The Department of Justice report clearly stated that the bullet recovered from David Faraday did not exhibit the same right hand twist characteristics as the other seven bullets recovered that night. Although this is not conclusive proof of a second weapon or second shooter, it raises the question.

With eight bullets supposedly recovered from the turnout and at autopsy, the notion of a second vehicle pulling up alongside the Faraday Rambler with two occupants stacks up, in terms of a ratio of 7:1 bullets fired from each particular weapon. Here is the scenario.

The assailants vehicle pulls up approximately ten feet to the right of the Faraday Rambler, and both assailants exit their vehicle immediately. Under this premise, it is  obvious that the driver of the second vehicle is closest to the Rambler, so he immediately upon exiting, fires a shot into the right headliner of the Rambler. This was found to have a straight trajectory and embedded in the upholstery on the upper left side of the Rambler. His ejected casing, as he is standing immediately outside his driver side door, flies to his rear, over the vehicle and likely lands to the right side of his vehicle, approximately 20 feet to the right of the Rambler, as shown in the police sketch. If the distance between the two vehicles is slightly greater, say 13 feet, then taking into account the width his vehicle of 5-6 feet, makes the 'stray' bullet casing look anything but stray.

He approaches the Rambler and fires a second shot into the right rear window from approximately 4 feet, accounting for its trajectory of 17-19 degrees relative to the horizontal. His accomplice at this juncture has not yet fired a shot. He is still rounding the unknown vehicle and is furthest from the Rambler, so he is not the instigator to drive the couple from the Rambler. Besides, his partner is effectively in front of him, so firing towards the Rambler is not required, and would present a risk in near darkness of striking his accomplice. The driver of the unknown vehicle has now fired at least two shots, and gestures to the couple to exit the Rambler. Betty Lou Jensen, who is seated in the passenger side, exits the vehicle first and is secured by this assailant. The assailant from the passenger side of the offending vehicle has now arrived, and he now secures David Faraday as he leaves the Rambler, by the right rear wheel of the Rambler. There is now no risk associated with getting close to David Faraday. Betty Lou Jensen is being held with a gun likely pointed at her head. David has no choice but to comply. His assailant is either standing directly in front of him, with the gun pressed to his left ear, making him a right-handed shooter, or he has him secured around the neck from behind, making him a left-handed shooter. David Faraday is essentially powerless to affect the situation.          

The other assailant then releases Betty Lou Jensen and tells her to run, firing 5 shots into her back from his illuminated weapon as she flees westwards, finally succumbing 28 feet to the rear of the Rambler station wagon. David Faraday, the only eyewitness left, is dispatched by the second assailant. His gun ejects the casing to the rear, into the open passenger side door of the Rambler, and is later noted lying on the passenger side floorboard. This casing, however, was later 'misplaced' and never submitted to the Department of Justice for ballistics testing, leaving us all scratching our heads on whether this cartridge case may have exhibited different characteristics to the other nine casings recovered. If so, then the importance of the bullet recovered from David Faraday at autopsy is greatly magnified, increasing exponentially the likelihood of two shooters at Lake Herman Road on December 20th 1968.

It may have been the murderer of Betty Lou Jensen who wrote the 'Debut of Zodiac' letter and stated "All I had to do was spray them as if it was a water hose; there was no need to use the gun sights". But he may have 'spoke' out of turn, issuing this statement from his perspective, not the perspective of his accomplice. There is of course no way of establishing which of the couple was shot first, but the above example would play into the scenario of two assailants who wanted to taunt the young teenagers, in particular David Faraday. We also cannot dismiss the testimony of William Crow, who approximately 90 minutes before the double murder was apparently chased along Lake Herman Road by two occupants in a light-colored Chevrolet or blue Valiant (depending on which version you believe). Two eyewitnesses incidentally, who never came forward. Is this because they returned to the turnout sometime after 11:00 pm? This would certainly explain their reluctance to present themselves to investigators. 

http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/two-shooters-at-lake-herman-road

The following will not propose a solution to the 13-Symbol cipher because the limited characters in the code make that simply impossible without a key - and the author of the letter must surely have known that even if he had limited cipher experience. However, a search for the solution may not be necessary, as the Zodiac Killer may have given us the answer just five and a half months later. The Zodiac Killer vowed to give us his name in his earlier 408 cipher, only to renege on that promise. Therefore, the idea that he would reveal his name in the April 20th 1970 correspondence is equally unlikely. But he may have given us a abbreviated answer from a standpoint of incrimination, but something nonetheless. 

The October 5th 1970 13-Hole Postcard has links to the 13-Symbol cipher for obvious reasons, but the author of the postcard does paste some unusual text, notably "Fk, I'm crackproof. What is the price tag now?"  Is there a correlation to the 13-Symbol cipher? Immediately after "Fk, I'm crackproof", the author asks about the price tag on his head. Immediately after the 13-Symbol cipher on the April 20th 1970 correspondence, the author writes "I am mildly cerous as to how much money you have on my head now".  So what is the likelihood "Fk, I'm crackproof" precedes this question also. It would make sense when the April 20th 1970 communication is read as a whole: "This is the Zodiac speaking. By the way have you cracked the last cipher I sent you. My name is FK, I'm crackproof". The phrase itself is 14 characters, so would be infinitely circular in configuration, beginning and ending with the letter F, like so. 

The letters K and M line up nicely in the code, yet on its own it is pretty worthless. Could the killer's initials be FK or KF, on account of the upside-down text on the 13-Hole postcard, or could the killer simply want us to believe this is the case. The FK in close proximity occurs seven times in the 340 cipher, but much more significantly, the eye is drawn to the 'mistake' on line six, where the author of the cipher elevates the letter K in reverse, next to the letter F. The author of the 13-Hole postcard effectively rotates both letters through 180 degrees, again reversing the letter K. 

The Exorcist Letter mailed on January 29th 1974 looks somewhat similar to the sixth line of the 340 cipher, in that the strange symbolism at the foot of the letter appears to marry up. It contains what looks like a letter F, and to its elevated left is an upside-down K. But there is much more correlation, in that five of the characters on the Exorcist letter bear a striking resemblance to five of the characters by the FK on the 340 Cipher. 340-cipher-and-exorcist-link            

The elevated and reversed letter K, is positioned to the left of the letter F in both the 340 cipher sixth line and the Exorcist letter symbolism. It is again reversed and positioned to the left of the letter F in "Fk, I'm crackproof" on the 13-Hole postcard. If the Zodiac Killer lived within a 10 minute walking radius of the Springs and Tuolumne payphone, then by examining land registry records in 1969 for males with FK or KF initials and cross checking their vital statistics (including photographs), it would go a long way to deciding whether this is just another pattern in a rich tapestry of Zodiac imaginings.

​http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/the-fictitious-negro-male    

VALLEJO TEENAGERS ARE SHOT TO DEATH NEAR LAKE HERMAN 

INVESTIGATORS LACKING CLUES IN TWO SLAYINGS by Francis G Flaherty  

Sheriff's investigators were able to turn up only a few clues Saturday that might lead them to the killer of David Faraday,17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16, whose bodies were found late Friday night near the Faraday station wagon on Lake Herman Rd, five miles northwest of here. The Faraday youth was shot once, behind the left ear, while the Jensen girl, who apparently attempted to flee from her killer, was shot five times in the right upper back. The gruesome double slaying was discovered at 11.24 pm by Mrs Manuel Borges, who resides on a ranch near the stretch of road where the shootings took place.   
Sherriff's Sgt Leslie L Lunblad said Saturday night that nearly 24 hours of constant investigation had produced no real tangible leads as to the identity of the killer."We gathered all the physical evidence that was available at the scene, cartridge cases and other items." Lunblad said "and these will be tested in the laboratory."
Lunblad and Deputy Russell Butterbach spent much of the day in Vallejo interviewing the family and friends of the slain pair, to determine if these parents could shed any light on the grisly killings. "We pretty well know what time they may have reached the spot where they were killed," Lunblad said "but this has not yet been completely been pinned down." It was the first and last date Betty Lou had with David. They were to have gone to the Hogan High School Christmas music program which lasted until around 10 pm. Investigators were not overlooking the possibility the slayer could have been a rejected suitor of the Jensen girl.
"We're looking into that" Lunblad said "but at this stage we're not overlooking any possibilities whatever, slim though them might seem on the surface." He said the killings could have been done without a motive, perhaps by a demented person.          

The youth is survived by his parents, Mrs Jean L Faraday, Vallejo, and Thomas Faraday, Salinas. He was the eldest of four children, with two brothers Robert and Steven, and a sister Debra, residing in Vallejo. Also surviving are his maternal grandmother Mrs Irene La Tourette, Vallejo, and his paternal grandparents Col and Mrs L M McKinley, San Francisco. A funeral service will be held at 2 pm Monday in First Presbyterian Church with rites conducted by Rev James O Hulin, assistant pastor. Inurnment will be private. Friends may call at Colonial Chapels from 10 am today until noon Monday. The Faraday family has requested that friends make contributions to a Boy Scout Camping Scholarship to be known as "The David Faraday Tribute Fund."
​The Jensen girl, whose family resides at 123 Ridgewood Ct, was a native of Colorado. She was a junior and an honor student at Hogan High School. She was also grand royal guide of Prima Vera Council 32. Pythian Sunshine Girls. Surviving are her parents, Mr and Mrs Verne Jensen and a sister Melodie, Vallejo: her maternal grandparents Mr and Mrs Louis E Blenderman, Oakland, and her paternal grandmother Mrs Anna Jensen, Colorado. Christian Science services will be conducted at 11 am Monday at Colonial Chapels by Reader Hugh Martin Niemoller. Friends may call at Colonial Chapels after 9 am today.  
​http://www.timesheraldonline.com/

Sheriff's investigators questioned the young friends of two murdered Vallejo teenagers last night in the around the clock search for the killer. David Faraday, 17, Eagle Scout and member of the Vallejo High School wrestling, and attractive Betty Lou Jensen, 16, were victims of the slayer who shot them with a small caliber rifle after they had parked Friday evening on a remote lovers lane.   
Detective Sergeant Leslie Lunblad, the graying, husky officer in charge of the investigation, said there was a distinct possibility the young couple had been trailed to the murder scene from a pre-Christmas concert in Vallejo to the Lake Herman Rd, 10 miles east of here. Solano County Coroner Dan Horan said the youngsters "apparently had just stopped" on the lovers lane when the killer opened fire. But both officials were silent about what they had learned in the quizzing of the many friends of the slain couple.
Tangible clues were four bullet casings found near young Faraday's parked car. Sgt Lunblad, however, declined to discuss them other to confirm they were from a small caliber weapon. The youth had been shot in the head by a small caliber rifle. He died enroute to a hospital. The girl had been shot five times in the back from a range of no more than 10 feet.
Four small caliber bullet casings were found near the car young Faraday had borrowed from his parents for the Friday evening date, the evening couple's first. Sheriff's investigators said the couple apparently parked in the lovers lane area just off the winding dirt road. Footprints indicated the youth had gotten out of the auto and walked to the passenger side when he was felled by the bullet penetrating his head just behind the left ear. The girl apparently ran and was gunned down as she fled.
The couple had attended a Christmas concert at Hogan High School in Vallejo where Bettylou was a third-year student.
The slain girl and boy were found at 11.30 pm Friday by a passing motorist, Mrs Manuel Borges.
Among the few clues was a deep heel print in the earth. The print was in the brush grown area in rear of a fence ringing the pump house supplying water to Benicia. The brushy growth would have been the only concealment offered a sniper in the rolling farmlands. The young girl had not been molested and robbery was not a motive investigators said. Both young Faraday and Miss Jensen were described as quiet, studious and with little time for dating. Faraday's chief interest had been in scouting and he recently was awarded the "God and Country Award," one of scouting's highest honors. He was the son of Thomas Faraday, an employee of Pacific Gas & Electric Co in Vallejo. Miss Jensen was the daughter of Vincent M Johnson of Vallejo, a programmer for the U.S. General Service Administration.
Funeral services for the slain girl will be at 11 am tomorrow at Colonial Funeral Home in Vallejo. Funeral services for Faraday will be at 2 pm in Vallejo's First Presbyterian Church. Both burials will be private.  
​http://www.sfexaminer.com/
http://www.sfchronicle.com/

December 23rd 1968: The investigation into the twin murders Dec 20 of two teenaged Vallejoans on Lake Herman Road turned Saturday to a check of weapons. Sheriff's Sgt Leslie L Lunblad, who has gathered both slugs and cartridge casings at the scene, said he had requested a number of residents of the general area where David L Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16, were shot to death, to turn over small caliber guns to him. He said he received excellent cooperation, that the guns received would be given preliminary checks here, and some might be taken to the Criminal Investigation Bureau in Sacramento Monday for further testing. Some of the weapons were eliminated as possible murder guns after routine inspection Lunblad said. The investigator added that he had not interviewed any possible suspects in the slayings over the past two days, and did not indicate when any questionings might be resumed.          

December 23rd 1968: Investigation is still under way in the Friday night double murder of two Vallejo teenagers, found shot to death on a lonely stretch of road near Lake Herman and the entrance to the Benicia water supply pumping station. Investigation officers Leslie Lunblad and Russell T Butterbach, both Solano County Sheriff's Deputies stated Saturday night that they were checking out several angles but so far have not come up with any solid evidence.
The two youths identified as David Faraday, 17, of 1930 Sereno Dr, and Bettilou Jensen, 16, of 123 Ridgewood Court, were both found shot at 11.24 pm Friday by Mrs Stella Borges, who was returning home when he floodlights reflected on the bodies. Mrs Borges then flagged down a Benicia police unit who called an ambulance and notified the Sheriff's Office. Miss Jensen had been shot in the back five times and Faraday had been shot once in the head by the small caliber weapon. Miss Jensen was pronounced dead on arrival at Vallejo General Hospital at 12.05 am. Faraday succumbed shortly afterwards without regaining consciousness. Faraday's car was parked a few feet from the bodies. It had a bullet hole in the back window, indicating they may have been first fired upon while still in the car and the young man was sprawled outside the right door of the vehicle.
"We're presently checking out all the people usually in the area at the time the murder occurred" Officer Lunblad stated. "This includes the graveyard driver shift of the Humble Oil Company and several drivers who have reported that they passed along the road about the time of the slayings. Several people have reported seeing a car parked along the road with kids in it and one witness reported seeing two cars parked next to each other.
"We haven't uncovered a motive yet, but robbery and sex have been eliminated" Lunblad added. "We have been unable to turn up any evidence of another car in the area. The ground was very frozen and no tracks have turned up" the investigating officer stated. The two youths on their first date had apparently "parked" alongside the road following a Christmas concert they were attending. Faraday was an Eagle Scout and a member of Vallejo High School's wrestling team. Miss Jensen attended Hogan High School.            

MYSTERY MOTIVE-POLICE SEEKING TEENS' SLAYER  

Lawmen were still looking for a motive yesterday in the mysterious lovers lane slaying of a teenage couple who were out on their first date. "We have no motive at this point" said Leslie Lunblad, a detective sergeant with the Solano County Sheriff's Office who has worked almost non-stop on the case since the teenagers were found about 11.30 pm on Friday night. They were David Faraday, 17, an Eagle Scout and varsity wrestler at Vallejo High School and his pretty date Betty Lou Jensen, 16.
Sergeant Lunblad said the young couple had attended a pre-Christmas concert and then parked on a dirt road off Lake Herman Road, ten miles east of here near Benicia. This is what Lunblad believed happened.
Shortly after Faraday parked his family's Rambler station wagon, the slayer appeared on the driver's side and forced the couple out. Faraday refused. The gunman then fired a shot into the rear of the station wagon "to scare them into getting out" as Lunblad put it. Hardly had Faraday left the car when the killer shot him at close range, a small-caliber bullet passing through his left ear into his brain. He died en route to a hospital. Meanwhile, Miss Jensen had also left the car by the driver's side and was running for the paved road. She got exactly 28 feet from the station wagon when she fell dead with five bullets in her back.
The puzzling thing about the case is that the killer did not rob the victims, nor did he sexually molest Miss Jensen, although that was probably his first intention Lunblad said.  
http://www.sfchronicle.com/             

HUNT MANIAC IN MURDERS OF TEENAGERS 

​The Sheriff's sergeant said the murder weapon almost undoubtedly was an automatic firing type illegal to possess and was a small caliber gun. A number of shell casings were found at the scene.
Lunblad earlier Sunday questioned a youthful acquaintance of Miss Jensen's said by witnesses to be jealous of young Faraday because of his recently developed friendship with the girl. "He produced what appears to be an ironclad alibi" the investigator said "At least I'm satisfied with his story for the present." He gave this theory of the shooting "I think they were ordered out of the car by gunpoint and when they didn't come out quickly, the killer fired a warning shot through the rear side window of the vehicle. They were in the front seat. I think this was just a threat to force them out of the car, and that both come out of the passenger side because the other three doors were locked. The assailant then shot the boy and when he fell, the girl started running and was killed as she ran." Lunblad added.
Today, the saddened families and friends of the young victims were to attend funeral services for them. Christian Science services will be held at Colonial Chapels at 11 am for Betty Lou, followed by entombment at Abbey Memorial Gardens. Funeral services for David will be at 2 pm in First Presbyterian Church, followed by inurnment at Tulocay Cemetery, Napa. Betty Lou, a junior at Hogan High School was the daughter of Mr and Mrs Verne Jensen, 123 Ridgewood Ct.
David, a senior at Vallejo High was the eldest son of Jean L Faraday, 1930 Sereno Dr and Thomas Faraday, Salinas.  

The possibility a teenage Vallejo couple were murdered by a jealous boyfriend Friday night gained new credence today as new evidence revealed the slayer may have had an accomplice. Killed in the lovers lane area off Lake Herman Road were David Faraday. 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, who had been dating for only about two weeks, according to Sheriff's Sergeant Leslie Lunblad. He said he was checking out a new report that Faraday had clashed with another youth over Miss Jensen last Wednesday. The details were not yet known. Another youth has been questioned, Lunblad said, because he evidenced jealousy about Miss Jensen dating Faraday. However, the youth has a fairly solid alibi with witnesses to his having been in his home until about 11 pm Friday. This would have left little time to accomplish the murders, Lunblad said. The latter juvenile allegedly participated in a July house burglary with two accomplices in which cash, jewelry and whiskey were stolen and considerable vandalism was done by slashing and breaking articles in the home, it was learned.
The new evidence of a possible accomplice at the murder scene consists of a .38 caliber bullet hole in the roof panel of the Faraday station wagon. The hole is on the passenger side of the vehicle and is slightly forward of a .22 caliber bullet hole in the rear window on that side. Lunblad declined to speculate on the importance of the .38 hole. He did say Faraday's parents had said the hole had not been there before, and the hole appeared new to him.
Lunblad had previously said he thought the bullet had been fired through the window to speed the couple's exit from the vehicle. The .38 caliber bullet could have been fired for the same purpose.
It was also revealed for the first time that ten .22 caliber long rifle bullet casings were found at the murder scene. One slug was fired though the window, one was pumped into the head of Faraday and five were fired into the back of Miss Jensen. The killer apparently missed with three shots.
A Christian Science service for Betty Lou was held today at Colonial Chapels. High Martin Niemoller was the reader. Entombment was in Abbey Memorial Mausoleum. Pallbearers were Tom Barstow, Mike Belisle, Raymond Poliear, Wayne Kelly, Joe Muth, and Jay Shaw, all classmates of the deceased at Hogan High School. In the Times-Herald story of the murder investigation this morning, two paragraphs were inadvertently left out. They concerned a youth who fled the murder scene about 9.30 pm Friday, when another car started to back toward him. The omitted paragraphs said:      
"The youth said he had been for a ride with his girlfriend in her newly acquired sports car, and they parked in the wide area off Lake Herman Road near the pump station so he could acquaint himself with the car's controls and gadgets. While they were parked, he said, a car drove past them on the road and stopped."       

SINGLE GUN WAS USED IN SLAYINGS 

Only one gun was used in the double slaying Friday night on Lake Herman Road, of Vallejo teenagers David L Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, and in shooting up their car, it was learned positively Monday by Sheriff's Sgt Leslie B Lunblad. The investigator said that what appeared to be a .38 caliber bullet hole in the roof of the Faraday station wagon actually was made by a small caliber bullet as the same size as those that killed the two youngsters. Moreover, he added, it would not have been necessary for the killer, if he were of least average height, to climb on the bumper of the car to shoot through the roof.
The Sheriff's sergeant's theory is that bullets were fired into the car, the doors of which were locked, in order to frighten the two young occupants to leave it. The Faraday boy, he thinks, was killed as he emerged through the right door, and the girl was slain as she attempted to flee their assailant. "We had the car stripped," Lunblad said "and the slug that was fired through the roof was found embedded in the upholstery. With it, we can account for eight of the ten bullets fired."
He said an automatic weapon, probably a rifle, was used in the gruesome murders. But he is no nearer than he was Saturday to knowing who fired the fatal shots. "We can pin down the time of the killings to within a space of two minutes, assuming all witnesses watches were accurate" he said. "And we know they occurred after 11 pm."
The bodies of the two teenagers were found at 11.24 pm by Mrs Manuel Borges, who relayed her discovery to the Benicia Police Department.
While Lunblad conceded he did not yet have a "solid suspect" in the case, he declared the investigation to date "has helped us learn who didn't do it," meaning he had been able to eliminate many persons previously considered possible suspects.
A funeral service for the Faraday youth, a senior at Vallejo High School, was held at 2 pm Monday in First Presbyterian Church, with an honor guard of 60 of his fellow Scouts and Explorers on hand. Rites were conducted by the Rev James O Hulin, associate pastor, and inurnment followed in Tulocay Cemetery, Napa. Active pallbearers were Douglas R Dick, Douglas Benne, Thomas V O' Donnell, David Budd, Harold Pierce and Bernie Johnson.        

Solano County detectives said yesterday they have "nothing concrete" that will lead them to the slayer-or slayers-of a teenage Vallejo couple Friday night. "We are still hopeful residents of the area who may have seen something unusual will give us the lead we need" said Sheriff's Captain H. Harold Morris.
Funeral services were held yesterday for the victims of the double murder. They were David Faraday, 17, son of an electric company employee and Betty Lou Jensen, 16, daughter of a Government worker. The couple were shot at a lovers lane parking spot on the Lake Herman Road, ten miles east of Vallejo. The teenagers had driven there on their first date. "There was no indication of a robbery motive or a sexual assault" Captain Smith said. "It was all so needless."           

December 24th 1968- Sheriff's investigators Tuesday continued to interview friends and acquaintances of teenagers David L Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, who were slain Friday night in a lovers lane on Lake Herman Rd, about five miles northeast of here. "We're getting to the point where we have times pretty well established as to the couple's movements and now we are trying to match those times with the whereabouts of possible suspects in the case." said Sheriff's Sgt Leslie B Lunblad.
Lunblad previously said the two were shot to death by a killer who forced them to leave their parked car by firing two bullets into it. The boy, he theorized, was killed almost immediately after he left the car by the right passenger door, and the girl was shot five times in the back as she tried to escape the slayer. Lunblad was mum on the subject of possible suspects he has in mind. "We have a great deal of information" he said, "and we are getting more all the time. We expect to have an answer before very much longer."   

CHECK LEADS IN SLAYINGS 

Sheriff's officers continued today to sift leads and tips in the double murder of two Vallejo teenagers last Friday night. Captain H Malcolm Morris said dozens of tips had been received and all were being pursued. But none as yet had revealed the slayer of David L Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16.
The investigation led by Detective Sergeant Leslie B Lunblad, seemingly had settled down to a painstaking and time consuming probe of all evidence and clues. However, drawing the most attention, apparently, was the effort to determine who if anyone among the acquaintances of the young high schoolers had the motive and the opportunity to murder them.    

Sheriff's Sgt Leslie B Lunblad spent Christmas day reviewing statements and evidence he had uncovered to date in the double slaying Friday night on Lake Herman Road of Vallejo teenagers David L Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen." Because of the holiday I didn't try to interview anyone" Lunblad said "Instead, I went over our findings in the case with Sgt Jack Oller" an investigator in the Fairfield office of the sheriff's department. Lunblad said he expected to obtain further statements from persons acquainted with the slain pair today, in the hope of garnering information that will lead him to the killer.
Both youngsters were shot when they emerged from the Faraday station wagon. The boy was killed with a small bullet fired behind his left ear at close range, and the girl was shot five times as she attempted to flee the murderer.
Two small caliber slugs were fired into the car, apparently to force the couple to leave it. Lunblad said there was no robbery and the girl was not molested.      

If you drove on any portion of Lake Herman Road east of Vallejo last Friday between 9 and 11.30 pm you may be able to help authorities capture the killer who shot to death two teenagers with a .22 caliber automatic rifle.
Sheriff's Det Sgt Leslie B Lunblad today asked all such persons to contact him immediately. He's interested in any other vehicle you saw on that road, any person, any shots you may have heard, in fact any activity that may have occurred. Lunblad, who spent his Christmas and is working up to 20 or more hours daily trying to solve the murders of David L Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16, continued his investigation today. He declined to say whether he had a prime suspect in the double slaying. And he continued to rule out sex and robbery motives as far as evidence so far revealed is concerned. He did say witnesses placed the young high school couple, who had been dating for only two weeks, at the murder scene for about an hour before the slayings. But he wants more information about what occurred just off Lake Herman Road five miles northeast of Vallejo last Friday night.        

​The killer of Betty Lou Jensen and David L Faraday soon may have a price on his head. Vallejo and Hogan High School students are setting up a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the slayer of the teenage couple. Representatives of both schools have organized a reward fund. They hope to raise $1000, or more. Committee members and other volunteers will canvass school, community clubs, organizations and business firms and will make door-to-door requests for contributions.
Other fund-raising activities such as car washes and candy sales, are planned. The students also will meet with the Vallejo City Council for assistance in the drive. They have cleared the legal aspects of the drive with the Collections and Permits Division of the Vallejo Police Department. If the reward money is not claimed after one year, it will be used in a memorial scholarship. Jim Gaul, a Hogan student originated the drive. Other planning committee members are Jackie Rasmusson, Pat Scarpa, Janet Owen and Donna Sexton, all of Hogan, and Amanda Green and Renee Jones, both of Vallejo High. Further details will be announced later.
Vallejoans who wish to donate to the cause may send checks to the finance office of either school. Checks should be made payable to the Jensen-Faraday Reward Fund. Faraday, 17, of 1930 Sereno Drive, was a Vallejo High student. Miss Jensen, 16, of 131 Ridgewood Ct, attended Hogan. They were slain on Lake Herman Road Dec 20.

The youth, a scalor at Vallejo High, planned to make teaching his career. He was extremely active in Scouting, and was a member of the Interact Club at the high school.
"Last summer, he discovered girls" Mrs Faraday reminisced "but he hadn't done much dating- for one thing he could use the car only when I didn't need it to go to work." She is employed in the passenger reservations department at Travis Air Force Base. She said that when he did take the car for a date "he was good about observing curfews" (12.30 on Friday nights). "So I didn't think a thing about it that night. I was asleep when the phone rang at 3 am."
Mrs Faraday conversed with total composure, although the wounds haven't healed and won't. The same was true of the Jensens. Nothing in his 21 years as an army officer had prepared Lt Col. Verne Jensen for the shock of his younger daughter's death, however. He retired in 1963, decided to remain in Vallejo and now is employed as supply officer for the General Services Administration in San Francisco. The Jensens, with their elder daughter, Melodie, live at 123 Ridgewood Ct. " I don't feel vindictive" he mused "but I am apprehensive. I feel some nut is on the loose."
His words could have been uttered by Mrs Faraday, who said her principal concern that the killer be found was not based on vengeance but on her fears there may be further victims. "And, he'll find it easier the next time."
She said the other three Faraday children Debra, Robert and Steven "have handled the situation very well, I think. Presumably they have long and happy lives ahead of them, and they've got to live them."
The Jensens' lives remain clouded by the tragedy. "We'd like to have her back" Mrs Jensen said wistfully. "It took a lot to bring her this far."
At Hogan High Betty was an excellent student, a junior, she was hopeful of winning an art scholarship and she worked extremely well in several forms, some of which were displayed as I talked to the family. All three shook their heads negatively when asked if they had any ideas to the perpetrator. "We know he's a nut, but what kind of nut" Mrs Jensen replied. She added she was dubious about anything worthwhile could be gained in once again turning the spotlight on the murder case. "But we'll do anything we can to help" she declared.
As for the investigation's progress, Lunblad said there has been considerably more than might be gleaned from news accounts of it. "If I talk to a suspect, I'll know positively whether he was there that night" he said cryptically. Beyond that, he would not comment. ​

This is a follow up article, exploring the idea a phone call was placed approximately 10-12 minutes after the Lake Herman Road murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968, using the concept of a 'laughing killer' and the disputed 1986 'Zodiac' letter to the San Francisco Chronicle. Many magazine and newspaper articles are littered with basic errors regarding the Zodiac case, however, some recurring themes not widely recognized as fact are present in many.

The Tuscaloosa News ran an article on October 17th 1969, just 20 days after the Lake Berryessa attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard. It stated 'Then the man said "I'm going to have to stab you people." Hartnell said "Please stab me first, I'm chicken. I couldn't stand to see her stabbed." The man told him "I'll do just that." He stabbed Hartnell until he passed out. The poor girl, she just had to watch. Then he knifed her until she fainted. When he stabbed Hartnell it was deliberate. When he stabbed the girl he laughed in a frenzy. Hartnell had been stabbed 10 times with a thin 12-inch blade. Miss Shepard, whose writhing provoked her attacker to laughter, had been stabbed 24 times'. One can see the embellishment, in the fact the newspaper reported 34 stab wounds as opposed to 16 - so did the killer really laugh in a frenzy during his attack on Cecelia Shepard?

The second article involves the Argosy Magazine dated September 1970 and the murder of Paul Stine on October 11th 1969, two weeks after the Berryessa attack. The following is extremely unlikely, but was a section of the October 13th 1969 letter omitted from public consumption in similar fashion to the phrase 'by knife' written on the car door of Bryan Hartnell's Karmann Ghia, to provoke a reaction from the killer. It is highly doubtful, and likely sensationalized reporting, however this magazine article actually adds a phrase attributed to the killer, written in the October 13th 1969 Paul Stine letter to the San Francisco Chronicle. The article read 'Four days after the murder of Paul Stine yet another scrawled letter arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle. With it was a bloodstained piece of cloth, later established by laboratory technicians as a small part of the missing swatch ripped from Stine's shirt. The rambling letter, signed with the crossed-circle symbol, began, as had the others, with "This is the Zodiac Speaking."  The writer went on to say that he was the killer of the cabbie-student, adding "and to prove it, here is a piece of his shirt." The letter also disclosed that the fugitive, from some nearby hiding place, had watched with uncontrollable amusement while police searched the area. He said "they could have caught me if they had done it right, instead of dashing around waiting for me to come out of cover. I like to died laughing".    

The Argosy Magazine article continued with reflections of the Lake Berryessa stabbing: 'The mention of laughter at a murder scene struck a responsive chord in the minds of the manhunters. During his recovery, young Hartnell had told Napa sleuths that "the man in the hood" had laughed diabolically as he plunged his knife again and again into Miss Shepard beside the lake'.

This would be repeated in the Coronet Magazine in October 1973 where it described the following 'He held an automatic pistol on them, tied them securely with plastic-coated clothesline, and then stabbed them repeatedly, laughing hysterically as they thrashed and rolled in pain'.

The Front Page Detective Magazine article of February 1970 stated "He (the killer) dropped to his knees and slowly, deliberately, forcefully plunged a 12-inch, double edged knife into Bryan's back 10 times. When the youth fainted in pain, the killer turned on the girl. His demeanor changed, kneeling beside her, he laughed wildly as he plunged the dagger 20 times into her back in a frenzied assault".

In April of 1974 Detective Cases Magazine covered the Berryessa stabbing: "He ordered Miss Shepard to tie up Hartnell, then he bound the girl, hands and ankles. The gun had been replaced with a knife and when both victims were securely trussed, the hooded monster began plunging the weapon repeatedly into first, the man, then, the girl, accompanying each thrust with a maniacal laugh. For what seemed an eternity to the horrified, screaming, helpless victims, the merciless butchery continued. Their torturer first slashed, then stabbed as his hideous laughter echoed along the banks of the lake".      

Officer Pierre Bidou remembered a 'crank call' after the Lake Herman Road murders. He described this to the Benicia Herald newspaper: "Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec. 20, 1968, and were on their way to deposit some marijuana in the police department’s evidence locker when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road. Initially, they were told a woman was lying outside a car; they thought they were being sent to a crash. Police at first speculated it might have been a crank call, but the officers headed back north. But when they arrived, Bidou realized it was no crank call and no car accident. Instead, it was a sinister crime scene". Officer Pierre Bidou also recalled this 'car accident' to Zodiac investigator Michael Butterfield. “…we got the call from the dispatcher that an accident, or something, had occurred on Lake Herman Road, so we turned around and came by.” Source.

This is from a previous article: 'When Stella Medeiros observed the crime scene at 11:20 pm, she raced off to seek help in Benicia, eventually locating Captain Daniel Pitta at the Enco Gas Station on East 2nd Street. This is 3.4 miles from the turnout, an estimated journey time of 5 minutes on Google Maps. She is obviously driving faster than normal and flags down Captain Daniel Pitta probably slightly shy of 11:25 pm, allowing her to give her account and for Captain Daniel Pitta to head to the crime scene by 11:28 pm. In the course of this, the information would have been relayed to Benicia Police Department. So where did the supposition of a crank call or a car accident originate from. The description given by Stella Medeiros may have been interpreted as a car crash originally and relayed this way, but why would a radio message from a respected officer of the law be interpreted as a crank call? He was a captain reporting an incident on official police channels. Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday are lying prostrate in the turnout - whether a crash or not - why would Pierre Bidou be under any illusion of a crank call, unless a payphone call had come in slightly earlier than the radio message from Captain Daniel Pitta. The Zodiac Killer made phone calls after both his subsequent attacks, so why not this one? The only difference being, he called it in as a car accident, unwilling to show his hand as the murderer.

​Had James Owen passed the turnout around 11:08-11:09 pm, and the Zodiac Killer had exited the turnout somewhere between 11.12-11.14 pm and headed to Vallejo via Springs Road, his journey time to the payphone at the intersection of Springs and Tuolumne would be approximately 10-12 minutes, placing the 'crank call' at 11:22-11:24 pm, just prior to Stella Borges' meeting with Captain Daniel Pitta at 11:25 pm. The 'crank call' and the radio message from Captain Daniel Pitta would have been received in close proximity, leading to the confusion. The crank call being received slightly before the official police radio message.

This is where the 'laughing killer' and the phone call intersect in the aftermath of the Lake Herman Road murders. The Argosy Magazine wasn't finished yet. It continued on further "The man in the hood" had laughed diabolically as he plunged his knife again and again into Miss Shepard beside the lake. He had also laughed in his phone call to Vallejo Police in December 1968.' Does this validate the claim by Pierre Bidou? If the Zodiac Killer had laughed down the phone, could this be why the dispatcher had interpreted it as a crank call? Additionally, the article stated the phone call was made to Vallejo Police, exactly as the phone call had been 6 1/2 months later, after the Blue Rock Springs Park attack on July 4th 1969.

Russell Butterbach of the Solano County Sheriff's Department and his partner Wayne Waterman were just heading onto Lake Herman Road, when they received a call from the sergeant to go to the Hells Angels pad on Warren Avenue, Vallejo. After approximately 30 minutes they then received a double 187 on Lake Herman Road. If a crank phone call from the killer was received after the Lake Herman Road double shooting, then the time of this call, likely just before 11:25 pm, ties in perfectly with a 10-12 minute journey from the turnout to the Springs and Tuolumne payphone. This wasn't the only time that the Zodiac Killer may have directed police to the scene of an accident.

http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/sacramento-cold-case-contact

Here we will tackle the Lake Herman Road timeline for the umpteenth occasion, but examine it in relation to the movements of Officer Pierre Bidou. This is not the first article looking at the timeline of Pierre Bidou, but the previous have predominantly used the statements given by him in the 2007 Zodiac documentary, in which he said "During that night we had served a search warrant at what we call The Cottage at Lake Herman which was owned by the city of Benicia, a narcotics search warrant my partner and I, we confiscated about a pound and a half of marijuana, which in the 1960s was a big drugs bust, today it wouldn't get very high on the Richter scale. We were heading back to the police department to put the marijuana into evidence and as we drove by, we did not see or observe anyone in that area, because it's a turn there and your headlights shine right in there as you go by. I was pulling into the lot in the police department, we heard the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road, and described the location. My partner and I turned around at that time and responded to the call. We felt we were only minutes from the crime scene when it actually happened and for the best of my recollection we did not pass any other vehicle or traffic. I'm pretty sure of that because that is one of the things we told the sheriff's office, that we did not see any other vehicles coming our way. What could have happened, depending on where a vehicle turned onto Lake Herman Road, if it came from behind us, from Vallejo, we would not have seen them".​

However, just like Donald Fouke at Presidio Heights, it depends on which version of Pierre Bidou's account you believe when constructing your timeline. Pierre Bidou passing the turnout prior to 11:00 pm, has him arriving at Benicia Police Department (10 minute journey) far too early to simply "pull into the lot in the police department, and hear the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road". It hadn't been reported until 11:25 pm, when Stella Medeiros flagged down Captain Daniel Pitta.

It has been suggested that Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta likely stopped en route back to Benicia PD to grab something to eat - something police officers have been known to do. But this seems unlikely, the reasons for which will be explained shortly. 

The following explores the idea that Pierre Bidou did actually pass the turnout likely minutes before the murders, as he alluded to in the 2007 documentary, when he stated "We felt we were only minutes from the crime scene when it actually happened". In fact, he may have been the final person to pass the turnout before the murders and not James Owen. Multiple versions of the Lake Herman Road timeline can be created. There are so many conflicting versions of the same story, it becomes a matter of where you source your material and/or law enforcement quotes. This is not a character assassination of Pierre Bidou, who was a long standing and by all accounts a very good police officer, but with the passage of time memories become tainted, and recollections become blurred. Pierre Bidou, on no less than four occasions described finding David Faraday in the front passenger seat of the Rambler, yet in the 2007 documentary stated David Faraday was found lying outside the Rambler on the turnout floor. These are discrepancies compounded by ones recollection of a distant event - and totally understandable. It is from this confliction we shall create a new timeline for Pierre Bidou.

In an interview with the Benicia Herald, Pierre Bidou is consistent in his claim about arriving at Benicia Police Department, when they are informed of an incident on Lake Herman Road: "Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec. 20, 1968, and were on their way to deposit some marijuana in the police department’s evidence locker when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road. Bidou and his partner had been in the vicinity a short time before, but they hadn’t seen any traffic, let alone Faraday’s car parked in the turnout". Source.

In another Benicia Herald article the version differed. Although not a direct quote from Bidou, it could be argued that the interviewer simply didn't pluck this account out of thin air. It stated "The timing was remarkable. The officers had just participated in a narcotics raid at a building at the Lake Herman parking area and had driven back to town with suspects in the back of their cruiser. Perhaps, they thought, they had seen a car at the turnout. Maybe there were two. They couldn’t be completely sure". Source.

Here lies the problem. If more than one version can be given for the position David Faraday was discovered in the turnout, it is not unreasonable to consider their differing accounts on whether any vehicles were present in the turnout - "they couldn’t be completely sure". The two officers had just secured a big drugs bust of the day and apparently had suspects in the back of their cruiser. Not likely then, that they would stop off for a bite to eat on the way back to Benicia PD. Combine this with the fact that Pierre Bidou throughout the years has never mentioned any detour on the way back to the police department, yet has consistently reaffirmed that he had just arrived at the parking lot of the police department when he was dispatched back to Lake Herman Road, believing he had passed the turnout literally "minutes from the crime scene".  

Stella Medeiros raced for help after discovering the bodies in the turnout and located Captain Daniel Pitta, according to his police report account, at 11:25 pm. Pitta then radioed Benicia Police Department somewhere between 11:25 and 11:30 pm. Pierre Bidou's journey time from the turnout to Benicia PD is a maximum of 10 minutes. When he pulled into the parking lot the call came in: "I was pulling into the lot in the police department, we heard the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road". This had to be around 11:25 to 11:30 pm, radioed in by Captain Daniel Pitta. Therefore deducting this 10 minute journey by Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta, has the officers passing the Lake Herman Road turnout at 11:15 to 11:20 pm, where "they had seen a car at the turnout. Maybe there were two. They couldn’t be completely sure".

If you believe that James Owen passed the turnout at 11:14 pm, then Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta passed the turnout after James Owen - and therefore were the last witnesses before the murder. However, this would negate the idea that the shot James Owen thought he heard 30 seconds after passing the turnout, was the shot that began the murders of the young couple. If James Owen was mistaken about the gunshot, then Pierre Bidou could easily have passed after the Humble Oil worker, and before the arrival of Stella Medeiros, widely recognized as 11:20 pm.
 
This timeline has Pierre Bidou passing the turnout at 11:15 to 11:20 pm, and fits nicely with reaching Benicia PD around 11:25 to 11:30 pm. They likely dropped off the suspects and drugs before returning to the Lake Herman Road turnout, This, bearing in mind they are traveling at increased speed on the return journey, places them back at the turnout shortly after 11:30 pm, just after Captain Daniel Pitta, whose police report has him at the turnout at 11:28 pm. This seems consistent, as both officers recall David Faraday still breathing at the scene. 

It is very difficult to be specific fifty years after the crime, however, if Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta had passed off the suspects to fellow officers and secured the drugs seizure, then received the dispatch of an incident on Lake Herman Road, it can easily be seen how five minutes could be added to the timeline. In this case the two officers would have passed the turnout sometime between 11:10 to 11:15 pm, the earlier of which (11.10-11.13 pm) would allow James Owen to pass the turnout after the officers, at 11:14 pm (and still hear the shot) - yet the gunfire would be inaudible to Pierre Bidou and Steve Armenta, who were further away towards Benicia. If James Owen passed the turnout circa 11:08 to 11:09 pm, then the earlier time of Pierre Bidou passing the turnout at 11:10 to 11:15 pm, or the later time of 11:15 to 11:20 pm, would in both instances have the officers passing after James Owen and likely negating the premise a gunshot had been heard.

If we believe the two officers took no detours that night, then they did literally pass the turnout minutes before the murders.

The unsolved murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966 has now passed the half-century mark, and little in the way of new evidence seems forthcoming, despite a breakthrough in DNA evidence in 1999. However, the clues in this case may lie extremely close to home. Her brother Michael Bates, one year her senior, was convinced that Cheri Jo Bates was murdered by somebody she knew, and the evidence appears to point that way bearing in mind the specific targeting of her Volkswagen Beetle and the apparent knowledge of her whereabouts that evening. Michael stated to Inland Empire Magazine "I’ve always felt that Cheri was killed by someone she knew. She would not have walked into a dark alley with a stranger". Cheri Jo Bates was afraid of the dark. Bearing these factors in mind, it could have been somebody connected to Riverside College, her inner circle, or somebody who she knew loosely through her family members.
​
Cheri Jo Bates was described as outgoing, friendly and always prepared to help people in their time of need. Cherie Curzon recalled such an occasion "For me, the best part of our story was, I was an underclass person who she wanted to help out. The people who were going to do the talent contest with me backed out and she volunteered to be my partner.
I will never forget her kindness… We had so much fun rehearsing and then performing, I loved her generosity and kindness toward me…She did it because of who she was; just a wonderful person". Source. This is an admirable quality, but was this kindness misconstrued by someone who ultimately fixated on Cheri Jo Bates. An interest that developed into a deadly obsession and possibly stoked by rejection. This would certainly be nothing new.    

Whether or not this crime was committed by the Zodiac Killer has literally raged for as long as the crime itself. The Zodiac Killer would effectively lay claim to the Cheri Jo Bates murder on March 13th 1971 in a letter mailed to the Los Angeles Times. His reference to "they don't bury me on the back pages like some of the others," appears to suggest he followed the headlines down south, and a likely affiliation with the area and to the newspaper. 

The Department of Justice report described the heel prints at the Cheri Jo Bates crime scene as "those worn by Air Force personnel" and "was identified as a B.F. Goodrich waffle design, men's four-eighths inch washer type half heel. The B.F Goodrich Products Division of Akron, Ohio, reported that this type heel is only sold to the Federal prison industries at Leavenworth, Kansas. It was subsequently learned that Federal prison industries made low quarter military type shoes and supplied them to all the armed services using black dress shoes. The measurement of the heel indicated that it would have been attached to an eight to ten size shoe. Shoes bearing the same type heel were issued and sold at the PX at March Air Force Base in Riverside" In fact, the Riverside Police Department would sum this up by stating "Physical evidence found at our crime scene indicated that heel prints found by the body were made by a heel that was manufactured for military and other government agencies, including prisons". 

​It was speculated that bearing in mind Joseph Bates' profession, and the fact he was addressed personally by the killer, that the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates may have been a friend or work colleague in the Naval Ordnance Laboratory of Joseph Bates, who was either familiar with Cheri Jo Bates or had crossed paths with her. The military boot print gives us a link, along with the fact the killer may have been on the fringes of Miss Bates' circle - in that he knew her - but they weren't necessarily friends. If the author of the 'Confession' letter was telling any semblance of truth, then the wording "I then offered to help. She was then very willing to talk to me", suggested that she only talked to him after the offer of help, likely implying someone less than a very close friend. The area of Corona where Joseph Bates worked was in close proximity to many naval facilities, as well as the California Rehabilitation Center Prison, both situated only 15 minutes from the location of the murder.
​
This crafted the idea that the inspiration for the Zodiac crosshairs was based on his first murder in Riverside County, and Corona (the Circled City) itself. This is an aerial shot of Corona today, but was once perfectly symmetrical. 

Michael Bates was in the Navy at the time Cheri Jo Bates was murdered, but did he have friends in the military, or aspired to be in the military that may have crossed paths with his sister in the preceding months of her murder. Somebody that may have left the B.F. Goodrich heel print in the Riverside alleyway. "It was subsequently learned that Federal prison industries made low quarter military type shoes and supplied them to all the armed services using black dress shoes".

Michael, by his own admission spent limited time with his sister before he joined the Navy. He did however work at Sears Department Store while attending the Riverside City College. In 1938 Sears would relocate to Seventh and Main Street, Riverside, where the building can be found today. Sears is short for Sears, Roebuck & Company. ​Did Michael Bates have a work colleague from Sears, who may have sourced his material from the department store, and somehow became interconnected with the movements of Cheri Jo Bates. The Sears, Roebuck & Company has a distinct connection to the Lake Herman Road murders on December 20th 1968.
​
In the Department of Justice, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, conducted by David Burd, the firearm identified as the likely murder weapon at Lake Herman Road was a J C Higgins 80 pistol. The Sears, Roebuck & Company specialized in sporting goods and recreational equipment between 1908 and 1962, with the Sears JC Higgins eventually replaced with the Ted Williams brand. The Sears, Roebuck & Company manufactured their own paper targets throughout the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, the very targets a young Zodiac may have used. The above target suggested "For best results with .22 Long Rifle".
​
Whether or not the Cheri Jo Bates murder on October 30th 1966 or the Lake Herman Road murders of December 20th 1968 were the Zodiac Killer's first, the crosshairs loomed ​​large over both.

The Zodiac Killer wrote in his 'Bus Bomb' letter "If you wonder why I was wipeing the cab down I was leaving fake clews for the police to run all over town with, as one might say". This has been mulled over incessantly to discover the true meaning to which the Zodiac was referring, with many believing the Zodiac Killer was likely leaving fake fingerprints. But unless these fingerprints were by comparison matched to certain individuals, the police wouldn't be running anywhere.

Three years earlier in a Riverside alleyway, Cheri Jo Bates' lifeless body was discovered by groundskeeper Cleophus Martin. She had been brutally stabbed and slashed with a short-bladed knife on October 30th 1966. Sitting just 10 feet away was a Timex watch, believed to have been ripped from the assailant's wrist during the struggle. Or is that possibly what the killer wanted us to believe. It was determined that the wristband was set for a man with a 7-inch wrist. Was this a 'fake clew' designed to throw investigators off the scent of the killer. 

The Zodiac Killer appeared well read, certainly keeping abreast of the newspaper coverage of his crimes. The extract on the left was published in the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday November 1st 1966, only two days after the murder of Cheri Jo Bates. It states "Police have arrested no suspects, but they said they were examining several clews. A man's wristwatch was found about 10 feet from the body". Did the Zodiac drag these clews into his November 9th 1969 Bus Bomb Letter, but this time replacing the 7-inch leather watch with a pair of size 7 black leather gloves as his 'fake clews'?

Although Robert Graysmith claimed in his first book these gloves may have been left in the taxicab by a prior female passenger, he effectively contradicted this account in Zodiac Unmasked, using them, in effect, to implicate Arthur Leigh Allen.

Shortly after the murder of Paul Stine in Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969, three teenagers noticed a man in the front seat of the taxicab, stating "The suspect appeared to be searching the victim's pockets. The suspect then appeared to be wiping (fingerprints) on the interior of the cab, leaning over the victim to the driver's compartment". The three teenagers later recalled that "They both watched and observed in silence as Zodiac pushed the driver to an upright position behind the steering wheel, exited the car and walked around the rear of the car and opened the driver's door. Stine had fallen over onto the seat and Zodiac pulled him back up into the seated position and had some difficulty keeping him upright. Once upright, he was seen to have a rag, or something like a handkerchief and began to wipe down the door area and leaning over the driver, part of the dashboard". But was the Zodiac Killer only wiping down the driver side compartment and dashboard? Could he have been removing gloves from his own pocket to deposit them underneath the dashboard? Robert Graysmith stated in his first Zodiac book that "Just under the dash, Toschi found a pair of dull black leather gloves".  Were these Zodiac's "fake clews for the police to run all over town with", as one might say. The Zodiac Killer evidently missed a trick in his Bus Bomb Letter, when he could have stated "fake clews for the police to dash all over town with" - but he didn't. 

The investigators certainly considered these gloves as belonging to the killer, and were taken into evidence (see right). It is equally certain they would have attempted to trace the origin and manufacturer of the gloves, as they did with the Wing Walker's that created the boot impressions noted at the Lake Berryessa crime scene. This would have given the police "some bussy work to do to keep them happy," and would most certainly have had them "running all over town".

In an interview with Bryan Hartnell shortly after the Lake Berryessa stabbing, he was asked if the assailant wore gloves. He replied "I don't remember if he had gloves on or not. I can't remember now. I keep thinking he had gloves on". Did the Zodiac Killer purchase gloves with the express intention of dropping them in the taxicab, to give police the runaround. Or was he steering us towards his previous exploits at Lake Berryessa. One doesn't know if the San Francisco Police Department traced the origin of the gloves, or indeed whether the gloves were labeled, although one of the premier glove manufacturers in the USA and California were the Napa Glove Company in Napa Valley, whose beginnings stretch back as far as 1888. The Napa Glove Company is situated one mile west of the 1231 Main Steet payphone, where Zodiac placed his second phone call to police. This would have been one hell of a 'fake clew'. Napa leather was first 'coined' by Emanuel Manasse in 1875 while working for the Sawyer Tanning Company in Napa, California, and can be found in Merriam-Webster's dictionary. See Wikipedia.

Eighteen years before the murder of Cheri Jo Bates in Riverside, California on February 8th 1948, another senseless murder was perpetrated on a young woman in Riverside County. Marjorie Lee Winn (17), a Redlands High School student was traveling with her companion, Jim Sloan Jr, in his Mercury Coupe along Highway 99 just past Beaumont at around 2:30 am, when they pulled over for a brief moment. Suddenly, a man yanked open the passenger door of his Mercury Coupe and pointed a shotgun at Marjorie. Jim Sloan stepped on the gas to pull away and the gun discharged, leaving the young student with what would prove fatal injuries.

On the evening of the 7th,  Albert Strickland had been drinking at a bar located on 14th Street and Howard Avenue in Riverside, when his vehicle carelessly parked outside with a loaded shotgun lying on the seat, was stolen. The bar was situated only four minutes drive, or one mile from the Terracina Drive alleyway where Cheri Jo Bates would ultimately be murdered in 1966.

Sometime after 1:00 am, Adolph Eilts and his wife were disturbed in their Beaumont home by an intruder carrying a flashlight. Confronted by the home owner the man fled, but when the homeowner went outside he discovered the abandoned Packard of Albert Strickland minus the shotgun. Just over an hour later Marjorie would be dead. After the murder of Margie Lee Winn, a massive manhunt ensued, becoming headline news - yet the killer was never identified. An unsigned 'confession' letter was received by Redlands Police Chief A.O. Peterson stating ​"I killed M. Winn because I loved her. I am traveling north by Greyhound bus. I bought my ticket from a bus driver by the name of Mr. Lee in Los Angeles". An anonymous caller to Riverside Police Department led to the discovery of a pair of size seven shoes in a vacant lot that matched the impressions taken from the location of the murder, and therefore were determined by police to be those of the killer. Prime suspect Richard Olsen (25) admitted to being the author of the anonymous letter, however, he denied the murder - and despite wearing size seven shoes was eventually ruled out by police in the murder of Margie Lee Winn. 

The murder in Beaumont was perpetrated approximately 26 miles east of the Riverside City College library and has some overlapping characteristics to the Zodiac Killer and Cheri Jo Bates, but this is extremely unlikely to be connected to either, having the hallmarks of robbery rather than premeditated murder. To read more in depth on this murder please visit 
​http://tonimomberger.weebly.com/the-unsolved-killing-of-margie-lee-winn.html