On October 22nd 1969 and February 5th 1970, the hoaxer called "Sam the sham" phoned into the Jim Dunbar Show at KGO-TV, both times passing himself off as the infamous Zodiac Killer. On both occasions this would be met with derision from the real Zodiac Killer, who used the newspaper headlines to incorporate into his 340 and 148 character ciphers on November 8th 1969 and May 1971. The San Francisco Chronicle headlines on October 24th 1969 stated "It Wasn't Zodiac, Say 3 Who Know", to which the Zodiac replied in the 340 cipher "That Wasn't Me on the TV Show". The San Francisco Chronicle headlined with "Talk Show's Zodiac Caller Called a Phony" on February 6th 1970 and wiith "San Jose Student Held in Slaying of 3 Girls" on April 30th 1971, to which Zodiac replied in his 148 character cipher with "I Will Skin 3 Little Kids" and "Stop Listening to Phonys" sometime in May 1971.

​Despite the 340 cipher being unbroken in 1971, both ciphers were referring to Eric Weill, ultimately found responsible for the Jim Dunbar hoax. The phonys Zodiac was referring to in his 148 character cipher were Eric Weill and Karl Francis Werner, the latter of which, had recently been arrested and questioned by detectives for the murder of Kathy Bilek on April 11th 1971 in Saratoga, and the murders of Kathie Snoozy & Debra Furlong on August 3rd 1969 in San Jose, which the Zodiac Killer had long claimed were his victims. He would compound matters by adding Kathy Bilek to his victim total when he mailed the Monticello card on July 13th 1971.

On December 7th 1969, the same day somebody impersonated the Jim Dunbar caller when phoning an Oklahoma radio station, another Zodiac letter arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle impersonating the Jim Dunbar caller, stating "I Just Need Help" and "I Will Turn Myself In". Bearing in mind that this letter pre-empted the Melvin Belli letter on December 20th 1969 that thrice pleaded "please help me", there was a more than a good chance that the 38 character code that accompanied this letter, concealed a message about Melvin Belli and the hoax phone call to the Jim Dunbar Show. There would also be a high probability that the Zodiac Killer would use a recent newspaper article for his hidden 38 character message, continuing this theme. 

On October 23rd 1969, the Los Angeles Times newspaper published an article entitled "I Want Help Zodiac Caller Tells Attorney on Telephone", with the accompanying text stating "I Don't Want To Give Myself Up". This was clearly mimicked in the December 7th 1969 letter, when the Zodiac Killer stated "I Just Need Help" and "I Will Turn Myself In". But what had he possibly taken from the newspaper to incorporates into his 38 character code? The wording accompanying the picture of Melvin Belli in the newspaper read "Attorney Melvin Belli in phone booth at a San Francisco television station talking to caller who said he was the Zodiac Killer. Caller made an appointment but didn't keep it". 

​It is the headline text accompying the Melvin Belli picture that I considered the Zodiac Killer probably responded to, just like he did when composing his 340 and 148 character ciphers. I worked out a viable message in the Z38 that read "TRYING TIMES. SO I NEED APPOINTMENT TO GET HELP". This wasn't the "good times" Zodiac was used to, but the formulated  message is in keeping with the rhetoric displayed in the Melvin Belli letter on December 20th 1969, and with the headline text in the Los Angeles Times newspaper. I am not claiming this is the answer to the 38 character code, but it does conform to the standards of cryptology, with the coded message and accompanying writing in the letter congruent with the story in the Los Angeles Times newspaper on October 23rd 1969. 

Nine days later, on December 16th 1969, another letter mailed from Fairfield was probably inspired by another newspaper story from the Los Angeles Times, when the Zodiac Killer began his communication with "I just want to tell you this state is in trouble. I will go for the government life. So don't forget me. I will kill more people than you can count. So look for more blood.".
The newspaper article (edited for conciseness below) was published in the Los Angeles Times on December 16th 1969, a matter of hours before the second Fairfield letter was mailed with an afternoon postmark. The opening line of Zodiac's letter began with "I just want to tell you this state is in trouble", which is synonymous with the newspaper article that headlined with "State Furnishes List of Murders Similar to 7 Slayings Here", as well as the opening paragraph of the article that adds "State officials have provided Los Angeles police with details of 30 unsolved murders", and the sub-headline of "All Murders Logged by State". 
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​The Zodiac Killer would counter the list provided by state officials with a list of his own. At the foot of his December 16th 1969 Fairfield letter he would give us a list of locations and the number of police he promised to kill in each city (38 in total). This would develop in later communications, in which the Zodiac Killer gave us a list of "society offenders" to be targeted when he plagiarized verses from The Mikado, a Savoy comic opera crafted by Sir William Schwenck Gilbert and Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan,  released in London on March 14th 1885.

Government Official means any officer, employee or other individual acting in an official capacity for a Governmental Authority or agency or instrumentality thereof (including any state-owned or controlled enterprise). This may explain the Zodiac Killer's use of the phrase "government life" in his letter. It appeared that the second Fairfield letter was specifically responding to this newspaper article (see below) - both of which corresponded to one date. Susan Denise Atkins (21), one of six persons charged with the Tate-LaBiaca murders, provided information to police where they could find items of disposed bloody clothing related to the Cielo Drive attack, detailed in the article as "A station spokesman said the clothes, stained with what appeared to be blood and knotted in a bundle were turned over to police". I have highlighted these below in reference to the Zodiac Killer's statement of "look for more blood" in the Fairfield letter. The police were effectively dispatched to look for items of clothing stained with blood in the Tate-LaBianca slayings, to which Zodiac suggested there would be more blood in future for police to find. 

MORE READING:  THE "TRYING TIMES" OF THE ZODIAC KILLER?

Several earwitnesses described hearing screams the night of Cheri Jo Bates' murder in Riverside on October 30th 1966, such as this one reported in the newspapers; "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". Another report stated "A girl tenant in an apartment only a few doors from the dirt driveway where the body was discovered, told the detectives that she heard screaming and yelling about 10:30 pm. Then I heard a muted scream, and then a loud sound like an old car being started up - this was about two minutes after I heard the first scream". Both earwitnesses (a man and girl) highlighted two screams at about 10:30pm, but no more. None of the 6 incised wounds to the torso (3 to chest, 1 to back and 2 to the right arm) of Cheri Jo Bates were fatal - and wouldn't have interfered with her ability to run and scream incessantly, yet these were the only two screams reported. 

The Confession letter author claimed "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. Her breast felt very warm and firm under my hands. But only one thing was on my mind. Making her pay for all the brush offs that she had given me during the years prior. She died hard. She squirmed and shook as I chocked her, and her lips twiched". None of the newspaper articles described Cheri Jo Bates being restrained around the neck, and her mouth being obstructed prior to the Confession letter on November 29th 1966, because this would only have been known to the killer (and possibly through examining the autopsy report). This claim by the author of the Confession letter would explain why Cheri Jo Bates didn't immediately scream when initially attacked. The grabbing of the neck and obstruction of her mouth, claimed to be the first actions by the killer that night, prevented the young woman from doing so. As explained in an earlier examination of the autopsy report, this is when the author of the Confession letter stated "she died hard", and when the killer likely began thrusting the knife backwards into the breast region and right arm of Cheri (which she may have used in a defensive motion across her chest). The close grouping of wounds to her breast region and upper right arm being the "only" 5 stab wounds to her front upper body. In an unrestrained scenario, in which Cheri Jo Bates had freedom of movement, one might expect more screams and less wound grouping. 

The Confession letter author then concedes that Cheri Jo Bates had shifted position when he claimed he "kicked her head to shut her up". He cannot do this while still choking her. The author stated he kicked her because "she let out a scream once". This could very well have occurred when he released his grip on her throat and thrust her forward onto the driveway floor. The author then claimed he "plunged the knife into her". A killer grabbing Cheri Jo Bates from behind, who then pushes her to the ground and delivers a sixth strike from the knife, would ultimately deliver one knife wound to her back (which is the only wound noted to her rear torso at autopsy). A second, muffled scream during this part of the attack may have been all Cheri Jo Bates could muster at this point, restricted by being pressed into the ground while the sixth and final knife blow was administered. The remainder of the attack being the 7 slices drawn across the neck of Cheri Jo Bates to prevent any more screams. The petechia described on the forehead at autopsy, along with the 2cm ragged edge non-gaping laceration to her upper lip, is consistent with a killer choking and kicking Cheri Jo Bates.

The author of the Confession letter may have weaved his story around the screams reported by earwitnesses in the newspapers, and inadvertently (and somewhat) matched the autopsy report by sheer luck. Regardless of this argument, it is important to give some weight to the notion of the author and killer being one and the same. Previously, it has been stated on this website that the murder of Cheri Jo Bates was a prolonged and brutal attack, probably lasting upwards of one minute. However, the 6 stab wounds to her upper torso and right arm, along with the 7 neck injuries described at autopsy, could have been inflicted in as little as 20 seconds (or less). Would we have expected more screams from Cheri Jo Bates if the attack was dynamic and absent of restraint? There were 5 knife wounds to her front upper region (2 left breast, 1 right breast, 2 upper right arm) and a maximum of 3 possible knife wounds to her hands described at autopsy. That is 5 knife strikes and a potential 3 defensive wounds as the blade glanced her left and right hand as it passed by. If her right and left hand were shielding her respective breast region, then it must be noted that her left breast received 2 stab wounds and her left hand received 2 stab wounds, with her right breast receiving 1 stab wound and her right hand receiving 1 stab wound (see below). All the remaining injuries to her hands were described as abrasions at autopsy (likely as a result of impact and struggling while lying on the driveway floor).   
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[1] A curved and interrupted moderately deep laceration (2 cm overall} in the skin of the base of the lateral aspect of the right index finger.
[2] A more or less Y shape laceration in the skin of the dorsum of the left hand medially and at the junction of the wrist and hand.
[3] An irregular laceration of the skin of the dorsum of the left hand in line with the middle finger and is about the mid area.

F. Rene Modglin used the term "laceration" rather than "incised wound" or "stab wound" when describing the injuries at autopsy, thereby confusing its interpretation. 

Bearing in mind Michael Mageau was shot 4 times (and had 4 entry wounds), many have asked why did Darlene Ferrin have 9 entry wounds, when it is reasonable to conclude she should have had 5 entry wounds, due to 9 bullets being fired into the vehicle. The Corvair of Darlene Ferrin was in gear, the ignition switch was turned to "on", the handbrake was off, and her hands were possibly holding the steering wheel when the Zodiac Killer arrived at the passenger side window. There was an entry wound 3.5 inches above her right wrist and an entry wound 2 inches above her left wrist. If she had turned away at the point of receiving these injuries, with her right arm coming across her body, it isn't too difficult to understand how a second bullet would strike 5.5 inches above the right elbow, exit 1.25 inches distal to the right elbow and enter 3.25 inches above the elbow on her left arm. The 2 bullets fired towards her arms created 4 entry and 4 exit wounds. Her torso showed 5 entry wounds and 3 exit wounds. That is 9 entry and 7 exit wounds in total (as noted at autopsy). This shows that Darlene Ferrin was struck by 7 bullets, two of which passed through Michael Mageau into her. These bullets likely lost momentum and, as a result, remained in the body of Darlene Ferrin, as shown in the depiction. These can be observed as [2] and [4] in the diagram above. 

If the first shot fired by the Zodiac Killer that morning (just past midnight) struck Darlene Ferrin's right and left wrist, she would have instinctively turned her right side away from the perpetrator, thereby exposing the "posterior axillary line" of her right torso (shown in the accompanying diagram). This explains why the 5 bullets that entered her right side, entered the posterior side of her trunk and right shoulder.  

Michael Mageau was struck by 4 bullets. One was removed from his left thigh during surgery by Dr. Shirai. One bullet had exited his hip and was noted on the ground by his person when responding officers arrived at the crime scene. This had likely trapped in his clothing and fell to the floor when he exited the Corvair. The remaining 2 bullets exited his jaw and right shoulder (through skin), and struck Darlene Ferrin seated to his left. I suspect the bullet that struck Michael Mageau's right shoulder region was the bullet that created pathway [2] in the anatomy diagram above. While the one that struck his jaw region created pathway [4]. 

It cannot be claimed with certainty that Darlene Ferrin was targeted first that morning, but the coinciding bullet wounds to her right and left wrist, in addition to her vehicle being "primed" to drive away, could suggest an uneasiness in Darlene Ferrin caused by the approaching man at Blue Rock Springs. If the Zodiac Killer had suspected this, it would have made sense to target the driver first.

A WHISKER AWAY FROM ESCAPE 

Just over three years ago, on the Tapatalk Zodiac forum, Chaucer did an excellent visual and written explanation regarding the autopsy report by Dr. De Petris of Cecelia Shepard's wounds, and how those injuries may have occurred at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969. The analysis of Chaucer, looking at the possible sequence of stab wounds to Cecelia's body as she lay hogtied on the ground, is well thought out and viable. The conclusion made that Zodiac dealt 9 knife blows rather than 10 is backed up by the injuries, where wounds [2] and [3], wounds [5] and [6]. and wounds [7] and [8] - bearing in mind Cecelia Shepard was hogtied - were probably created by 3 knife strikes. If wounds [5] and [6}, or [7] and [8] were created by 2 knife strikes, then we have 10 stab wounds in total. It is clear that the dynamic struggle of Cecelia Shepard to avoid the knife blade resulted in wounds [9], [11] and [12] being angled blows, causing long incision type injuries to the anterior region of her torso. As correctly concluded by Chaucer, after the initial 2 strikes [1] and [2], wounds [4], [5], [6], [7], [8] and possibly [10] suggest that Cecelia Shepard had her left side predominantly exposed to the Zodiac Killer's knife strikes, evident by this cluster of injuries. 

Stab wounds [1], [2] and [4] all strike a rib, 1.7cm, 2.0cm and 1.2cm deep respectively. Injuries to the left lung and diaphragm were caused by wound [10]. The anterior left lower lobe of the lung has a 3.0 cm tear just above the nick to the diaphragm. The posterior aspect of the right lower lobe has a 4.0cm incision. There is bilateral pulmonary edema and hemorrhage. Death was due to loss of blood, causing a lack of oxygen to the brain {cerebral anoxia). It is unclear how Dr. De Petris concluded the knife used in the attack was similar to a bayonet type weapon measuring 9 to 11 inches in length and one inch wide, based on his autopsy measurements.   

AUTOPSY REPORT AND DIAGRAM BY CHAUCER
ANALYSIS OF THE STAB WOUND SEQUENCE BY CHAUCER  

The myth of the Zodiac Killer has been thrust back into the limelight in 2023 with the release of a two-part documentary on Peacock featuring Thomas Henry Horan. It is fair to say that the majority of the Zodiac community do not believe in the concept of separate individuals committing the four canonical crimes, with a fictional character called "Zodiac" being sold to the public through a series of communications. However, the myth of the Zodiac Killer that has been shaped by the consensus narrative for over 50 years, can be seen and heard on discussion forums and Youtube videos every single day. Once a falsehood becomes embedded as truth in the Zodiac community, it is practically impossible to derail. When a murder victim is discovered, the injuries viewed in relation to the environment at the crime scene (such as Lake Herman Road) and at autopsy, can tell you a story to better understand how the murder unfolded. If you ignore the findings at autopsy, as detailed in the cases of Cheri Jo Bates, Betty Lou Jensen, Darlene Ferrin, Cecelia Shepard and Paul Stine, you run the risk of misinterpreting the mechanics of the crime. 

The five entry wounds on the right side of Betty Lou Jensen's back, extending from the 5th intercostal space (upper back) to the posterior iliac crest (lower back) has led some to believe this relatively tight grouping (bearing in mind Betty Lou Jensen was fleeing from her assailant at night) is indicative of a killer who was proficient with firearms and likely an expert marksman with possible ties to the military or law enforcement. This notion is ill-conceived. The idea that the Zodiac Killer began firing at Betty Lou Jensen when the flat of her back was facing the shooter is rooted in myth and legend, but it is a myth that is practically impossible to eradicate after 54 years of reinforcement by the vast majority of the Zodiac community. It arises because people fail to read the autopsy report, just like the case of Cheri Jo Bates in Riverside, who was stabbed 6-9 times, rather than the excessive double-figure count that is widely perceived. There is no evidence from Lake Herman Road to suggest that the Zodiac Killer was an expert marksman. The upper two (possibly three) entry wounds to the back of Betty Lou Jensen had an extreme right to left trajectory (with accompanying gun shot residue), that indicates these shots were delivered at very, to reasonable, close range. It is no coincidence that all five shots struck the right side of her back, because her right side was predominantly facing the killer when he opened fire.

One bullet at autopsy was described as penetrating "from right to left through both atrium". Further information from the autopsy report of the lungs describes "three through and through bullet wounds, corresponding to the three bullet wounds of entry on the right posterior chest cage and one bullet wound through the left lung, in line with the wound through the heart. They are associated with extensive hemorrhage of both lungs". In other words, the bullet wounds traveled across her body. A further "bullet wound over the posterior iliac crest (5 and 1/2 inches from the midline) penetrates the deep muscles and exits to the right of the umbilicus (3 and 3/4 inches to the right of the naval). This bullet had a narrower trajectory, but still traveled on a right to left trajectory. Look at the entry wounds [1], [2] and [3] in comparison to the two bullets that remained in Betty Lou Jensen's body (and one exit wound), shown by the upper three red circles in the diagram. The direction of these three bullets passed from right to left through the body, with at least two of the bullets fired at Betty Lou that night showing an extreme right to left trajectory.

The cluster of six shell casings on the turnout floor and the final resting position of Betty Lou Jensen, strongly indicates that the young girl ran from east to west, from somewhere close to the open passenger door, when the Zodiac Killer first began targeting her. If the Zodiac Killer had been standing closer to the Rambler than Betty Lou Jensen, then her right side would have been predominantly facing the Zodiac Killer as she fled westwards. The lower two entry wounds on her back exhibiting a narrower right to left trajectory are indicative of the greater distance between shooter and victim as she fled. The cluster of six casings may also indicate that Betty Lou Jensen was fired upon six times, with the Zodiac Killer missing once. Although bullets can be deflected by the internal structures of the body, the extreme trajectory of at least two of the three uppermost wounds to her back, with all five wounds exhibiting a right to left trajectory, strongly negates the premise of a killer marksman who fired from a position immediately behind Betty Lou Jensen. At least three of the five shots were delivered at very close range, before Betty Lou Jensen had even passed the rear of the Rambler (and possibly its rear door on the right side). The further she moves away from the killer, the straighter the trajectory the bullets become when they enter her body. Bullets [4] and [5] that strike the lower torso of Betty Lou Jensen show less right to left deviation, with both producing exit wounds.

Bullet number [5] entered her body "over the crest of the posterior right iliac bone and 5 and 1/2 inches from the midline", struck her right kidney and exited her body "3 and 3/4 inches to the right of the umbilicus". The kidneys are located at the base of the rib cage (12th rib) at the costovertebral angle. This bullet was found in the panties of Betty Lou Jensen at autopsy 

One bullet wound (likely the final one fired by the Zodiac Killer) entered by "the tip of the right 12th rib, 3 and 1/2 inches from the midline", penetrated the liver and exited "below the xiphoid process and 1/2 an inch from the midline" (a trajectory from right to left). This is bullet [4] and the exit wound is shown immediately above it in red [E] on the diagram above (and in blue from the front of the body here). There is every chance that Betty Lou Jensen was bent forward at the hips when this bullet struck and it traveled through her body at a fairly acute angle (see below). It is incorrect to believe that the first three shots to her heart and lungs would be immediately fatal. This is not necessarily the case in injuries to such vital organs. Betty Lou Jensen managed to travel 28.5 feet from the rear of the Rambler. For the first three shots (1, 2 and 5) she would likely have been running in an upright position (or very close to upright), before hunching forward (bullets 3 and 4) and eventually falling backwards.​

RE-EXAMINING THE AUTOPSY REPORT OF CHERI JO BATES [PART ONE]

Betty Lou Jensen Autopsy:
There are five bullet wounds of entry on the right side of the back: three on the posterior chest cage and two over the right lower posterior lumbar areas. From up downwards:
[1] The first is located in the 5th intercostal space, 3 and 3/4 inches right of the midline.
[2] The second is in the 8th intercostal space, 5 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
[3] The third is in the 9th intercostal space, 1 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
[4] The fourth in the tip of the right 12th rib, 3 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
[5] The fifth is over the crest of the posterior right iliac bone and 5 and 1/2 inches from the midline.
​There are three exit wounds:
​[1] The first is over the left interior chest laterally and left margin of the breast, in the 4th intercostal space and 5 and 1/2 inches from the sternum.
[2] The second is in the anterior abdominal wall, below the xiphoid process and 1/2 an inch from the midline.
[3] The third is laterally and 3 and 3/4 inches to the right of the umbilicus.

Heart: A bullet wound penetrates from right to left through both atrium.
Lungs: There are three through and through bullet wounds, corresponding to the three bullet wounds of entry on the right posterior chest cage and one bullet wound through the left lung, in line with the wound through the heart. They are associated with extensive hemorrhage of both lungs.
Abdominal Cavity: A bullet wound penetrates the liver. A bullet wound penetrates the right kidney, the left is normal.
Head: No injuries or skull fractures.
The bullet wound over the posterior iliac crest penetrates the deep muscles and exits to the right of the umbilicus. One bullet is recovered in the subcutaneous tissue of the base of the anterior neck (left side) and the other bullet in the subcutaneous tissue anterior to the right 7th rib, which it penetrated of the sternum. The entry wounds aperture 3/16 inch in diameter. The exit wounds are larger.