Kathleen Johns, seven months pregnant, and accompanied by her 10-month-old daughter Jennifer, were traveling along Highway 132, west of Modesto, en route to Petaluma, California to visit her sick mother, when she was 'abducted' and taken on a two-hour journey around the outskirts of Tracy. She claimed it was the notorious Zodiac Killer, identifying him from a wanted poster hanging at nearby Patterson Police Station. It seems extremely odd that Kathleen Johns was taken on a two-hour journey around Tracy, California by an extremely dangerous individual, yet managed to escape into a field possibly as little as 400 meters from her abandoned car. In other words, she just happened to escape from the perpetrator's vehicle at the point she began her two-hour abduction. According to Robert Graysmith, who told her story in his Zodiac book, Kathleen Johns scooped up Jennifer and jumped from the car, dashed across the road, and leapt into an irrigation ditch surrounded by tall grass in the middle of a field. "It was all wine vineyard with a little gully and I just laid as flat as I could".  As Gian Quasar stated in his excellent article: Johns made many mistakes in her retelling of the events that prove damning to her own initial story let alone the legend she later adopted. One very significant one is that she said when she escaped from “The ZODIAC” into the fields she plainly described them as vineyards (Graysmith). The only vineyards around 132 are at Bird Road. They are still there today. The only thing Johns has ever been able to clearly describe is the immediate area of where she initially stopped. No other place. link.

Using the measurements on Google maps, Kathleen Johns ​1957 Chevrolet station wagon, parked just east of Bird Road, could have been as little as 300-400 meters from the location she escaped into the vineyard, assuming the abductor was returning from Tracy. Kathleen Johns stated in the Robert Graysmith book "I couldn't handle it anymore, so I decided the next time he came to one of those Hollywood stops - you know - not a complete stop - that he made at the different stop signs, I was going to jump out." Suddenly the car came to a halt. The man had inadvertently driven up a freeway offramp (A short section of road which allows vehicles to enter or exit a highway; also called entrance ramp or highway ramp). Somewhere in the location (shown in the link above or image below) we have the likelihood of an intersection 'offramp' and vineyard in close proximity to one another. ​The police report stated "Mrs Johns then got to a roadway or highway, this part is not clear to undersigned or to the Stanislaus Deputy, Mr Lovett, but finally did get back on highway or near Highway 132, where she was given a ride by some people from Missouri". Not being clear or able to remember you were rescued a mere stone's throw from your vehicle, could be useful in an abduction claim.  

The premise here, is that Kathleen Johns was not abducted, and was able to recollect or describe the vineyards and the freeway offramp, because she abandoned her vehicle and walked to the vineyard nearby. This however, would require her to disable the lug nuts on her wheel and then set the car on fire, before leaving her vehicle and carrying her daughter into the field. We also have to consider that any rescuer traveling from east to west, would likely spot the burning vehicle before they discovered her by the roadside. The anonymous good Samaritan, despite Kathleen Johns harrowing experience over two uncomfortable hours, heavily pregnant and carrying a 10-month-old child, who took the time to rescue the pair, apparently and inexplicably didn't escort her into Patterson Police Station in a show of support and comfort. The police report mentioned nothing about this eyewitness because Kathleen Johns stated "when I got to this little one-horse town, she let me off in front of the police station". This seems extremely odd, bearing in mind the concern previously exhibited by her savior. Some people have suggested this may have been an insurance job by burning her vehicle, although this seems a hell of a lot of effort, 368 miles from her San Bernardino residence, to claim such a payout. Is it possible that this was something far more creative and designed for publicity, by feeding into the Zodiac Killer story for gain. There may be three possibilities, assuming Kathleen Johns didn't disable and destroy her own vehicle, particularly bearing in mind she was pregnant with a small child. 

[1] Kathleen Johns traveled with another adult, who drove her near to, or by Patterson Police Station (where she just happened to spot a picture of Zodiac who resembled her abductor), then drove the vehicle back to the predetermined location, disabled the vehicle and set it alight, taking the car keys with them. The police never recovered the vehicle's keys. [2] Kathleen Johns was rescued by the good Samaritan and taken to Patterson Police Station, while the person who traveled with her remained near the vehicle. Once Kathleen had been rescued, the accomplice grabbed the car keys, then disabled and set fire to the vehicle. [3] Kathleen Johns was telling the truth, and she truly is a victim here.
​
But we have to consider the story told in Robert Graysmith's book: "Kathleen gathered up Jennifer and got into the man's car. Just as they were pulling out, she noticed that the lights to her car were still on and remembered that the keys were still in the ignition. The man smiled, went back to her car, snapped off the lights, and pocketed the keys".  Despite him being friendly at this juncture, she failed to ask for her keys?   

It was reported in the Modesto Bee newspaper that Kathleen Johns had "set out at 4:00 pm from San Bernardino". But was this true, or was it designed to place her on Highway 132 at 11.15 pm - the time stated in the police report as her time of abduction. Kathleen Johns was seven months pregnant with a 10-month-old child. Heavily pregnant women have to visit the toilet regularly, not withstanding the fact, she was driving a 1957 Chevrolet station wagon she described in the Robert Graysmith book as junky: "The man (supposedly Zodiac) started flashing his lights off and on. My car was such a clunker I figured something was wrong with it".

From San Bernardino to Bird Road is 368 miles. It would take just over 6 hours traveling non-stop at 60 mph to reach Bird Road. That would place Kathleen Johns being pulled over at around 10:00 pm. But she was driving a "clunky" 1957 Chevrolet station wagon and was pregnant with a small child in tow. It likely took longer. We will allow an hour extra (7 hours journey time), which give or take a few minutes, would mean that an approximate 4:00 pm departure time, has her traveling towards Bird Road around 11:15 pm. However, did the truth come out when relaxed and being interviewed by Robert Graysmith at a later date, when she was far more detailed : "Kathleen Johns bundled up her ten month-old daughter, Jennifer, and left her home in San Bernardino at 7:00 pm for the trip to Petaluma, a small dairy-farming community, where her sick mother lived. It was easier to travel at night while the baby slept".

If this was the true time, it would make the abduction claim virtually impossible. A 368 mile journey with such a vehicle, in her condition, could only be achieved in just over 4 hours (7:00 pm to 11:15 pm), if you were traveling at 86 mph non-stop. But if you took 7 hours (as described above), then you would arrive at Bird Road on Highway 132 at around 2:00 am, the approximate time she was 'rescued' and taken to Patterson Police Station, thereby making the abduction story now fiction. She is either driven by her accomplice to Patterson Police Department (20-30 minute journey), who drove the vehicle back, or she is picked up by the good Samaritan from Missouri and taken to the police department. Either way, she would now arrive at the Patterson Police Station at 2:30 am. The time recorded by Sergeant Charles J McNatt.

'Rubislaw,' a regular contributor to this site, inspired me to take another look at the Fairfield letter, mailed on December 16th 1969. ​The correspondence stated "This is the Zodiac speaking. I just want to tell you this state is in trouble..I will go for the Goverment life, so don't foreget me. I will kill more people than you cops can count, so look for more blood. You better print". The author then added the trademark crosshairs with a small code. The crosshairs had the same symbol in each of the four quadrants, with five symbols to its left. Decoding such a small sample could never be authenticated, however, an attempt will be made later in this article. 

The author attached a drawing of blood dripping from a knife, entitled "The Bleeding Knife of Zodiac".  Zodiac had previously claimed seven victims in the Bus Bomb letter mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on November 9th 1969, so it wasn't surprising to see this knife drawing had 7 drops of blood falling from the blade. See here. It is extremely difficult to pinpoint the inspiration for this letter, but here are a few notable events in December 1969.

The first being the murder of Meredith Hunter at the Altamont Free Concert on December 6th 1969 at the hands of Hells Angel Alan Passaro, who fatally stabbed and beat the 18-year-old to death after he produced a revolver. This is not insinuating Alan Passaro was the Zodiac Killer, but bearing in mind the Hells Angels connection on Warren Avenue, Vallejo, and the drugs bust at The Cottage on Lake Herman Road in the run-up to the murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, it was worth mentioning. Alan Passaro was later cleared of the murder having deemed to have acted in self defense.
​ 
On the political front, bearing in mind the author was threatening to go for 'government life,' was the author referencing the troubles of the day. On December 1st 1969 the Selective Service System of the United States conducted two lotteries to determine the order of call to military service in the Vietnam War for men born from 1944 to 1950. These lotteries occurred during a period of conscription from just before World War II to 1973. It was the first time a lottery system had been used to select men for military service since 1942. The lottery numbers assigned in December 1969 were used during calendar year 1970 both to call for induction and to call for physical examination, a preliminary call covering more men. Taken from Wikipedia. For those believing in a Vietnam or military connection to Zodiac, was he responding with outrage to this lottery based conscription- threatening to attack 'government life'.
 
On December 12th 1969, the Desert Sun ran an article about 'Two Attorneys Jailed in Tate Murder Case.'
District Judge David Brown today sentenced two Los Angeles lawyers to 72 hours in jail and fined them $lOO each for trying to make a “press spectacular” out of the case of Charles D. Watson, charged in the Sharon Tate murders. "I am fining you $lOO and jailing you for 72 hours but I will suspend this provided you take the next plane back to California and shut your mouths,” Brown told the attorneys, Perry Walshin and David DeLoach. “I admonish you for making a circus out of my courtroom,” said the judge. Watson, dressed in green work clothes, made his first public appearance since he gave himself up Nov. 30 in I answer to a California murder I warrant. He since has been indicted on seven counts of murder and one count of conspiracy. Susan Denise Atkins, another, of a hippie band charged in the California murders, told a grand jury Watson was the one who killed Miss Tate with a knife. “Do you want to talk to these men or be represented by them" Judge Brown asked Watson today about the two California lawyers. “No, sir, I do not,” Watson said. “Do you want to see them” Brown asked. “No, I do not,” Watson replied. At least 30 Texas highway 1 patrolmen guarded Watson. At least 20 patrolmen and sheriffs deputies were in the courtroom. Watson, who grew up at nearby Copeville, Tex., was moved into the courtroom before 6:30 a. m. and no reporters or photographers were allowed near him. Leaving the courtroom, officers threw a coat over Watson’s head and hustled him past photographers. Walshin and DeLoach came to Texas last week. Walshin said he had represented Watson on the coast and that Watson’s mother wanted him in the case. link.

This article was published four days before the Fairfield letter and eight days before Zodiac's letter to attorney Melvin Belli.
Was the Fairfield letter actually written by somebody connected with the Manson Family, or an avid follower of the unfolding events? Tex Watson would ultimately be convicted of the seven counts of first degree murder he was charged with. These are three unlikely examples of a possible inspiration for the Fairfield letter. Please post any further ideas in comments.

The final observation is regarding the code. The Zodiac Killer mailed the 'Halloween' card on October 27th 1970. Was the Fairfield letter (if a Zodiac correspondence) the precursor to this card in rudimentary form. The Fairfield letter had four identical symbols in the four quadrants of the crosshairs. The 'Halloween' card contained four methods of death in the four quadrants, bisected by Paradice and Slaves - not dissimilar to the Fairfield letter. Tahoe27 discovered a connection between a Tim Holt comic and the 'Halloween' card regarding the wording  By Fire, By Gun, By Rope and By Knife. Is it possible the Fairfield letter symbols around the crosshairs represented these four methods of death? But what of the five symbols to the left. Take a look at the Tim Holt picture above.  

"The new evidence of a possible accomplice at the murder scene consists of a .38 caliber bullet hole in the roof panel of the Faraday station wagon. The hole is on the passenger side of the vehicle and is slightly forward of a .22 caliber bullet hole in the rear window on that side. Lunblad declined to speculate on the importance of the .38 hole. He did say Faraday's parents had said the hole had not been there before, and the hole appeared new to him. Lunblad had previously said he thought the bullet had been fired through the window to speed the couple's exit from the vehicle. The .38 caliber bullet could have been fired for the same purpose. It was also revealed for the first time that ten .22 caliber long rifle bullet casings were found at the murder scene. One slug was fired though the window, one was pumped into the head of Faraday and five were fired into the back of Miss Jensen. The killer apparently missed with three shots". Vallejo Evening News Chronicle: 12/23/68.

Bearing in mind ten .22 casings were observed at the crime scene, investigators must have considered more than ten shots were fired, to accommodate the perceived .38 bullet hole. Investigators eventually realized that that no .38 bullet was involved in the shootings, stating "Only one gun was used in the double slaying Friday night on Lake Herman Road, of Vallejo teenagers David L Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, and in shooting up their car, it was learned positively Monday by Sheriff's Sgt Leslie B Lunblad. The investigator said that what appeared to be a .38 caliber bullet hole in the roof of the Faraday station wagon actually was made by a small caliber bullet as the same size as those that killed the two youngsters". The premise of one gun and one shooter, however, is inherently flawed - not only from the standpoint that just nine casings were sent and analyzed by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, but the interpretation of the evidence submitted. Nowhere in the DOJ report does it positively confirm that one gun was used in the Lake Herman Road murders. In fact, the following will show that there is no evidence proving that one shooter was responsible, and the switching to a 'lone crazed gunman' in the eyes of the investigators has no evidence to support such a claim.
   
The 'Physical Evidence Examination Report' was submitted on January 3rd 1969, and listed the following items for testing.      

We know 10 casings were present at the crime scene (9 casings on the turnout floor and 1 casing inside the Rambler on the front passenger floorboard), but only 9 casings were recorded and tested for identifying marks. We know 8 bullets were recorded as being retrieved (5 shots at Betty Lou Jensen, 1 shot at David Faraday and 2 recovered from the Rambler). But again, one can see in the list above, that only 7 bullets have been submitted into evidence. We have a missing bullet and missing casing. The missing bullet is highly unlikely to be connected to the missing casing, nevertheless, with two pieces of missing evidence, it could never be argued that a second gun and second shooter were not a key player in the December 20th 1968 double murder. This has been covered before - although we will delve a little further.

The premise here, is that a possibility remains that two shooters were present in the vehicle that pulled alongside the Faraday Rambler that night. The assailant in the driver side exited closest to the Rambler and fired into the headliner and window to force the couple from the vehicle. Betty Lou Jensen is first to exit the Rambler and is secured by the same individual, who would later release her and fire the five shots that struck her back. This individual could very well be responsible for 9 of the 10 shots fired that night. The assailant in the passenger side of the rogue vehicle arrived slightly after his accomplice, securing David Faraday by the right rear of the Rambler - as he was second to exit.

He can secure David Faraday in two ways - facing him with the gun pressed behind his left ear (meaning he is a right-handed shooter), or securing him from behind with the gun pressed to his left ear (meaning he is a left-handed shooter). Either way, David Faraday is now helpless to influence events. From a ballistics standpoint, there is every reason to believe David Faraday had his back to the Rambler at this point.

If the Lake Herman Road murders were achieved by one person, unknown to the victims, who simply wanted to murder the young courting couple - one has to ask - why extricate both David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen from the vehicle at all? There was extremely limited visibility that night, and the couple were effectively boxed in their vehicle like sitting ducks. Furthermore, David Faraday was executed at point blank range, behind his left ear, evident by the stippling marks noted at autopsy. If you have both victims out of the vehicle, positioned side-by-side, with your supposed pencil flashlight targeting them, why not just shoot David Faraday from a couple of yards away, thereby eliminating any risk of engagement. The Zodiac Killer applied caution in his three other attacks, blindsiding Paul Stine at Presidio Heights, shooting Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin while they were penned inside their Corvair, and keeping his distance at Lake Berryessa until Cecelia Shepard had bound Bryan Hartnell. He never gave the male victims a chance to take any counter measures. Without meaning to sound insensitive - which is not the intention - the Zodiac Killer could have just shot David Faraday in the head, face on. There was never any need to get into a position where you are pressing the gun behind David Faraday's left ear. Engagement, this close to a potential victim carries risk - something the Zodiac never portrayed in any of his other attacks. The suggestion being, that one assailant was securing David Faraday as Betty Lou Jensen was fleeing across the turnout, powerless to act.

The Zodiac stated in the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter "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". The Zodiac Killer was clearly referring to the murder of Betty Lou Jensen when he referred to "spraying them as if it was a water hose", because David Faraday was executed from near touching distance. This may suggest, that the person who wrote the letter is the assailant who fired into the Rambler and murdered Betty Lou Jensen, and is simply recollecting the night from the first person perspective, not his accomplice's - who never sprayed anyone. The second assailant would then coldly execute David Faraday with a single shot. One assailant fired 9 shots, the other just one. This is borne out in the Department of Justice report which we will analyze now.  

"Examinations have been conducted of all bullets and cartridge cases present in items 1 thru 8. Various markings on those exhibits  were extensively examined, evaluated and checked against records maintained by this laboratory and our rather large test bullet and cartridge file. As a result of these studies, 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". 

The report clearly states, that it must "not be assumed the exhibits must have been fired in such a weapon", but likely. 
These exhibits, however, are missing two vital pieces of evidence - one bullet and one casing - of which could have been fired from an altogether different weapon. If you don't test all the items recorded at the crime scene, it is impossible to rule out two guns or two shooters.

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 cartridge cases tested from the Lake Herman Road crime scene (recovered from the turnout floor). 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. This means that any person of interest who has had a firearm eliminated as a possible murder weapon, has been incorrectly eliminated. The fact of the matter, is that without testing the missing cartridge case or the missing bullet, no firearm or person of interest could ever be cleared as a responsible, barring a solid and incontrovertible alibi.   

Here is the crucial part of the Department of Justice report: "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".

It states that it "was possible to determine" that 6 bullets had right-hand twist characteristics, which could mean that the one recovered from David Faraday was either unable to be determined, or didn't have right-hand class characteristics like the other bullets (it may have had left-hand class characteristics, indicating a separate and distinct firearm). However, the key phrasing is "although some were damaged, it was possible to determine". In other words, it was possible to determine that the bullet recovered from David Faraday didn't exhibit the same characteristics as the other 6 bullets, otherwise the statement should have read "it wasn't possible to determine the characteristics from the bullet recovered from David Faraday". If the bullet was too damaged, it would have been impossible to determine if it exhibited 6 right-hand groove class characteristics like the others - but the fact it wasn't damaged enough - meant it had sufficient detail and was seemingly able to be compared.

We can rephrase the passage from "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", to "All bullets submitted were Western copper coated .22 long rifle bullets, although some were damaged, it was possible to determine Item [1] didn't have 6 right hand groove class characteristics".  If the bullet recovered from David Faraday was too damaged, this distinction could not have been made. 

A reminder to earlier: "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". Items 4 and 5 are the cartridge cases retrieved from the turnout floor, not the casing recovered from the Rambler floorboard. This tenth was likely the casing ejected when David Faraday was shot close to the open passenger door. This casing has disappeared and was never tested, leaving open the distinct possibility that the bullet recovered from David Faraday, which didn't exhibit the same characteristics as the other bullets tested, is inextricably linked to the missing casing. This means we could have a second firearm, and thus a second shooter.

The DOJ report added "The best bullets were those in items 2, 3 and 8. Each of these were microscopically compared with the others but in no case was an absolutely positive identification possible. This is apparently due to the condition of the rifle barrel, which does not leave coarse structure on bullets fired therein, as well as the effect of the copper coating on the bullet. From our examination it appears that a conclusive identification of the responsible weapon will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, should it be recovered".  If you cannot identify the responsible weapon, you cannot be certain there weren't two, even if they were both J.C. Higgins Model 80 or otherwise. 

This is where the 'missing' casing comes into play - the tenth casing not documented in the Department of Justice report, and the one observed lying on the front passenger seat of the Rambler station wagon.

​With David Faraday standing by the right side of the Rambler, facing away, a weapon pressed up to the left side of his head from this position would likely eject the casing to the shooter's rear (toward the rear of the gun), in a direct line with the open door of the Rambler, either deflecting off the door or landing unimpeded onto the passenger side floorboard. If the bullet that killed David Faraday was distinct and separate to the other tested bullets, this 'missing' casing may hold all the answers.

If the markings on this casing are similarly unique, compared to the other nine casings, then it is not inconceivable that a link exists between the bullet and casing used to murder David Faraday - and may implicate a second assailant on December 20th 1968. There should have been a further item listed in the Department of Justice report: [10] 'One Super X cartridge case found on the front passenger side of the Rambler station wagon".  But there wasn't. ​

When we look at the Department of Justice report, coupled with the statements in the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter, it is not inconceivable that more than one person was responsible for the murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen back in 1968. The relentless pursuit of a single 'crazed maniac' may very well have been a false premise on behalf of the investigators, who likely dismissed this option far too early. The Lake Herman Road murders may have involved two perpetrators, with one falling by the wayside after the first crime, forever bound in silence. But there still remains a possibility that two could have been involved throughout the 'Zodiac' crimes. Whatever the case, the Department of Justice report has certainly left the door open to speculate.     

Department of Justice report.

In many previous articles it was considered whether the Zodiac Killer murdered with religious motivation, from his references to paradise and the afterlife, to a numerical system buried deep within his cards and ciphers. The numbers 888 and 444 were integral to this hypothesis. In Christian numerology, the number 888 represents Jesus, or sometimes more specifically Christ the Redeemer. In English numerology 444 represents Jesus, based upon a multiplication factor of 6.   

Numbers are attributed to the alphabet (see right). However, with this system everything is multiplied by six. A (6), B (12), C (18) etc. JESUS is therefore 60+30+114+126+114=444. But things may not have been so straightforward with the Zodiac Killer.

After the abduction and likely murder of Donna Lass on September 6th 1970, the Zodiac Killer mailed two cards. The first was the 13-Hole postcard on October 5th 1970 - notable for the number 13, with a cross pasted underneath. The second was the Halloween card with the number 14 written as 4-TEEN, with a skeleton underneath, in the style of Jesus being crucified on the cross. In both instances, a number written at the top of the cross or crucified form. 

When Jesus was crucified, the letters INRI were affixed at the top of the cross above his head: 'Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum'' meaning ''Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.'' Bearing this in mind, we shall consider why the Zodiac Killer decided to write 4-TEEN instead of fourteen or 14. There surely must be a reason.

Switching back to 13-Hole postcard, we will place CROSS (a symbol of Christianity) into the code above using the factor of 6 again: CROSS = 18+108+90+114+114=444, exactly the same as Jesus. Could this link our two cards together. JESUS and CROSS together equal 888, reminiscent of the numbers contained within the 13-Symbol cipher, mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on April 20th 1970. One has to ask, why would the Zodiac Killer paste a cross on the 13-Hole postcard in red, if not the suggestion of a bloodied crucifix?

Was the murderer of five likening himself to Jesus Christ, the savior of souls for the afterlife. The thirteen eyes representing 13 souls he was allegedly claiming, looking at the crucified form of Jesus Christ or a potential fourteenth victim. This was after all a Halloween Card:

Halloween or Hallowe'en (a contraction of All Hallows' Evening), also known as Allhalloween,  All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed. Taken from Wikipedia.

​The problem we have with the Halloween card, is that the Zodiac Killer has already given us one number - the number 4. This is not present in the system of coding above, based on a factor of 6. So, we will return to basics, where A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4 etc. 4-TEEN = 4 - 20+5+5+14 = 4-44, to give us the figure 444 over the crucified form of Jesus. This now is in tandem with INRI representing Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, Prophesy! And the guards took him and beat him. - Mark 14:65

Mike Rodelli, an avid Zodiac researcher and regular contributor to the Zodiackillersite forum has recently released a book examining Kjell Qvale as the notorious Zodiac Killer. Entitled 'The Inconceivable Double Life of a Notorious Serial Killer-The Hunt for Zodiac,' it is a thorough and comprehensive analysis of every aspect of the Zodiac crimes from the perspective of his suspect, as well as a valuable resource on the case as a whole.
Kjell Qvale was a Norwegian-American business executive born in Trondheim, Norway on July 7th 1919, who established a business in San Francisco and resided near the final confirmed Zodiac murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969. He lived at 3636 Jackson Street, a residence that overlooked the Presidio Park, and the last place Zodiac was observed heading by eyewitnesses reported in the San Francisco Chronicle on October 12th 1969. The Zodiac would eventually seize his moment and escape from the park as the motorcycles were circling. But did he escape from West Pacific Avenue via the gate to the rear of 3634 Jackson Street and view the unfolding events from the safety of his home.
To answer these pertinent questions and many more about Kjell Qvale being the infamous Zodiac Killer, follow the link provided.   
Amazon books:

The description of the assailant's vehicle at Blue Rock Springs Park on July 4th 1969 by Michael Mageau is probably deemed by most observers to be unreliable at best. The vehicle on page 1 of the police report lists Corvair-Mustang as an option.
In a prominent newspaper article Michael Mageau described the vehicle as a "1958 or 1959 Falcon. The color was brown or bronze".

The poliice report on page 8 describes the vehicle five minutes before the shooting: "Dea turned the lights and motor off and had the radio playing. They were there just a very short time, a few minutes, and three cars pulled into the parking lot where they were. They were apparently young kids and they heard some laughing and carrying on and a few firecrackers were set off, then the three vehicles left within a short time. This was just a short space of time, a few minutes. Shortly after this and about 5 minutes before the shooting occurred, a vehicle pulled into the lot, coming from the direction of Springs Road and Vallejo. The driver turned the lights off on the car and pulled around to the left or east side of their car, approximately 6 or 8 feet away and sat there for a minute. He asked Dea if she knew who it was and she stated 'Oh, never mind'."  He added "He could not see the car too clearly, however the shape of the car looked similar to the car that Dea owns, a Corvair. He could not see the color or anything as it was too dark out there".  

On page 9 the vehicle returns: "Five minutes later the vehicle pulled up approximately 10 feet behind and to the right side of Dea's car. The vehicle's lights were left on and the subject got out and walked toward the car. He had a large high-powered flashlight, the kind you carry with a handle. He only saw the rear portion of it (as it left the crime scene), this rear part appearing to be a vehicle similar to or the same type as Dea's car, a Corvair. Also a very similar color, possibly a little bit lighter brown". Although sketchy, he refers to the vehicle looking similar to Darlene Ferrin's Corvair on both occasions - but clearly - that doesn't mean it was.   

This crime has been constantly referenced as the most likely of the four Zodiac attacks to have not been chosen at random, in regards to Darlene Ferrin. The suggestion being, that the murderer of five took the time to blend some 'personal business' into his random killings. The strange phone calls on July 5th 1969 testament to this fact. However, many disagree with the notion that the murderer of Darlene Ferrin knew his victim.

One cannot deny that there are some unexplained events at Lake Herman Road prior to the murders. Some will claim an absolute conviction of exactly what transpired on December 20th 1968, above all others. This is not possible - unless you were there. There were several pertinent vehicles (at least three) in the run up to the double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, with an unknown number of occupants who failed to come forward in the ensuing police investigation. There may or may not be an innocent explanation for their failure to do so - as could be said of Blue Rock Springs, if the second vehicle observed by Michael Mageau was independent of the first.
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​Why would a stalker of Darlene Ferrin target the passenger side of the brown Corvair where Michael Mageau was sitting, having supposedly already driven up to the driver side of the Corvair only 5 minutes earlier. Why target Mageau at all?
Darlene Ferrin was struck 5 times directly, and Michael Mageau 4 times, of whom, most people believe received the initial two shots fired that night. The killer then retreated and returned, shooting both victims twice more. Once Michael Mageau had been shot twice and had retreated to the rear of the vehicle, with Darlene Ferrin completely disabled in the driver seat, there was little further threat from the male. On the face of it, both or neither appeared to be the primary target that night.

The first vehicle pulled up on the left side of the Corvair and apparently extinguished its headlights. The Blue Rock Springs parking lot was totally empty at this point, so this act could understandably be perceived as unnerving and suspicious. If there was any time to primarily target Darlene Ferrin - or the couple - this was it. With the passenger side window down and the suspicious vehicle parked alongside, it would have have taken literally seconds to lean out of the window, take aim at the driver side of the Corvair from distance, thereby negating any risk of blood transfer. Leaving the vehicle via the passenger side would have been a matter of seconds more.

The act of driving away to survey Columbus Parkway for vehicles (suggested by some) and then returning back to the parking lot, leaves you in the identical position before you left, therefore makes little sense as an explanation to why the vehicle departed and returned 5 minutes later. It has been speculated as to whether the couple were followed to the parking lot that night. Michael Mageau stated that after they parked up "Dea turned the lights and motor off and had the radio playing. They were there just a very short time, a few minutes, and three cars pulled into the parking lot where they were. They were apparently young kids and they heard some laughing and carrying on and a few firecrackers were set off, then the three vehicles left within a short time".

Where was the supposed vehicle trailing them to the parking lot? Had somebody followed them, surely they would have been present in the parking lot just after the couple parked up and before the young kids arrived, but Michael Mageau mentioned nobody else at this juncture, other than the young kids letting firecrackers off. The vehicle that pulled alongside them arrived at least five minutes after Darlene Ferrin first parked up. If this was the vehicle supposedly following them, the driver would presumably have parked alongside them, in the few minutes before the young kids arrived. Robert Graysmith stated in his book that after Darlene picked up Michael, the young man uttered the words "we're being followed." Darlene sped off towards Blue Rock Springs. The car raced behind them at full speed. Darlene kept turning to lose the stranger. When they arrived in the parking lot, they sat in the parking lot only a moment, when the other auto, similar in design to the Corvair, pulled up alongside them". This is fiction. There was no mention of them being chased in the police report, and apparently the kids letting off firecrackers had now mysteriously evaporated from the timeline.    

If the two vehicles observed by Michael Mageau were one and the same, occupied by the Zodiac Killer, are we to believe he departed the parking lot to retrieve his weapon - the killing tool integral to his other three attacks - and this crime was simply spur of the moment. If this were the case, what was he doing lurking in a parking lot at midnight unprepared in the first instance, if not for pre-planned ill intent. If already armed, leaving and returning makes little sense - his time is now.

In five minutes, the vehicle parked alongside the Corvair (assuming the Zodiac Killer didn't travel home to retrieve the weapon he already should have had), apparently is leaving and returning for no purpose other than hesitation. Unless the Zodiac Killer had second thoughts  which seems unlikely - one could assert the vehicle that parked alongside the Corvair five minutes prior to the attack is incidental and irrelevant to the murder that night - only becoming a vehicle of note because of what transpired a few minutes later. Michael Mageau's recollection of the vehicle, bearing in mind what he had endured during the attack, may have become more suspicious in his mind when he recounted the night's events at Kaiser Hospital.
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Could Michael Mageau's description of the vehicle driving away after the attack been subconsciously transferred to the first vehicle, which had now moved suspiciously within 6 or 8 feet of Darlene Ferrin's Corvair, with extinguished headlights? The 'innocent' motorist observed in the parking lot on July 4th 1969 may have suddenly become integral to the story that night, with imagination the key driver. The same could be said of James Owen at Lake Herman Road. In his first statement to police he recalled that "he saw two cars parked near the entrance to the pumping station. He stated the car parked nearest was a 1955 or 1956 station wagon, boxy type, neutral in color. The other was parked to the right and abreast of the station wagon. The cars were about ten feet apart. He stated he could not give a description of the make or color of the other car". In his second statement, the vehicles had closed up to a menacing 3-4 feet, with a shot now being heard about a quarter of a mile beyond the turnout. The story of July 4th 1969 would be far simpler without the first vehicle 'appearing suspicious' - but to move it further away from the brown Corvair, with the headlights switched on, to make it less suspicious, could also be construed as imagination on my part - which effectively leaves us back to where we started. 

The 'Dripping Pen' greeting card and cipher were purportedly mailed virtually alongside the 'Bus Bomb' letter, on November 8th and November 9th 1969 respectively. The postmark on the 'Dripping Pen' card envelope is less than clear in many reproductions, but there may be a better version available somewhere online. However, there is something rather out of place regarding this Zodiac communication, particularly when one compares it to the 'Bus Bomb' letter postmarked just one day later.   

The Zodiac wrote his victim count using months of the year: "Des, July, Aug, Sept, Oct = 7," but in his next 'Bus Bomb' communication he adds "This is the Zodiac speaking up to the end of Oct I have killed 7 people. I have grown rather angry with the police for their telling lies about me. So I shall change the way the collecting of slaves. I shall no longer announce to anyone. When I committ my murders, they shall look like routine robberies, killings of anger, + a few fake accidents, etc."
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Why is the killer informing us he has killed seven people up to the end of October, when he has made this plainly obvious in the 'Dripping Pen' card by addition of the last entry as "Oct," meaning October. If the Zodiac Killer had murdered anybody in November, then surely the total would be 8 victims, with November added to the list of months. The killer further states "I though(t) you would nead a good laugh before you hear the bad news. You won't get the news for a while yet." But we didn't hear of any bad news before he mailed the Melvin Belli letter on December 20th 1969, or for months thereafter. 
This may be because we had already heard the bad news, and the 'Dripping Pen' card was intended to be mailed slightly over a month earlier. Mail can go astray from mailing to being postmarked, however, that avenue will not be explored here.

It seemed unusual for two such prominent communications to be sent either in tandem, or one day apart. The Zodiac Killer had obviously invested a lot of time crafting a new and innovative cipher, after becoming aware his first cipher had been cracked in a matter of days, and announced in the San Francisco Chronicle on August 9th 1969. So, after investing time and energy into his new masterpiece, it seemed strange he would take the shine and emphasis away from this new cipher, by tying it alongside the rather lengthy 'Bus Bomb' letter about the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969 and his exploits in the park.
The 'Dripping Pen' card and cipher could have been mailed two weeks later to maximize impact. The context and choice of card, if chosen for purpose, also makes little sense. The message on the purchased greetings card read "Sorry I haven't written, but I just washed my pen."  The Zodiac Killer, however, had written only 27 days earlier, when he mailed the October 13th 1969 Paul Stine letter containing the swatch of blooded shirt. The bad news we were supposed to get also never materialized, and in addition, he would repeat the month of October just one day later, reminding us of seven victims claimed, as if our attention span only lasted 24 hours. All these factors place this correspondence and its contents curiously out of place. ​​We will attempt to put this card chronologically in its rightful place, where its contents can be understood. 

The wording "Sorry I haven't written, but I just washed my pen,"​ if this card was chosen carefully, seems to imply the killer had not written to the newspapers for a while - longer than 27 days. The Zodiac Killer prior to the October 13th 1969 Paul Stine letter, had not written to the newspapers since August 4th 1969, when the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter arrived at the San Francisco Examiner. That is over two months. It is longer regarding the San Francisco Chronicle, of over 10 weeks. This card now makes more sense. But why would the dripping pen (possibly red in color) be relevant to the Zodiac. 

On September 27th 1969, Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were enjoying a pleasant picnic at Lake Berryessa when a knife-wielding man approached wearing an theatrical executioner's costume, brutally stabbing the young couple 16 times in their back and abdomen. The assailant's hand or glove would have been covered in blood. Minutes later he wrote on the car door with a pen: Vallejo 12-20-68, 7-4-69, Sept 27-69 -6:30 by knife.
The pen would have been covered with blood. What better time to ironically proclaim in your next correspondence "Sorry I haven't written, but I just washed my pen," as if to imply he was the responsible for the callous attack and murder of Cecelia Shepard just days earlier, and was washing the blood from his pen. The author of the 'Dripping Pen' card further added "Could you print this new cipher in your frunt page? I get aufully lonely when I am ignored, so lonely I could do my Thing."
The Zodiac Killer, like most serial killers, don't have horns growing from their head- they go largely unnoticed and blend into society. The Zodiac Killer was certainly searching for notoriety, as opposed to the loneliness he experienced in everyday life. What better way, than to dress up in an executioner's costume and do his "thing." 

The 'Dripping Pen' card would sit nicely between the Lake Berryessa attack and the murder of Paul Stine, had it been mailed sometime around September 30th 1969. The text on the card would then make further sense in respect to the month of October and the wording "I though(t) you would nead a good laugh before you hear the bad news. You won't get the news for a while yet."
The seventh victim was to become Paul Stine (or another taxicab driver) in San Francisco. He had already earmarked his next murder, and this was the "bad news" we were soon to receive. The addition of the month of October was the precursor to death, and unlike his previous attacks where he had to search out victims - in San Francisco they would literally come to him.

But why wasn't the 'Dripping Pen' card mailed after the Lake Berryessa attack, assuming the communication didn't go astray from posting to postmark? The Zodiac Killer likely had his ego dented after Donald Gene and Bettye June Harden cracked his 408 cipher in a matter of days. He may have begun developing his more challenging cipher immediately in response, or at the very least sometime in August or September. 

The Zodiac Killer chose the greetings card in respect to the Lake Berryessa stabbings, for which he could have then attached his cipher and mailed it. But something changed. Did he want to revise or add to his cipher to incorporate the attack by the lake? Some have suggested the cipher may have been separated into two halves. Did the killer originally encipher a banal message, much like his original code, and wanted to completely redesign it. The intended murder at Presidio Heights was looming, and the killer was planning ahead. The cipher and card may have been placed on the back-burner. 
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On October 11th 1969, taxicab driver Paul Stine was murdered in Presidio Heights. The killer mailed a piece of the taxicab driver's shirt two days later, and followed up with more details on November 9th 1969 about his excursion into the park. 
In between the October 13th 1969 Stine letter and November 9th 1969 'Bus Bomb' letter, the killer may have finalized his cipher, unable to replace the 'Dripping Pen' greeting card with an identical or relevant card, and with the Lake Berryessa attack cooling, mailed off both communications in unison. He stated we wouldn't "get the news for a while yet," totally negating the message he delivered one day later, that "I shall no longer announce to anyone when I committ my murders." Seemed like a quick change of heart. The card choice still made sense to him, if not us at this juncture, with the message inside now appearing chronologically repetitive in respect to the 'Bus Bomb' letter and the intended "bad news" had already occurred. 

The assailant at Blue Rock Springs Park walked up to the brown Corvair and immediately opened fire. The perpetrator at Lake Berryessa, not wanting to open fire at 6:15 pm with potential eyewitnesses in the area, secured both victims before stabbing them. In his final confirmed act at Presidio Heights, the killer callously executed Paul Stine with one shot to the head  However, the first confirmed crime at Lake Herman Road was altogether different. If the responsible was embarking on a life as a serial killer, beginning with Lake Herman Road, why didn't he simply employ the method he used in his second attack, where all nine bullets struck their target? Whether he knew that people were in the area that night, or was just lucky in finding a slender timeline between eyewitnesses, may never be known - but if we assume this was the beginning of his quest for immortality as the Zodiac Killer, one would assume he would take less risks. 

Firstly, we have to question why he supposedly parked alongside the right of the Rambler, furthest from the road. Wouldn't a more calculated and foolproof strategy have been to park to the rear of the Rambler, effectively boxing the couple into the turnout. Secondly, the killer fired off 10 shots that night, with only 6 striking their target. It has been speculated that the killer fired off an array of warning shots, two that struck the vehicle, and possibly one or two into the air - but why? The purpose of the 'exercise' (as it was at Blue Rock Springs Park), was to murder the couple. The assailant could simply have shot both victims through the passenger side window, or shot them the instant the passenger door opened.           

Yes, this was an isolated road, but with residences within earshot and limited escape routes, the killer wasted valuable time by firing off warning shots before the murders. Investigators believed that the couple were effectively forced out of the vehicle before being shot - but for what purpose?. According to most observers, the Zodiac Killer's actions were not that of a sadist - his murders being secondary to his primary goal - that of publicity from the crimes he committed and his incessant contact with the newspapers. One could argue, that if the killer ushered David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen from the Rambler, he did so for a reason. A sexual motive and robbery were soon ruled out, but this may not necessarily have been the case. 

One of the first responding officers on December 20th 1968 was Russell Butterbach. He stated in the 2007 Zodiac documentary "that's where he found out about the ring (David Faraday's class ring). I noticed he had it like this (gesturing that David Faraday was holding it between his finger and thumb), holding it like somebody was trying to take it from him".

Then we have the final eyewitness, before the victims were spotted lying on the turnout floor by Stella Medeiros. James Owen passed the turnout on his way to Humble Oil in Benicia, and stated in the police report that "he definitely saw two cars, a station wagon and another vehicle, parked approximately three or four feet to the right of the station wagon. He did not see anyone in the cars or around them". Several minutes later both victims were discovered dead in the turnout.
James Owen never mentioned the Rambler door being open. So, if the killer had closed the Rambler door and forced the couple out of sight, behind the Rambler, as James Owen passed, why did somebody reopen the passenger door after shooting both David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, later to be observed by investigators at the crime scene (courtesy of Ray Grant). Was the perpetrator looking for valuables, drugs or money - and had David Faraday earlier begun the process of loosening his class ring to offer to the assailant. An action that angered the perpetrator, resulting in the close quarter execution to the left side of his head.​ 

The killer could have parked to the rear of the Rambler, illuminating it using his headlights, and in the process, boxing it into the turnout. Then, without the need for a pencil flashlight strapped to his gun, that he claimed in the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter, he could have executed the couple within their vehicle as he did at Blue Rock Springs Park. The loose class ring on the hand of David Faraday, the passenger door being open, and the need to usher the couple out of the Rambler by force, using several warning shots, could indicate that the individual or individuals wanted the couple out of the vehicle for a reason. Either to confront them, or rob them.

In a previous article we explored the idea of a connection between the white Chevrolet Impala, the drugs bust at The Cottage and the arrival of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen shortly thereafter. Could the killer have opened the Rambler passenger door looking for the recently purchased drugs in a case of mistaken identity, and connected with the Chevrolet Impala. See here. 

Many eyewitnesses gave their accounts of that night, apart from the occupant/s of the Chevrolet Impala and the 'pursuer/s' of William Crow (assuming they were separate). I wonder why? But there was another rarely mentioned vehicle on Lake Herman Road that night, which passed the turnout only 3 1/2 minutes before James Owen heard a shot pierce the night. James Owen in his statement on the 24th December 1968 stated "just before he approached the scene a vehicle passed him in the opposite direction towards Vallejo. This occurred near the Borges Ranch".  The Borges Ranch is 1.5 miles from the turnout, or about 3 minutes journey time traveling at 30 mph. Had this vehicle been in the turnout prior to James Owen passing it - indicating that two vehicles were in the turnout, as well as the Rambler? But when things turned sour, the occupant/s of this vehicle decided to leave and head towards Vallejo. Or was this just an innocent motorist, unaware of the unfolding events that night. Either way, the occupant/s of this vehicle never came forward to report seeing the Rambler or another vehicle alongside it in the turnout, and thereby add validity to the sighting of James Owen. Did they fear being implicated - or more importantly, did they know the killer?  

What may have begun as a 'confrontation' that descended into murder, may ultimately have morphed into something completely different approximately six and a half months later. The killer may not have created the Zodiac, he may have evolved into him, 'mesmerized' by the newspaper coverage he received after the Lake Herman Road double murder..        

Here is a portion of the charter for taxicabs and sedans "Drivers of taxicabs and sedans shall keep an accurate waybill specifically setting forth the time of hire and discharge, the number of passengers, the origin and destination and the charges authorized and made for each trip". It is believed Paul Stine was returning back to the theater district after dropping off a passenger at the San Francisco International Airport, when he received his final dispatch from the assistant traffic manager of the Yellow Cab Company, Leroy Sweet. The police report stated "the last dispatch given the victim was at 9:45 pm to 500 9th Ave. apt. #1. Victim allegedly never arrived at the above location as the dispatch was reassigned to another cab at 9:58 pm. R/Os noted that the meter of the cab was running, indicating that the victim possibly picked up another fare (suspect) en route to his original assignment". The language used, that "the victim possibly picked up another fare (suspect) en route to his original assignment" seems to suggest that the exact location of Zodiac entering the taxicab has not been pinned down, despite the charter indicating the origin of the fare be noted. Investigators took a reading of the taxicab meter at 10.46 pm and calculated the Zodiac likely entered the taxicab somewhere in or close to Union Square.     

The attack on Paul Stine was specified as 9:55 pm in the police report - this being the time the three teenagers first spotted the taxicab outside their window. We actually don't know how long it was sitting there prior to the eyewitness testimony, but we will estimate 9:54-9:55 pm. The journey time from Union Square, traveling through in excess of thirty intersections to Washington and Cherry Street, is approximated on Google maps as 12 minutes. However, the taxicab, on a busy Saturday night, would have arrived in 9-10 minutes had Leroy Sweet's 9:45 pm statement been accurate. Leroy Sweet directed Paul Stine to a fare on 500 9th Avenue, and the assumption was, that somewhere en route the Zodiac Killer flagged down the taxicab.

​It seems unlikely that Paul Stine would stop for a random customer on the off chance he was going in roughly the same direction. If you pulled up and the person stated he was going in the opposite direction, do you just simply say sorry, and drive off. It is more likely that your taxicab is stationary when your potential fare approaches, just as your receiving the dispatch from Leroy Sweet to proceed to 500 9th Avenue. Then, upon hearing a destination of Washington and Cherry, it makes perfect sense to accommodate the pedestrian because you are traveling in that direction anyway. A 9-10 minute journey is possible, but it's a tight timeline.

Then we factor in another statement in the police report: "Victim allegedly never arrived at the above location as the dispatch was reassigned to another cab at 9:58 pm."  Even if we take this journey at 10 minutes, Paul Stine has to drop this passenger off, and then proceed to 500 9th Avenue, which is a further journey time of 5 minutes from the Washington and Cherry intersection. Trimming this down to 4 minutes - and allowing for the previous passenger to pay and vacate the vehicle - we have a minimum journey time to 500 9th Avenue from Union Square of 14 minutes, which is a stretch. From a starting point of 9:45 pm, this should have Paul Stine reaching 500 9th Avenue at 9:59 pm. Yet, reading between the lines, Leroy Sweet is already reassigning this fare to another taxicab at 9:58 pm. How did Leroy Sweet conclude that Paul Stine was somehow late?          

Unless, Paul Stine wasn't approaching the theater district when he got the radio message to proceed to 500 9th Avenue - but was well into his journey to Washington and Cherry - and Zodiac was already seated in the rear of the taxicab, having entered the vehicle several minutes before. If this were the case, and Leroy Sweet knew that Paul Stine was much closer to 500 9th Avenue than Union Square or thereabouts, then it could be argued that he would reallocate the fare to another taxicab, that wouldn't be justified after just 13 minutes (9:58 pm minus 9:45 pm). Even if Leroy Sweet thought that Paul Stine was 5 minutes overdue, then he would have been expecting Paul Stine to reach 500 9th Avenue by 9:53 pm, which is an unlikely journey time on Saturday night of 8 minutes from Union Square. This could indicate that Leroy Sweet knew that Paul Stine was proceeding west towards Washington and Cherry when he gave Paul Stine the 9:45 pm dispatch. But even this, hardly  explains the impatience of reallocating another taxicab to the aforementioned destination.
 
The simplest answer could be, that Leroy Sweet dispatched Paul Stine at 9:35 pm, not 9:45 pm, thereby justifying any perceived impatience on his part, however, this turns the journey time of Paul Stine from Union Square to the Washington and Cherry Street intersection, into a 20 minute journey, which is now too long. Unless something happened along the way? Something that takes the focus away from the crime scene. These are the details regarding the taxicab meter reading taken from a previous post.

The rates of fare for taxicabs and sedans shall be as follows: Fifty-five Cents (55c) for the first one-fifth mile or "flag": Ten Cents (10c) for each additional one-fifth mile or fraction thereof: Ten Cents (10c) for each one and one fourth minutes of waiting or traffic delay time.
'The police report stated that Paul Stine's taxicab meter read $6.25 at exactly 10:46 pm. So using the taxicab meter charges here, we can backtrack and calculate the approximate pick-up point from the last known movements of Paul Stine heading back from San Francisco International Airport. The time of the murder was specified as 9:55 pm, so by the time the meter was read at 10:46 pm, the meter had been running idle for 51 minutes. We know that it's 10c for each one and one fourth minutes (1.25) of waiting or traffic delay time. So we can discover the charge the idle taxicab ran up for these 51 minutes. (51 divided by 1.25) = 40.8. Multiplied by 10c = 4 dollars and 8 cents. The investigators deducted this from the $6.25 to give us $2.17. This calculation however, did not include any idle time en route from the proposed theater district to the intersection of Washington and Cherry. But we shall assume it negligible, as they have done. We know it is 55c for the first one-fifth mile. So the taxicab meter would be operating effectively from $2.17 minus 55c thereafter ($2.17 minus 55c) = $1.62. So to calculate the distance traveled we have to use the taxicab meter charges of 10c for each additional one-fifth mile or fraction thereof. 
 
$1.62 divided by 10c = 16.2 miles. But it is for one-fifth of a mile, so 16.2 divided by 5 = 3.24 miles traveling distance. But again, this is not factoring in any delays en route, in accordance with the History Channel calculations. The crucial part is the 55c for the first one-fifth mile or "flag." The taxicab should be reading 55c after one-fifth of mile (0.2 miles) is achieved. Therefore, this should be added on to the 3.24 miles, to give us 3.44 miles traveling distance. This would, without any delays en route (not factored in by the History Channel), take us a little further away from Washington and Cherry. But these calculations are a fragile balance. What if the idle time above was 61 minutes in total, instead of 51 minutes, and Leroy Sweet's 9:45 pm, was in fact 9:35 pm. This makes the journey time from Union Square to Washington and Cherry, 20 minutes. This could be 10 minutes with the taxicab in motion, and 10 minutes parked up anywhere en route.

Below are two parks, the accessibility at night in 1969 I have no idea. These two parks, Lafayette and Alta Plaza, would not take the taxicab off route, and could have been used (holding the taxicab driver under gunpoint) by either entering or parking alongside, to execute Paul Stine. The murderer could take 10 minutes, or anytime up to 10 minutes to shoot the taxicab driver and remove a piece of shirt, before taking control of the vehicle and driving it to Washington and Cherry, accidentally or mistakenly parking the taxicab one block further west to the destination he gave as Washington and Maple- the one recorded on the trip sheet. This could explain the lack of gunshot and the assumed confidence displayed by the killer in removing the shirt piece at the crime scene- because he had already acquired it. He may have began to leave the crime scene, but returned via the front passenger door to recover the keys he had touched, wiped the steering wheel, driver side compartment, before leaving and wiping down both exterior doors. The three teenagers pick up the story once he has entered the front passenger door. This may seem unlikely, but a simpler variation of this is certainly possible. One has to remember though, that any extra idle time can dramatically affect the potential origin or pick up point of the Zodiac Killer. The taxicab sitting idle for an extra, let's say, 3 minutes somewhere along the route, will have a marked effect.   

If we add the 3 minutes extra idle time to 51 minutes, to give us 54 minutes, the traveling distance backwards from Washington and Cherry would drop from the 3.44 miles calculated above, to 2.96 miles. That is approximately half a mile. Then, if we throw any more waiting time, explained in the charges above, the distance traveled by the taxicab diminishes even further, making the calculations used to determine where the taxicab picked up Zodiac, an extremely inaccurate affair.
However, this 2.96 miles, is closer to the 3.00 miles from Mason and Geary to the crime scene, as calculated by Google maps, than the 3.44 miles calculated above. Without knowing the exact 'traffic delay time' experienced during Paul Stine's final journey, we cannot say with any confidence that the taxicab parked up along the route to Washington and Cherry. However, we can say that, if this was the method employed to discover the location of where Zodiac entered the taxicab, it could be massively off. If we assume that Paul Stine was heading back to the theater district after leaving San Francisco International Airport, and Leroy Sweet gave the heading of 500 9th Avenue at 9:45 pm, then we are back to where we started.    

The following will examine the Lake Herman Road double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968 independently, without the future Zodiac connection.  

Here are some excerpts from newspapers and magazines indicating David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen may have attended the Hogan High School concert.
#1. Vallejo Times-Herald December 22nd 1968: "They were to have gone to the Hogan High School Christmas music program which lasted until around 10 pm."
#2 Sunday Examiner December 22nd 1968: "Detective Sergeant Leslie Lunblad, the graying, husky officer in charge of the investigation, said there was a distinct possibility the young couple had been trailed to the murder scene from a pre-Christmas concert in Vallejo to the Lake Herman Rd, 10 miles east of here." and "The couple had attended a Christmas concert at Hogan High School in Vallejo where Bettylou was a third-year student."
#3 December 23rd 1968: "The two youths on their first date had apparently "parked" alongside the road following a Christmas concert they were attending."
#4 San Francisco Chronicle December 23rd 1968: "Sergeant Lunblad said the young couple had attended a pre-Christmas concert and then parked on a dirt road off Lake Herman Road, ten miles east of here near Benicia."

One of the first tasks in the investigation was to secure a timeline of the young couple's movements, by tracing people who attended the Hogan High School concert, and ascertain whether David or Betty Lou attended. But despite the above, there are doubts.
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#5 Vallejo Times-Herald December 23rd 1968: "Authorities are experiencing some difficulty in tracing the slain pair's whereabouts after 9 pm Friday. At approximately that hour they left the home of a close friend of the Jensen girl, but their immediate destination has not been learned. Lunblad is convinced they did not go to the Lake Herman Road trysting spot much before 11 pm." The close friend was Sharon Henslin, detailed in the police report.
#6 San Francisco Chronicle December 24th 1968: "We're getting to the point where we have times pretty well established as to the couple's movements and now we are trying to match those times with the whereabouts of possible suspects in the case." said Sheriff's Sgt Leslie B Lunblad."
#7 Vallejo News Chronicle December 26th 1968: "If you drove on any portion of Lake Herman Road east of Vallejo last Friday between 9 and 11:30 pm you may be able to help authorities capture the killer who shot to death two teenagers with a .22 caliber automatic rifle."
#8 Sunday Times-Herald March 30th 1969: "Mrs Faraday reminisced "but he hadn't done much dating- for one thing he could use the car only when I didn't need it to go to work." She is employed in the passenger reservations department at Travis Air Force Base. She said that when he did take the car for a date "he was good about observing curfews" (12:30 on Friday nights). "So I didn't think a thing about it that night. I was asleep when the phone rang at 3 am."
#9 Two Magazine excerpts:
[A] "During his many hours of investigation (Les Lunblad), the graying veteran detective sergeant learned the terrible murders on Lake Herman were the tragic end of a first date for the young couple. They had attended a pre-Christmas concert and chorale at Vallejo's Hogan High School, where pretty Betty Lou had been a student. The couple had left the school auditorium at 10:00 pm, bidding goodnight to their school chums."  
[B] "At the concert, classmates of Betty Lou noticed the couple sitting side by side in the gymnasium bleachers (retractable seats), holding hands. Nobody remembers seeing them after they left the concert."
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Here is the police report  omitting any visit to Hogan High School, but the shallow timeline to reach the turnout from Hogan High School may work in our favor. ​The Helen Axe sighting of David Faraday's Rambler in the turnout at 10:15 pm would just about tally with the couple leaving the concert at 10:00 pm for the 15 minute journey. But this sighting will come under scrutiny.
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On page 48 of the police report it states "Betty Lou brought David home to her parents at 8:00 pm on the 20th. There he met her parents and they left with their permission to go to Hogan High School and then to a party afterwards."  
On page 53 it states "Mrs Faraday stated she did not know Betty Lou that she and David had only been going together for a short time, she had never met Betty Lou. She stated she did not know of any enemies David may have had. She stated that on Friday night at 7:10 pm David drove his sister Debbie to a meeting of the Rainbow Girls at the Pythian Castle on Sonoma Boulevard, and David came back home at 7:20 pm and left again at 7:30 pm. Responding officer talked to Debbie Faraday, WFJ 16 years, sister of David. She relates the following David told her on the afternoon of Friday 12/20/68 that he was going out to Lake Herman Road that night because a bunch of the kids were going out there that night." 
If these statements were true, was there a party planned with a bunch of kids on Lake Herman Road? 
On page 34 it states "The story went on to say that David was going to turn in a subject for pushing grass (or marijuana)." This was supposed to have occurred at the Pancake House on Tennessee Street. 

Officers Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta secured a drugs bust at The Cottage on Lake Herman Road that night. Pierre Bidou stated on the 2007 documentary "During that night we had served a search warrant at what we call The Cottage at Lake Herman which was owned by the city of Benicia, a narcotics search warrant my partner and I, we confiscated about a pound and a half of marijuana, which in the 1960s was a big drugs bust, today it wouldn't get very high on the Richter scale. We had left and were heading back to the police department to put the marijuana into evidence and as we drove by we didn't see or observe anybody in that area, there's a turn there (the crime scene turnout) and your headlights shine right in there as you go by. As I was pulling into the lot at the police department we heard the Benicia Police Department dispatcher put out a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road and described the location. My partner and I turned around at that time and responded to the call." https://youtu.be/HI0jnsbZwys?t=3m5s

According to the Benicia Herald online "Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec 20th 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." http://beniciaheraldonline.com/citizens-police-academy-signs-of-the-zodiac/

Several eyewitnesses passed the turnout that night and saw the Faraday Rambler. Peggy and Homer Your passed the turnout, heading for the Marshall Ranch at approximately 10:55 pm. They saw the Rambler parked up. It didn't leave the turnout again that night. For Officer Pierre Bidou to have seen no vehicles in the turnout, he must have passed prior to 10:55 pm (assuming he wasn't mistaken). There was however, a vehicle parked in the turnout between 10:15 pm and 10:30 pm. according to Helen Axe's police statement. It was stated in the police report that "Miss Axe reports that she and her boyfriend, a sailor, were driving on Lake Herman Road. They passed the area of the pumping station, she recognized the Rambler and the victims, Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday. Stated that when she went by about 10:15 pm, the car was facing in towards the gate and when she returned about 15 minutes later after having gone to the end of the road and then came back, the car was turned around and the front was facing the field, a little to the side."

However, this may not have been the Rambler in the turnout, with Helen Axe possibly having inadvertently replaced the vehicle she observed with the Rambler, after subsequently reading newspaper reports of the double murder at the Lake Herman Road turnout, effectively jigsawing the two together in her mind. This was ably pointed out by Ray Grant in Zodiac Killer Solved. What she likely saw, was the white Chevrolet Impala described by Robert Connelly, Frank Gasser and Bingo Wesner, who all saw an empty 'white 4-door hardtop, 1959 or 1960 Impala' parked in the turnout at about 10:00 pm. This vehicle could have driven away shortly after 10.00 pm and been replaced by the arrival of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen in the Rambler at around 10:15 pm. But the vehicle shifting in position is interesting, coupled with an approximate 10:30 pm sighting of a blue 1963 Chevrolet Impala, with two occupants, at the crossroads of Lake Herman Road and Columbus Parkway by Stan, a 14 year old boy. The Helen Axe sighting and Stan's are only approximations of time, so with the journey from the turnout to Columbus Parkway taking about five minutes, this could be the same vehicle. The white Chevrolet under street lighting may have skewed the color. This again, an insightful observation by Ray Grant.

The empty white Chevrolet Impala was spotted by Robert Connelly, Frank Gasser and Bingo Wesner at 10:00 pm. The two occupants may have returned from their travels at approximately 10:30 pm and started to turn the vehicle to exit the turnout. At this precise moment, Helen Axe passed the turnout heading in the direction of Vallejo and noticed the vehicle had shifted its position. Once Helen Axe had passed the turnout, the white Chevrolet Impala followed behind.

We don't know exactly when the Chevrolet Impala arrived at the turnout. It was spotted at 10:00 pm. However, William Crow and his girlfriend were parked in the turnout earlier.

The police report 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 Crow 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." William Crow and his girlfriend were estimated to have been on Lake Herman Road between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm.

William Crow would later claim he never said "blue valiant." In a revised offering he said "I could not see the passenger seat, but the driver was a man with short hair and glasses. I did not see his specific facial features. I never told the sheriff who interviewed me that the car I encountered was a Valiant. As I recall, as I was attempting to describe the car, the sheriff came up with a “Valiant”. In the years that have passed, when I have shared the events of that night, I have described the car as a four-door light-colored Chevy."  He couldn't see the passenger seat, so it could have been another man, a woman, or a single occupant.  

Was this the four-door white Chevrolet Impala described by Robert Connelly, Frank Gasser and Bingo Wesner? After effectively 'removing' William Crow from the turnout (and assuming this was the same vehicle as observed by the above three eyewitnesses), did it then park in the turnout shortly before 10.00 pm. The two occupants vacate their Chevrolet Impala just before 10.00 pm and return at 10:30 pm, when spotted turning their vehicle by Helen Axe at 10:30 pm or thereabouts. 

But where would the two occupants have gone for 30-35 minutes on an extremely cold 22 degrees Fahrenheit night? You would think under these circumstances that the occupants were certainly determined in their goal and had parked in the turnout for something nearby. We are therefore looking for an approximate 10-12 minute journey either way, that necessitated them leaving their vehicle in the turnout. The Marshall Ranch was just up the road, but one would assume the occupants of the ranch would have been questioned, not withstanding the fact, that if the occupants of the Chevrolet were visiting the Marshall Ranch at 10.00 pm at night, they would likely have arranged in advance for their ease of entrance to be accommodated. The Cottage, however, is exactly 10 minutes walking distance from the turnout, and the turnout is the nearest accessible parking area to The Cottage. 'The Cottage at Lake Herman was owned by the city of Benicia,' so it may have been gated or secured that night by either the city, or the occupants of The Cottage, requiring the search warrant for entry by Officers Bidou and Armenta. This may have been why the occupants of the Chevrolet had to park their vehicle at the closest point. Either that, or they didn't want their vehicle being seen by The Cottage when buying their drugs. After all, police 'confiscated about a pound and a half of marijuana, which in the 1960s was a big drugs bust.' 

Russell Butterbach of the Solano County Sheriff's Department and his partner Wayne Waterman were just heading onto Lake Herman Road, when they received a call from the sergeant to go to the Hells Angels pad on Warren Avenue, Vallejo. After approximately 30 minutes they then received a double 187 on Lake Herman Road. Were the drugs at The Cottage connected in any way to Warren Avenue.

The two occupants left their Chevrolet in the turnout slightly before 10:00 pm, walked the 10 minutes to The Cottage and bought their drugs. They spent 5-10 minutes at The Cottage, before the 10 minute journey back to their vehicle around 10:25-10:30 pm. But what if they had a conversation with an undetermined number of people at The Cottage, stating they were parked down the road in the turnout and were heading back? They left the 'drugs party' at approximately 10:15 pm, and shortly thereafter, the police rolled up to The Cottage securing 'about a pound and a half of marijuana.' The two dealers are hauled off to Benicia Police Department by Officers Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta, leaving a scattered crowd. The two officers pass the turnout heading back to Benicia sometime around 10:45 pm. Remember, Pierre Bidou stated "We had left and were heading back to the police department to put the marijuana into evidence and as we drove by we didn't see or observe anybody in that area, there's a turn there (the crime scene turnout) and your headlights shine right in there as you go by."  The Chevrolet had now gone, but...David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen pull into the turnout shortly after - and within 25 minutes both are dead.

The crime was eventually attributed to a 'crazed maniac' serial killer, who belatedly owned up to the double murder nearly seven months later. The person may have been 'crazed' that night, but was it because they had been party to a 'big drugs bust', and were looking for revenge. They recalled the two occupants heading back to the turnout just minutes before the police arrived. Did they eventually head to the pitch-black turnout, seeing two occupants parked up, before committing the brutal double murder of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen in error, that ultimately initiated the birth, of who we now know as the Zodiac Killer.