The Zodiac Killer had a long memory when constructing a communication, often citing newspaper headlines and the content within them from many months and years earlier. On Saturday, November 1st 1969 the Vallejo Times-Herald ran an article entitled You Couldn't Tell It Was Halloween, expressing surprise that the Zodiac Killer had not written or made an appearance during the Halloween festivities, writing "He made no threats - in fact, he did not even communicate to police departments in the Bay Area about any plans he may be developing for Halloween. Nevertheless, parents and youngsters alike were on the extremely cautious side". Vallejo Police Chief Jack E. Stiltz warned it could be a very dangerous time for youngsters to be on the streets.
Whether the October 28th 1987 Zodiac letter was just a product of fortuitous language, or whether the Zodiac Killer religiously kept a scrapbook of newspaper articles about himself, is unknown. But this letter stated "Tell the blue pigs if want me I will be out driving around on Halloween in my death machine looking for some kiddies to run over. Cars make nice weapons. The pigs can catch me if They can find me out there. Just like in the movie The car. Tell the kiddies watch before They cross the street on halloween nite". Regardless of this distant future communication, the following Halloween after the November 1st 1969 article was published, the Zodiac Killer mailed the October 27th 1970 Halloween card to Paul Avery, referring to teenagers through the use of the word "TEEN". He also failed to use his pseudonym, and supplied us for the first time with the character "Z" (twice) as his identity, by way of a greeting card suggesting he was going to clue us in on his name, beginning "I feel it in my bones, you ache to know my name, and so I'll clue you in." The answer once the card was opened was "BOO", emblazoned in prominence. The strange symbolism in the card, in accompaniment to the letter "Z", was not only placed within the card, but positioned on the return address side of the envelope. Was this used to indicate his identity, as it may have been on the 408th plaintext character of the July 31st 1969 cryptogram.
Whether the October 28th 1987 Zodiac letter was just a product of fortuitous language, or whether the Zodiac Killer religiously kept a scrapbook of newspaper articles about himself, is unknown. But this letter stated "Tell the blue pigs if want me I will be out driving around on Halloween in my death machine looking for some kiddies to run over. Cars make nice weapons. The pigs can catch me if They can find me out there. Just like in the movie The car. Tell the kiddies watch before They cross the street on halloween nite". Regardless of this distant future communication, the following Halloween after the November 1st 1969 article was published, the Zodiac Killer mailed the October 27th 1970 Halloween card to Paul Avery, referring to teenagers through the use of the word "TEEN". He also failed to use his pseudonym, and supplied us for the first time with the character "Z" (twice) as his identity, by way of a greeting card suggesting he was going to clue us in on his name, beginning "I feel it in my bones, you ache to know my name, and so I'll clue you in." The answer once the card was opened was "BOO", emblazoned in prominence. The strange symbolism in the card, in accompaniment to the letter "Z", was not only placed within the card, but positioned on the return address side of the envelope. Was this used to indicate his identity, as it may have been on the 408th plaintext character of the July 31st 1969 cryptogram.
Two weeks prior to the November 1st 1969 newspaper article, on October 15th 1969, another article ran in the Los Angeles Times entitled Identity In Code? Zodiac Killer-Chilling Portrait Of Madness. The whole premise of the article was analyzing and ruminating on the identity of the Zodiac Killer, stating "He could be old Mrs. So-and-So's boy, who never says boo and still lives at home. Or that batchelor that keeps to himself and never seems to have any fun". As a response to his name, one year later he would say "BOO" in the Halloween card. The article went on to examine the July 31st 1969 letters and cryptograms, along with the unsolved 18 characters at the foot of the 408 cipher, pondering whether "his name, or some other vital clue was written in the cryptogram". Did he finally give us the vital clue to the identity in the 408 cipher, when he used the character "Z" in the Halloween card for the very first time? See The Missing Line in the 408 Cipher.
It could be argued that the Zodiac Killer deliberately introduced himself as the "murderer" and "killer" in his July 31st 1969 letters to withhold his identity for the 408 character cryptogram. Possibly the identity of "Z", to which he would expand upon a few days later, when he introduced his now infamous "This is the Zodiac speaking" phrase. Maybe there were only 17 redundant ciphertext characters at the foot of the 408 cipher?
It could be argued that the Zodiac Killer deliberately introduced himself as the "murderer" and "killer" in his July 31st 1969 letters to withhold his identity for the 408 character cryptogram. Possibly the identity of "Z", to which he would expand upon a few days later, when he introduced his now infamous "This is the Zodiac speaking" phrase. Maybe there were only 17 redundant ciphertext characters at the foot of the 408 cipher?
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