Blog Archives

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS-CHERI JO BATES

6/25/2022

On October 30th 1966, several earwitnesses reported hearing screams between 10:15pm and 10:45pm from the vicinity of the driveway adjacent to Terracina Drive in Riverside. Robert Graysmith wrote in his Zodiac book that: 'A neighbor heard an awful scream between 10:15pm and 10:45pm, and then about two minutes of silence, and finally the sound of an old car starting up. A man returning to the area at 10:30 pm told us he heard two screams then'. Several people in a nearby apartment building heard screams about 10:30pm. It is clear that more than one person heard these screams. If these screams were a product of the murder of Cheri Jo Bates, then it is extremely unlikely the young woman could have left the library at 9:00pm, failed to start her vehicle, and been aided by a good Samaritan who ultimately lured her away and killed her between 9:15pm and 9:45pm in the nearby driveway. Many people will try to sell you this notion by using the daylight savings argument, when the clocks are turned back one hour. In other words, attempting to change an approximate 10:30pm murder into a 9:30pm murder, by claiming people failed to turn their clocks back.

The clocks were scheduled to be turned back from 2:00am to 1:00am, very early morning, on Sunday, October 30th 1966. This would be 20.5 hours before a 10:30pm murder. Even accepting that most people will likely turn their clocks back when they wake up between, say 7am and 10am on Sunday morning - that still leaves 12.5 to 15.5 hours for the remainder of people to achieve this simple task. So, to believe that every earwitness who reported screams at Riverside failed to turn their clocks back, and made an error by stating 10:30pm rather than 9:30pm, is not realistic. If the screams were Cheri Jo Bates, the murder almost certainly happened at approximately 10:30pm.

ROBERT SALEM-THE COMPLETE STORY

6/24/2022

An amalgamation of articles:
LATEST UPDATE, INCLUDING POLICE REPORTS & PHOTOGRAPHS

Sergeant John Lynch of the Vallejo Police Department received a typewritten card from a "concerned citizen" on August 10th 1969 stating "Dear Sergeant Lynch. I hope the enclosed "key" will prove to be beneficial to you in connection with the cipher letter writer. Working puzzles criptograms and word puzzles is one of my pleasures. Please forgive the absence of my signature or name as I do not wish to have my name in the papers and it could be mentiond by a slip of the tongue. With best wishes. concerned citizen". It also contained a working key to the 408 cipher, which was mailed by the Zodiac Killer in his three "code letters" to the Vallejo Times-Herald, San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner on July 31st 1969. On October 7th 1969, another concerned citizen, this time describing himself as a "good citizen", mailed another cryptic message to Sergeant John Lynch, stating "On occasion, while thinking of the code letters, the pencil wrote:Go to 56 Beach Street. I get the name Jerry, perhaps he knows people or his name is XXXXXXX". The author by mentioning "code letters" is clearly referring to the trinity of communications mailed on July 31st 1969, to which the August 10th 1969 communication provided a key. Despite both the "concerned citizen" and "good citizen" communications being extremely brief in nature, both utilized the word "name" twice. The author of these two communications can be argued to be the Zodiac Killer, who also mailed the April 20th 1970 letter, teasing us with "my name is". Crucially, the "concerned citizen" card and code key had not been released into the public domain by the arrival of the "good citizen" letter.

Recently I have been examining the murder of Robert Michael Salem, who was found stabbed in his 745 Stevenson Street, San Francisco apartment on April 19th 1970. The April 20th 1970 Zodiac Killer letter was received at the San Francisco Chronicle the same day the Robert Salem murder was reported in their newspaper. The letter read "This is the Zodiac speaking. By the way have you cracked the last cipher I sent you? My name is", belatedly followed by "I hope you have fun trying to fiygure out who I killed". The Zodiac Killer chose three Christian symbols in his enclosed 13 character code, that mirrored the Christian symbolism written in blood on the apartment wall of Robert Salem. Above the Japanese tatami mat where Robert Salem's body lay, was the drawing of an Egyptian ankh or "crucified man", along with the wording "Satan Saves" and "Zodiac". The murder of Robert Salem and the April 20th 1970 letter so reeked of Christian symbolism, that it was hard to ignore that the two weren't connected, and led me to believe that the wording "Satan Saves" had some biblical meaning with respect to Robert Salem and his homosexual lifestyle. Whether the drawing of the Egyptian ankh or "crucified man" on the wall of Robert Salem were interchangeable in the mind of the killer is unknown, but the San Francisco Chronicle on April 20th 1970 made no mention of the Egyptian ankh - making the appearance of the Christian anchor in Zodiac's 13-Symbol cipher intriguing. Anchor and ankh have the same phonetic root - and when the Zodiac Killer's crude anchor in the code is superimposed over the ankh drawing on Robert Salem's wall - a full and complete Christian anchor is revealed. .

The ankh (key of life) was commonly held in the hands of ancient Egyptian deities, or being given by them to the pharaoh, to represent their power to sustain life and to revive human souls in the afterlife. The ankh was one of the most common decorative motifs in ancient Egypt and was also used decoratively by neighbouring cultures. Coptic Christians adapted it into the crux ansata, a shape with a circular rather than oval loop (as seen in the image above), and used it as a variant of the Christian cross. The message of "Satan Saves" rather than "Jesus Saves", along with a crucifix style cross, gives the strong impression of a murder with religious connotations, bearing in mind the anti-gay and intolerant Christian attitudes that permeated society in 1970 (and to a lesser extent today). Robert Salem was a gay man, who may have unfortunately attracted somebody with the belief he was a sinner or non-believer - and hence the sarcastic message of "Satan Saves" and the "key of life" being drawn on his stomach. Clearly, the person who drew the symbol and writing, was portraying a message to the viewer (whether a belief sincerely held or not).

The most unusual and notable features inflicted to the body of Robert Salem, were the crucifix style design "drawn" on his stomach and the removal of his left ear. Both of these featured heavily in the crucifixion of Jesus. Simon Peter, a disciple of Jesus, attempted to "save" and protect Jesus from arrest by severing the ear of Malchus, who was a servant of the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas. According to the gospels, Calaphas organized a plot to kill Jesus. The arrest of Jesus was a pivotal event in Christianity recorded in the canonical gospels. It occurred shortly after the Last Supper (during which Jesus gave his final sermon), and immediately after the kiss of Judas, which is traditionally said to have been an act of betrayal since Judas made a deal with the chief priests to arrest Jesus. This event ultimately led, in the Gospel accounts, to the crucifixion of Jesus. Although the right ear of Malchus was severed, as opposed to the left ear of Robert Salem, this was the most viable connection I could find that links the two unusual features discovered by investigators on the body of Robert Salem.

The immediate murder with a Zodiac connection after the "latent homosexual" suggestion was floated in the San Francisco Chronicle, where the Bay Area murderer's pseudonym was found at the crime scene, was the murder of gay man, Robert Salem on April 15th 1970 in San Francisco. The Zodiac Killer's 13-Symbol cipher is arguably contemporary in nature, with his April 20th 1970 letter being mailed the same day this murder was published in the newspapers. Homosexuality and acceptance has been a continuing struggle for gay activists to this day, but the 1960s and 1970s were arguably more difficult times, with newspaper coverage on this topic less than acceptable. Many religious people were unwilling to accept individual rights, claiming that homosexuality was the mark of the beast, and was an abomination in the eyes of God. The writing in blood on Robert Salem's apartment wall stating "Satan Saves" must have had some meaning to the killer - so was it in any way connected to the sexual preferences of Robert Salem? I couldn't help thinking that the "Satan Saves" element written in blood on the apartment wall had a more important role to play, not only in the fact Robert Salem was homosexual, but in the damage inflicted to his body and the removal of his left ear. So I looked for a bible verse that may have been known to the killer.

I also had to be mindful that the bible verse was relevant to perceived "sins of the flesh". In other words, the murderer of Robert Salem had an issue with homosexuality, believing it to be satanic, and wanted to deliver him unto Satan to be saved (see image above). Hence the wording "Satan Saves". 1 Corinthians 5:5 featured Paul, who had commanded the Christians in Corinth to remove from among them a man who was sleeping with his father's wife, a form of sexual immorality that even their own pagan culture condemned. The killer of Robert Salem may have considered his lifestyle the devil's work and a form of sexual immorality, that resulted in "destruction of the flesh" as witnessed by investigators at the crime scene. I also took the "Satan" element from the apartment wall and combined it with the "destruction of the flesh", to create a relevant solution to the 13-Symbol cipher of "Skin A Satanist". Not only did the Zodiac Killer encipher the word "skin" twice in the 148 character cipher in 1971, but it was relevant to the Robert Salem crime scene in April 1970.

Robert Michael Salem was found murdered in his 745 Stevenson Street San Francisco apartment on April 19th 1970, accompanied by the drawing of a religious crux ansata (crucified man) and the words "Satan Saves" scrawled in blood on the wall. This somewhat mirrored the religious characters in the 13 character code mailed by the Zodiac Killer the following day (April 20th 1970), when he posed the question "I hope you have fun trying to fiygure out who I killed". Investigators found no forced entry at Robert Salem's apartment, and little appeared to have been taken from the property, other than possibly some money from an open wallet on a shelf. The crime scene appeared to scream of far more than a simple robbery. This opens up the possibility that Robert Salem was murdered by somebody known to him, or somebody that befriended him with common interests. Robert Salem was a lamp designer, whose products had been exhibited in Japan, England and Russia. His apartment certainly showed an Oriental influence, with a Japanese hurricane lamp hanging from the ceiling, tree trunks prominent in the apartment in the style of Japanese tea houses, and he was discovered murdered wearing Oriental lounging clothes on top of a Japanese tatami mat.

Three months after this crime, the Zodiac Killer mailed the Little List letter on July 26th 1970, paraphrasing two acts from The Mikado, a Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera set in Japan. The first act he paraphrased was entitled A More Humane Mikado, followed by As Some Day It May Happen, in which victims or society offenders must be found, and who would never be missed. His introduction in the communication detailed how he would torture his victims in paradise, stating in one part: "Others I shall skin them alive + let them run around screaming". In the middle of 1971, the Zodiac Killer would again mention the skinning of victims, when he encrypted the following in his 148 character cipher: "If this is not on the front page in a week I will skin 3 little kids and make a suit from the skin", and wrote in accompaniment to the cipher "Next time I will send a patch of human skin". This is why I found the phrase "Skin A Satanist" very interesting, when from a cryptology standpoint, it satisfied the 13 character code on April 20th 1970, arriving the same day the Robert Salem story broke in the San Francisco Chronicle detailing the "Satan Saves" on the apartment wall. Robert Salem was effectively skinned, when his left ear was severed and taken from the crime scene. On January 29th 1974, the Zodiac Killer would again recite a section from The Mikado, using a verse from Tit-Willow. Not only did he paraphrase the Japanese based opera, but he added some Oriental characters at the foot of the letter. One line in this act reminded me of the introduction in the April 20th 1970 (My Name Is letter). It read "Now I feel just as sure as I'm sure that my name Isn't Willow, titwillow, titwillow",

Robert Salem was a flamboyant character with an interest in the arts, having been the lighting designer for the historic Haslett Warehouse at 680 Beach Street, San Francisco in 1969. Other than the mention of Washington and Maple streets on October 13th 1969, the only other street the Zodiac Killer ever imentioned in his communications (if authentic} was when he mailed a letter to Sergeant John Lynch on October 7th 1969, when he wrote ''Go to 56 Beach Street. I get the name Jerry, perhaps he knows people or his name is XXXXXXX''. So, was the Zodiac Killer in the apartment of Robert Salem in April 1970?

Cragle, an excellent Zodiac researcher who contributes to both forums, sent Michael Morford some invaluable information that he knew I would like (and Mike subsequently added some extra findings). It was fantastic news. A letter was possibly mailed by the Zodiac Killer on October 7th 1969, containing the wording ''Go to 56 Beach Street. I get the name Jerry, perhaps he knows people or his name is XXXXXXX'' (and mentioned code letters). This letter can now be inextricably linked to the Concerned Citizen card postmarked August 10th 1969, which gave us a key to the 408 cipher, mailed by the Zodiac Killer within three "code letters" on July 31st 1969. The 56 Beach Street address never existed in 1969, only on street planning maps. Cragle found a Carl John Welz (married to Jerry Hatcher) who were working at 680 Beach Street, San Francisco and living at 2529 Union Street, San Francisco in 1969, He had a Batchelor and Master of Arts, taught in many public and private schools and was well known in Christian science circles, with a mentioned periodical from him in 1967 (see below).

If this was the "Jerry" a possible Zodiac Killer was referring to, then this is an enormous find, Carl John Welz (and wife) would most likely have been working at 680 Beach Street at the same time as Robert Michael Salem, who was murdered by somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer on April 15th 1970. Throughout 1969, Robert Salem worked as the lighting designer for the historic Haslett Warehouse at 680 Beach Street. Carl John Welz wrote an anti gay article entitled Homosexuality Can Be Healed, so the fact that murdered Robert Salem was a homosexual, with the wording "Satan Saves" and a "crucified man" drawn in blood on his apartment wall, with the pseudonym Zodiac present also, makes this is a significant find. We can now connect the August 10th and October 7th 1969 communications, link the name "Jerry" to the Haslett Warehouse at 680 Beach Street, and to murder victim Robert Salem, who also worked there - and finally - combine the religious overtones from the above article to the apartment wall, and to the Zodiac Killer's 13-Symbol cipher..

"JERRY" AT 680 BEACH STREET

6/23/2022

Cragle, an excellent Zodiac researcher who contributes to both forums, sent Michael Morford some invaluable information that he knew I would like (and Mike subsequently added some extra findings). It was fantastic news. A letter was possibly mailed by the Zodiac Killer on October 7th 1969, containing the wording ''Go to 56 Beach Street. I get the name Jerry, perhaps he knows people or his name is XXXXXXX'' (and mentioned code letters). This letter can now be inextricably linked to the Concerned Citizen card postmarked August 10th 1969, which gave us a key to the 408 cipher, mailed by the Zodiac Killer within three "code letters" on July 31st 1969. The 56 Beach Street address never existed in 1969, only on street planning maps. Cragle found a Carl John Welz (married to Jerry Hatcher) who were working at 680 Beach Street, San Francisco and living at 2529 Union Street, San Francisco in 1969, He had a Batchelor and Master of Arts, taught in many public and private schools and was well known in Christian science circles, with a mentioned periodical from him in 1967 (see below).

If this was the "Jerry" a possible Zodiac Killer was referring to, then this is an enormous find, Carl John Welz (and wife) would most likely have been working at 680 Beach Street at the same time as Robert Michael Salem, who was murdered by somebody claiming to be the Zodiac Killer on April 15th 1970. Throughout 1969, Robert Salem worked as the lighting designer for the historic Haslett Warehouse at 680 Beach Street. Carl John Welz wrote an anti gay article entitled Homosexuality Can Be Healed, so the fact that murdered Robert Salem was a homosexual, with the wording "Satan Saves" and a "crucified man" drawn in blood on his apartment wall, with the pseudonym Zodiac present also, makes this is a significant find. We can now connect the August 10th and October 7th 1969 communications, possibly link the name "Jerry" to the Haslett Warehouse at 680 Beach Street and to murder victim Robert Salem, and finally, combine the religious overtones from the article to the apartment wall.

LATEST UPDATE, INCLUDING POLICE REPORTS & PHOTOGRAPHS

Thanks to Cragle and Mike.

ASSOCIATED ARTICLES:
ANCHORS AWEIGH
ROBERT SALEM-A ZODIAC MURDER?
A CONTEMPORARY CODE ON APRIL 20TH 1970
THE ZODIAC KILLER-DRIVEN BY DEVIANCY
A SATANIC MESSAGE IN CODE?
THE "SKIN MARKINGS" ON ROBERT SALEM
DELIVER UNTO SATAN
MURDER THROUGH THEATRE?

KENNETH MAINS EXAMINES THE MURDER OF CHERI JO BATES

6/22/2022

Kenneth Mains

Kenneth Mains, cold case detective, private investigator, former undercover FBI operative and best selling author (to name just a few of his credentials), now runs the extremely popular and burgeoning Youtube channel Unsolved No More, currently standing at 58,000 subscribers as of June 22nd 2022. His Youtube channel features an array of different cases, including the Delphi Murders, Sam Sheppard, The Springfield Three, Ted Bundy, The Starved Rock Murders, The Yoghurt Shop Murders, and many more. Most of you may be familiar with Ken Mains, when he partnered with Sal LaBarbera for the five part docudrama entitled The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer in 2017, which featured the Riverside murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966.

Cheri Josephine Bates (18) was brutally murdered in a dirt driveway adjacent to the Riverside City College library annex by a knife-wielding assailant, who has remained unidentified for nearly 56 years. The murder appeared premeditated, with her prized lime green Volkswagen Beetle found disabled about 325 feet from her body, parked just 90 feet east of the library entrance. Ken Mains is about to release another video, re-examining the many facets of this unexplained and intriguing case, in which justice has remained elusive for far too long. To view his latest Youtube video on Cheri Jo Bates (to be released on Thursday, June 23rd 2022) and the many other cases he has delved into, please click here. To visit the website of Detective Kenneth L. Mains, click the image on the left.

MURDER THROUGH THEATRE?

6/17/2022

Three months after this crime, the Zodiac Killer mailed the Little List letter on July 26th 1970, paraphrasing two acts from The Mikado, a Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera set in Japan. The first act he paraphrased was entitled A More Humane Mikado, followed by As Some Day It May Happen, in which victims or society offenders must be found, and who would never be missed. His introduction in the communication detailed how he would torture his victims in paradise, stating in one part: "Others I shall skin them alive + let them run around screaming". In the middle of 1971, the Zodiac Killer would again mention the skinning of victims, when he encrypted the following in his 148 character cipher: "If this is not on the front page in a week I will skin 3 little kids and make a suit from the skin", and wrote in accompaniment to the cipher "Next time I will send a patch of human skin". This is why I found the phrase "Skin A Satanist" very interesting, when from a cryptology standpoint, it satisfied the 13 character code on April 20th 1970, arriving the same day the Robert Salem story broke in the San Francisco Chronicle detailing the "Satan Saves" on the apartment wall. Robert Salem was effectively skinned, when his left ear was severed and taken from the crime scene. On January 29th 1974, the Zodiac Killer would again recite a section from The Mikado, using a verse from Tit-Willow. Not only did he paraphrase the Japanese based opera, but he added some Oriental characters at the foot of the letter. One line in this act reminded me of the introduction in the April 20th 1970 (My Name Is letter). It read "Now I feel just as sure as I'm sure that my name Isn't Willow, titwillow, titwillow",

Robert Salem was a flamboyant character with an interest in the arts, having been the lighting designer for the historic Haslett Warehouse at 680 Beach Street, San Francisco in 1969. Other than the mention of Washington and Maple streets on October 13th 1969, the only other street the Zodiac Killer ever imentioned in his communications (if authentic} was when he mailed a letter to Sergeant John Lynch on October 7th 1969, when he wrote ''Go to 56 Beach Street. I get the name Jerry, perhaps he knows people or his name is XXXXXXX''. So, was the Zodiac Killer in the apartment of Robert Salem in April 1970?

LATEST UPDATE, INCLUDING POLICE REPORTS & PHOTOGRAPHS

ASSOCIATED ARTICLES:
ANCHORS AWEIGH
ROBERT SALEM-A ZODIAC MURDER?
A CONTEMPORARY CODE ON APRIL 20TH 1970
THE ZODIAC KILLER-DRIVEN BY DEVIANCY
A SATANIC MESSAGE IN CODE?
THE "SKIN MARKINGS" ON ROBERT SALEM
DELIVER UNTO SATAN

DELIVER UNTO SATAN

6/7/2022

Recently I have been examining the horrific murder of Robert Salem (40), stabbed seven times in his 745 Stevenson Street, San Francisco apartment on April 15th 1970. Robert was a gay man, whose lifestyle may have attracted the attention of the Zodiac Killer or another sick individual, who left many clues at the crime scene to suggest a religious element to the comissmion of this murder. Either that, or the person responsible wanted us to draw this conclusion. The murderer of Robert Salem had written "Satan Saves", "Zodiac", and drawn an Egyptian ankh (or crux ansata/cross surmounted by a loop) in blood on the apartment wall. The same day this story broke in the newspapers, on April 20th 1970, the Zodiac Killer mailed a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle with a short thirteen character code containing a Christian anchor, Celtic cross (a form of Christian cross) and 888 (the number representing Jesus in Christian numerology). Not only did the Christian element span both crime scene and letter, the ear of Robert Salem was also severed and removed from the crime scene by the killer. The murderer had also drawn a crucifix style design on Robert Salem's stomach.

In a previous article, it was noted that both of these featured heavily in the crucifixion of Jesus. Simon Peter, a disciple of Jesus, attempted to "save" and protect Jesus from arrest by severing the ear of Malchus, who was a servant of the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas. According to the gospels, Calaphas organized a plot to kill Jesus. The arrest of Jesus was a pivotal event in Christianity recorded in the canonical gospels. It occurred shortly after the Last Supper (during which Jesus gave his final sermon), and immediately after the kiss of Judas, which is traditionally said to have been an act of betrayal since Judas made a deal with the chief priests to arrest Jesus. This event ultimately led, in the Gospel accounts, to the crucifixion of Jesus. Although the right ear of Malchus was severed, as opposed to the left ear of Robert Salem, this was the most viable connection I could find that links the two unusual features discovered by investigators on the body of Robert Salem. However, I couldn't help thinking that the "Satan Saves" element written in blood on the apartment wall had a more important role to play, not only in the fact Robert Salem was homosexual, but in the damage inflicted to his body and the removal of his left ear. So I looked for a bible verse that may have been known to the killer.

I also had to be mindful that the bible verse was relevant to perceived "sins of the flesh". In other words, the murderer of Robert Salem had an issue with homosexuality, believing it to be satanic, and wanted to deliver him unto Satan to be saved (see left image). Hence the wording "Satan Saves".

1 Corinthians 5:5 featured Paul, who had commanded the Christians in Corinth to remove from among them a man who was sleeping with his father's wife, a form of sexual immorality that even their own pagan culture condemned. The killer of Robert Salem may have considered his lifestyle the devil's work and a form of sexual immorality, that resulted in "destruction of the flesh" as witnessed by investigators at the crime scene.

I also took the "Satan" element from the apartment wall and combined it with the "destruction of the flesh", to create a relevant solution to the 13-Symbol cipher of "Skin A Satanist". Not only did the Zodiac Killer encipher the word "skin" twice in the 148 character cipher in 1971, but it was relevant to the Robert Salem crime scene in April 1970.

LATEST UPDATE, INCLUDING POLICE REPORTS & PHOTOGRAPHS

SERIAL KILLER Z TO A: SEASON ONE: THE ZODIAC KILLER. CREATED BY STEVE BEAUMONT, JACK COOPER AND NED DEHAN

6/6/2022

Created by Steve Beaumont, Jack Cooper and narrated by Ned DeHan of Black Box Online Radio, you can now listen to episodes 1 to 9 of their true crime podcast, Serial Killer Z To A, by clicking on the relevant images to each podcast below. In this true crime podcast series they will take a deep dive into some of the most notorious, despicable, evil serial killers of all time. Each season will follow the case of one serial killer from beginning to end in chronological order, the way the police investigation took place. In this serial killer podcast you will join the detectives as they learn about the victims, investigate the crime and crime scene, look into suspects and look for clues. As you follow the investigation the narrative will take many twists and turns, and venture down many unexpected avenues. The format of the podcast is one narrator delivering the case to you in a story format similar to Casefile Podcast. In this first serial killer podcast series they focus on what is, perhaps, the greatest unsolved serial killer case and murder mystery of all time: The Zodiac Killer. Join them in this new true crime podcast. The setting is Northern California in the late 1960s: a serial killer targets young couples in lover’s lanes. 5 are dead. He calls the police and victim’s families, sends letters detailing his twisted deeds, along with ciphers which, if solved, promise they will reveal his identity. Witchcraft. Murder mystery. Bomb threats. Varying witness descriptions. Conspiracies. A litany of suspected victims. Events that are more unbelievable than the plot of a Saw screenplay. More suspects than an Agatha Christie novel, and a main suspect who everything seems to point to, apart from handwriting and DNA. For people who appreciate true crime podcasts and serial killer podcast and also for those who like a narrative true crime podcast. This is the story of the Zodiac Killer. The first half of their 30 episode serial killer podcast series will be scripted story format episodes. The second half will consist of interviews with well respected researchers and authors who have a deep knowledge of the case and many of the suspects. Season one will focus on the case of The Zodiac Killer. Future Seasons of Serial Killer Z To A will cover a range of different serial killers and will be of interest to those who are looking for an insight into the mind of a serial killer. If you are a true crime aficionado, this podcast could be for you. This is Serial Killer Z To A... Click the images below for the first nine episodes of season one.

In the early 1960s, Southern California was a hotbed of crime, and many murders were committed which still remain unsolved. In this serial killer podcast we delve into 4 such cases. After an anonymous call was made to police, a local cab driver, Ray Davis, was shot at point blank range. A year later a teenage couple, Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards were slain as they enjoyed a romantic day on the beach together. Months later, newly-wed couple Johnny and Joyce Swindle were gunned down in an eerily similar attack. And then, just 2 years later 18-year-old co-ed, Cheri Jo Bates, was brutally stabbed to death after leaving her local college library the day before Halloween. The heartless killer would send letters to the press and police confessing he had committed the murder, and also sent letters to taunt her family. Could all of these murders been committed by a serial killer? or serial killers? Could this killer have gone on to become the Zodiac Killer?

In this new episode of our serial killer podcast, we take a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, Northern California, 5 days before Xmas 1968. The teenage couple of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen go on their first date, and find themselves in a lover's lane, in Benicia, on a pitch dark night. An unknown car parks beside them. Within a matter of minutes the pair have been gunned down in cold blood. Join us in this serial killer podcast several months later, Independence Day 1969, Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau take a trip out to Blue Rock Springs Park, only a couple of miles from Benicia, to enjoy some quality time with each other. After a few moments the young couple find themselves the victims of a horrific attack, being shot multiple times at point blank range. Is it possible that these two crimes were the work of a serial killer? Moments after the pair have been left for dead, an anonymous call is made to the Vallejo Police Department. The caller reports the double shooting and informs the call dispatcher that he was the guilty party. He then mocks the dispatcher as he hangs up. Although the authorities never realized it, the hunt for the Zodiac Killer was only just beginning. Listen to this serial killer podcast to find out what happened next.

On a balmy September evening in 1969, Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard took a drive out to the picturesque Lake Berryessa in Napa County to enjoy some quality time together before Cecelia went to Riverside to study. The young couple never had any idea of the terrifying ordeal that they would experience in this idyllic setting. Whilst they shaded themselves under two large oak trees out on the tip of a peninsula Cecelia saw someone coming towards them, Bryan thought nothing of it. Cecelia watched him coming closer and closer until she told Bryan, “he's got a gun!”. Their assailant was indeed brandishing a gun, and he had a 12 inch knife hanging from his belt and he wore a terrifying executioner's style hood with a cross circle on the front of it. Bryan and Cecelia were about to become the next victims of the Zodiac Killer. In the investigation which followed this heinous crime it became apparent to the authorities that they were dealing with a serial killer the likes of which they had never seen before. Listen to this serial killer podcast to find out what happened next.

In episode 4 of our serial killer podcast, Paul Stine, a 29-year-old taxicab driver, is working the Saturday late shift driving his yellow taxi through the streets of San Francisco. He stops to pick up a fare in the theatre district and is asked to drive to Presidio Heights, an upscale neighbourhood. When Stine arrives at the destination his passenger grabs him and shoots him in the head. Paul is dead in an instant, and has just had the terrible misfortune of becoming the latest victim of the Zodiac Killer. In the days following this senseless killing the Zodiac would send a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle with irrefutable proof that he was the man behind it. He taunts the police too, telling them that despite the fact he was witnessed fleeing the scene and they could have caught him, he still remains at large and goes on to detail what may be his most sickening plan yet.

This is episode 5 of our serial killer podcast, and in this episode we take a look at one of the more peculiar happenings in the Zodiac Killer saga. It is an early October morning in 1969, just days after the brutal slaying of San Francisco taxicab driver Paul Stine, when a phone call is placed to the Oakland Police Department. The caller claims that they are the Zodiac, and demands to speak to either F. Lee Bailey or Melvin Belli on the Jim Dunbar show at 6AM. SFPD detectives Dave Toschi and Bill Armstrong are tasked with bringing the flamboyant San Francisco lawyer Melvin Belli to the KGOTV Studios ahead of this unknown person calling in to the show. What plays out during this early morning TV show was unforgettable for those who watched it live. Melvin Belli arranges a one on one meeting with the caller, what will happen? Will this caller who is claiming to be a serial killer show up? Keep watching our serial killer podcast to find out! In the aftermath of the call the police work frantically to trace who the caller was, in the hopes that they would be able to bring justice to the victims of the Zodiac Killer. However, as it would turn out, this caller was not quite who they were expecting.

In episode 6 of Season 1 of our brand new serial killer podcast, which focuses on the case of the Zodiac Killer, we take a terrifying midnight trip along a deserted highway..In this episode of the serial killer podcast. Kathleen Johns is making the long trip from her home in San Bernardino to visit her mother in Petaluma on March 22nd 1970. It is an 8 hour drive, so Kathleen decides to make the drive in the late evening when her baby daughter is asleep. After a few hours driving in the dark, on the foggy road, Kathleen notices that another car appears to be following her. After a few miles this mystery car tries to flag the young mother down. Kathleen eventually pulls over and the other driver stops to tell her that her rear wheel is wobbling and offers to fix it. Kathleen is grateful for his help, but moments later the wheel falls off completely and the stranger offers her a ride to a service station. Could this be the last car journey Kathleen ever makes? Could this mystery man be a serial killer who trawls the highways and byways looking for vulnerable victims? Could he be the Zodiac Killer? Keep listening to our serial killer podcast to find out! Later in the episode we meet the man who would become the first real suspect in the case of the Zodiac Killer. The man certainly behaved oddly, but would he turn out to be the infamous hooded serial killer?

This is episode 7 of our serial killer podcast, Serial Killer Z to A. In this latest instalment of the serial killer podcast we learn about Richard Radetich, a San Francisco police officer who was murdered in the line of duty on June 19th 1970. During their investigations the authorities struggled to come up with a suspect for this heinous crime, and this was the case until a letter was mailed in from the Zodiac Killer, and he appeared to claim credit for this brutal killing. Was this despicable serial killer really the guilty party, or was he merely trying to enhance his notoriety in the Bay Area? Later in this serial podcast episode we look into the case of 25-year-old nurse Donna Ann Lass. Donna was last seen moments before she finished working the late shift at the nurse's station in the Sahara Tahoe Casino, one early September night in 1970. Donna was never seen after her shift finished, she appeared to have vanished into thin air. Her family were left devastated and vowed to leave no stone unturned. However, they were unable to find any trace of their daughter. A postcard which was delivered to Paul Avery at the San Francisco Chronicle, which appeared to have come from the Zodiac Killer, claimed to be responsible for the abduction and murder of Donna. Listen to this full serial killer podcast to find out exactly what happened.

This is episode 8 of our serial killer podcast series, Serial Killer Z to A. In this brand new serial killer podcast episode we learn about Arthur Leigh Allen, a Vallejo resident who would become the most infamous suspect in this serial killer case. There was a lot of evidence against Arthur Leigh Allen, including some particularly incriminating testimony from a college friend called Donald Cheney. The question is though, is the evidence correct and trustworthy? Was Arthur Leigh Allen Zodiac? Join us in this episode of our serial killer podcast as we uncover all of the evidence which brought Arthur Leigh Allen to the attention of the police in 1971, and we will discuss and examine the evidence in order to try and reach a conclusion on whether or not Arthur Leigh Allen was the infamous serial killer. This is one episode of our serial killer podcast that you do not want to miss!

This is episode 9 of our serial killer podcast, Serial Killer Z to A. In this brand new episode of the serial killer podcast we learn about a rather interesting confession which was made to a lawyer. As the case drags on into the mid 1970s the detectives on the case start thinking outside the box for ways to try and track down the killer, including utilising the help of a psychic and interviewing the members of a San Francisco production of The Mikado. Will this lead to them finding the monster that is The Zodiac? Later in the podcast, we look into the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders. This was a series of senseless and brutal murders which took place in Santa Rosa, California, between 1972 and 1973. As many as 8 young women, aged between 12 and 23, were picked up as they hitchhiked, then they were abducted and murdered before being dumped by the side of the highway. These murders have never been solved. Could the Zodiac be the culprit behind them? We also dive into the case of Dana Lull, a 15-year-old who was abducted and murdered as she spent time with her boyfriend. There are chilling echoes between the murders of Betty Lou Jensen, David Faraday and Darlene Ferrin and this case. Could Dana have been one of The Zodiac's later victims? Listen to this full serial killer podcast to find out exactly what happened.

FOR CONTINUING EPISODES NOT FEATURED HERE, PLEASE CLICK YOUR PREFERRED PODCAST PLATFORM BELOW TO FOLLOW SERIAL KILLER Z TO A

TWO DIAMONDS IN JUNE

6/6/2022

Postmarked Vallejo on Thursday, June 18th 1970, two Oakland A's baseball tickets were mailed to Gerald Tagert of 1423 Roleen Drive in Vallejo, wrapped in a piece of paper with the message "Gift from Zodiac". The tickets for the baseball game were dated Saturday, June 20th 1970. It appeared that "Zodiac" or the impersonator wanted the couple to vacate their house and attend the baseball game in two days time. This communication was not released to the public and has only surfaced in recent years. Just over two years later, on Thursday, June 29th 1972 (and 18 miles west of Roleen Drive), Edward J. Salmina of 25 Crescent Lane, Novato received a death threat signed "Zodiac", stating "If you leave your house past 3:13:47 on the next ten Saturdays, you will be killed". Edward J. Salmina was a sports editor of the Novato Advance newspaper for 33 years and was a staunch baseball fan, who funded and managed the Novato Knicks team, while also having served as a sports correspondent for The Examiner newspaper. The specific threat on Salmina to not leave his house on ten consecutive Saturdays was almost certainly connected to his management of the Novato Knicks baseball team, thereby preventing his coaching of the team during this period of time.

We have two June communications separated by two years, both extremely brief in nature and connected to baseball, with both signed by the pseudonym "Zodiac" and mailed on the Thursday before the Saturday in question. Each letter was focused on the Saturday, The Oakland A's tickets were chosen for Saturday, June 20th 1970, encouraging the recipients to leave their house on 1423 Roleen Drive and attend the baseball game, whereas the letter to Edward J. Salmina on June 29th 1972 was encouraging him not to leave his house on the next ten Saturdays (and probably threatening him not to attend the baseball). The second author in 1972, if different to the one in 1970, could never have imitated the original threat without inside knowledge.

Particular dates were the overriding focus of each letter, involving eleven Saturdays in total. The only other time the Zodiac Killer made reference to a specific date he would kill, is when he mailed the trinity of communications to the Vallejo Times-Herald, San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday, July 31st 1969, stating to the Chronicle that "the other 2 parts of this cipher are being mailed to the editors of the Vallejo Times and SF Examiner. I want you to print this cipher on the front page of your paper. In this cipher is my idenity. If you do not print this cipher by the afternoon of Fry.1st of Aug 69, 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". These specific threats to kill, again occurring on a Thursday, just one or two days before the intended premise of the letter.

The 1972 Novato letter threatening to kill Edward J. Salmina contained a series of symbols under the heading "message" (believed to be a short code). This is extremely interesting, because the next letter we know of (claimed to be from Zodiac) also contained a short code, while claiming he would kill on a specific date. The author of the Albany letter, mailed to the Albany Times Union newspaper in New York on August 1st 1973 and targeting the Albany Medical Center, promised to "kill her on August 10th at 5:00pm". The author of this letter gave a specific time he would murder, just like the author of the Novato letter who stated "If you leave your house past 3:13:47 on the next ten Saturdays, you will be killed". This was unique to both these letters. Although the Albany message was issued on a Wednesday for a week Friday, it was again issued with time being the central focus. The two 1970 Oakland A's tickets bore a time and date, the 1972 Novato letter bore a time and ten dates, as did the Albany letter in 1973. All three letters were aimed at a specific individual - Gerald Tagert, Edward J.Salmina and Connie Henly (from the decoded portion).