The Zodiac Killer was a complex character with an inflated ego, who taunted his audience with the distinct possibility that he may one day reveal his name, hidden somewhere within the numerous communications he mailed to the newspapers. He dared to reveal all in the 408 cipher, but failed to deliver on that promise, he flattered to deceive in the Halloween card, when he chose a card with the words "You ache to know my name" and again in the 'My Name is Cipher', to yet again leave us disappointed....or did he? Every genuine cipher can be decoded, if only you can get into the mind of its designer - in this instance, into the mind of a killer.
It is well chronicled that the Zodiac Killer was an attention addict - and it may well be the case, that the ruthless killer who stalked the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s gave us a small glimpse of what was about to come, in the symmetry he encoded within this cipher. In a previous article on this site, it was proposed that the Zodiac Killer selected his attacks based upon the 13 Moon Calendar, but here we will attempt to decode the 'My Name is Cipher' using simple mathematics and show that the cipher is number specific and a perfect mirror image in its design.
The 'My Name is Cipher' has 13 characters (half the alphabet), supposedly running from left to right. The code begins with the letter A and ends with the letter M, so we shall place the first half of the alphabet alongside the code. Then where possible, simply count the nearest difference numerically between the letters in each column of two. But take the circled 8 symbol as the letter H (being the 8th letter of the alphabet), to arrive at this numerical derivative. Note the organized pattern (see below).
It is well chronicled that the Zodiac Killer was an attention addict - and it may well be the case, that the ruthless killer who stalked the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s gave us a small glimpse of what was about to come, in the symmetry he encoded within this cipher. In a previous article on this site, it was proposed that the Zodiac Killer selected his attacks based upon the 13 Moon Calendar, but here we will attempt to decode the 'My Name is Cipher' using simple mathematics and show that the cipher is number specific and a perfect mirror image in its design.
The 'My Name is Cipher' has 13 characters (half the alphabet), supposedly running from left to right. The code begins with the letter A and ends with the letter M, so we shall place the first half of the alphabet alongside the code. Then where possible, simply count the nearest difference numerically between the letters in each column of two. But take the circled 8 symbol as the letter H (being the 8th letter of the alphabet), to arrive at this numerical derivative. Note the organized pattern (see below).
The gaps in the number solution are unknown for now, so I will represent them with a red x.
Many people believe this cipher may possibly reveal the killer's name, so let's use the second column to complete his name in the original code, as shown below by the highlighted green box.
Many people believe this cipher may possibly reveal the killer's name, so let's use the second column to complete his name in the original code, as shown below by the highlighted green box.
Now one last thing. Take the 8 derived figures (including the X) from left to right, to get 0, 3, 1, 1, X, 3, 5, 1. Then, in the form of a mirror image, take the 8 derived figures (including the X) from right to left, to get 3, 0, 1, 1, 3, X, 1, 5. Then arrange them as below, one on top of the other. Notice the mirrored pattern evolve, from three simple steps, without any great manipulation required.
Here is an alternative interpretation.
On the right we have lined up the alphabet over the top of the cipher. Now calculate numerically the difference in each column. ie: C to N produces a difference of 11, whereas B and E produces a difference of 3. Non alphabetical symbols cannot produce a difference, so a zero is inserted. The resulting numbers produced have been color coded. The red section is before the first circled 8, the green section is after the last circled 8 and the blue section spans the first and last circled 8. Notice the perfect symmetry. The red and green numbers are identical, read forwards or backwards and the blue numbers again read identically in either direction, producing a mirror image. Is this a coincidence or is it by design? Mathematics is a contentious subject and open to much cynicism, so it is imperative we go further, much further.
The 340 cipher was the Zodiac Killer's unsolved masterpiece, and being a man with an inflated ego, driven by self publicity, what better way to drop us a hint by placing his signature or pseudonym on the final line of the 340 cipher. You will notice he placed the Zodiac crosshairs symbol, followed by what could be interpreted as Zodiac, and then an upside down Aries symbol (with a line on the top and a dot to the left). So, what we shall do is place the correct spelling of Zodiac alongside the version he placed on the 20th line of the 340 cipher and use the identical technique we used to create the symmetry on the '13 Symbol' cipher. The alphabetical difference of ZOD produces three zero's, the IAC produces 888. These two sets of figures meshed together gives us the three circled 8's found on his next cipher, as though he was carrying them forward. It is also apparent on the '13 Symbol' cipher, that either side of the three circled 8's are the Zodiac crosshairs and an inverted Aries symbol, almost identical to the final line of the 340 cipher. So, the author has effectively carried eight symbols from one cipher to another.
On the right we have lined up the alphabet over the top of the cipher. Now calculate numerically the difference in each column. ie: C to N produces a difference of 11, whereas B and E produces a difference of 3. Non alphabetical symbols cannot produce a difference, so a zero is inserted. The resulting numbers produced have been color coded. The red section is before the first circled 8, the green section is after the last circled 8 and the blue section spans the first and last circled 8. Notice the perfect symmetry. The red and green numbers are identical, read forwards or backwards and the blue numbers again read identically in either direction, producing a mirror image. Is this a coincidence or is it by design? Mathematics is a contentious subject and open to much cynicism, so it is imperative we go further, much further.
The 340 cipher was the Zodiac Killer's unsolved masterpiece, and being a man with an inflated ego, driven by self publicity, what better way to drop us a hint by placing his signature or pseudonym on the final line of the 340 cipher. You will notice he placed the Zodiac crosshairs symbol, followed by what could be interpreted as Zodiac, and then an upside down Aries symbol (with a line on the top and a dot to the left). So, what we shall do is place the correct spelling of Zodiac alongside the version he placed on the 20th line of the 340 cipher and use the identical technique we used to create the symmetry on the '13 Symbol' cipher. The alphabetical difference of ZOD produces three zero's, the IAC produces 888. These two sets of figures meshed together gives us the three circled 8's found on his next cipher, as though he was carrying them forward. It is also apparent on the '13 Symbol' cipher, that either side of the three circled 8's are the Zodiac crosshairs and an inverted Aries symbol, almost identical to the final line of the 340 cipher. So, the author has effectively carried eight symbols from one cipher to another.
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