

After the assailant had shot the couple he drove away. Michael again described the vehicle "He only saw the rear portion of it, this rear part appearing to be a vehicle similar to or the same type as Dea's car, a Corvair. Also a very similar color, possibly a little bit lighter brown". These descriptions are less than convincing. The first page of the police report details the assailant's vehicle as a Corvair or Mustang. In a later newspaper article Michael Mageau described the vehicle as a "1958 or 1959 Falcon. The color was brown or bronze".  It is apparent he was simply unsure of what vehicle he observed that night, which under the circumstances is totally understandable. But did Michael Mageau get the color correct? The answer may be yes, but he was incorrect. In other words, his eyes saw brown, when in fact the color was closer to white. The factory specifications of a 1959 or 1960 Chevrolet Impala show the vehicle was manufactured with a set range of colors - one of which was 'Ermine White'. This color has a distinctive off white appearance. 

Picture1963 Corvette in 'Ermine White'
On the right is a 1963 Corvette in 'Ermine White'. It can be clearly seen that it has a distinct brown hue, although it is classified as white. In the image below I have created a night setting similar to that experienced by Michael Mageau. The 'Ermine White' vehicle takes on a distinctly more medium brown or bronze color, similar to the Corvair driven by Darlene Ferrin. This could easily account for the discrepancies in identification between Robert Connelly, Bingo Wesner and Michael Mageau. particularly considering the circumstances Michael Mageau faced that night.
Because of Michael Mageau's uncertainty, it is certainly possible the vehicle he encountered that night could have been the same vehicle observed at Lake Herman Road - a 1959 or 1960 white Chevrolet Impala - and go a long way in linking both these crimes together.  

But was the vehicle that pulled alongside Darlene Ferin's Corvair only 6-8 feet to the left, the same vehicle that returned 5 minutes later and parked 10 feet behind? The answer is yet to be determined, but the curious behavior of the first sighting in an empty parking lot just prior to the shooting seems to suggest the two may very well be connected.
Raymond Grant-​ The White Chevrolet Impala. 

FOOTNOTE: 
In the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter received by the San Francisco Examiner on August 4th 1969, the Zodiac Killer stated; 
"The man who told police that my car was brown was a negro about 40-45 rather shabbly dressed. I was in this phone booth having some fun with the Vallejo cop when he was walking by. When I hung the phone up the damn thing began to ring 
& that drew his attention to me + my car." This negro male was never traced and did not feature in the police report.
The details of his age range and what he was wearing, on the face of it appear unnecessary, unless of course the Zodiac Killer was deliberately creating a fictional character who just so happened to observe his brown car. Bearing in mind Zodiac had likely read newspaper reports of Michael Mageau detailing a brown car in the parking lot of Blue Rock Springs, what better way to corroborate his sighting by further implanting the seed of a brown car into the minds of investigators, by the hand of this fictional eyewitness. If Zodiac's vehicle was 'Ermine White' then clearly this is to his advantage. Voluntarily offering the color of his vehicle as brown, if in fact it was brown, must be viewed with suspicion.       
Greg H.
7/17/2017 08:42:34 pm

Hi Richard, It's clear the accuracy and purported contradictions of Mageau's testimony has long been called into question by Zodiac researchers. Why is it then do we unquestioningly accept his account of the first vehicle pulling into the parking lot and then leaving? Trying to pick and choose which parts of Mageua's story are true or imagined would seem impossible. Do you suppose we take for granted his narrative of the first arriving car because this is one aspect of his story that has remained from consistent from the beginning?

If he is a lousy witness as so many have claimed, I think in order to remain intellectually honest, critics must also have to wonder whether there was any first car at all. Unless of course we are to speculate this vehicle may have been an accomplice of some kind--for which there is no evidence as yet--the earlier drive-up which preceded the attack wouldn't seem to offer much substance to the crime that unfolded beyond being a curiousity.

Still, I think with Mageau we can't have it both ways. Either we take on board what he says and try parsing through his contradictions to best cut toward the truth. Or, conversely, we interpret everything he says, including the story of the first car, as the faulty testimony of a young man who was pushed to his living brinks.

As an aside, I would be interested in trying to establish a fact-based record of the ways in which Mageau's story has seemingly changed from day one and on through the years. So many researchers reflexively mention the inconsistencies in his story, but it would be great if there was a point-by-point document wherein these alterations could be viewed and, hopefully, better understood...

Best, Greg


Richard
7/17/2017 11:16:41 pm

Hi Greg, thought we'd lost you from the Zodiac scene. Your point about the vehicle leaving and returning is well made. I actually never considered this 'first' car as something to question, as you say, certain parts of his story have virtually been cemented in stone, while others have been questioned or roundly dismissed. Michael Mageau's testimony regarding the vehicle description is clearly of little value. It could have been a Chevrolet Impala or any vehicle for that matter. The question regarding the mystery vehicle pulling up and returning has always been a puzzling one to me, especially considering the occupant on the first drive in could easily have exited his car and shot at the couple at this juncture, as many assume happened at LHR. The hesitation or readying of oneself by driving away and returning 5 minutes later is not the picture I get of this man. There is no evidence for an accomplice as you say, but this sort of activity in the run up to the crime laid a seed. I would never either accept all or dismiss all of Mageau's testimony, but parsing through the testimony as a whole to me is the answer. I will make some bullet points below to his discrepancies in the police report. As for later years, all we literally have is the 2007 documentary and his rambling interview on that is unfortunately self evident. But as we've both stated the man went through unimaginable horror that night, so any impaired or differing recollections are perfectly understandable.

Richard
7/18/2017 12:43:59 am

1. Michael Mageau stated the killer fired, walked away and came back to fire again, believed to be 5, then 4 shots.
2. He also stated in the police report as he was trying to get away from the initial barrage, the subject kept shooting him again and again. States finally the subject quit.
3. The sequence of shots described by caretaker George Bryant differs from Mageau's two sequence barrage.
4. Mageau said "A white man drove up in a car, got out, walked up to the car, shined flashlight in and started shooting. Man was older than me, window was down. After stop shooting I got out of car, I tried to get the people to come over but they drove off. After finally 10 minutes the policeman came."
5. But later stated after he clambered out of the vehicle "in what seemed 8 to 10 minutes later this car came by with 3 hippy types in it. He waved and yelled at the occupants, two boys and one girl. Stated they came close to him and he asked them to get a doctor quick" States 5-10 minutes later police arrived. The 'hippies' arrived just after the crime. The shooting was likely 12.01-12.04 am.
He had earlier referred to the hippies, stating "I tried to get the people to come over, but they just drove off."
6. Lying to the right side of the Corvair as the man got in his vehicle , I don't know how Michael saw the rear of the assailants vehicle when it pulled out, let alone it was a California license plate in pitch darkness, when he was so vague on the entire vehicle description. http://www.zodiackiller.com/DFR3.html

Greg H.
7/18/2017 09:01:44 pm

Thanks for getting back to me, Richard. I've been sidetracked for the past few months. My son Rory was born in April, but subsequently have been dealing with some difficulties in my personal life. Hopefully things may be improving to allow me to perhaps better focus on some of the interests I once had. I've noticed the facebook group has grown by leaps and bounds! I suppose there are good and bad aspects about this. No longer does it seem to have the quaint, familial feel it once did where we all felt like friends. I suppose though, it's a sign of success when so many new people join. Surprises me, too, as the Zodiac case hasn't really been in the spotlight much (although I believe there is a new movie soon to be released)...

You know, I wish there was a way of deflating the notion that Mageau's testimony is so terribly flawed as to be rendered near meaningless. I actually like the guy from what I've seen of him and I think his intentions of good. When I try imagining myself in his position, I can definitely understand why there seems to be such a level of confusion in his accounts. Especially in the immediate aftermath of being shot multiple times, it is unsurprising that he's unsure of exactly what happened. He may have been in and out of consciousness. If the same happened to me I'm not sure I'd be able to do any better.

I don't have much issue with whether the shooter may have paused, walked away and came back again vs. whether it was carried out straight through. Outside of what this may reveal of the killer's psychology or intent, it really doesn't impact the case. Perhaps he did ceasefire for a second or two, but Mageau, in a state where time was standing still, interpreted it as being longer than it actually was.

As far as I remember, Nancy Slover was initially contacted by a young girl, 17 or 18, who informed her of the shooting at BRS. Perhaps both points #4 and #5 could be true, but we are misconstruing his words. It could be that he did 'try getting the people to come over,' and they came close to him, but then they did also drive off. But when they drove away they might have gone to the nearest phone and called Slover. Remember this was long before cell phones existed. Any caller would need to have the left the scene, perhaps giving one the impression they didn't care and were abandoning him. (The "Kitty Genovese Effect")...

Re: the California license plate identification whilst not being able to recall other details about the vehicle. I know that today California has white license plates which may make them more noticeable in the night. Also, if you're a Cal. resident, you'll be inclined to be able to easily recongise the state license plates which you see everywhere, each day. I think, as well, the mind will tend to focus on in something familiar and identifiable when all else that surrounds us is fog--esp. in a traumatic circumstance like this one...

I'm just throwing out ideas, of course, Richard. I would, however, like try doing my part to pull Mageau's testimony from out of the weeds and clean it up. I think it is ultimately more useful than many of us are apt to give it credit. And for Mageau himself, having been through such difficult times, I'd certainly like to see his character and integrity redeemed.


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