In a recent article we covered the disappearance of two casino workers from South Lake Tahoe in 1982. Julie Schossow (25) and Marilyn Putt (27) were found murdered several months later. Both victims worked as blackjack dealers at Harrah's Lake Tahoe Casino and were last seen leaving the Rendevouz Bar at Harrah's around midnight. This casino is only 359 meters from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel and Casino.

Less than seven years after the abduction and likely murder of Donna Lass (25) from the Sahara Casino on September 6th 1970 at around 1:45 am, another woman was abducted from the same location and later found murdered.

Brynn Rainey (27), who resided on Emerald Bay Road, was early for her 2:00 am graveyard shift as a Keno girl at the Sahara Casino on July 24th 1977. She popped into a local bar, the Bitter Creek Saloon, just prior to her shift. The bar was situated near the corner of Sandy Way and Takela Drive in South Lake Tahoe, only two miles from her workplace. The bartender remembered her that night. Unfortunately she was never seen alive again. Her body was discovered the following month in a shallow grave on a South Lake Tahoe horse riding area, referred to as the Stateline Stables. Her cause of death has been classified as undetermined. It is likely she was abducted somewhere between the Bitter Creek Saloon and the Sahara Tahoe Casino. Subsequent to this article there have been further developments in the case - see comments.

To learn some more about this case, here is a three minute video on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipW72rlecr8​
​http://www.cbsnews.com/womans-1977-cold-case-murder/
​http://www.zodiacciphers.com/wanda-gail-loe-disappearance1968

Three prominent features about the Riverside killing of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966 have been put forward in relation to the Zodiac murders. Firstly, the Zodiac Killer all but admitted to the murder in his Los Angeles letter, mailed on March 13th 1971. Secondly, it is claimed the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates mailed three handwritten letters on April 30th 1967, just like the Zodiac Killer did two years later on July 31st 1969, when he constructed a cipher separated into three parts. Thirdly, in his Little List letter mailed on July 26th 1970 the Zodiac Killer used the words "Some I shall tie over ant hills and watch them scream + twich and squirm," extremely similar to the typed Confession letter supposedly sent by the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates, where the author opined "She squirmed and shook as I choaked her, and her lips twiched."  If the murderer in Riverside and the Zodiac Killer in the Bay Area are one, then a connection between these two locations, or the Greater Los Angeles Area would certainly aid the search for a likely suspect in both instances.   

The closest the Zodiac Killer ever came to capture was on October 11th 1969 after the murder of taxicab driver Paul Stine, not only due to his near miss on Jackson Street, but because he was spotted by four eyewitnesses, likely all resident on Washington Street, overlooking the taxicab murder. Alex Lewis secured the redacted FBI document stating 'Xenophon Lusby Anthony, WMA, DOB 28th February 1931, Resides at 3218 Jackson Street, San Francisco. For Info Ident Division, San Francisco Police Department advised; 8 year old witness in murder of cab driver identified Anthony as possible subject in this matter.' ​

But it was something Alex Lewis mentioned the other day that prompted a further examination regarding this topic: "There's also the little fact that after Xenophon Anthony is named as possibly being Zodiac, the Zodiac murders abruptly stop." This of course could be merely coincidental, and as yet it can be argued there is nothing definitive in the way of fingerprints or DNA that has pointed directly to any suspect. Also, we have yet to fulliy ascertain whether any of the fingerprints on the Stine taxicab were left by the Zodiac Killer. This fourth eyewitness was crucial - not only because the 8-year-old child actually identified a man by name - but because it was stated he was a 'witness in the murder of the cab driver,'  which should have effectively placed him at the scene. Using ancestry records it was possible to identify the owner of 3898 Washington Street on October 11th 1969 as Alexander Henry von Hafften. He had a son of 8 years and 2 months who lived at this residence, and it is likely this is the child mentioned in the FBI document who recognized Xenophon Anthony from his bedroom window that night, directly overlooking the crime scene.  

The crucial thing here is that the eyewitness didn't just describe the suspect, he actually named him or knew where he lived. He resided at 3218 Jackson Street. The proximity of the two addresses only a few blocks apart and the fact the 8-year-old child was able to put a name to the suspect, could suggest the families of 3898 Washington Street and 3218 Jackson Street knew each other socially to some degree.

Xenophon Anthony was born in 1931, making him 38 years old in 1969, around the correct age range as testified by the three teenagers and Officer Donald Fouke. He was married to Valerie Ann Moore in 1956 in Los Angeles, California. They lived in San Marino, California for ten years, before relocating to San Francisco around 1966. San Marino is situated 50 miles from Riverside. David Oranchak of Zodiackillerciphers.com unearthed that Ancestry.com had a college yearbook entry for his wife, listing her residence in Riverside, CA.  Could there be a link to Riverside? Xenophon Anthony would have been 25 years of age in 1966, at about the time of the move. But one must stress that these and the following are simple observations and certainly do not make Anthony the Zodiac Killer, only a subject that was investigated.  

Alexander Henry von Hafften, the resident of 3898 Washington Street, was born around 1914, making him 55 years of age in 1969, so it is not inconceivable he and his family may have passed in similar circles to Xenophon Anthony. He graduated from Stanford University, California in 1934. Here is an extract from the Desert Sun newspaper in 1945: "Alexander von Hafften and his lovely bride of 10 days, the former Miss Sebella Harden, have been honeymooning in Palm Springs for the past two weeks and were seen dining and dancing at the Colonial House on several occasions. She is a direct descendant of the Leland Stanford family, founders of Stanford university. She was married at Palo Alto, her home, on December 8."  Palm Springs is a desert resort located in Riverside County. Here is a United States tax court legal docket of Alexander von Hafften and his wife Sebelle Harden von Hafften, regarding a property dispute in 1974, concerning the sale of a Los Angeles property they bought for rental. Had they connections in the Los Angeles/Riverside area at an earlier date, possibly when Xenophon Anthony resided there?

Sebelle Harden von Hafften, was the great-grandniece of Leland Stanford, who founded of Stanford University. Born in San Francisco in June 1922, she received her early education from the Dominicans at Mt. St. Mary's Academy in Newburgh, N.Y. She graduated from Stanford University in 1944 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. During World War II, she began volunteering for the Red Cross Motor Corps in Palo Alto. She served on various organizations' boards and committees, including the Stanford Alumni Association and the Fine Arts Auxillary. She loved the opera and was an avid supporter of the San Francisco Opera. Sebelle would have been 47 years of age in 1969, Alexander 55 and Xenophon Anthony 38. If their son recognized Anthony, is it not possible they had likely crossed paths. The Zodiac Killer quoted Gilbert and Sullivan's comedic opera, The Mikado, three times in his correspondences. Sebelle Harden von Hafften, as stated above, loved the opera, making it a possibility this was the passion that connected the two wealthy families.

From Wikipedia: 'The first performance given by San Francisco Opera was La bohème, with Queena Mario and Giovanni Martinelli, on 26 September 1923, in the city's Civic Auditorium and conducted by Merola, whose involvement in opera in the San Francisco Bay Area had been ongoing since his first visit in 1906. By the fall of 1921 he was planning his first season, which was presented at Stanford University's football stadium on 3 June 1922 with a star-studded group of singers, including Giovanni Martinelli in Pagliacci, followed by Carmen and Faust.
Another innovation was "Opera in the Park" which, since 1971, has been an annual free concert in Golden Gate Park on the Sunday following opening night of the Fall Season. It traditionally features artists from the opening weekend in full concert with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. The event is open to the public and draws some 30,000 listeners. The concert is presented in conjunction with the non-profit San Francisco Parks Trust and the San Francisco Chronicle Charities.'   

The 8-year-old identified a subject on Washington Street, both families lived in the wealthy district of Presidio Heights, enjoyed fine living and the arts, likely moved in similar circles and may very well have shared a passion for the opera, while at the same time not interacting domestically. The murderer of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969 had entered the taxicab in the theater district of San Francisco by Union Square. His destination on the trip sheet was logged as Washington and Maple, but what caused him the late change to Washington and Cherry? Had he spotted somebody he knew or noticed a pedestrian walking in the area, that forced him on another block westward, only to inadvertently bring the taxicab to a halt outside 3898 Washington Street? A residence, unbeknownst to him, that would contain somebody he had crossed paths with before.

​'Xenophon Lusby Anthony, WMA, DOB 28th February 1931. Resides at 3218 Jackson Street, San Francisco. For Info Ident Division, San Francisco Police Department advised; 8 year old witness in murder of cab driver identified Anthony as possible subject in this matter.' ​ The exact address the subject backtracked towards that fateful night. But did he enter 3218 or walk on by? Alex Lewis is correct - after October 11th 1969 it appears "the Zodiac murders abruptly stopped," after previously gaining pace. This murder was nearly his undoing, and he may have known it only too well. Was the identification of Xenophon Anthony by the 8-year-old a simple mistake and he had only viewed an innocent pedestrian that night. If this was the case we could make the argument that the Zodiac Killer may have looked somewhat similar to Xenophon Anthony. However, eyewitness testimony must always be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism.    

The Pines Card, often questioned on its authorship, was mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on March 22nd 1971. Was this a Zodiac correspondence offering subtle hints to the disappearance of Donna Lass (25) from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel and Casino on September 6th 1970. If we traveled the 'lake tahoe areas' on the western shore of Lake Tahoe, we would arrive at Donna Pass and the Donner Memorial State Park on its northern edge, by Truckee, California. Could this be the final resting place of Donna Lass, buried 'in the snow'?

Two years earlier, Wanda Gail Loe (26), similar in age to Donna Lass, disappeared from the Lake Tahoe region on July 27th 1968, five months prior to the Lake Herman Road murders. She worked at the Sunnyside Resort, 1850 West Lake Boulevard in Placer County. The resort is 30 miles northwest of the Sahara Tahoe Hotel, now the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino where Donna Lass was last seen. ​Her boyfriend Dennis Finn allegedly made a drunken confession to the crime according to his cousin, however, ill feeling between the pair has cast huge doubt on his claims and no evidence exists linking Dennis Finn to the crime. Later arrested and jailed for an unrelated crime, he committed suicide in 1992.

Were the disappearances of Donna Lass and Wanda Loe connected in any way - and if so - how relevant is the Zodiac Killer or Pines Card to either investigation? The disappearances were two years apart, their ages were similar and they worked on the fringes of Lake Tahoe only 30 miles apart. An officer involved in the Wanda Loe case, Sergeant Perea, believed she may be buried in the Carpenter Valley area near Truckee. Carpenter Valley Road is a mere four miles from Donner Lake and Donner Pass Road.  

The following is not meant to indicate any Zodiac connection, but its locality in relation to the Donna Lass case is worthy of mention.

Approximately eleven years after the disappearance of Donna Lass, on January 12th 1982, two young women, Julie Schossow (25) and Marilyn Putt (27)  disappeared from South Lake Tahoe. Their bodies were recovered several months later.
​On June 6th 1982 Marilyn Putt's body was found in the South Fork of the American River, one mile west of Chili Bar. The police press release stated “Her body had been weighted down with chains and binding material and the cause of death appears to be ligature strangulation, with the time of death being estimated at six to eight weeks prior to her body being found". Julie Schossow was discovered only a short distance away on July 9th 1982. The women had been bound and strangled with a ligature. Both victims worked as blackjack dealers at Harrah's Lake Tahoe Casino and were last seen leaving the Rendevouz Bar at Harrah's around midnight. This casino is only 359 meters from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel and Casino, where Donna Lass had worked in 1970. Reports circled about a possible interaction with some men, indicating that the women may have traveled with them to the Bay Area - although this is unsubstantiated.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO5PxH6rFeE
​http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/information-sought-in-1982-south-lake-tahoe-killings/
​http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?309900-CA-Julie-Schossow-25-amp-Marilyn-Putt-27-S-Lake-Tahoe-12-Jan-1982

On December 20th 1968 Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday were brutally gunned down on a lonely stretch of Lake Herman Road in Benicia. It was considered in many previous articles on this site that the killer likely was a resident of Benicia and headed that way after the murders. Could re-examining the timelines of the eyewitness reports of Stella Medeiros and James Owen, the last two people to pass the turnout either side of the murders and an interview by Pierre Bidou, shed some new light on the events that night. It may open up the possibility that the Zodiac Killer, immediately after the murders, headed west towards Vallejo via Springs Road, as he likely did six and a half months later, after the attack at Blue Rock Springs Park on July 4th 1969. On that occasion the Zodiac Killer made a call from the payphone at the intersection of Springs and Tuolumne, and it may be entirely plausible he also made a phone call after the murders of Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday, from the exact same payphone, just 12 minutes after the crime.             

The Zodiac Killer placed a phone call to Nancy Slover approximately 40 minutes after the Blue Rock Springs attack. His following attack at Lake Berryessa was also followed by a phone call from the 1231 Main Street payphone, approximately 70 minutes subsequent to the crime. His next attack at Presidio Heights was apparently free of any phone call, but unlike his previous two attacks where he called police to offer himself up as the killer, here he had an altogether more sinister offering to inextricably link himself to the murder - the swatch of Paul Stine's shirt. It was a deviation to his other crimes, in type and in declaration. But what of Lake Herman Road. First we must take another look at the eyewitness timelines.

In the Lake Herman Road police report it was first stated that James Owen passed the turnout at 11:20 pm the night in question, but on the police sketch dated 12/20/68 it was changed to 11:14 pm. It was also noted that James Owen stated he left for work at Humble Oil in Benicia that night at 11:00 pm, but the clock he went by was found to be 6 minutes fast, therefore he left his residence at approximately 10:54 pm. It is easy to assume that this clock discrepancy was factored in, when adjusting his passing the turnout from 11:20 pm to 11:14 pm, but this was not necessarily the case. The police report dated 12/24/68, four days after the crime, detailed that "Responding officers asked Mr Owen what time he left the house Friday 12/20/68. He stated it was 11:00 pm. He checked the time on the cuckoo clock in the dining room. Responding officers had Mr Owen phone for the time to check the accuracy of the clock". But the police sketch already had him passing the turnout at 11:14 pm at this juncture. This now had to be corrected, having James Owen passing the turnout at approximately 11:08 pm. It fits perfectly - deducting the 6 minutes from either end of his timeline. This timeline now has James Owen leaving his 1735 Mini Drive, Vallejo residence at 10:54 pm, arriving at the turnout at approximately 11.08 pm. The journey of 14 minutes, bearing in mind he would have encountered no traffic delays on this particular route, holds firm when we look at the nine mile journey estimated by car on Google Maps.    

The crime scene sketches have Stella Medeiros (Borges) passing the turnout at 11:20 pm. This again is not as straightforward as it appears.

[1]. She stated in the police report "she glanced at the clock in the kitchen and believes it was 11:10 pm". It was calculated by responding officers that she arrived at the turnout 4-5 minutes later. However, her clock was discovered to be one minute fast, indicating she left at 11:09 pm, and thus placed her at the turnout at around 11.14 pm.

[2]. However, here in the police report of Captain Daniel Pitta, it clearly stated he was flagged down by Stella Medeiros at 11:25 pm and arrived at Gate #10 (the turnout) at 11:28 pm. 

[3]. This is what Gian Quasar stated on the Quester files "Stella Medeiros must have left her ranch with her mother and daughter. It would only take a few minutes to get to the crime scene. She must have been there at 11:20 p.m. The bodies are visible. No car had passed her going toward Vallejo. She races to Benicia, speeding up to 70 mph. She finds Benicia police before an Enco gas station on East 2nd. The police officers report it was 11:25 p.m".
​
[4] Mike Morford of Zodiac Killer Site forum stated "From Pitta’s report, he notes that Borges flagged him down at aprox 11:25 pm. Pitta then raced to the scene arriving there at about 11:28 pm. This is apparently how they established that Borges took 5 minutes to find and make contact with Pitta. They now think that Borges was actually at the scene at 11:20, hence the 6 minute window for zodiac to strike. The police report mentions “the distance was 3.4 miles” from where she found the cops, and the murder scene, and “possibly took her 5 minutes to drive".
​
This is how the 11:20 pm timeline for Stella Medeiros passing the turnout was established. But you can see the problem. If you return to [1] above, it was calculated by these officers that she arrived at the turnout at 11:14 pm, not 11:20 pm. Had she passed the turnout at 11:20 pm, she would have left the house at approximately 11:15 pm, not 11:09 pm. The police report also stated that "She rode with her mother-in-law and her daughter and drove casually over the 2.7 mile, the distance being established by the officers, and she arrived at the area four or five minutes later. She estimates between 11:14 pm and 11:15 pm. Her clock is one minute fast, as we found out during this interview. She states no cars were going in either direction while she was on the road". There is also discrepancy to the Borges Ranch, measured by officers at 2.7 miles, but it has been discovered its distance is closer to 1.5 miles, cutting her traveling time to the turnout to 3 minutes. http://zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic. Here is a close up view of the ranch on Lake Herman Road. 
​
As with many aspects of the Zodiac Killer case nothing is quite as simple as it should be, but the fact "she glanced at the clock in the kitchen and believes it was 11:10 pm," coupled with the less than clear measurements detailed by the officers, I am inclined to go with backtracking from her meeting with Captain Daniel Pitta, placing her at the turnout at 11:20 pm. This would extend the very narrow window of 6 minutes Zodiac had to commit the crime, up to 12 minutes. James Owen passes the turnout at 11:08 pm and Stella Medeiros passes the turnout at 11:20 pm. Indicating she likely left her residence 1.5 miles east on Lake Herman Road at approximately 11:17 pm for the three minute journey.
​
James Owen viewed two vehicles side by side in the turnout, stating that approximately one quarter of a mile past the turnout
(30 seconds), he thought he heard a shot. If James Owen passed the turnout at 11:08 pm, this may suggest the beginning of the attack on Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday at 11.08:30 pm, with the Zodiac Killer exiting the crime scene at around 11:09 pm or 11:10 pm. The murderer exits the turnout and now could conceivably head off in the direction of Vallejo. The Zodiac Killer would comfortably have passed the Borges Ranch before Stella Medeiros exited her driveway at 11:17 pm, confirming her statement to police that she never passed any vehicles that night. 

Pierre Bidou, one of the responding officers to the Lake Herman Road double shooting, was interviewed by the Benicia Herald, in which he stated something curious to the interviewer. It stated "Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec. 20, 1968, and were on their way to deposit some marijuana in the police department’s evidence locker when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road. Initially, they were told a woman was lying outside a car; they thought they were being sent to a crash. Police at first speculated it might have been a crank call, but the officers headed back north. But when they arrived, Bidou realized it was no crank call and no car accident. Instead, it was a sinister crime scene".

When Stella Medeiros observed the crime scene at 11:20 pm, she raced off to seek help in Benicia, eventually locating Captain Daniel Pitta at the Enco Gas Station on East 2nd Street. This is 3.4 miles from the turnout, and an estimated journey time of 5 minutes on Google Maps. She is obviously driving faster than normal and flags down Captain Daniel Pitta probably slightly shy of 11:25 pm, allowing her to give her account and for Captain Daniel Pitta to head to the crime scene by 11:28 pm. In the course of this, the information would have been relayed to Benicia Police Department.
​
So where did the supposition of a crank call or a car accident originate from? The description given by Stella Medeiros may have been interpreted as a car crash originally and relayed this way, but why would a radio message from an officer of the law be interpreted as a crank call? Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday were lying prostrate in the turnout, and whether a crash or not, why would Officer Pierre Bidou be under any illusion of a crank call, unless a payphone call had come in slightly earlier than the radio message from Captain Daniel Pitta. The Zodiac Killer made phone calls after both his subsequent attacks, so why not this one? The only difference being, is he may have called it in as a car accident, unwilling to show his hand as the murderer. Had the Zodiac Killer left the turnout and headed to Vallejo via Springs Road, his journey time to the payphone at the intersection of Springs and Tuolumne would be approximately 12 minutes, placing the call at 11:22 pm, just prior to Stella Borges' meeting with Captain Daniel Pitta at 11:25 pm and his subsequent radio message, possibly leading to the uncertainty experienced by Officer Pierre Bidou. The Zodiac Killer, in theory, could equally have placed a call from Benicia.  

Of course this may be reading far too much into an innocuous statement by Officer Pierre Bidou. When he heard the details relayed from Captain Daniel Pitta to the Benicia Police Department, this may simply have been his interpretation of the reported details, that it sounded like a car crash. But why, in the plural, had "police at first suspected it was a crank call"? What gave them this idea considering this incident was radioed in by an experienced officer. Was the crank call, which police "first suspected," allayed or overlooked when the radio message arrived moments later from Captain Daniel Pitta. 

In 1986, a letter arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle, believed by some to be a hoax Zodiac letter. The crime it details is eerily similar to the first two Zodiac attacks. Koy Ien Saechao and Choy Fow Salee were shot in their car by the side of a Sacramento freeway on April 22nd 1986. The Laotian couple were shot multiple times from close range. Both front side windows were blown out, with 15 shell casings strewn around the vehicle. Minutes after the crime, a hitchhiker flagged down a patrolman and directed him to the crime scene, as Zodiac had done via payphone subsequent to Blue Rock Springs Park and Lake Berryessa. However, on this occasion the hitchhiker directed them to what he called a "road accident." The hitchhiker was never traced. Could the Zodiac Killer have done exactly the same at Lake Herman Road, directing police to what he described as a "road accident," explaining why police were under the illusion it was a car crash and had "first suspected it was a crank call," having not arrived through official police channels?
 
In his second, third and fourth attacks, the Zodiac Killer laid claim to his crimes after 40 minutes, 70 minutes and 2 days respectively. At Lake Herman Road it took 6 1/2 months, in which he belatedly claimed the murders of Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday. Or did it take just 12 minutes, but nobody recognized his 'game'? In a case where official lines of investigation have effectively ground to a halt, the search for a game changer in finding the Zodiac Killer's identity has become an almost impossible task. If the Zodiac Killer headed to the same payphone twice, bearing in mind the forty unexplained minutes after Blue Rock Springs attack, along with his directional movements after Lake Berryessa, it may be wise to concentrate the search back to the heart of Vallejo once again - and possibly around the payphone at Springs and Tuolumne.   

'For 35 years starting in 1965, the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner operated under a Joint Operating Agreement whereby the Chronicle published a morning paper and the Examiner published in the afternoon. The Examiner published the Sunday paper's news sections and glossy magazine, and the Chronicle contributed the features.' Wikipedia. 
​
On August 4th 1969 the San Francisco Examiner received the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter, in which the killer revealed his pseudonym for the first time. This letter was not planned, as it was only mailed by the killer in response to an article released in the newspaper over the weekend, in which Vallejo Police Chief Jack E. Stiltz implored the murderer of three to supply more details about his crimes, to effectively prove that the author of the July 31st 1969 letters was in fact the killer. The Zodiac duly obliged. The first newspaper article was released by the San Francisco Chronicle on Saturday August 2nd 1969. Jack E. Stiltz requested the writer to send another letter "with more facts to prove it." The second newspaper article followed on Sunday August 3rd 1969 in the San Francisco Examiner. Jack E. Stiltz was 'still not convinced the letters and codes were written by the actual killer.' The police chief 'urged the writer to send more letters, with more facts to prove his connections to the crimes.'  The 'Debut of Zodiac' letter was hand delivered to the San Francisco Examiner the following morning, giving rise to the notion he is responding to the Sunday article in particular. This may be important if we analyze the nature of the communication and the actual paper it is written on. 

The Zodiac committed four attacks we know of. The first two at Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs were perpetrated on a Friday in the hour preceding midnight. The Lake Berryessa and Presidio Heights attacks were perpetrated earlier, both on Saturday. This fed into the belief that Zodiac had a regular Monday to Friday, 9-5 job, with his Friday attacks likely committed closer to home due to time constraints, whereas on Saturday he could venture further afield, as it was one of his rest days. This may have come into play when the Zodiac delivered his August 4th 1969 letter.

​The Zodiac had just embarked on his letter writing campaign, when he mailed the 408 cipher on July 31st 1969, split into three sections of 136 characters and each mailed to three newspapers, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner and Vallejo Times-Herald, all of which decided to publish. When Jack E Stiltz questioned the validity of the letter writer, Zodiac was eager to reply, shown by the fact his response was received on Monday morning, the day after the August 3rd 1969 Sunday Examiner article. He must have hurriedly drafted a response in order that his letter was published in the afternoon edition, but with one key difference.

The Zodiac Killer commonly used Eaton brand paper in his communications with the newspapers, but the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter was a notable change, using Woolworth's Fifth Avenue paper, suggesting he was thrown out of his normal routine. No doubt he kept a supply of Eaton paper at his residence, which he reverted back to after the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter. It seemed like the Woolworth's Fifth Avenue brand paper was a rushed buy, when he had no easy access to his home location, yet was still in a location to readily purchase the Sunday Examiner newspaper.. Here is one possible scenario, but obviously not the only one.

"The Zodiac Killer has just completed his 408 cipher and the weekend is approaching. He decides to use his Saturday and Sunday off work to relax and bask in his new found notoriety. If he is a resident of Vallejo or Benicia, then a thirty mile weekend trip away to San Francisco, may seem like a justified reward to enjoy his passion of theater in the Union Square and Tenderloin District. San Francisco may be an area he is already familiar with, if he works there. Then Jack E Stiltz puts a fly in the ointment by issuing a doubt that the killer and letter writer is the same person. The Zodiac Killer enjoying a cup of coffee over breakfast in his hotel getaway, picks up his paper and nearly chokes when he reads the article. Young and impulsive, his need to respond is immediate before Monday's edition. He finishes breakfast in his theater district hotel and heads to the nearest stationers to purchase some paper and a felt tip pen."  

"The first letter in which he christened himself "Zodiac" carried a different watermark than three earlier letters (Monarch-cut bond, imprinted with an Eaton watermark). The new watermark was fifth avenue, an imprint of Frank Winfield Woolworth's national chain. A huge Woolworth's stood just a block away from the Chronicle, at the cable car turntable at Fifth and Market and Powell. In the basement, next to the goldfish, Woolworth's sold blue felt-tip pens and paper exactly like Zodiac used. What if he bought his paper and blue felt-tip pens there?"  Robert Graysmith. 
​
His Eaton paper was at his residence, but he is on a weekend trip. The easy option is to purchase a temporary pad of paper from the nearest location and Woolworth's would have been the obvious choice. It is in the heart of the theater district, just 10 minutes walking distance from Union Square and the Westin St Francis Hotel, the location where Zodiac was believed to have flagged down Paul Stine just two months later on October 11th 1969. Robert Graysmith highlights the Westin St Francis Hotel at Union Square, along with the Pinecrest Restaurant in his book 'Zodiac', whereas the article in the San Francisco Examiner on October 23rd 1969 stated "The search also took police to Nob Hill, where the Fairmont Hotel became involved again in the manhunt. This was because: Cabbie Paul Stine, 29, the Zodiac's latest victim is believed to have picked up his fare on a street near the famed hotel. A waitress in the hotel candy shop-fountain told police she served coffee during the television show (Jim Dunbar/Melvin Belli) to a man who resembled composite drawings of Zodiac. She saved the cup and saucer for a fingerprint check."
​
If Zodiac was a visitor to one of these hotels, then the footnote in his 'Debut of Zodiac' letter declaring "No address" may carry some irony. The Zodiac Killer would later send two further missives, the 'Little List' and 'Exorcist' letter, in which he featured the Gilbert and Sullivan satirical comedy, The Mikado, which played in the San Francisco theater district during this period. This location of Woolworth's, the theater district, the offices of the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner and the pick-up-point of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969, certainly center the focus on this small area of San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle at 901 Mission Street/corner of 5th, and San Francisco Examiner at 835 Market Street are key locations.   

The murder of Paul Stine on Saturday October 11th 1969 was thought to have originated from a pick-up-point, either at the Westin St Francis Hotel or the intersection of Mason and Geary Streets. The time would have been approximately 9.30-9.40 pm - so a theater production ending at this time may have provided a connection. Was the Zodiac Killer again on a weekend away, enjoying his passion for the arts, only this time murder was on the menu? However, this murder was a little different. If the killer, as suggested earlier, was not a resident of San Francisco, but a guest at a hotel somewhere in the theater district, then you would assume this murder was pre-prepared. Just like the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter that was received at the San Francisco Examiner on the immediate Monday to the article, so was the October 13th 1969 Paul Stine letter, containing the swatch of the taxicab driver's shirt. His response to both events was almost immediate, yet this time, knowing his murderous intentions, was prepared with pen and paper in advance.

The Zodiac Killer mailed the 'Exorcist' letter on January 29th 1974 in response to the San Francisco Chronicle article entitled 'Weird Goings on at the Movies,' authored by Paul Avery and published on January 11th 1974, detailing the audience reaction to the recently released Exorcist movie in 1973. The news report was from the Northpoint Theatre, located at 2290 Powell Street, San Francisco. The theater was located 3.4 miles from the Washington and Cherry Street intersection, where Paul Stine was murdered, and only 1.7 miles from the region of Union Square, where the taxicab driver picked up Zodiac.
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If the Zodiac Killer was a regular visitor to the area of San Francisco's theater district, then the Northpoint Theatre, easily accessible from Union Square, may have saw the murderer through its doors at some point, although he appeared notably underwhelmed by The Exorcist, describing it as "the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen,"
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​Does the change in writing material give us an insight into the Zodiac Killer's movements precedent to the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter, or is it simply a case of reading nothing into something.   

This is the Department of Justice ballistics report dated 3rd January 1969 regarding the Lake Herman Road shooting:

"We find that the exhibits correspond only with tests fired in J.C. Higgins Model 80, .22 automatic pistol. It should not be assumed the exhibits must have been fired in such a weapon, but this is the only type presently in our files that corresponds, therefore, it appears somewhat probable the weapon was of this type. In addition to subjecting to further tests any J.C. Higgins Model 80 automatic pistol recovered, further tests should be made on any weapon having the following characteristics; (A) Cartridge cases: Semi-circular firing pin impression at 12 o' clock position, small extractor markings at 3 o'clock position. Very faint ejector marking at 8 o' clock position (latter may not always be detectable). (B) Weapon barrel or test bullets: Six right hand grooves, land and groove ratio 1:1+. Bullet groove width approximately 0.056 inch. Bullet land width approximately 0.060 inch".

This report points out that although the offending weapon is likely a J.C. Higgins, it should not be regarded as certain. However, it does suggest that any weapon identified should be compared to the characteristics exhibited above regarding the bullets and cartridge cases. The next line of the DOJ report is significant, stating; "Intercomparison of the cartridge cases in items 4 and 5 indicates that all are probably fired in the same weapon and all are the same make and type of ammunition. Due to lack of sufficient unique structure it appears that considerable difficulty will be encountered in identifying the responsible weapon if it should be recovered".  The cartridge cases mentioned in items 4 and 5 are the nine cases tested from the Lake Herman Road crime scene. The problem is that ten cartridge cases were ejected and removed from Lake Herman Road that night. It is with a high degree of certainty that the bullet casing lying on the floorboard of the Rambler, towed away to a designated location, was ultimately separated from the other nine and never reached the DOJ for testing. In addition, the report stated ''All bullets submitted were Western copper coated .22 long rifle bullets, although some were damaged, it was possible to determine ALL but Item [1] had 6 right hand groove class characteristics".  Item [1] was the bullet recovered from David Faraday. The ballistics report could not rule that the bullet removed from David Faraday's head was different to the other bullets recovered, but nevertheless it couldn't rule it the same, as it didn't exhibit the same "6 right hand groove class characteristics" as the rest.  zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/lake-herman-road-the-ballistics-report         

Responding officers questioned many of the eyewitnesses that night, including Peggy Your. She stated in the police report "They did have a gun with them that night, it was a .38 special with a small barrel and it was lying in the rear seat of the car. It was unloaded and Mr Your had the shells in his pocket". 

Another eyewitness Robert Connelly was interviewed, being asked if he had a rifle. He stated "he had an automatic rifle. The RO advised him of his constitutional rights at this time. Due to the fact he was in the area and he did have a rifle which he claimed he didn't have with him that night".

Rangemaster George Parks tested several weapons on 28th December 1968. He test fired three rifles and made comparisons of shell casings with the casings in evidence. On the basis of his findings the following guns are eliminated as suspected weapons.
#1. Marlin automatic rifle; property of Robert Connelly.
#2. Remington automatic rifle, Model 550-1, property of James Owen.
#3. Ruger automatic rifle, SN 138577, property of James Owen.

The bullet that struck David Faraday's head was likely damaged, although it didn't exhibit "6 right hand groove class characteristics" as the rest. Bearing in mind David Faraday's body position in the Lake Herman Road turnout, he was likely facing west, standing next to the Rambler's right rear wheel when he was shot in the left side of his head. Therefore, it is plausible that the shell casing observed on the front passenger floorboard of the Rambler was inextricably linked to this bullet recovered from David Faraday. Without an accurate comparison of this bullet and without locating the missing shell casing, it cannot be ruled out that these two pieces of ballistic evidence were not the product of a second gun and second shooter on the night of December 20th 1968.
    
The comparison by George Parks above, used to eliminate suspected weapons, was done using the shell casings and not the bullets, as some of the bullets were disfigured. The shell casings were free from distortion with identifiable extractor and ejector marks. These were used to rule out the weapons of Robert Connelly and James Owen. The eyewitnesses interviewed in connection with Lake Herman Road were with near certainty were not involved in the double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, however, countless people were interviewed in the following months - and no doubt innumerable other guns were eliminated using the shell casing comparisons.               

The problem we have, is that the tenth casing was never tested in the Department of Justice report - only nine of the ejected casings. Therefore, none of the guns tested for comparison can be ruled out as the source of this missing tenth casing, and quite possibly the bullet recovered from David Faraday at autopsy. If two shooters were involved that night, or even a second gun by the same shooter, the tested suspected firearm can never be eliminated from the double murder. At best it can likely be ruled out as the firearm used to murder Betty Lou Jensen. It is not impossible that a suspect has been ruled out of the murders at Lake Herman Road using shell casing comparisons, who owes the good fortune to one missing piece of ballistic evidence - the tenth casing.
 
Avid Zodiac researcher Mike Rodelli supplied some additional information regarding Lake Herman Road; "That missing casing is interesting. I remember being at Russ' home for several days in 2003 and he told me that he had one of the shell casings from LHR. We looked through several ashtrays of junk trying to find it but never did. I wonder if the one he had is the missing one, since the car would have been placed in possession of the SO after the shooting, as seen in several videos. Maybe he took it as a souvenir". If this is correct, then it may still be retrieved.  

Sixteen shell casings have the capacity to be linked to the Zodiac case, either by comparison or to a suspected firearm, if we include the fifteen shell casings found scattered around the car of murder victims Koy Ien Saechao (48) and Choy Fow Saelee (40), a Laotian couple who were brutality gunned down on the hard shoulder of a Sacramento highway on April 22nd 1986. Although not necessarily Zodiac victims, they were certainly the subject of a possible Zodiac letter mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on May 6th 1986.

​My good friend Gregory Haugevik pointed out some of the similarities to the Dennis Rader case; "Zodiac, of course, was not a sexual sadist--not on the level of Rader anyhow, but when I see the similarities between them (the M.O. in specific incidents, the letters to the media, the cat-and-mouse games, even deluded notions about their victims in the afterlife) I honestly believe they were trapped within the same pathology. I am not a psychiatrist, but perhaps this pathology occurs in one out of every 100 million people and is brought to an extreme at an even lesser, infinitesimal rate. That these two killers lived in roughly the same era and culture, it should perhaps be less than surprising the manifestation of their illness resulted in the headline-grabbing terror carried out by each". Dennis Rader also ceased his activities for over two decades, so the 1986 letter should not be dismissed on time and handwriting analysis alone - as handwriting would obviously change over a possible 8-12 year hiatus.

There are sixteen tangible pieces of evidence that could be used to answer many questions in the Zodiac case, that are eminently retrievable if the will is there. Unfortunately it probably isn't. In addition to the aforementioned comparisons that could be made, the same could be said of Blue Rock Springs and Presidio Heights, where a total of ten shell casings were secured in evidence. 

The whole of the above premise, is based upon the belief that two people could have been involved in the first attack at Lake Herman Road, irrespective of whether the other crimes were committed by one person. It is not something to be pushed or promoted, just considered. But it relies heavily on the notion that one shooter fired at the Rambler as he approached it, then secured Betty Lou Jensen as she emerged from the passenger side of the vehicle. Then David Faraday exited the passenger side and was restrained by the second assailant. The order in which they were shot will never be known, but if the first shooter then releases Betty Lou Jensen and fires at her, he has effectively fired all nine shots thus far. David Faraday is then executed point blank by the second assailant, thereby generating a unique and separate casing to the other nine. It is ejected to his rear, into the front passenger side of the Rambler and is ultimately towed away by responding personnel, taking all the answers with it.           

Some of the most hotly covered topics in the Zodiac Killer case are the events subsequent to the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969 in the wealthy district of Presidio Heights. On this occasion however, an alternative order of events will be explored in the run up to the murder, as Paul Stine's taxicab traveled along Washington Street. There is an extremely interesting article on the Howard Davis website 'The Zodiac/Manson Connection' regarding the autopsy findings of Paul Stine. Here is a small excerpt;
 
​"The last issue I wish to discuss was a finding in the coroner's report that I cannot yet resolve. Mr. Stine's lungs were described as follows: "Both lungs are moderately increased in weight. There is congestion at the base and dependant portions. Multiple intraparenchymal hemorrhages are noted." The blood in the lungs does not appear to have drained from the head wound. Were this the case the blood should be in the lung air space rather than the parenchyma (which is the lung tissue itself.) Additionally, the position of Stine's body (with the head approximately at the level of the chest while in Zodiac's lap and then below the level of the chest, on the floorboard after Zodiac left the scene) would not be conducive to passive blood flow from the head wound into the air space of the lungs". 

​Intraparenchymal injuries are noted frequently in automobile crashes, where traumatic brain and chest injury occur as a result of the vehicle being brought to a sudden and immediate stop. "Lung parenchymal injury: Pulmonary contusion is caused by rapid deceleration against a steering wheel, fall from a height and from blast injuries". See here. The phenomenon of chest injury, such as parenchyma damage, without rib breakage or fractures is widely covered with a cursory internet search. If this anomaly in Paul Stine's lungs is not as a result of natural causes, which as Howard Davis states "is unlikely," then we have to consider injury caused by an external force. Has the narrative of the Paul Stine murder become so firmly entrenched, that it is inevitable the proposal of an alternative hypothesis will be widely disregarded? Was it really as straight forward as 'Paul Stine pulls up at Washington and Cherry and is shot', or is there another possibility incorporating these autopsy findings?

We have a trip sheet supposedly marking the destination as Washington and Maple, but a taxicab sitting at Washington and Cherry. The autopsy report indicates there are intraparenchymal hemorrhages in both lungs and dark marks on the dorsal side of Paul Stine's left hand. Donald Fouke described a man with a semi-limp and a shuffling lope traveling east along Jackson Street, backtracking to the original destination noted on the taxicab trip sheet. Do all these combined suggest something went awry prior to the actual shooting? If the taxicab had experienced rapid deceleration, then it would not be uncommon to sustain chest injuries from impacting the steering wheel or from a seat belt injury, with the rear passenger catapulted forward, striking their hips or lower legs against the back of the front seats, thereby explaining the observations of Donald Fouke.

There had been a spate of taxicab robberies in the run up to the Paul Stine shooting and the murder of taxicab drivers was not uncommon. The wanted poster issued on October 13th 1969 was testimony to this fact - and no doubt Paul Stine was fully aware of the risks his profession entailed. If the taxicab was still in motion when the gun was presented, the actions of Paul Stine would be instinctual - he can comply or react. If he slammed on his brakes fully, he may have felt he could disable the assailant, as the passenger would be unprepared for the rapid deceleration, albeit he would still strike the steering wheel. Had this occurred, then clearly it ultimately failed, as the assailant regained control. In the absence of any skid marks just prior to the intersection of Washington and Cherry, it may indicate that this occurred at Washington and Maple or even earlier in the journey. Whether we believe the routinely told story of Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969, that the murder occurred adjacent to 3898 Washington Street, it still cannot rule out what could have proceeded it. Had Paul Stine valiantly attempted to disarm the assailant precedent to his murder - an attempt that would ultimately fail, but indelibly left its mark at autopsy and left the Zodiac Killer shuffling down Jackson Street.  

The testimony of Michael Mageau after the Blue Rock Springs attack on July 4th 1969 described an assailant who approached their vehicle, fired off five shots, before retreating and returning to deliver a final volley of four shots. Nine shell casings were recovered from the crime scene, seven found on the right side of the couple's Corvair and two on the floorboard by the back seat. But is this what actually happened?

Things to help us uncover the order of events that night, may lie in the ballistics and Darlene Ferrin's autopsy report, which has some unusual details to untangle. Here is a section of that report, indicating that Darlene Ferrin had nine entry wounds and seven exit wounds. An extremely high number considering Michael Mageau was shot four times. Some bullets passed through both victims, but it still takes some explaining. The report describes two entry wounds on her right arm and two entry wounds on her left arm, with two bullets recovered internally.           

On page 13 of the police report it states 'With Sgt Rust went to the parking lot in front of Blue Rock Springs and observed a 1963 brown Corvair parked in the south east area of the lot. This Corvair had the head and tail lights on. The left blinker light was blinking front and rear. The ignition was in the on position, the transmission was in first gear, and the hand brake had not been set.' 

On page 17  it states 'After both victims were taken to the Kaiser Hospital, writer checked the area for any spent bullets, upon checking the Corvair writer observed what appeared a bullet hole in the left door panel.'

Hardly surprising if multiple shots were fired through the right side window. Then we have one bullet described as having been recovered from Michael Mageau's thigh. Michael was struck in the neck, hip, left thigh and shoulder.  

The report above describes one bullet removed from Michael Mageau's left thigh. This was fired into his thigh while he was squirming around on the back seat. There is no other alternative. Two spent casings were retrieved from the back seat floorboard. These are the two shots fired at Michael Mageau after he escaped from the front seat (the two shots fired at him when Zodiac returned after the initial barrage). Therefore, these two shots did not pass through Mageau's body to strike Darlene Ferrin, one of which was described above in the police report, that lodged in his left thigh. The other likely struck his hip. This is important, because it leaves only seven shots left to create nine entry wounds and seven exit wounds detailed in Darlene Ferrin's autopsy. Two bullets remained inside Darlene Ferrin, so didn't produce any exit wounds. Now we have only five bullets remaining to create seven exit wounds, two of which struck Michael Mageau in the front seat.

Darlene Ferrin, it has been surmised, was shot in the arms while gripping the steering wheel: 2 bullets that struck her right arm, exited her right arm and struck her left arm, which they exited also, producing 4 entry and 4 exit wounds. The 2 bullets that struck Mageau while seated in the front seat would have lost velocity, entering Darlene Ferrin but not exiting her body. These were the 2 bullets found internally at her autopsy. The other 3 bullets that struck Darlene Ferrin's torso directly, produced 3 exit wounds (add this to the 4 exit wounds on her arms, gives us the total of 7 exit wounds). She had 4 entry wounds in her arms from 2 bullets, she had 2 entry wounds via Michael Mageau (the lodged bullets at autopsy) in her torso and 3 entry wounds that struck her directly (one during the initial barrage and two when Zodiac returned). In total giving us 9 entry wounds.

Michael Mageau was targeted directly 4 times, Darlene Ferrin was targeted directly 5 times (2 at her arms, 3 at her torso). 

This backs up Michael Mageau's statement that the killer shot him twice while he was in the back seat (hip and left thigh), indicating that Darlene Ferrin was struck by 5 bullets during the initial 5 shots (2 to arms, one directly to body, 2 through Mageau).
 
The strange thing about this scenario is the conception many believe of how the shooting unfolded. That Michael Mageau was targeted first, yet Darlene Ferrin was still likely gripping the steering wheel with both arms even by the time of the fourth shot, to facilitate the through and through wounds to both her arms (see foot of article). Bearing in mind the vehicle was in first gear, with the hand brake off, had she attempted to prepare the vehicle to drive away, valiantly gripping the steering wheel as Michael was being shot.

A letter was received by the San Francisco Examiner on July 4th 1969 in which Zodiac describes his attack "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; that's how I shot him in the knee".

​This account also confirms the ballistics, in that the shots to Michael Mageau's neck (head) and shoulder occurred while he was positioned in the front seat, passed through his body and struck Darlene Ferrin's upper torso. The shots to his lower body (left thigh and hip) occurred while he was in the back seat "thashing out very violently with his legs".

One possible order of events and by no means the only one, is that Zodiac targeted Darlene Ferrin first, striking both her arms with 2 shots, because she was the driver and the primary means of escape. He quickly turns the gun onto Michael Mageau, striking him in the neck and rear shoulder as he is turning away from the gun. He then fires a further shot into Darlene Ferrin's torso, as Michael hurls himself backwards into the rear of the Corvair. Five shots have now been fired. The Zodiac Killer then walks away, before returning to shoot Michael in the rear seat twice (hip and thigh), and then Darlene twice more into her torso, before leaving the scene.

Another plausible order of events derives from the words of Michael Mageau in the police report (see foot of article). Michael is searching for his ID as the assailant fires two shots at his neck and shoulder. Darlene Ferrin could have sensed danger early on, having prepared the vehicle for a quick exit, disengaging the hand brake and setting the transmission. Her hands could already be braced on the steering wheel or she could have placed them there when the assailant started shooting Michael Mageau. She may very well have reached for the ignition. But whatever the case, her arms were aligned to receive the injuries detailed at autopsy. Once she was struck in the arms, she then turned away in a defensive motion and was struck again in her right rear. Meanwhile, Michael has leapt into the back seat. The rest follows the same pattern as above - the Zodiac Killer leaves, returns, and delivers the final 4 shots.
 
This article explains the movements of the killer that night, his account in the Debut of Zodiac letter, the nine shots fired and the nine entry wounds and seven exit wounds detailed in Darlene Ferrin's autopsy report.​ What the autopsy does, is paint a picture of the sequence of events that night, suggesting that Michael Mageau's version of catapulting himself backwards to the rear seat of the Corvair to escape the initial barrage, is supported by all the ballistics evidence. However, what the autopsy results won't reveal about the events that night, is why. 

The following will be investigating the idea that possibly two or more individuals may have been involved in the Zodiac crimes, or at least some of the crimes. It is not necessarily something I subscribe to, but certainly would not dismiss the idea out of hand, particularly when we consider the nature of the first two crimes at Lake Herman Road on December 20th 1968 and Blue Rock Springs on July 4th 1969, and many of the unanswered questions. Some of the following will consider new angles regarding the crimes that don't necessarily follow the widely accepted Zodiac narrative.

At Lake Herman Road, what strikes you are the occupants of two vehicles observed in the run-up to the murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen. These occupants, despite the publicity these murders generated, never came forward. This may be a fear of implication in the crime, nevertheless, the owner of the white Chevrolet Impala spotted parked unoccupied in the Lake Herman Road turnout by three witnesses and the blue Valiant observed by William Crow, who stated he was pursued by two Caucasian males in this vehicle within 90 minutes of the double murder, have all remained unidentified. One has to ask, why is the empty Chevrolet Impala sitting parked in the turnout for an extended period of time bearing in mind it was late evening, extremely cold and pitch black? What were the occupant/s of the vehicle doing that night, considering they were never observed in the vicinity at any time by Robert Connelly, Frank Gasser or Bingo Wesner?

The 'Blue Valiant' story by William Crow is difficult to dismiss as irrelevant, having occurred so close to the crime scene - and on the face of it appeared threatening. William Crow would later change the recollection of his encounter that night, in addition to altering his vehicle description to a white Chevrolet. This can be easily interpreted as witness embellishment. Mike Rodelli attempted to contact William Crow in subsequent years to no avail. He addressed William Crow thus; "Since that time, you have become a practicing attorney and are reportedly employed by the local government in Solano County. In February of 2004, you spoke to Zodiac researcher Howard Davis. At this time you had a much different story to tell. You clarified the reason you had pulled over to the side of the road near the pumping station as being to learn how to use "toggle switches" on the dashboard of your girlfriend's car. The chase is now much more detail-filled and very dramatic. The car tried to gain on you and, in trying to get inside your left rear quarter panel, presumably tried to force you off the road. He flashed his lights on and off. In taking the turnoff to Benicia, you apparently had to execute a high speed "evasive" maneuver which the less agile, older car could not handle. There was just one person in the car now and his description was eerily like that which was promoted for the Zodiac killer (i.e., short hair and glasses) after October 1969. The car was now remarkably the "white Chevy" that two other sets of eyewitnesses described that night. You stated that your girlfriend lived in (and presumably purchased her sports car in) San Francisco (or was it Napa?). After the encounter, your common sense kicked in and you went home".

It is not unusual for eyewitnesses to become creative in later accounts, which drives at the heart of their credibility, similar in fashion to the changing stories of Donald Fouke at Presidio Heights. This is what William Crow originally stated; "He was driving his girlfriend's sports car and he was testing it out and adjusting the motor. He was parked in the open area by the pump station and he observed a blue car, possibly a Valiant coming down the road from Benicia towards Vallejo. They passed his location, stopped in the middle of the road and he saw the white lights of the reverse come on and the car started backing up towards them. Mr Owen put the car in gear and took off at a high rate of speed and the car followed him at a high rate of speed. They did not attempt to gain on him, but when they got to the turn off towards Benicia, William Crow turned towards Benicia and the other car went straight ahead. The subjects were both Caucasians and there is no further identification on the car or the subjects".

The level of threat these individuals posed is indeterminable, although they never presented themselves to investigators to clarify their account of proceedings - so the question will still persist - to what extent they were connected to the subsequent murders that night? The significance of the white Chevrolet Impala is equally unclear.          

The Zodiac Killer described his attack on David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen "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 ceiling 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 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".

How difficult is it to control two frightened teenagers in near perfect darkness using just a 'pencil flashlight', bearing in mind his vehicle was supposedly parked alongside the victims Rambler, providing limited auxiliary lighting from the headlights of his car? The most obvious position to place his vehicle was to the right and slightly behind, to not only blind his victims and box them in, but to provide some extra illumination in the comission of the crime. The Zodiac also stated "All I had to do was spray them as if it was a water hose; there was no need to use the gun sights". The fact he never used the gunsights may suggest this very scenario. His statement of "all I had to do was spray them" is open to scrutiny, because he never sprayed both victims - David Faraday was shot point blank to the left side of his head. This brings us to the ballistics evidence, covered extensively in regards to two shooters, in the article http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/lake-herman-road-the-ballistics-report  

In short, seven bullets were documented in the DOJ report and only one failed to exhibit 'right hand groove class characteristics' - the one retrieved from David Faraday's head at autopsy. Ten casings were detailed in the crime scene sketches, but only nine were sent to the Department of Justice for testing. Since nine of the casings were retrieved from the turnout floor, it seems likely the tenth casing, marked as sitting on the front passenger side Rambler floor, got towed away with the vehicle and separated from the rest of the casings. Therefore, it is possible that this casing was never tested. If this tenth casing had exhibited different characteristics to the other nine, then a plausible link could be attributed to this casing and the 'odd man out' bullet. It makes perfect sense, because a head shot into David Faraday from his left side by a right-handed shooter could easily have ejected the casing to the rear of the gun, in direct line with the open passenger door where it was ultimately found. The same could be said of a left-handed shooter securing David Faraday from behind. But without ever locating this missing casing we will never know.

Mike Rodelli responded to this with some additional information, which if correct defies belief: "That missing casing is interesting. I remember being at Russ' home for several days in 2003 and he told me that he had one of the shell casings from LHR. We looked through several ashtrays of junk trying to find it but never did. I wonder if the one he had is the missing one, since the car would have been placed in possession of the SO after the shooting, as seen in several videos. Maybe he took it as a souvenir.". If this were the case, then it is highly unlikely that this promising lead will go anywhere, but it certainly does not discount the possibility that a second gun and second shooter may have been involved that night. Were the two Caucasians spotted by William Crow still en scene, and what role, if any, did the white Chevrolet Impala play?         

Comparing vehicles in the Zodiac attacks is extremely limiting, especially when considering Michael Mageau's less than reliable eyewitness account. Understandable after the horrific attack he was subjected to at Blue Rock Springs Park.

On the left is a blue 1966 Chevrolet Nova, which when compared to the 1966 Plymouth Valiant above has a similar square looking design. In addition, the Chevrolet Nova II and Chevrolet Nova II 327 exhibit equally similar features and specifications. These vehicles have been selected for a reason.

The three women at Lake Berryessa, who spotted a suspicious man in the run up to the double stabbing of Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard on September 27th 1969, described his vehicle as a late model, 1966/7 Chevrolet, light or sky blue in color, with long rear taillights rather than round. These Chevrolet Nova models have long taillights. Not a great match up admittedly, however, the police took tire impressions of a vehicle they suspected parked by Bryan Hartnell's Karmann Ghia on the day of the crime, that may have been the killer's vehicle. The mystery man spotted by the three women may not have been the Zodiac Killer, but the tire tracks or tread impression widths of a Chevrolet Nova, if he drove such a vehicle, are almost  identical to the track width of the observed tire impressions by police.   

This is what it states in the police report "Reporting officer observed one set of tire impressions approximately 20 feet to the rear of the victim's vehicle. The suspect track nearer the fence measured approximately 4 1/2 inches in width and showed a parallel tread design. This tread design was photographed by Sgt T Butler and then a plaster cast was made by reporting officer. The tire impression furthest from the fence measured approximately 5 1/2 inches in width. The distance between the inside of the left tread to the inside of the right tread measured approximately 52 inches".
Track width is a measurement from tire center to tire center.
If you look at the specs of a 1959 or 1960 Chevrolet Impala, the tire width is 205 mm or 8.07 inches. This would mean that the center of the tire is situated at roughly 4 inches. It would be nice to think, that if we added the 4 inches of both tires to the 52 inches in the police report (measured to the inside of the tread above), we would get 60 inches track width, which happens to be the exact front width shown here of the 1960 Chevrolet Impala (although 59.3 in the rear). However, tire width and tread width are not the same (shown in the photograph above), where the rubber cambers off on the edge of the tire, meaning the tread width is often smaller than tire width. This is often different bearing in mind the aspect ratio of a tire, given as 75% on a 1960 Chevrolet Impala, in respect to rim size. Here is a brief explanation on Youtube.  If we take the median value of the tread impression widths (5 1/2 inches and 4 1/2 inches) stated in the police report above, we have an approximation of 5 inches tread width. This can vary front and back. 

The police report gave us 52 inches to the inside of the tread (left and right), depicted here on the left. The tread value of each tire is 5 inches, which is 2 1/2 inches to the center of each tire (excluding the camber shown in yellow). With two tires, that amounts to 5 inches. Therefore, the total track width (measured to the center of each tire) is 57 inches. This would suggest that the suspect vehicle, if it is related to the Berrryessa tire impressions at all, is not a 1963 Chevrolet Corvair with a track width of not greater than 55 inches - and shy of the 60 inch track width of a 1959 or 1960 Chevrolet Impala - seemingly ruling both vehicles out as being responsible for the impressions discovered by responding officers. Even taking the actual values of tread width of 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 inches, the track width would fall in between the specifications of both vehicles. 


​The three girls descriptions, suggested a 1966 or 1967, late model blue Chevrolet, 2-door, with one highlighting long taillights. The question being, could this description be enough to provide a match to the tire impressions found close to Bryan Hartnell's vehicle. We are looking for a Chevrolet somewhere in the range of 57 inch wheel track width. Here are examples of the Chevrolet II Nova, beginning with the 2-door '66 model.    

Supplemental to this, is the Chevrolet Nova II SS 327.  Here is a Youtube video of a 1967 marina-blue Chevrolet Nova II 327, featuring front, side and rear views. It is 2-door, with long, rather than round taillights.

​If we take the median value of the tire impressions from the police report, then as already stated, we have a track width of 57 inches. If we take the low end estimate of the tire impressions of approximately 4 1/2 inches, this gives a track width of 56.50 inches. Here are the complete specs of the Chevrolet Nova II from two sources. Here and here.

The track width for the front is 56.80 inches, very close to the 57.00 inches estimated from the police report. The track width for the rear is 56.30 inches, very close to 'the suspect track nearer the fence, measured at approximately 4 1/2 inches in width.' This was the closest fit I could find, matching as many specifications as possible, including the color, make, year, taillights, door and track width, and combining both scenes at Lake Berryessa - but this of course is the best one can manage without comprehensive identification. Had William Crow identified a blue Chevrolet Nova instead of a blue Valiant, then its significance may have ramped up a notch. He may have been mistaken on December 20th 1968, after all, he apparently only saw its front and rear end in near pitch darkness. He would eventually change his statement in 2004 to a white Chevrolet - so by taking half of each statement - we could manufacture our blue Chevrolet like magic.

Seven months after Lake Herman Road, the killer struck for a second time, attacking Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin at Blue Rock Springs Park. Again, two vehicles may have come into play. Michael Mageau described a vehicle pulling alongside Darlene Ferrin's brown Corvair before leaving in the direction of Springs Road. Approximately five minutes later, this vehicle, or a different vehicle, pulled up about ten feet to their rear. The occupant exited his vehicle with torch and gun in hand, approached the couple's vehicle and fired five shots at the defenseless victims through the open side passenger window. He then retreated, before returning to fire off a further four shots.      

Who was the man who pulled alongside the victims car five minutes prior to the attack? If this man was the eventual shooter, why did he drive away when he had the perfect opportunity to attack the couple in the first instance. If he was unrelated to the murder and attempted murder, why did he pull alongside the couple in an empty car park in which he could have parked anywhere, and in similar fashion to the unknown occupants of the vehicles at Lake Herman Road, he never presented himself as a material witness to police regarding the events that night. Was the occupant of the vehicle who initially pulled up alongside the victims Corvair surveying the scene for an accomplice, possibly known to Darlene Ferrin? Hence, the strategy of parking a vehicle alongside, then behind. This certainly wouldn't be the first serial killer to target someone known to them, before continuing their rampage. Then there is the additional phone call to family members in the early hours of July 5th 1969, other than the call to police dispatcher Nancy Slover. This theory I doubt will ever be resolved. 

This attack, and the one at Lake Herman Road, both may have displayed some sort of reconnaissance before the murders ultimately took place, with unidentified vehicles and persons unknown present before each crime.

At Lake Herman Road we had an extensive DOJ ballistics report (although missing one vital casing), along with detailed, if inaccurate police sketches. Blue Rock Springs Park on the other hand, has very little. No extensive ballistics report available to the public and no photographs of the crime scene whatsoever. We know that nine expended bullet casings were retrieved from the crime scene, seven found to the right side of the Corvair and two on the back seat floorboard of the vehicle, as though the killer had leaned into the vehicle to deliver the final two shots at Michael Mageau, who had clambered to the rear of the vehicle to escape the initial barrage. The strange thing about this shooting, is that the killer had unleashed nine shots towards his victims, yet despite both Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin being alive after the first five shots, he retreated according to Michael Mageau. Why didn't he just use up the whole magazine, or nine shots in one 'sitting' so to speak? Although not privy to the Blue Rock Springs ballistics report, I suspect the expended casings were compared and shown to have been the product of one firearm - but who fired the nine shots? This may seem a stupid question, but Michael Mageau by his own admission, stated a vehicle pulled up behind them with the headlights on and a man exited with a flashlight. At near midnight with limited alternative lighting, this would have made it extremely difficult to ascertain how many occupants were present in the assailant's vehicle.              

Michael Mageau stated that the attacker retreated after the first volley of shots. It is entirely plausible that the assailant handed off the gun to a second man in the car, who was then told to 'finish the job'. They came as a team and wanted to be equally involved. The first assailant firing off five shots and the second four shots. This cannot be proved or disproved, especially considering Michael Mageau was blinded by the headlights from behind, in accompaniment to the flashlight - and for a brief period had no view of the assailant/s vehicle as he had sought respite on the back seat of the Corvair. His account of the night and his description of the assailant's vehicle are extremely sketchy, and could also throw into doubt the actual number of perpetrators involved on July 4th 1969.

Lake Berryessa is totally different. We know that one masked man was responsible for the stabbing of Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard. What we don't know is who wrote on Bryan Hartnell's car door. We assume it was the same person who committed the stabbing. Lake Berryessa had limited escape routes by car, with the crime being perpetrated during daylight hours and boats still circling the lake. Would our killer be eager to leave the scene of crime as soon as he reached his vehicle? Would he take the time to write on Bryan Hartnell's Karmann Ghia? Or would it have been much easier for a second person to have written on the vehicle while the attack was underway, so as to facilitate a quick exit along Knoxville Road? Again, neither can be proved or disproved.

Finally, we have the Presidio Heights murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969. There have been many debates on where the actual murder took place, in light of no gunshot being heard by the three teenagers across the street - or any other resident for that matter. But what we do know, is that we cannot inextricably link the man observed in the taxicab with Paul Stine's shooting. By the time the three teenagers had looked out of their window that night, all they observed was a man in the front seat of the taxicab, presumably tearing off a swatch of Paul Stine's shirt. The shooter (his accomplice) may have already vacated the taxicab before the teenagers came to the window. Nobody knows the time period between the taxicab arriving at Washington and Cherry and the teenagers initial observations. The shooter could have been long gone and the 'clean up' guy was taking care of business. Without the gun, his lack of urgency may have been measurable by his actions.

THE 340 CIPHER WAS CRACKED ON DECEMBER 3RD 2020 BY DAVE ORANCHAK, SAM BLAKE AND JARL VAN EYCKE, SO THIS EARLIER ARTICLE SHOULD BE VIEWED IN RESPECT TO RECENT DEVELOPMENTS.

Michael Cole produced an excellent article entitled '"My Name Is" Cipher Motivation', indicating that the Zodiac Killer's third cipher was a direct response to an article by Will Stevens on October 22nd 1969 in which Dr DCB Marsh, president of The American Cryptogram Association, laid down a challenge to Zodiac. In the article Dr Marsh stated "The killer wouldn't dare, as he claimed in letters to the newspapers, to reveal his name in a cipher to established cryptogram experts. "Zodiac" had not done this, Marsh suggested, because to tell the complete truth in relation to his name, in cipher code, would lead to his capture. I invite 'Zodiac' to send The American Cryptogram Association a cipher code". We now know, that six months later, Zodiac did respond with a 13 symbol cipher, that began with the line "This is the Zodiac speaking. By the way have you cracked the last cipher I sent you. My name is....".
To view this article please visit the website Zodiac Revisited http://zodiacrevisited.com/name-cipher-motivation/

​Michael Cole also stated something very interesting in the comments section that pricked my interest, notably "I don’t assign much meaning to some version of “Zodiac” showing up in the last line of the 340. Based on the 408, we should expect part of that line to be filler. He was likely just playing around with his persona’s name in the filler".
If we take ourselves back to the 408 cipher, mailed in three parts to the Chronicle, Examiner and Herald on July 31st 1969, Zodiac stated "In this cipher is my idenity". He stated his identity, but not necessarily his name. Four days later, on August 4th 1969, the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter arrived at the San Francisco Examiner revealing his identity in the opening line, stating "This is the Zodiac Speaking". When the 408 cipher was decoded it revealed that Zodiac would not give his name, only his identity. But where was his identity 'Zodiac' in the 408 cipher? Was it somehow enciphered in the undecoded 18 letters at the foot of the 408 cipher? If the final line of the 340 cipher was also filler, as Michael Cole inferred - "Based on the 408, we should expect part of that line to be filler. He was likely just playing around with his persona’s name in the filler" - then it is also possible that the identity name of 'Zodiac' was concealed at the base of the 408 in similar fashion.            

Bearing in mind this newspaper article was published on October 22nd 1969, it was suggested that Zodiac's 340 cipher may have been the response to this 'dare', coming only seventeen days later on November 8th 1969. However, Michael Cole correctly pointed out that "The 340 is much more of a 408 version 2 than a response to Marsh. Just take the 408 (17 column organization and all), reduce the symbol instances, increase the symbol count, add one or more complexities that, to date, have made the thing impossible to solve, and voila: you have the 340. ​Plus, there is no indication accompanying the 340 that it has anything to do with the challenge, unlike the My Name Is cipher. It’s one thing not to the send the cipher to the ACA, but explicitly introduce it with “My name is”; it’s another not send it to the ACA and not give any kind of indication that the cipher relates to the challenge".

I concur,​ that it is very likely the 13 symbol cipher was the response to the article, but couldn't help thinking that the 340 cipher was somehow a temporary response - a secondary filler if you like. Was the Zodiac Killer already preparing the 340 Cipher and after reading this article dropped in his identity on the bottom line as filler, which he would ultimately connect to his next cipher on April 20th 1970 (The My Name is Cipher). However, for this to be the case, his name in the 13 symbol cipher would also have to be present in the 340 cipher in some form.

The Zodiac Killer responded to the newspapers on a regular basis, so it certainly is most likely he responded to this one also. But would the Zodiac Killer really reveal his name? Michael Cole makes another valid point: "This relationship between the Examiner article and the My Name Is cipher may well mean there is an even higher likelihood that the cryptogram does indeed encipher some form of the killer's name; the reasoning being that the Zodiac would have felt compelled to abide by the rules of the challenge in order to legitimately win the dare and thereby prove his intellectual superiority to Dr. Marsh, the ACA membership, and the rest of the cipher-solving world". The key phrase here is "some form of the killer's name". and the Zodiac Killer certainly loved a challenge. But when he devised the 13 symbol cipher, did he ultimately give us a name, just not the one we were hoping for? Did the Zodiac Killer use something within the actual article itself as a sort of joke, displaying his superiority and toying with Dr Marsh?

Two names of note were mentioned in the newspaper article, that of Donald G Harden, who along with his wife, was responsible for solving the 408 cipher, and American writer Edgar Allan Poe, who dabbled in cryptography - both of which contained 13 letters in their names. It was considered that possibly Zodiac had introduced either name into the 13 symbol cipher as a form of practical joke, to ridicule the challenge offered by Dr Marsh - but although Edgar Allan Poe almost fitted the criteria, it was missing one double letter, and so this idea was abandoned.

In the newspaper article, Dr Marsh stated "There were 18 garbled letters at the end- never deciphered". So, was it likely that the Zodiac would reply in kind, by leaving 18 garbled letters at the end of the 340 cipher, that would ultimately reveal his name. Five months would pass since the 340 cipher with no solution - so just like the 'Little List' letter was mailed to compliment the unsolved 'Button' letter code and Mount Diablo map, did Zodiac mail the 13 symbol cipher to push us in the right direction? Eight symbols from the 340 cipher can be connected to the 13 symbol cipher as follows. The Zodiac Killer was laid a challenge by Dr Marsh to reveal his name, but in the 340 cipher Zodiac seemingly only revealed his identity in the form of ZO (TRIANGLE) AIK. However, Zodiac was the ultimate egotist, so was it possible the clue lay in these six symbols, formed in such a way they would eventually become integrated into his 13 symbol cipher and reveal in part his true name?  

It can be seen in the diagram on the right, that if we place the correct spelling of Zodiac underneath his version on the 340 cipher and alphabetically count the numerical difference between the columns of letters, we get 0,0,0,8,8,8, forming the three circled 8's he incorporated into the 13 symbol cipher. Also transferred were the Zodiac crosshairs, and in part, the upside down Aries symbol (as shown by the red arrows). Was it possible he effectively incorporated his identity into the name he supplied on the 13 symbol cipher, thereby validating the idea his response to Dr. Marsh was via both ciphers, not one? Regardless of whether this final observation is correct, Michael Cole has identified a valuable source behind the motivation for the 13 symbol cipher - and one that I fully subscribe to.
​​
http://zodiacrevisited.com/name-cipher-motivation/ 

FOOTNOTE: Underneath his 13 symbol cipher, mailed on April 20th 1970, Zodiac wrote "I am mildly cerous as to how much money you have on my head now.  I hope you do not think that I was the one who wiped out that blue meannie with a bomb at the cop station." But why this reply.
Other than an article about the phony Jim Dunbar TV phone call, the previous newspaper article to this Zodiac correspondence, was published by the San Francisco Chronicle on January 28th 1970, entitled 'Yellow Cab Sets reward for Zodiac.' Hence Zodiac's reply, asking how much money was on his head now. The article begins with the actual sum of the reward, but this was in January, and it was now April. In addition, the newspaper article detailed an additional sum that was likely to be offered. The article read "Yellow Cab Company yesterday posted a $1000 reward for the Zodiac Killer. Specifically the money is being offered for "information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible" for the deaths of Yellow Cab drivers Charles Jarman and Paul Stine. The Teamsters Union, which represents Yellow Cab's drivers, is also considering offering a reward in the two cases. The subject will be discussed and voted on at a meeting of drivers set for February 8."​  

Many doubts have been expressed in the Zodiac case as to whether the four attacks and five murders attributed to one killer has any basis in fact. Some people believe one or more of the attacks were not perpetrated by the Zodiac Killer - in particular the brutal stabbing of Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969. In fact, some go as far as saying the Zodiac Killer is a myth or hoax. This is obviously difficult to completely dismiss unless we can find the Holy Grail that ties two or preferably all of the crimes together using DNA or fingerprints.

​The FBI Zodiac files are awash with suspects being eliminated or providing a non-match using fingerprint analysis, however, if none of the fingerprints and palm prints on the Zodiac letters, the Napa payphone and Paul Stine's taxicab originated from the killer, then any suspect elimination by comparison to these prints is meaningless. Unexcluded fingerprints matching through two or more letters or more than one crime scene would go a long way to dispelling many doubts about this case and provide some much needed clarification.
  
The Zodiac Killer correspondence has been handled by all and sundry down the years. The Napa County public payphone by the same token had passed through many hands before the killer placed his call, so the fingerprints retrieved from the receiver may not necessarily have been donated by the murderer, and the fingerprints collected from Paul Stine's taxicab have also come under widespread scrutiny despite one being traced with blood. Some of the fingerprints on the taxicab would have originated from innocent passengers, or may inadvertently have been deposited by attending personnel to the crime scene. However, if a fingerprint from the Napa payphone could be matched to the Stine taxicab, this link would be difficult to refute. But is their any evidence that such a match exists? Apparently not.

There is a thread on Zodiackiller.com message board exploring this subject. Here is a post by Ed Neil: "I found a couple of things of interest regarding your statement. According to "Zodiac Killer Link Affirmed" (The Napa Register, 10-16-1969, p. 1A): 'Napa, Vallejo and San Francisco law enforcement officers are certain that the person who stabbed to death a college girl at Lake Berryessa last month and shot to death three youths in Vallejo during the past 10 months is the same man who shot and killed a cab driver in San Francisco last Saturday night. By a preliminary match of fingerprints and handwriting, Undersheriff Tom Johnson said that it appears this is the same murderer. However, he pointed out that specialists have not completed, as yet, extensive examinations to verify that identity. "I'm fairly certain it's the same man," he added.' 

According to "Zodiac Killer Tips Swamp Police," by Jim Wood (Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, 10-19-1969, p. 8, Section A): Bird is convinced that all of the five killings claimed by the Zodiac slayer were indeed committed by the same man. "Look at the pattern," he said. "We could tell from that, they were all his even if he hadn't connected them. The letters boasting about the killings, the telephone calls, the shirt, this man definitely wants to be caught." 
It seems that back in the day, the "lack of proof" that you apparently believe shows that Lake B was not a Z crime was actually more than enough to conclusively link him".

Of course, as the above stated, 'extensive examinations had not been completed', so this alone does not definitively affirm a link. You will note that these two newspaper articles were authored on the 16th and 19th October 1969, just after the Paul Stine murder.

Here is another newspaper article dated October 21st 1969 from The Daily Reporter, Dover, Ohio featuring Chief of Police Martin Lee, who commented in the San Francisco Chronicle after the murder of Paul Stine. 'SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A meeting of seven police agencies from an area terrorized by the Zodiac killer has developed a general strategy aimed at identifying and capturing him. 'But, says Police Capt. Martin Lee of San Francisco, "I can't say we're any closer to catching him." Lee told newsmen after the three-hour closed session Monday that he could not reveal the strategy. But he said that "handwriting, ballistics and fingerprint experts linked the same man to five slayings in the San Fraricisco Bay area since last Dec. 20.  The San Francisco Crime Laboratory said the best clue may be the gun used to kill four of the victims—a 9 mm pistol of which only 143 have been sold in the past 'three years in this area. The fifth victim was stabbed. "It's a gun for killing," he said. "It has a terrible impact quality." Permit applications for persons who bought such guns are being checked for comparison with handwriting on the Zodiac notes. Police have said they believe the man. He has boasted of the slayings in telephone calls to police and notes to newspapers starting, "This is Zodiac speaking." He has written cryptograms which he says give clues to his identity. In a recent threat, he envisioned "picking off the kiddies as they come bouncing out" of a schoolbus. Up to 70 police units are accompanying school buses as a precaution. Lee said he thinks the conference gave officers "a stronger and better picture" of the man they're hunting.' 

The key line being 'handwriting, ballistics and fingerprint experts linked the same man to five slayings in the San Fraricisco Bay area.'  If this were true, then fingerprint evidence has played a role. Although the statement is certainly not conclusive. Below is an extract from page 22 of the Zodiac PDF2 FBI files.

It states 'to compare suspects latents with those developed on the letters believed to be written by unsub.'
Bearing in mind these letters likely contain numerous fingerprints from many sources, a comparison of fingerprints may suggest they have identified fingerprints on different letters that are consistent with each other, confirmed as written by the unsub. Otherwise, a comparison to multiple prints is meaningless, unless they believe the fingerprints to have been donated by the author of the letters. Only multiple matched fingerprints over several letters that have yet to be eliminated by innocent handling would carry some evidentiary value. 

Another article featuring Inspector David Toschi and published by Tim Reiterman entitled Zodiac: 4 Years Later. What Happened to the Killer Who Kept the City in Terror, gave his thoughts on the Zodiac case, with one notable section "Although he took care to wipe his fingerprints and boasted that he took other precautions, Zodiac made mistakes. Toschi said "police have enough fingerprints from the Stine murder scene and from a Napa County telephone booth, where Zodiac once called police- to make a positive identification if he is captured or surrenders". Zodiac PDF5 page 43. 

The fingerprints on the Paul Stine taxicab may not be sufficient on their own to identity the Zodiac Killer, as he may simply have been an innocent customer of the Yellow Cab Company, which could be argued by any reputable defense lawyer. Equally, the same argument could be applied to the Napa County payphone. The only way Dave Toschi could be so forthright in proclaiming "a positive identification" could be made, is if the fingerprints from both the taxicab and payphone had been found to have originated from the same person. Then, an identified suspect bearing the same fingerprints may well be our killer. "Police have enough fingerprints from the Stine murder scene and from a Napa County telephone booth". But without them matching, "a positive identification" could never be made. Was Dave Toschi aware of the fingerprints being matched in two separate attacks or is his statement above just a matter of over confidence on his part?

Zodiac FBI files

In part 4 of the Zodiac FBI files (page 9 through 16), another subject was investigated regarding the Zodiac crimes, with respect to San Francisco. Although not redacted, the subject in question was James Findley, now serving a life sentence in Ohio for the murder of 16-year-old Cheryl Segal on Saturday, October 17th 1970.

Cheryl and her friend had visited a local cafe, the Firefly Tavern, from where they accepted a lift from James Findley. After her friend had been dropped home, Cheryl continued on her journey with Findley, from which she would never return home. The next day she was discovered naked with a bullet wound to the head. The killer had inflicted a deep laceration across her torso, carved the letter Z onto her stomach and removed her left nipple - which is why this attracted so much attention from Northern California.

On October 21st 1970, San Francisco law enforcement were contacted by the Cincinnati Post and Times Star, concerning a subject arrested by the Cincinnati Police Department on a murder warrant issued in Butler County. The FBI file stated "Source advised that (redacted) has been charged with murder of 16-year-old girl and noted victim's body had been mutilated, including the superficial cutting of a Z on the abdomen and excision of the nipple of left breast. Source noted that (redacted) had reportedly been in San Francisco during August 1970. Advised that on August 4th last and August 30th last, Brenda Vance (23), negro female, and Janice Smith (22), NF, were found murdered in San Francisco. Both were prostitutes working in San Francisco area. Both died from severe blows to the head. Smith's body was mutilated extensively, including removal of nipple from left breat. Vance's body had numerous burns of torso and breasts. (redacted) believes both victims were abducted at gunpoint and taken to abandoned dwelling and murdered".  ​