Using the Zodiac Killer's own words in the November 9th 1969 'Bus Bomb' letter, we can track his alleged movements that night like a form of global positioning system. After the meeting with Officer Donald Fouke on Jackson Street, he stated
"2 cops pulled a goof abot 3 min after I left the cab. I was walking down the hill to the park when this cop car pulled up + one of them called me over + asked if I saw anyone acting suspicious or strange in the last 5 to 10 min + I said yes there was this man who was runnig by waveing a gun & the cops peeled rubber + went around the corner as I directed them + I disappeared into the park a block + a half away never to be seen again." According to the Zodiac, this placed him entering the park adjacent to Spruce Street (detailed in the October 12th 1969 San Francisco Chronicle article). Dog units were pressed into the search at this location, again described by Zodiac, apparently hiding in the dense foliage adjacent to Laurel Street, just two blocks east of Julius Khan playground. This is where the story will change from previous articles on this site. 

Had the Zodiac Killer traveled via the safety of the park to reach his vehicle parked somewhere along Pacific Avenue or West Pacific Avenue? He probably hadn't banked on the three teenagers spotting him, or the encounter with Officer Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms, as well as the early response of motorcycles and dog units bearing down on his position. He escaped into the park and by his account, traveled approximately two blocks east to the area of the park opposite Laurel Street: "The dogs never came with in 2 blocks of me + they were to the west + there was only 2 groups of parking about 10 min apart then the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away." This, according to the 'Bus Bomb' letter claims, was his last known location. Was he waiting for an opportune moment to dash out of cover and across the road, to enter his vehicle parked yards away. How do we know his vehicle was parked here? Because this location may have had relevance to the entry on the taxicab trip sheet.

This location, by the intersection of Laurel Street and Pacific Avenue, is the area being described by Zodiac in the letter, when he stated "The dogs never came with in 2 blocks of me + they were to the west." They were congregated by Julius Khan playground. Why though, would a killer park his vehicle four blocks east and two blocks north of the crime scene, greatly increasing the risk of being stopped and questioned. His journey from the crime scene to this location would be 0.4 miles - at least 8 or 9 minutes walking time. This doesn't make a lot of sense. But a murder, at or close to the intersection of Washington and Laurel, would leave just 620 feet to reach his vehicle, parked close to his last known location. If we marry up the details given by the October 13th 1969 police sketch with his last known location, then his escape route from this intended destination of Washington and Laurel would make far more sense. It is a direct route towards the park.​   

It has been long believed the Paul Stine taxicab trip sheet gave a destination of Washington and Maple, and for whatever reason Zodiac traveled a block further. Yet, the details on the police sketch clearly state 'Washington and Laurel'. Are we to believe the police cannot read the trip sheet correctly and made such a glaring error, or are we to believe the trip sheet actually gave the destination of Washington and Laurel, and the details accompanying the Zodiac sketch are correct?

The taxicab rule book stated that "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."
Since nobody, including investigators, appear certain of exactly where the taxicab picked up Zodiac, we can probably conclude that Paul Stine didn't write down the origin of the fare - only the destination. In the History Channel docudrama 'Hunting the Zodiac,' Lieutenant Tom Bruton, an SFPD homicide investigator, recalled that the destination given in the trip sheet was Washington and Laurel, not Washington and Maple. So, why have we come to believe over the years that the trip sheet stated such a destination?

Keith Power authored an article entitled 'Astrologer Joins Hunt for Killer' in the San Francisco Chronicle on October 17th 1969, just six days after the murder, quoting "When he was picked up by the cab driver about 9:30 pm Saturday at Geary and Mason Streets, Stine noted the destination on his way bill (trip sheet) as Washington and Maple Streets."
How did Keith Power seemingly get hold of this information, to which no one else has been able to ascertain. It appears he may have been told this information by somebody connected to law enforcement, or just assumed the trip sheet noted Washington and Maple.

Somebody, using the taxicab meter-reading at 10:46 pm, backtracked to calculate the origin of the taxicab, and this, coupled with the statement by Zodiac of "I am the murderer of the taxi driver over by Washington St and Maple St last night," may be the reason it was concluded that this was Zodiac's intended destination, and what was written on the trip sheet. Keith Power stated "he was picked up by the cab driver about 9:30 pm Saturday at Geary and Mason Streets", despite the fact this has not been definitively proven. If this isn't fact, then we can argue, neither is the Washington and Maple destination. If Keith Power had seen the trip sheet and it stated Mason and Geary, why have police been attempting to discover the origin of the taxicab journey down the years. Furthermore, and one must reiterate this fact - why would the Zodiac Killer travel to either Washington and Maple or Washington and Cherry, many blocks away from his final claimed location, two blocks east of Julius Khan playground? This fact alone, must shed doubt on whether the trip sheet ever read Washington and Maple, and the Zodiac Killer at the last minute changed his plans to travel one block further. If this were true, its never been made public.
However, this still doesn't answer the question of why a killer who intended to murder a taxicab driver by Washington and Laurel, ended up four blocks west of his original destination. 

Officers Donald Fouke and Armond Pelissetti (and probably more police) were patrolling the Richmond District area the night of October 11th 1969. Donald Fouke stated in the 2007 Zodiac documentary "My regular partner was off. I don't recall the reason why he was not working that night. However, Eric Zelms was assigned as my partner that night. We were patrolling the eastern side of the Richmond district, going northbound on Presidio Avenue. We had passed Washington Street when a broadcast came in of a shooting at Cherry and Washington Street." Could it be as simple as Zodiac, who was determined to follow through on murder that night, was approaching the intersection of Washington and Laurel in the taxicab of Paul Stine, when he saw a police vehicle in the vicinity, and decided to travel several blocks further in order to reach a safe distance or buffer zone to commit his murderous plan. This would ultimately leave him detached from his vehicle, necessitating the need to backtrack along Jackson Street, past Donald Fouke's approaching police vehicle and toward Laurel Street. The taxicab traveled four blocks east past Laurel Street, and Zodiac walked back four blocks west to Laurel Street. In effect, a complete waste of time. This lends credence to a Zodiac Killer, whose initial intended destination was the intersection of Washington and Laurel, corroborated by the 'Wanted Poster' and Lieutenant Tom Bruton of the San Francisco Police Department.

The Zodiac stated "There was only 2 groups of parking about 10 min apart then the motor cicles went by about 150 ft away going from south to north west" and "The car drivers should have just parked their cars and sat there quietly waiting for me to come out of cover." But they didn't - and Zodiac was away into the night.           

The first part of this article has been copied from a previous offering, however, I have added some extra material to the foot of the article. ​
The following will be explaining in more detail the subconscious wording of the Zodiac Killer in his first three communications with the Bay Area newspapers, putting forward a compelling argument that the confirmed murderer of five was a resident of the Vallejo area. The Zodiac Killer would never willingly have given us his name or the locality of his residence, however, one could argue that had he revealed his home location without realizing it, then it is likely true. To do this, we have to examine closely the wording he chose on his July 31st 1969 letters using the present and past tense. Here is what the Zodiac stated on each communication:

Vallejo Times-Herald: "Here is a cyipher or that is part of one. the other 2 parts have been mailed to the S.F. Examiner + the S.F. Chronicle."
San Francisco Examiner: "Here is a cipher or that is part of one. The other 2 parts are being mailed to the Vallejo Times + S.F. Chronicle." 
San Francisco Chronicle: "Here is part of a cipher the other 2 parts of this cipher are being mailed to the editors of the Vallejo Times and SF Examiner." 

You will notice the two San Francisco newspapers are being addressed in the present tense regarding the other two mailings, using the word ARE. While the Vallejo Times-Herald newspaper is being addressed in the past tense regarding the other two mailings, using the word HAVE. There is every indication that this has been written subconsciously by the Zodiac Killer and therefore he has inadvertently given us his home location of Vallejo. The word "are" immediately precedes Vallejo Times on both occasions. 

​If the Zodiac Killer lived in Vallejo when he composed these three communications, he would associate Vallejo with the present (everything that is happening in or around him). If the Zodiac Killer had traveled to San Francisco for a day out and then had returned to Vallejo, he would be referring to San Francisco in the past tense: "I have been to San Francisco and have mailed three letters." In the Vallejo Times-Herald communication text above, he is doing just that, when referring to his mailing of letters to the Chronicle and Examiner, which are approximately 40 miles away: "the other 2 parts have been mailed to the S.F. Examiner + the S.F. Chronicle."  Because now he is back home. ​

​When he is at home in Vallejo writing these communications, his mind is actually projecting forward to their future postings in San Francisco, which is where they were ultimately mailed.
 
In two of the communications to the Chronicle and Examiner in San Francisco, he is referring back to his hometown Vallejo in conjunction with another mailing. Therefore he uses the plural form of the present tense, in the word "are". That is because at this moment in time (the time of writing), he is present here in Vallejo, so is effectively forced to abandon the past tense of "have". The Zodiac Killer cannot refer to Vallejo in the past tense in this instance, because the Vallejo Times-Herald office is in his locality, and therefore he is referring to it in the present of "are". 

Anything in the Zodiac Killer's locality is the 'here and now.'  Anyplace one has to travel and return, whether in the mind or reality, will be referred to in the past tense. Traveling to San Francisco physically and returning to Vallejo will now be referred to as "I have mailed", because of the distance you associate with the offices of the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner from Vallejo. Even if you do it in your mind. But the Vallejo Times-Herald office is effectively on your doorstep and will therefore be seen as in the "here and now" to somebody living in Vallejo, without any real distance associated with it. Therefore it doesn't need to be referred to in the past tense, which is exactly what Zodiac does in two of his communications regarding the mailing to Vallejo- he uses the word "are". 

​The Zodiac Killer is associating the Vallejo Times-Herald as his home location, so let us use this analogy with a fictitious friend.
Zodiac is in his house opposite the Vallejo Times-Herald office and he has just finished preparing his three July 31st 1969 letters for delivery. He bids farewell to his housemate and travels to San Francisco to post his letters. Upon his return two hours later he says to his friend "I have posted two letters to the San Francisco newspapers". Looking out of his window and pointing he states "One letter is being posted to the Vallejo Times-Herald." He would be using the present tense regarding something in the "here and now". But because he is referring to the Vallejo Times-Herald mailing in two communications he uses the present tense "are". It clearly indicates that on a subconscious level the Zodiac Killer is referring to Vallejo in the present tense, because that is where he was when he penned the three July 31st 1969 letters.

The old Vallejo Times-Herald office was at 440 Curtola Parkway, just 0.96 miles (as the crow flies) from the Springs and Tuolumne payphone.

To know that Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs were frequented by courting couples, the Zodiac would have required  either first-hand knowledge of traveling that route regularly, such as commuting to work or visiting friends or family, or acquired the knowledge through a third party. Knowing this was a target rich area may have suggested that he lived locally, and free from work, cruised along Columbus Parkway and Lake Herman Road many times, before ultimately finding any suitable victims from his perspective- victims that would be in the right place at the right time.

Kim Rossmo, a pioneer of geographical profiling, stated "The San Francisco murder differs significantly from the Zodiac's other crimes. Up to this point he was hunting in locations that had a good probability of containing his desired victims. Target selection was a function of area, not of an individual. However, it is unlikely the Zodiac was successful in all his searches; serial killers typically engage in extensive hunting activities, and for every attack there are many unsuccessful search attempts. In San Francisco, however, the Zodiac controlled the situation through his selection of victim type. The need for such control could be indicative of the distance the Zodiac had to travel to the crime site. Criminals who travel longer distances to offend are less likely to use uncertain target selection techniques." 

His familiarity with the Vallejo area and its lovers' lane areas, as opposed to San Francisco, may also have inadvertently leaked from the pen of Zodiac, when only using the word "couples" in relation to the letter mailed to the Vallejo Times-Herald,  Only one confirmed person was murdered in San Francisco by the Zodiac Killer, and Paul Stine was a lone person driving his taxicab at night. We know of no couples he targeted or claimed to have targeted in this area.

​Vallejo Times-Herald: "I will cruse around and pick of all stray people or coupples that are alone then move on to kill some more untill I have killed over a dozen people."
​San Francisco Examiner: "I will go on a kill rampage Fry night. This will last the whole weekend, I will cruse around killing people who are alone at night untill Sun Night or un till I kill a dozen people."
San Francisco Chronicle: "I will go on a kill ram-Page Fry. night. I will cruse around all weekend killing lone people in the night then move on to kill again, until I end up with a dozen people over the weekend."​

The Zodiac Killer appeared to place more importance on his Vallejo Times-Herald correspondence reaching its destination quicker, by affixing four 6 cent Roosevelt stamps (24 cents postage) in total, as opposed to the San Francisco letters in which he used only two stamps on each. Did the Zodiac Killer employ this tactic to suggest to police he was a Vallejo resident, or was he eager to ensure he could read his offering to his hometown paper in Friday's edition, sitting in his favorite armchair? The cipher was mailed in three parts, with the Vallejo Times-Herald correspondence holding part one of the cipher message. Did this again show his possible home location of Vallejo, subconsciously beginning his message from where he was authoring it from.

Without a DNA or fingerprint connection apparently linking Riverside and the Zodiac Killer, many have tried to link the two through his correspondence. Was the Zodiac Killer responsible for the murder of Cheri Jo Bates in Riverside on October 30th 1966, and if so, was he a well-read individual with connections to the campus library?

David Oranchak of ZodiacKillerCiphers highlighted the text of Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, present in the 408 Cipher, in his article entitled 'Throw the book at him, Part 3'. The section of text is from a book called 'The life of Edward, Earl of Clarendon, lord high chancellor of England: Volume 2': ​Forty-six consecutive letters from this text corresponds with a section of the 408 cipher. Dave Oranchak, the foremost expert on the Zodiac ciphers, commented on this "So, only one piece of text, from a vast collection of eleven billion pieces of text, fit into this chunk of cipher text. A one in eleven billion chance seems to suggest some significance. But don’t be fooled by this. Just because this rare event occurred, doesn’t mean it is anything more than a simple coincidence. If we didn’t already know the real solution to the 408, how do we know that this chunk of old and obscure text isn’t the correct solution?" I wanted to validate or refute whether this was a simple coincidence or not by examining whether the works of Edward, Earl of Clarendon featured anywhere else in Zodiac or Riverside correspondence. One wouldn't envisage many American criminals using the writings of a seventeenth century English statesman to form part of their serial murder exploits, and certainly not without access to a comprehensive library of books.

This is when I noticed another piece of obscure text from Edward, Earl of Clarendon and flew back to the last piece of notable text from the presumed Zodiac Killer on the Riverside desktop - the title of which was "sick of living/unwilling to die." One of Edward Hyde's quotes was “They who are most weary of life, and yet are most unwilling to die, are such who have lived to no purpose, — who have rather breathed than lived.” http://izquotes.com/quote/385232. ​Although not perfect, I couldn't help wondering if the Zodiac Killer was recalling from memory, as he did his paraphrasing of 'The Mikado'. Had he plagiarized "weary of life, unwilling to die" to "sick of living, unwilling to die," and would then later hide another section of Edward Hyde's text in the 408 cipher, as a form of link between the murder in Riverside and the Bay Area.

Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon was also an avid user of ciphers as revealed here in literary manuscripts; 
"Naturally a substantial portion of Clarendon's surviving manuscripts comprises his personal correspondence — both letters received by him from numerous correspondents and his own letters, written or signed by him, whether drafts, retained copies, or the letters actually sent. Among many notable examples are his letters written in August 1646 to William, Lord Widdrington, and to Sir John Berkeley, announcing the beginnings of his History of the Rebellion, and the letter he wrote on 12 November 1646, to Sir Edward Nicholas, describing his plan for the work and stating that he had already completed sixty sheets of it. Some of his letters, particularly those dating from the Civil War period, are wholly or partly in cipher or make use of pseudonyms in both salutations and signatures. The codes to sixteen such ciphers used by the Royalists are written out in Bodleian, MS Clarendon 94, and see also British Library,"

However, are there any alternatives to Edward Hyde - someone that possibly connects the 'Confession' letter and Riverside 'Desktop Poem' together, using the title of each communication. I have always believed the Zodiac Killer was driven by some form of warped religion - one that drove him to the confession box after each crime and manifested in the form of letters mailed to the newspapers and police. Using the Riverside library as our primary focus once again, did the works of an early Christian theologian and philosopher influence the writings of Zodiac?
 
'Peter A Fiore concludes that John Milton (an English poet, author of Paradise Lost, polemicist, man of letters, and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England) like many humanists, Christian philosophers, Reformers, and theologians of every variety in the early seventeenth century, drew widely from Augustine and that such indebtedness gave a richer and fuller theological dimension to his epic of lost paradise and enhanced the meaning of the poem.' 
link  The Augustine he is referring to is St Augustine of Hippo (13 November 354 - 28 August 430), a Roman African, Christian theologian, whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western Philosophy. His work was translated by many individuals, but here are a few examples:

1] "Now is not the time for asking questions but for confessing to You. I was wretched, just as every mortal soul is wretched who is bound to the friendship of mortals. We are torn to pieces when we lose them, and so become aware of how wretched we were, even before we lost them. This is the way it was with me. I wept bitterly, and found rest only by weeping. I was so wretched that I held that life of wretchedness to be more dear to me than the friend for whom I wept. Even though I wanted to change it, I was more unwilling to lose it than I had been to lose my friend. Actually, I doubt that I would be willing to lose it even for him, as it is said of Orestes and Pylades, if that is true, that they would have gladly died for each other, or both died at the same time, rather than living part from each other. But I had begun to be afflicted with a strange kind of feeling, different from theirs. I cannot explain it, but I was tired of living and yet, I was afraid to die." link.​

2] "I do not know whether I would have been willing to die for him in the way that Orestes and Pylades, if the story is true, were willing to die together for each other. And yet a strange feeling had grown in me, and it was very different from theirs; I was sick and tired of living but I was too afraid to die." link.

​3] "But in me there was an odd kind of feeling, the exact opposite of theirs, for I was at once utterly weary of life and in great fear of death." link.
​
4] "I was at the same time thoroughly tired of living and extremely frightened of dying.”
link.
​
Was this a case of the Zodiac Killer recalling the literary work of another, as he did with Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, but paraphrasing it. However, in this instance, the author chose sick of living/unwilling to die as his title of the 'Desktop Poem'. On its own, this connection could appear a little unconvincing, but the author of the Riverside 'Desktop Poem' may have mailed correspondence to the Riverside Homicide Detail and Riverside Press Enterprise on November 29th 1966, in the form of letters entitled 'The Confession'.

Two weeks after the October 30th 1966 murder of Cheri Jo Bates, the Riverside Police staged a library reconstruction of the crime on November 13th 1966. The probable murderer then mailed the 'Confession' letters. St Augustine of Hippo wrote the Confessions (in which the above examples of text are contained), an autobiographical piece of work consisting of 13 books. "The Confessions of Saint Augustine in order to distinguish the book from other books with similar titles. Its original title was Confessions in Thirteen Books, and it was composed to be read out loud with each book being a complete unit. Confessions is generally considered one of Augustine's most important texts. It is widely seen as the first Western autobiography ever written, and was an influential model for Christian writers throughout the Middle Ages. Professor Henry Chadwick wrote that Confessions will "always rank among the great masterpieces of western literature." link.  St Augustine of Hippo was born on November 13th, the exact date of the library reconstruction. 

"The City of God Against the Pagans (Latin: De civitate Dei contra paganos), often called The City of God, is a book of Christian philosophy written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th century AD. The book was in response to allegations that Christianity brought about the decline of Rome and is considered one of Augustine's most important works, standing alongside The Confessions, The Enchiridion, On Christian Doctrine and On the Trinity. As a work of one of the most influential Church Fathers, The City of God is a cornerstone of Western thought, expounding on many profound questions of theology, such as the suffering of the righteous, the existence of evil, the conflict between free will and divine omniscience, and the doctrine of original sin. Shortly before Augustine's death, the Vandals, a Germanic tribe that had converted to Arianism, invaded Roman Africa. The Vandals besieged Hippo in the spring of 430, when Augustine entered his final illness. According to Possidius, one of the few miracles attributed to Augustine, the healing of an ill man, took place during the siege. According to Possidius, Augustine spent his final days in prayer and repentance, requesting that the penitential Psalms of David be hung on his walls so that he could read them. He directed that the library of the church in Hippo and all the books therein should be carefully preserved. He died on 28 August 430. Shortly after his death, the Vandals lifted the siege of Hippo, but they returned not long thereafter and burned the city. They destroyed all of it but Augustine's cathedral and library, which they left untouched."  Wikipedia.

​Was the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates somehow connected to the Riverside library, a well-read individual, who subtly introduced sections of text from St Augustine of Hippo into the titles of both the 'Riverside Desktop Poem' and 'The Confession' letter in order to give himself a feeling of superiority over the police and newspapers, as he would ultimately do several years later?

"SICK OF LIVING, UNWILLING TO DIE" 

In light of the possible capture of the Golden State Killer on April 24th 2018, there has been renewed excitement in recent weeks concerning the possible DNA left by the Zodiac Killer when he mailed his many correspondences. Other sources that may have harbored DNA have been mentioned, such as the car door, bottle and Zodiac bindings at Lake Berryessa, the gloves from Presidio Heights, along with potential blood from the killer deposited on the clothing of Cheri Jo Bates at Riverside on October 30th 1966. This may or may not be a Zodiac crime, but it is still an avenue that must be pursued.
 
Michael Cole, who runs the 'Zodiac Revisited' website, details the mitochondrial DNA findings of 1999, obtained by Michael Morford and pertaining to the case of Cheri Jo Bates. But the hope is now, that a full DNA profile can be obtained and cross checked using genealogy websites and familial DNA linkage. Separating any blood from the killer on Cheri Jo Bates clothing by locating Y-markers has always presented a challenge to forensic investigators in a mixed sample, however, there is a possibility that we may, or could have had the blood of the killer at Riverside from somewhere other than the clothing of Cheri Jo Bates. "The Y chromosome is currently by far the most popular marker in genetic genealogy that combines genetic data and family history. This popularity is based on its haploid character and its close association with the patrilineage and paternal inherited surname." PubMed.

Riverside Police were meticulous in their evidence gathering, performing a library reconstruction of events the night of the murder and taking fingerprints and hair samples from attendees of the library on Sunday October 30th 1966. They retrieved a hair sample from a blood clot at the base of Cheri Jo Bates' right thumb, recovered a cigarette butt from the alleyway floor and took fingernail scrapings from the victim. They also clearly considered the possibility that the killer of Cheri Jo Bates may have cut himself during the attack with a less than sturdy knife, described by Captain Cross as a pocket knife with a "3-inch blade or less". Even the author of the 'Confession' letter on November 29th 1966 (whether the killer or not) claimed that the knife broke towards the end of the attack. Was this the pivotal moment that ended the callous attack on the defenseless young woman?

The 'Inside Detective' magazine revealed one crucial piece of evidence from the Riverside alleyway crime scene. It stated "The driveway adjacent to 3680 Terracina Street was so churned up it looked like a tractor had been over the ground. The girl, who was very athletic, put up a terrific struggle. At the murder scene, drops of blood leading from the body to Terracina Street indicated to the detectives, that the murderer had walked back to the street following the slaying". Using an old overhead view of the campus in 1966 (not shown here) and the fact she was positioned between the two vacant properties of 3680 and 3692 Terracina Drive, it is possible to calculate how far Cheri Jo Bates' body lay up the alleyway from Terracina Drive. Below I have placed all the relevant distances.     

Cheri Jo Bates was lying approximately 100 feet southwest of Terracina Drive, shown in relation to the football field and scoreboard in the distance. That is an extensive blood trail leading away from the body, if the interpretation of the police statement is correct. ​The 'Confession' letter stated "When we were away from the library walking, I said it was about time. She asked me "about time for what". I said it was about time for her to die. I grabbed her around the neck with my hand over her mouth and my other hand with a small knife at her throat. She went very willingly". If the attack began in the vicinity of where her body was discovered, we are left with two possibilities: The blood trail to Terracina Drive was the victim's blood, dripping from the killer, or the killer's blood dripping from a cut hand. The blood trail, if significant enough to be noticed by detectives and was continuous to the sidewalk of Terracina Drive, then it could be argued to be blood secreted from a continuously bleeding hand, as opposed to a killer having blood on his person (absorbed by his clothing) or a small knife. Presumably, the killer would have pocketed the knife in advance of reaching the street. This must have been considered by investigators who visited the crime scene. But was this blood gathered from the alleyway floor and stored for 'future use?"

Cheri Jo Bates' blood type detailed at autopsy is rare in the USA population. It was AB RhD positive, which accounts for only 3.4% of the American population. Even with the limited forensic capabilities in 1966, this testing was a simple affair, and could have determined whether the blood trail extending toward Terracina Drive was that of the killer's or from the victim.
The pattern or tail of the blood drops could certainly have determined the direction of the killer within the alleyway. Since detectives concluded that the "drops of blood leading from the body to Terracina Street indicated to the detectives, that the murderer had walked back to the street following the slaying", then it remains a possibility that the killer injured himself during the attack, allowing the trail of blood to extend the full 100 feet in distance, as opposed to the limited blood secretion possible from a small pocket knife or clothing. If the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates cut himself when he delivered the stab wound to the young woman's back during the latter part of the attack, there may be limited blood transfer to her clothing, however, there may be have been far more present in the vicinity of the crime scene, during his 100 foot journey to exit the alleyway. By odds alone, it is unlikely the killer had an AB RhD positive blood type, making it easy to determine the origin of the blood on the alleyway floor, and whether it was from Cheri Jo Bates or even the Zodiac Killer himself. 

The discrepancies pointed out in the 2007 Zodiac documentary have been extensively covered on this site - and will be again, when we examine another section of the dialogue regarding the two main protagonists. It has been stated innumerable times, the contention that Officers Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms not only stopped Zodiac, but were directed away from the crime scene by the killer toward Arguello Boulevard. Officer Donald Fouke stated in the 1989 'Crime of the Century' documentary "We proceeded on Jackson Street towards Arguello continuing our search, as we arrived at Arguello Street the description of the suspect was changed to a white male adult, believing this suspect was possibly the one involved in the shooting we entered the Presidio of San Francisco and conducted a search on West Pacific Avenue, the opposite side of the wall and the last direction we observed the suspect going, we did not find the suspect".

We shall now focus on the part of the 2007 documentary beginning at 1:18:09. After noticing a white male adult walking along Jackson Street, Officer Donald Fouke proceeded onward, stating "Seeing that it was a white male in an affluent neighborhood walking along the street, we didn't think it was the suspect. So we proceeded the next block at...which was Jackson and Cherry. Turned southbound on Cherry Street and saw Armond Pelissetti, one of the officers who had responded directly to the scene". Was he about to say proceeded the next block at Arguello?

Officer Armond Pelissetti picks up the story "At that point Officer Dan Fouke, who was accompanied by what I believe was a rookie officer Eric Zelms at the time, pulled up very quickly in their police car, called out to me did I see anybody, did I know anything about where the suspect could be and I told him no".

Officer Donald Fouke continued "He stopped us (Pelissetti) and said he was looking for the white male that had just gone down the street. There was a little conversation about what the initial description was, and he said no, he was a white male. I then used a slang term and said 'oh that was the suspect". Officer Armond Pelissetti responded "He did not mention to me that he had seen anybody at that point or stopped anybody".     

We know that Armond Pelissetti was told the suspect was white by the three teenagers at the crime scene, and in his words "couldn't get to the radio fast enough at that point to let everybody else know".
Armond Pelissetti stated "​The kids had told me whoever had done this crime had left the cab, went out the door and seemed to be wiping the cab down and reaching into the cab and ambling or walking down Cherry Street in a northerly direction, kind of towards the Presidio. I walked that way myself, I did not run because there are innumerable alcoves and parked cars, so I went down following every technique I knew so I didn't get my head blown off". We know that walking Cherry Street at a normal speed would take approximately one minute, but at least 90 seconds to 2 minutes if you were "following every technique" in the police manual. 
​
So, after updating everybody to the new white male description, Armond Pelissetti likely informed his partner Frank Peda of the amended description and asked him to secure the crime scene, before heading off up Cherry Street. Therefore, by the time he met Officer Donald Fouke at the top of Cherry Street, at least 2 minutes must have elapsed. Assuming that Donald Fouke received the amended white male description almost immediately, then he must have received it before Armond Pelissetti headed up Cherry Street (approximately 90 seconds to 2 minutes ago). That is, 90 seconds to 2 minutes prior to meeting Armond Pelissetti. The journey time from Donald Fouke spotting Zodiac to reaching this section of Cherry Street (440 feet), traveling at 30 mph, takes only 10 seconds. Even if we gave Donald Fouke 30 seconds, one can see that by the time he spotted Zodiac, he would have already received the amended white male description at least 1 to 1 1/2 minutes prior to spotting Zodiac. So why didn't he stop him? The answer being that, Donald Fouke didn't turn down Cherry Street, but continued on to Arguello Boulevard (where Zodiac directed him) and down West Pacific Avenue, before returning to Cherry Street, where he met Armond Pelissetti. This diversion by Donald Fouke took just over 2 minutes. We know this because, in the 1989 documentary Donald Fouke stated "as we arrived at Arguello Street the description of the suspect was changed to a white male adult". Donald Fouke, realizing this was the man he had just seen on Jackson Street turn up Maple Street moments earlier and may be the possible killer, swung into West Pacific Avenue toward Julius Khan playground. After an unsuccessful search in this area, he returned toward the crime scene and bumped into Armond Pelissetti at the top of Cherry Street. This 2 minute diversion of Donald Fouke from Arguello, would corroborate Armond Pelissetti's 2 minute journey up Cherry Street after updating Donald Fouke over the radio from the crime scene, enabling them to meet at this exact point. 

One thing has always perplexed when we consider Zodiac's movements that night. Whether you believe that Zodiac had blood on his clothing that night or not, why would a killer who must have seen and heard Donald Fouke's approaching police car 'red light and siren' from quite a distance (possibly blocks away), as shown here on Google maps, then try to conceal himself? Also, why was he walking on the north side of the street in full glare of approaching vehicles, when the obvious choice would have been to turn from Cherry Street and stay on the south side until he reached Maple Street or his required turn off?

If we take a look at the memorandum on the right, it is signed by Donald Fouke, but appears to be written on his behalf. Nevertheless, it states "a suspect fitting the description of the Zodiac Killer was observed by Officer Fouke walking in an easterly direction on Jackson Street and then turn north on Maple Street". But there is no mention of which side of the street the suspect was on - bearing in mind this was dated November 12th 1969. Only later would it be mentioned that the Zodiac was apparently on the north side. With ample time to spot the approaching police car, this seems on the face of it a strange choice by the Zodiac Killer, particularly if you are an advocate of a killer smothered in the victim's blood.

Considering Donald Fouke was driving that night, coupled with his extensive description of the killer, wouldn't it be more likely the Zodiac Killer was walking on the south side of Jackson Street that night. 
In the Zodiac Killer's November 9th 1969 'Bus Bomb' letter, he stated "p.s. 2 cops pulled a goof abot 3 min after I left the cab. I was walking down the hill to the park when this cop car pulled up + one of them called me over + asked if I saw anyone acting suspicious or strange in the last 5 to 10 min + I said yes there was this man who was runnig by waveing a gun & the cops peeled rubber + went around the corner as I directed them + I disappeared into the park a block + a half away never to be seen again".

When you read the last line of the memorandum, it states "My partner that night was officer E. Zelms #3248 of Richmond Station. I do not know if he observed this subject or not". This appears a stretch, when you consider the detailed description of the subject given by Donald Fouke from the seat furthest away from the north sidewalk, especially when he claimed he slowed down for 5,10, 15 seconds. It is more believable if Eric Zelms is scanning the north side from the passenger seat and Donald Fouke is scanning the south side from the driver seat - and Zodiac is walking on the south side. If we believe that rookie Eric Zelms was being shielded from the events that night - and equally believe Zodiac's claims of being "called over" to the police car - then meshing it with Donald Fouke's extensive description of the subject, it could be argued that the Zodiac Killer was called over from the south sidewalk by Donald Fouke. The Zodiac Killer would then direct Donald Fouke to Arguello Boulevard, and the article can begin again.  

Kim Rossmo, a Canadian criminologist, stated "Target selection was a function of area, not of an individual. However, it is unlikely the Zodiac was successful in all his searches; serial killers typically engage in extensive hunting activities, and for every attack there are many unsuccessful search attempts".  It is these unsuccessful search attempts we should consider prior to the murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968. It is perfectly conceivable that the murderer was stalking the area of Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park in excess of two hours that night, based upon eyewitness sightings at the turnout and notable statements by the killer in subsequent letters.

​In his July 31st 1969 letters he threatened the search for more victims: "I will cruse around and pick of all stray people or coupples that are alone then move on to kill some more untill I have killed over a dozen people." He also alluded to his hunting capabilities in the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter on August 4th 1969: "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". One has to question why a person would require the use a pencil flashlight attached to his weapon at Lake Herman Road, when he could simply have used the headlights of his vehicle or a flashlight to illuminate the target, as demonstrated at Blue Rock Springs Park. However, can we be certain that the assailant Michael Mageau observed approaching from the rear of Darlene's Corvair even had a handheld flashlight, as opposed to a 'pencil flashlight' attached to his gun. It may be the case, that the sighting implement (if used) was part of the fantasy in hunting for prey, and not necessarily required or integral to the completion of each of these attacks. But first, we will focus on the white Chevrolet Impala that may have been witnessed in or around the Lake Herman Road turnout on at least three occasions.   

There is a discrepancy in the Lake Herman Road police report regarding the sighting of Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser (the two raccoon hunters) and local sheepherder Bingo Wesner. Robert Connelly stated that "when they arrived there at 9:00 pm a white 4-door hardtop, a '59 or '60 Impala, was parked there, and also, a truck coming out of the gate". Bingo Wesner stated "that when he came out of the gate he saw the same Impala and also saw the red pick-up truck go by" - this was the red pick-up truck occupied by Gasser and Connelly.
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Robert Connelly, in his second interview, confirmed the 9:00 pm arrival time, reiterating that "they arrived in the area of the pump station around 9:00 pm. They parked the car about 25 feet inside of the Marshall Ranch property off the road".  
Bingo Wesner stated that "last night he was checking his sheep at approximately 10:00 pm (east of the Benicia Pumping Station) and he observed a white Chevrolet Impala Sedan, parked by the south fence of the entrance to the pumping station. He also observed a red Ford pick-up with wood side boards in the area (the pick-up was later identified as the one Frank Gasser and Robert Connelly were riding in)".
 
The sightings of each other were considered one event - Gasser and Connelly arriving to go raccoon hunting, as Wesner was coming out of gate #10. Unfortunately the times are an hour apart. ​However, Bingo Wesner said two different things: Firstly; "when he came out of the gate he saw the same Impala and also saw the red pick-up truck go by," and secondly; "observed a red Ford pick-up with wood side boards in the area". This is not the same thing. He may have left the turnout gate at 9:00 pm and drove away, spotting Gasser and Connelly arriving for their raccoon hunt at 9:00 pm, which Connelly testified to. All three men saw the white Chevrolet at this point. Later, Bingo Wesner arrived back shortly before 10:00 pm and entered the gate to tend his sheep. He again saw the white Chevrolet, as well as Gasser and Connelly parked "25 feet inside of the Marshall Ranch property off the road", In other words, he "observed a red Ford pick-up with wood side boards in the area." The times of 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm would suggest that Bingo Wesner saw the red pick-up truck twice that night - in two different locations - not once, as implied by the police report. 

William Crow claimed he and his girlfriend were in the area sometime between 9:30 and 10:00 pm - parked up at some point in turnout, as well as being chased along Lake Herman Road - something that wasn't part of Bingo Wesner's police statement. This could lend weight to the idea that Bingo Wesner left the turnout at around 9:00 pm and didn't return until approximately 10.00 pm. William Crow would obviously have left the area a short time earlier. It has been suggested that Robert Connelly and Frank Gasser were mistaken about the time they arrived - and it was actually 10:00 pm. That would require both men to be mistaken, and for Bingo Wesner to have spotted the white Chevrolet Impala just once, while leaving the turnout and while checking on his sheep. Is it more likely that Gasser and Connelly arrived at 9:00 pm for two hours of raccoon hunting, or a mere one?

If Bingo Wesner had left the turnout at 9:00 pm and arrived back sometime around 10:00 pm, then we would have to infer that the white Chevrolet left the turnout and returned, otherwise William Crow would have seen it in the turnout in which he was parked, sometime between 9:30 pm and likely 9:55 pm. If we place any credence in his second statement about the events that night, then the white Chevrolet was still in the area, as he described it chasing him down the road: "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".
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Robert Connelly, Frank Gasser and Bingo Wesner recalled seeing no occupants inside the white Chevrolet at either 9:00 pm or 10:00 pm. The driver of this car could have arrived in the turnout anytime before 9:00 pm and vacated the vehicle, then returned around 9:30 pm to leave before William Crow turned up. Then, he would have had to return shortly before 10:00 pm, likely parked in the same spot, to then be spotted by Bingo Wesner returning. Why was the driver twice vacating his vehicle in pitch darkness? Was he stalking the periphery of the lake looking for victims with his pencil flashlight, in similar fashion to Lake Berryessa? This may seem unlikely on a freezing cold night in December. The idea of a white Chevrolet hovering around the turnout, leaving and returning, seems to fit with a killer "engaging in extensive hunting activities," but requires many variables to fall into place.

The above image shows the entrance to the Marshall Ranch and Benicia Pumping Station.
​Bingo Wesner stated "he was checking his sheep at approximately 10:00 pm (east of the Benicia Pumping Station) and he observed a white Chevrolet Impala Sedan, parked by the south fence of the entrance to the pumping station. He also observed a red Ford pick-up with wood side boards in the area". How does Bingo Wesner spot the red Ford pick-up truck positioned 25 feet inside the entrance of the Marshall Ranch from east of the Benicia Pumping Station, where he is checking on his sheep? He would be a minimum of a quarter of a mile away in pitch darkness. One possible way he could have observed the red pick-up truck in the area, while checking his sheep east of the pumping station, is if he had driven east along Lake Herman Road, passing the Marshall Ranch, before arriving back at the turnout at around 10:.00 pm, where he noticed the white Chevrolet, before checking on his sheep.
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Another alternative based on all the statements, is he exited the gate at 10:00 pm after checking his sheep (Gasser and Connelly pass in their truck), he then turned west towards Vallejo and noticed the red pick-up truck in the area pulling into the Marshall Ranch. However, for this to be the case, both Gasser and Connelly would have to be mistaken as to the time they arrived at the Marshall Ranch - at 10:00 pm rather than 9:00 pm. The final possibility, is that Bingo Wesner was mistaken, and he exited the turnout gate at 9:00 pm (Gasser and Connelly pass in their truck), before he turned west and saw the red pick-up truck enter the Marshall Ranch and park up. Take your pick.​        

There remains a widespread misconception that the Zodiac Killer's directions in the phone call after the Blue Rock Springs Park attack were incorrect, even though the police report clearly specified that the recollection of police dispatcher Nancy Slover was in effect the 'substance of the statement', not a verbatim transcription. The Zodiac Killer likely planned the payphone call and location, yet we assume his directions to the crime scene were horribly wrong based on the version remembered by Nancy Slover. There is no evidence to support such a conclusion based on the wording of the call shown below. Nancy Slover even recalled that the Zodiac Killer was speaking in a rehearsed, monotone fashion, as if reading from a script - which is a perfectly reasonable hypothesis. If we conclude he had prepared a written script, then this would seemingly fly in the face of him getting his directions completely wrong. 

The Zodiac Killer was correct when he placed Betty Lou Jensen's feet facing west, along with his apparent knowledge of the the infrequently traveled Lake Herman Road as a location for courting couples, yet somehow became completely disoriented when making one turn off Columbus Parkway to the payphone at Springs Road and Tuolumne Street. When Zodiac made the Blue Rock Springs and Lake Berryessa phone calls, he rang the police. Therefore, it follows logically, that any directions given would be to direct the police to the crime scene from their location. In these cases, ​the Sheriff's Office was located at the junction of Virginia and Tuolumne Streets, the Vallejo Police Department at 111 Amador Street, and Park Headquarters at Lake Berryessa.         

If you were calling the police at 12:40 am on July 5th 1969, issuing them with directions to Blue Rock Springs, then your first statement would be to tell them to go east, which is exactly what the Zodiac Killer did. Then take Columbus Parkway to the crime scene. Police dispatcher Nancy Slover was certainly not prepared for the call she was about to receive, crucially interrupting the caller and asking him for his details as he began his message. In other words, she spoke over the killer while simultaneously having to register what he was saying. She may have been a trained police dispatcher, but little prepares you for a serial killer ringing in, claiming the murder of four people in total. She often recalled how unnerving the phone call was.
In the aftermath of the call, she then had to remember its totality, word for word, along with the exact sequence of the message and any pauses or sentence breaks within it, so as to fully transcribe the message delivered in its correct context. 

The message shown above was composed of 46 words, delivered in approximately 20 seconds. The chances of recalling this amount of words in exactly the correct order and context, one could suggest is extremely unlikely and unrealistic. There is often the false assumption that the Zodiac Killer was incorrect in his delivery of the message, whereas, it is a far more credible proposition that Nancy Slover simply recalled the message incorrectly or in the wrong context. We have previously shown that by inserting one break into the message it reads perfectly from a directional standpoint, although possibly incorrectly regarding the distances given. Here is the message with the break or pause inserted "I want to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east...... on Columbus Parkway to the public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye". This message now makes sense regarding a killer directing police from 111 Armador Street to Blue Rock Springs Park. However, there are many alternatives.   

You can see from the map above, it is impossible to direct anybody to the crime scene traveling "one mile east on Columbus Parkway"  You would be traveling "one mile north northeast" or "one mile southeast". Additionally, you would be traveling to the crime scene from effectively nowhere of any note - least of all a police station. It can be seen that responding officers heading away from the police station would be traveling along Solano Avenue, before joining Springs Road, then traveling 1.39 miles east to Columbus Parkway (as opposed to the one mile east given in the phone call). So it can be seen that the Zodiac simply approximated the distance east.

The widely portrayed message reads ""I want to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east on Columbus Parkway to the public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They were shot with a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye". ​The Zodiac Killer wasn't going to deliver fractions of distances in his payphone call, so rounded 1.39 miles east to 1 mile, now giving us a perfectly reasonable set of directions and distances in his message to Nancy Slover. Unfortunately, yet understandably, it was recalled incorrectly through memory and talking over the killer during the first part of the message. We must not make the blind assumption that the "substance of the statement" was in fact a perfect transcription of what the Zodiac Killer actually said that night. If it was a perfect transcription, then it makes little sense regarding a call directing the police to the crime scene. If it makes little sense - one can argue it wasn't spoken.

Footnote: 
"I want to report a murder, no, a double murder. They are two miles north of Park Headquarters. They were in a white Volkswagen Karmann Ghia ...... I'm the one that did it".
"I want to report a murder, no, a double murder. There are two people one mile north of Park Headquarters. They were in a white Volkswagen Karmann Ghia ...... I'm the one that did it".

Kim Rossmo is a Canadian criminologist who pioneered the art of geographic profiling - a technique used to compliment conventional police work in the tracking of criminals. He has used data from the Zodiac Killer case to narrow down the likely residence and possible commuter routes of the murderer, and even a suggestion of where he may have worked. When the details from the Zodiac case were placed into the Rigel crime mapping software it created significant zones of interest in Rancho Vallejo, northern Vallejo, American Canyon and Benicia. These areas have one critical commuter route relevant to all - that of California State Route 37 - which the significance of regarding Zodiac's knowledge of courting couples, his base location and possible workplace will become apparent. Some of Kim Rossmo's ideas will be presented here, but to read his excellent analysis of the Zodiac case, please visit here. 
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Below is a map showing all the relevant locations concerning the killer's first two crimes - the red circle at the northern end of Tuolumne Street being of significant interest, as it also brings into focus the easy access to and from the payphone after his murder and attempted murder of Darlene Ferrin and Michael Mageau at the Blue Rock Springs parking lot on July 5th 1969. The journey time to the payphone from the crime scene of less than 10 minutes, and the phone call to police nearly 40 minutes after the attack lends good weight to the premise the killer was a native Vallejoan, and possibly returned home to ditch his weapon and/or clothes before returning to place the call to police dispatcher Nancy Slover.  

What better way to have knowledge that Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs were frequented regularly by courting couples, than if you routinely traveled this route to reach your place of work, not unlike eyewitness James Owen who lived at 1735 Mini Drive and would have likely used California State Route 37 at the beginning of his journey, to arrive at Humble Oil in Benicia. The same applies to an area around Mare Island Shipyard and Rancho Vallejo, where Tuolumne Street nears State Route 37. Lake Herman Road on the eastern fringes of Vallejo and Benicia, is a dark, unlit stretch of rural road infrequently used. It is, however, a logical choice for somebody living in Ranch Vallejo (north Vallejo) or American Canyon to use, if they worked in the industrial area of Benicia.

The northern side of the green line on the map above, shows that access to State Route 37 would take somebody towards the northern side of Columbus Parkway, before heading southeast along Lake Herman Road towards Benicia, and crucially encompassing both crime scenes. If the killer lived in the northern region of Vallejo and worked in Benicia, his 'compass' knowledge of specific locations would not be surprising. This was evident in his first attack when he stated in the July 31st 1969 letters, that Betty Lou Jensen "was on her right side feet to the west." Of course, he had six and a half months to work this out, but had only 36-38 minutes after the Blue Rock Springs attack, in which he was able to direct Vallejo police to the crime scene along Springs Road and Columbus Parkway with completely accurate directions when he called Nancy Slover, stating "I wish to report a double murder. If you will go one mile east...... on Columbus Parkway to the public park, you will find the kids in a brown car. They have been shot with a 9 mm Luger. I also killed those kids last year.... Good-bye." 

Knowledge such as this, could suggest complete familiarity with the public park, golf course, Lake Herman Road and the location of the police station with respect to the Springs and Tuolumne payphone. The killer would have one direct route, to and from his residence to the payphone at the intersection of Springs Road and Tuolumne Street. His route to work (possibly a night-shift) also giving him first hand knowledge of courting couples and where to trawl for victims at the weekend.   

Kim Rossmo, referring to Lake Herman Road and Blue Rock Springs Park, stated "In contrast, his target selection at Lake Berryessa and San Francisco did not show any evidence of local area knowledge. Also, the time lapse between the Blue Rock Springs shooting and the Zodiac’s telephone call was approximately 40 minutes, even though the distance between these two locations is only 3.5 miles (7 minutes normal driving time). What did he do for that other half hour? One possibility is that he returned home and disposed of his weapon. If so, that means he most likely lived within a five-mile radius of the crime site. The Zodiac also knew to telephone the Vallejo Police Department, even though the Blue Rock Spring Golf Course and park area was an unusual offshoot of municipal jurisdiction, totally surrounded by Solana County. The Zodiac’s comfort zone clearly includes the Vallejo area."
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However, there is one thorn in our side - the testimony of Michael Mageau. He stated in the police report "as he fell out onto the ground the vehicle the subject was in backed up in a turning movement and then took off toward Springs Road in Vallejo at a very high rate of speed." The obvious route back home for the killer, had he lived somewhere by the top of Tuolumne Street, and wanted to ditch his weapon and clothes before making the call to police, would have been to head north and west along Columbus Parkway - the opposite direction that he chose for work. There may be several explanations for this.
Michael Mageau was simply mistaken, the killer's initial intention was to make the phone call immediately but changed his mind, preferring to remove his weapon and possibly bloody clothing from the equation, or the intended payphone at the initial time of his arrival had potential eyewitnesses, forcing a hasty change of plan. This may have been his preferred choice of payphone, as it provided easy access to and from his home residence, yet allowed a reasonable 'buffer zone' of just over two miles. It had the added benefit of a voyeur killer who wanted to remain in his vehicle and watch responding officers scurry into action from the police station, along Springs Road to the crime scene. It may actually have been the primary reason he chose this particular payphone so close to the police station, despite it seemingly being an added unnecessary risk on his part.        

There may be another reason why the Zodiac Killer chose the 'wrong way' after leaving the Blue Rock Springs parking lot. A reason that involved near eyewitnesses to the murder in the parking lot..

Three young kids, Debbie, Jerry and Roger were the first to find Michael Mageau just after he had extracted himself from the brown Corvair and was lying adjacent to it. They must have arrived extremely close to the time of the attack - possibly as little as a minute or two after the brutal shooting. The time of the attack can be calculated with a fair degree of confidence to 12.02 am on July 5th 1969. See here. 
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Police dispatcher Nancy Slover received a phone call from Jerry's house at  938 Catlewood Drive, Vallejo from Debbie at 12.10 am. The drive to 938 Castlewood Drive from Blue Rock Springs is approximately 6 minutes, indicating they would have had to leave the parking lot by about 12.04 am to make this phone call in time.
​Yet, this isn't the time they arrived at the parking lot, which must have been around a minute earlier at 12.03 am - just after the attack at 12.02 am. The Zodiac Killer may literally have been leaving the Blue Rock Springs parking lot as they were approaching it. This may have influenced the direction Zodiac exited from the crime scene.

Debbie, Jerry and Roger stated in the police report that "they had been downtown to see the festivities for the 4th of July. After this was over, at about 11 pm, they decided to look for this girl that Roger knows. They drove around town and did not see her and decided to go to Blue Rock Springs Park to look for her. They went out the freeway to Columbus Parkway and came into the park the back way. While they were driving in toward the park neither boy recalls seeing any vehicle coming out, none parked along the road, nor did they pass any vehicle."  They must have been almost on top of Zodiac as they approached from the north side of Columbus Parkway. Had Zodiac intended to travel home before making the phone call, his obvious route north and then west along Columbus Parkway, was now not so obvious if he didn't want himself or his vehicle spotted by the three kids. They obviously didn't see him, but he may have spotted their vehicle approaching in the distance. This may have forced a change of plan and coerced Zodiac south toward Springs Road. The Zodiac Killer's journey time heading in this direction to somewhere close to the green circle at the top of Tuolumne Street, would take approximately 11-12 minutes. The Zodiac Killer would arrive home at about 12.14 am - leaving him approximately 20 minutes at his residence before driving back to the Springs and Tuolumne payphone to make the call. Once doing so, his escape home is a mere 4 minutes. 
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Calfornia State Route 37 and Highway 101 may have played a decisive factor when selecting a quick and easy separation from San Francisco after the murder of taxicab driver Paul Stine on October 11th 1969. Whether or not the murderer had entered the Presidio Park is a moot point today, but in 1969 the Zodiac Killer would certainly have wanted to escape from the area in as little time as possible. A vehicle parked somewhere along West Pacific Avenue or to the east of the park in Cow Hollow, would provide immediate access to Highway 101 across the Golden Gate Bridge, and in a handful of minutes out of San Francisco. The killer can then head north and eventually east just before Novato, taking California State Route 37 right onto his doorstep.  

The selection of a taxicab driver to take him to a predetermined destination so close to an exit route from San Francisco, one could argue was the perfect choice for a resident of Vallejo. The killer has a nearby park in case things don't go to plan, along with an immediate escape and separation from the crime scene via Highway 101 and the Golden Gate Bridge. Even Inspector Dave Toschi thought this a viable proposition: "The detectives heard from neighbors that a stocky figure was seen dashing across Julius Khan playground and into the dense undergrowth of the Presidio. The dog patrol units, seven of the best search dogs in the country, gathered at the front entrance of the Presidio and were deployed one at a time in various directions. Armstrong and Toschi considered the possibilities. Had the killer gone quickly through the dark woods and emerged from the Presidio at Richardson Avenue, and taken Highway 101 past Fort Point onto the Golden Gate Bridge and vanished into Marin County."

Kim Rossmo made an extremely salient point regarding the murder of Paul Stine. He stated: ​​"The San Francisco murder differs significantly from the Zodiac's other crimes. Up to this point he was hunting in locations that had a good probability of containing his desired victims. Target selection was a function of area, not of an individual. However, it is unlikely the Zodiac was successful in all his searches; serial killers typically engage in extensive hunting activities, and for every attack there are many unsuccessful search attempts. In San Francisco, however, the Zodiac controlled the situation through his selection of victim type. The need for such control could be indicative of the distance the Zodiac had to travel to the crime site. Criminals who travel longer distances to offend are less likely to use uncertain target selection techniques."  Control your location and you control your escape route.
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The Lake Berryessa attack on September 27th 1969 speaks for itself. The killer headed to downtown Napa and the payphone at 1231 Main Street. He may have been only 12 miles from California State Route 37 and home, had he continued the trajectory he had set for himself. Was the Zodiac Killer's apparent knowledge of a road on the fringes of Vallejo more indicative of his recreational habits or a route he traveled daily..... particularly when the sun went down? 

If the Zodiac Killer touched the stamp or envelope inner while sealing either, even if he didn't lick the glue, there remains a slim probability of securing a full DNA profile of the Bay Area murderer in the coming weeks, so long as the evidence has been stored correctly in a controlled temperature and humidity. However, this may not be the case with the July 31st 1969 letters, which were apparently kept in the private files of a "retired police source." If the numerous Zodiac letters have been treated in a similar manner to other cases around the world, then just a few cells would be needed.

​The amount of cells required can be as small as a millionth the size of a grain of salt. This DNA can be harbored from skin cells stuck to the back of the envelope or stamp, or from the pasted newspaper cuttings from the 13-Hole postcard, the Pines card or the Halloween.card  This has been achieved before in cold cases.

Low Copy Number (LCN) was developed in 1999 by the UK Forensic Science Service, but has not been adopted by all countries due to the risk of contamination in the sample. The amount of material or DNA required is so microscopically small the results achieved are effectively non-reproducible, but with so many Zodiac letters available, the possibility of a match between letters could produce corroborative proof. This technique has led to the successful apprehension of numerous individuals in the UK. One such case, was the conviction of Paul Hutchinson in 2010, who raped and strangled Colette Aram (16) in Nottingham, England in 1983, despite the case being cold for 27 years. "After the murder, Hutchinson, a psychology graduate who had also been a youth worker, returned to the village to watch the police investigation unfold and later sent a letter taunting officers that he was still free."No one knows what I look like. That is why you have not got me," he wrote, also claiming he was wearing a Halloween mask. "You will never get me." The Guardian. A DNA profile was generated using 'Low Copy Number' taken from the letter and matched in the nationwide database to one of his relatives, ultimately leading to his arrest and conviction. Remarkably a fingerprint from the letter was also matched to Hutchinson.

​This extremely small sample size offers hope in the Zodiac case. Even if the results are questioned due to the risk of contamination - once a suspect has been identified, further comparisons could be then implemented using the bloody fingerprint from the taxicab of Paul Stine or the palm print from the Exorcist letter, as two simple examples. This would then be followed up by looking at all aspects of the subject identified, in order to validate or refute the credibility of the DNA results.  

In 2017, Osmond Bell was eventually convicted 36 years after the murder of Nova Welsh in Birmingham, England in 1981 by saliva retrieved from chewing gum he had used to seal the door of a cupboard he had hidden her body in. "The 60-year-old killer also left traces of DNA on the envelope of a letter he sent after the killing in an attempt to frame an innocent man for the crime. Jurors acquitted the pensioner of murder, opting instead to convict him of manslaughter by an 11-1 majority verdict following a six-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday." The Sun.

DNA retrieval after 27 and 36 years was successful in both cases, resulting in conviction. This gives us the hope that correctly preserved evidence can without doubt generate a full DNA profile in the Zodiac case, whether through saliva or skin cells in the smallest of samples.

Much expectation has surrounded the capture of 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo on suspicion of 50 rapes and 12 murders between 1976 and 1986 in California, with respect to the possible future identification of the Zodiac Killer through the use of genealogy websites and familial DNA testing. The Sacramento Bee newspaper stated "Vallejo police Detective Terry Poyser, who has worked the Zodiac case for four years, said his agency has submitted two envelopes that contained letters from the Zodiac Killer for a type of advanced DNA analysis that previously had not been available in the case. Poyser declined to identify the lab, but said it would attempt to obtain a full DNA profile from saliva on the envelope flap and stamps. He said he expected to have results back from the lab as soon as in the next few weeks, and almost certainly by summer. Referring to testing done in 2002 "Poyser said that DNA sample was hampered because technology didn't exist at the time to separate the glue used on the stamps and envelopes from the genetic material. However, science now has advanced to allow a clean grab of the DNA."

Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was convicted of thirteen counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder in England between 1969 and 1980. The case was severely hampered by poor detective work and the intervention of a hoaxer dubbed 'Wearside Jack,' who falsely claimed to be the murderer, sending detectives three letters and a cassette recording between 1978 and 1979.

One letter read  "Dear Sir, I am sorry I cannot give my name for obvious reasons. I am the Ripper. I've been dubbed a maniac by the Press but not by you, you call me clever and I am. You and your mates haven't a clue that photo in the paper gave me fits and that bit about killing myself, no chance. I've got things to do. My purpose to rid the streets of them sluts. My one regret is that young lassie McDonald, did not know cause changed routine that night. Up to number 8 now you say 7 but remember Preston '75. get about you know. You were right I travel a bit. You probably look for me in Sunderland, don't bother, I am not daft, just posted letter there on one of my trips. Not a bad place compared with Chapeltown and Manningham and other places. Warn whores to keep off streets cause I feel it coming on again. Sorry about young lassie. Yours respectfully, Jack the Ripper.

Might write again later I not sure last one really deserved it. Whores getting younger each time. Old slut next time I hope. Huddersfield never again, too small close call last one."

In 2005, only three years after the Zodiac documentary with Cydne Holt, in which the programme claimed only a partial DNA sample was acquired, police made a major breakthrough in the 'Wearside Jack' investigation. "Senior officers from West Yorkshire Police's Homicide and Major Inquiry Team, headed by Det Chief Supt Chris Gregg, decided to review the case. A small piece of the gummed seal from one of the envelopes was located in a forensic laboratory and following publicity about the cold case review the hoax tape was retrieved from a retired scientist who had worked on the original investigation. As a result of this cold case review, DNA from envelopes sent by Humble as part of the hoax were matched in the United Kingdom National DNA Database with samples police had obtained from Humble in an unrelated incident in 2000, when he had been arrested and cautioned for being drunk and disorderly. By this time Humble had become an alcoholic loner." Wikipedia.  John Samuel Humble was arrested and sentenced to eight years in jail. After 26 years, the gum on the 1979 envelope required only a few cells to generate a profile from the DNA database. It would seem the technology did exist in 2005 for a "clean grab" of DNA from the glue - and other cases exist.

Yet here we are, thirteen years later, waiting in expectation once again, despite having a possible 30 letters at our disposal and numerous double postage stamps available for testing. Whether or not the Zodiac envelopes and stamps were licked by the killer and contain enough traces of saliva, if at all, should not be an argument in 2018. The Golden State Killer case may have jolted the investigation around the Zodiac Killer into life, with the use of familial DNA testing - but this scientific advancement is nothing new, having been available through current DNA databases for years. The use of familial DNA testing in the USA has been bedeviled with privacy issues, currently adopted by very few states in America, including California. ​

The implementation or otherwise of familial DNA testing through databases such as CODIS, searching for near matches of blood relatives, could be the difference between apprehending a serial killer such as the Zodiac or Golden State Killer, or not.

There is a possibility that besides the July 31st 1969 letters and others, the items recovered from Lake Berryessa may contain the Zodiac Killer's blood. Often during bladed attacks, the assailant will cut themselves and deposit blood at the crime scene. By all accounts Bryan Hartnell played dead to avoid further repeated stabbing, but unfortunately Cecelia Shepard did not adopt this strategy and hence sustained greater knife injuries to her back and abdomen. If the Zodiac had knowingly left while under the impression one person was still alive, then had he cut himself during the latter part of the attack as the knife became sodden with blood, not dissimilar to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates in Riverside on October 30th 1966. If so, this may provide investigators with the possibility of testing for DNA on the clothing and blanket recovered from Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969. 


On June 9th 1984, Melanie Road, 17, was stabbed to death in Bath, Somerset, England. She had been brutally stabbed 26 times. "A trail of blood matching Hampton's blood group, and later his DNA, was found leading from nearby St Stephen's Road in the direction of his home half a mile away."  Independent.  It was entered into the UK database.
Thirty years later his daughter, then aged 41, was arrested for a domestic incident, leading to a familial DNA match to the genetic fingerprint stored in the database. Christopher Hampton was jailed for 22 years in 2015.

Privacy issues have been argued over the recent Golden State Killer case and aggressively pursued in many American states regarding the use of familial DNA to trace offenders. The same issues have arisen over the use of CCTV trailing our every move. One can ask yourself the question - if the killer of your mother was captured on CCTV or through familial DNA testing, would you argue against its use when it helps you, or only argue against it when it helps somebody else.

If you think the DNA in the Zodiac case is too old and degraded, then think again. Detectives in the 'Little Red Riding Hood' murder of 12-year-old Muriel Drinkwater from Swansea in 1946, extracted DNA from a semen stain on her coat in 2008. This has been touted as "possibly the oldest one in the world to be successfully extracted in a murder investigation. In 2008, a team of retired detectives investigating cold cases found Drinkwater's clothes in storage. Her blue coat, her underwear and school uniform had been wrapped in a paper bag and stored. On the back of the coat, a no-longer visible semen stain was circled with yellow crayon. Scientists successfully retrieved a DNA profile from the stain on the coat. A familial DNA profile was extracted using a technique called Y-STR, but no match was found in the national DNA database. Hubert Hoyles, who saw her after buying eggs at her parent's farm, was cleared by the DNA evidence. He stated he had long been suspected by some locals as the murderer and was happy to clear his name." Wikipedia.

It seems rather odd to now claim with renewed optimism, the possibility of generating a full and complete DNA fingerprint of the Zodiac Killer, when this possibility has been there for years. The recent likely capture of the Golden State Killer has given a much needed 'kick up the backside' to the Zodiac investigation. But it shouldn't have been required.

Michael Morford, an avid Zodiac researcher, conducted an interesting interview with James Owen in 2012 about his recollections on the night of December 20th 1968, in which he seemed rather unaffected or unconcerned about the gravity of the night that ultimately drew him into the Zodiac story. When responding to questions such as "How closely did you follow the case?", he replied "it was no biggie" and was apparently unaware of the month the actual crime occurred. It was a rather curious and subdued interview from somebody involved in what has now become the most infamous unsolved murder case in American history. There is little doubt that James Owen was not the Zodiac Killer, but there are definite conclusions that could be argued from his statements to investigators on December 21st and 24th of 1968. 

[1] 12.21.68 "He states 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".
[2] 12.24.68 "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. He stated as he traveled approximately one quarter of a mile beyond, he thought he heard a shot". He also stated that "just before he approached the scene, a vehicle passed him going in the opposite direction toward Vallejo. He could give no description of the vehicle. This occurred near the Borges Ranch".

​James Owen recalled this vehicle passing him by the Borges Ranch, but no vehicles ahead or behind him as he traveled towards Benicia on Lake Herman Road. This route is an unlit, pitch-black road - and any vehicle's headlights or taillights would have been obviously visible to James Owen had there been one. There is a notable area just past Syar Industries, where the road is relatively straight and flat, and any vehicle ahead of James Owen would be noticeable in the distance. His obvious failure to mention any such vehicle would suggest that when he arrived at the ill-fated turnout and saw the second vehicle alongside the Faraday Rambler, that it simply hadn't just pulled up that instant - it had been there a reasonable amount of time.

David Faraday had taken Betty Lou Jensen out that evening on their first date, charged with taking care of the young woman, and supposedly under a curfew of around 11:00 pm. The autopsy of Betty Lou Jensen showed her bladder was full. These elements therefore make it extremely unlikely that David Faraday, by all accounts a responsible and caring young man, would allow a second vehicle to pull alongside the Rambler in a deserted and dark turnout and just sit there doing nothing, when they have no idea what the occupant of this vehicle had in mind. Additionally, we are of the understanding, that when the Zodiac Killer pulled alongside the Rambler he would have immediately left his vehicle and fired the warning shots into the rear window and headliner of the Rambler to drive the couple from their vehicle. But if he was slightly ahead of James Owen (but out of sight) traveling in the same direction, or had entered the turnout from the Benicia side, he clearly didn't do this, because James Owen stated that he saw no persons "in or around the vehicles" when he arrived at the turnout. He also heard no shots coming from the turnout as he approached. One would assume if he had heard a shot a quarter of a mile after passing the turnout, then he logically would have heard shots a quarter of a mile preceding the turnout - but he didn't.

​The Zodiac Killer, by the fact that James Owen saw no vehicles in front of him, or entering the turnout from the opposite side as he approached the area in question (see below), would indicate the Zodiac Killer had been in the turnout for a measurable amount of time, but failed to initiate his attack on the Rambler the moment he pulled up. We know this, because James Owen failed to see any occupants in or around either vehicle. We also have to believe, David Faraday not only didn't pull out of the turnout in the amount of time from when Zodiac arrived, to the time James Owen arrived, but continued to remain in the turnout for a further 30 seconds (or quarter of a mile) after James Owen passed. The shot that James Owen supposedly heard being the beginning of the attack. Is it reasonable to believe David Faraday, past his curfew, Betty Lou Jensen needing the toilet and a 'mysterious vehicle' parked literally feet to the right side of the Rambler in pitch-black conditions, David Faraday would just sit in his vehicle without doing anything upwards of a minute or more?              

James Owen was clear that nobody was in or around the vehicles as he passed. Therefore, had the attack already begun and the Zodiac Killer had arrived considerably earlier than James Owen, why were the couple supposedly still alive and now out of sight? If the Zodiac Killer had already fired off the warning shots while Owen was out of audible or visible range, he certainly didn't immediately kill the couple the instant they left their vehicle. Let us assume he had already forced the couple out of their vehicle, but as he did so he heard or saw James Owen in the distance - he then had to close the Rambler door and hide the couple out of view, before resuming the attack when he thought James Owen had traveled a reasonable distance past the turnout. But then why did he re-open the Rambler door - the condition it was found in when investigators later arrived? This scenario makes little sense. The further we put James Owen away from the turnout on his approach to it, the more time Zodiac has to begin his attack, and the more time David Faraday has to leave - neither of which apparently happened. The closer we put James Owen to the turnout on his approach to it, the more likely he would have heard any shots fired, and the more likely he would have seen the Zodiac entering the turnout ahead of him, or from the Benicia side. Yet he still saw nobody in or around the vehicles as he passed. 

Peggy Your who passed the turnout before James Owen, stated "As they were driving west on Lake Herman Road at the turn off to the Benicia Water Pumping Station, she observed a Rambler station wagon parked with front end heading east, there were two Caucasians in the front seat, male and female, when the lights from the car came upon the station wagon, the male sat up in the seat. Mrs Your said it was a cold night and she noticed no frost on the station wagon". Are we to assume that when James Owen passed everybody ducked down in their vehicles? Because James Owen heard no shots on his approach to the turnout - by his statement alone - we could conclude that he was out of audible distance from the turnout and therefore a considerable distance away. But again, why did Zodiac supposedly just sit there doing nothing and why did David Faraday fail to leave? One could argue, if it's not logical it's not true.      

Peggy and Homer Your stated that they saw the couple in the Rambler on their approach to the Marshall Ranch and when they passed for a second time returning to Benicia, but saw no second vehicle. ​Fifteen minutes later Stella Medeiros passed the turnout and saw the bodies of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen lying on the turnout floor, cut down by six bullets to the head and back. In between these two eyewitness statements, James Owen saw nobody anywhere "in or around the vehicles".

We cannot rectify the open door conundrum easily. Neither can we explain the inaction of both Zodiac and David Faraday to any great satisfaction - and are we to assume everybody just vanished during this fifteen minute period.
However, it can be resolved if we take away the "dark car" that James Owen couldn't describe - because  it may not have existed.

James Owen stated in the interview with Michael Morford “as I was getting ready to leave work the next morning, a worker on the morning shift came in talking about the crime. When I left work, I passed the scene, and there were police there working, so I stopped and told them what I had seen". It has been suggested that James Owen embellished his version of that night, edging the two vehicles closer to one another and possibly hearing a shot once he had passed the turnout, in his second interview. It wouldn't be the first time somebody exaggerated their recollection of events, as demonstrated by the second version of William Crow's story that night.

There are two schools of thought when approaching this. The eyewitness is just remembering more details about the events, or they are inflating their importance within those events to become more integral to them. This can be seen throughout the Zodiac case - then and now. The sequence of events that night on Lake Herman Road would be a lot easier to explain if James Owen saw one vehicle in the turnout that night, and the Zodiac Killer arrived after James Owen. But believing he may have invented the second vehicle or was mistaken, doesn't make it true.