The Zodiac created four ciphers, of which only one has ever been solved and confirmed by overwhelming consensus. The third code is simply too short to achieve any meaningful decryption and the 32-Symbol Button letter code has only three repeating characters, making these two codes, without a key, effectively unbreakable. If we had the key however, then we would be back in business.

​It is perfectly reasonable after the solve by Donald Gene and Bettye June Harden in the August of 1969, to believe that all the remaining ciphers contain a message, after all, what would be the point of them other than a joke on Zodiac's part. ​It is my contention that the remaining three ciphers may have been linked by religion (and Jesus Christ in particular).

The Zodiac chose a Celtic Cross style moniker, talked of "paradice" and the "afterlife," and placed crucifix style designs in his Halloween and 13-Hole postcards. You could say the Zodiac Code was the forerunner to the Da Vinci Code.
The key to the Zodiac Code is the previously discussed 13-Symbol cipher, where the Zodiac splits the alphabet A through M to expose perfect symmetry in the third cipher. This is the template we shall use in the 13-Symbol and 32-Symbol ciphers, and in both instances arrive at exactly the same holy number. The Zodiac crosshairs can be noted in every cipher or code, so it is imperative we derive a mathematical figure for this moniker. But first we shall present the Zodiac Code that will be used on both ciphers.    

The alphabet on the right has been split symmetrically into two halves. A through M was used in the Embedded Symmetry article, in which only the numbers 3, 1 and 5 were ever generated. The number 315 can be generated in several ways using the Zodiac Killer communications, but the simplest way is to take the Zodiac horoscope.

The Zodiac used what appeared to be an upside-down Aries symbol on the April 20th 1970  13-Symbol cipher. Many people also considered that the three circled 8's were in fact three circled Taurus symbols. But the reason the Zodiac Killer circled them, was possibly so they could be interpreted as both. Since we are dealing with the Zodiac horoscope, we will take the characters as one Aries and three Taurus symbols. 

On the left is the Zodiac horoscope placed into the Zodiac Code (above).
This generates the figure 315 for the Zodiac crosshairs. 
Because we will be using Aries and Taurus in the 13-Symbol cipher, I will explain how to arrive at the figures in brackets:
ARIES = A+R+I+E+S = 1+5+5+5+6 = 22.  
TAURUS = T+A+U+R+U+S = 7+1+6+5+6+6 =31.
ARIES =22, TAURUS = 31.

Before we move on it is important to mention the following again.
In Christian numerology, the number 888 represents Jesus, or sometimes more specifically Christ the Redeemer. This representation may be justified either through gematria, by counting the letter values of the Greek transliteration of Jesus' name, or as an opposing value to 666, the number of the beast. Wikipedia. In English gematria the figure for Jesus is 444.

If the Zodiac was creating his own bible code and referencing the rebirth of Christ using the number 8 for infinity, one would hope to find the figure 444 in the 13-Symbol cipher shown below.  
​
Let us proceed and place the numbers alongside the relevant characters (see below). 
Notice again how the alphabetical characters only produce the figures 3, 1 and 5, as does the figure 315 representing the Zodiac crosshairs. The total value of the 13-Symbol cipher is 444, representing Jesus. 

We shall now move on to the 32-Symbol cipher mailed just two months after the previous cipher. It contained only three repeating characters, the letter C, the letter O and the clear triangle, making it impossible to solve without a recognized key. This led me to believe that these two ciphers were only solvable by some form of mathematical key.

Below I have used the same technique, using the Zodiac Code, representing the letters of the 32-Symbor cipher by numbers. The Zodiac crosshairs are again attributed the 315 value and the Aries symbol the figure 22 once more. This time however, we have an Omega symbol, so we have to attribute it a figure. OMEGA = O+M+E+G+A = 2+1+5+7+1 = 16. The six geometric shapes in the 32-Symbol cipher cannot be attributed a name, and therefore cannot be attributed a value. They have been marked with a red X.  You can see below, that when the numerical values are added up we arrive at the figure 444 once again. Zodiac representing the figure 888, and both the remaining ciphers totaling 888. Whether it be 444 or 888, the reference to Jesus or Jesus Christ through the bible code of the Zodiac Killer is certainly possible. 

The 408 cipher was divided up into three parts and mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle, Vallejo Times-Herald and San Francisco Examiner newspapers, but the final 18 characters of this cipher were unable to be decoded. Many speculated as to whether this was just filler to create three equal parts of 8 lines. Was this the rudimentary beginnings of 888, that he would carry through to his remaining ciphers and the name Zodiac itself ? 

http://www.zodiacciphers.com/zodiac-news/340-cipher-embedded-symmetry   

The History Channel series about the Zodiac Killer will begin on Tuesday November 14th 2017 and run for five consecutive weeks, examining certain aspects of the Zodiac case, promising new findings on the ciphers and more.

The images on the right are of Cheri Jo Bates' trousers being tested in the laboratory and the crime scene photograph taken in the Riverside City College campus alleyway on October 31st 1966. The promotion attached to the upper image states "AISOCC Review Board Member Suzanna Ryan, Sal LaBarbera and Detective Kenneth Mains used the M-Vac System to extract DNA from clothing of a potential Zodiac victim at our AISOCC Laboratory. What they found after 50 years is shocking....tune into the History Channel on November 14th at 10.00 pm Eastern Standard Time to find out more...."
​
Suzanna Ryan specializes in forensic serology and DNA analysis, with over 15 years experience in the field. Forensic serology is the detection, classification and study of various bodily fluids such as blood, semen, fecal matter and perspiration, and their relationship to a crime scene. The M-Vac system is used in such instances when a victim (in our case Cheri Jo Bates) has been grabbed or manhandled, and the perpetrator has left touch DNA, invisible to the naked eye. The M-Vac system is capable of extracting the touch DNA and so enable the laboratory to generate a genetic profile of the suspect. It uses a wet vacuum system in which a buffer will be sprayed onto the trousers, while at the same time the freed particles will be sucked into a collection bottle for testing. It is used when other techniques have failed, such as swabbing and taping. The samples collected may be incredibly small, so polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is often used to amplify the sample. The sample could be semen, skin cells, saliva or blood. "The M-Vac was able to collect anywhere from 36% to 189% more DNA from experimental evidence items such as extremely dilute blood (1:5000 – 1:25,000) on shirts, rocks, and wood and from touch DNA on knit caps and duct tape". Ryan Forensic. 

Since 2002, when Cydne Holt claimed to have secured a partial DNA profile of the Zodiac Killer from communications mailed by the killer, the field of forensic DNA analysis has come a long way, including the detection and examination of the male Y-chromosome in mixed samples. "The Y chromosome DNA testing enables examination of the male-specific portion of biological evidence. This capability can be especially important in situations where a small amount of male DNA may be recovered in the presence of excess female DNA, such as in sexual assault evidence". link.   

​This is particularly relevant in the case of Cheri Jo Bates, where small traces of male DNA may be present in the mixed sample on her trousers, which were inevitably laden with her own blood after the savage knife attack in 1966. The murderer of Cheri Jo Bates could easily have cut himself while inflicting the numerous injuries on the young woman, either from his hand slipping down the knife as it became soaked with blood, or quite possibly from the knife folding in on itself, had it broke or malfunctioned. The author of the Confession letter did state "I plunged the knife into her and it broke. I then finished the job by cutting her throat". Clearly no knife blade was recovered at autopsy or on the alleyway floor, so if the author of the Confession letter was truthful, it is most likely the killer had a small-bladed pocket knife which could easily have closed onto his fingers or hand, secreting blood onto the clothes of Cheri Jo Bates. 

The promotion material promises "what they found after 50 years is shocking". So, if the hype is to be believed, we would have to assume that the M-Vac system possibly retrieved incriminating DNA evidence, likely from the trousers of Cheri Jo Bates, although one would expect her upper garments are the more likely area to have contained the fingerprint of the killer. However, touch DNA samples can produce erroneous and misleading results, the sample being so incredibly small, it is extremely susceptible  to contamination. Hope you enjoy the series.

THE 340 CIPHER WAS CRACKED ON DECEMBER 3RD 2020 BY DAVE ORANCHAK, SAM BLAKE AND JARL VAN EYCKE, SO THIS EARLIER ARTICLE SHOULD BE VIEWED IN RESPECT TO RECENT DEVELOPMENTS.

This is a rehash of earlier articles concerning the 340 cipher and 13-Symbol cipher, regarding their symmetry and correlation to one another. If you are familiar with the 888 theory, then you need go no further.

The 340 cipher was the second cipher mailed on November 8th 1969, and the 13-Symbol cipher was the third cipher mailed on April 20th 1970, separated by just over five months. The Zodiac would refer to his 340 cipher at the beginning of the April 20th letter, stating "This is the Zodiac speaking. By the way have you cracked the last cipher I sent you. My name is...."  This could be a simple clue leading into his new cipher, however, the author of the letter was highly unlikely to offer his real name. In addition, it is simply too short a code to be verifiable - and the Zodiac Killer must surely have known this if he had any rudimentary knowledge of code breaking. But with a clue or key affixed to the 13-Symbol code, then we may have a chance.

Up to this point in time, we only knew the murderer by the pseudonym Zodiac, so let us complete the introduction on the April 20th 1970 letter to "This is the Zodiac speaking. By the way have you cracked the last cipher I sent you. My name is Zodiac".  However, this sounds a little flawed, so it is imperative we replace Zodiac with an alternative - something possibly embedded within the name of Zodiac itself. 

​The 340 cipher has been entered into every powerful computer known to man with no solution being found, leading many people to believe it has no solution at all and is just total gibberish. I don't know about the entirety of the 340 cipher, but the twentieth and final line of the cipher does contain perfect symmetry in six of the final eight characters. In addition, eight of the final nine characters are effectively carried forward from the 340 cipher to the 13-Symbol cipher, linking cipher two and cipher three together. In the 13-Symbol cipher he did refer to "My name is..", so we will look for his pseudonym in the 340 cipher and take this as the clue. 

We already know that six symbols on the twentieth line of the 340 cipher look very similar to his pseudonym Zodiac, but was this unintentional or deliberate? To find this out we shall look at the symmetry of both ciphers. The 13-Symbol cipher from a character standpoint is extremely organized. It starts and ends with three alphabetical characters. The three circled 8's are symmetrically placed in positions 5, 7 and 9 of the code. The Zodiac symbol and 'upside down Aries' symbol are four in from either side. Either the Zodiac just happened upon this symmetry, or he designed it for purpose. Bearing this symmetry in mind, we will look for a symmetrical answer in both the 340 cipher and 13-Symbol cipher - and in addition - symmetry between the two.

The Zodiac Killer was undoubtedly an egotist, so it wouldn't be all that surprising if he used his own pseudonym in the clue, and embedded the answer within the name Zodiac itself. In the following examination I will be using the identical mathematical technique on both the 340 cipher and 13-Symbol cipher, to show perfect symmetry in both instances. It was this egotism that led me to believe the clue resided in the 'near' Zodiac on the twentieth line of the 340 cipher. So using a comparison technique, I placed the proper spelling of Zodiac under the 'near' Zodiac and simply counted the numerical alphabetical difference in the columns. But first let us take a look at the 13-Symbol cipher and note the bottom two lines in the diagram below.

Because of not only the existing symmetry within this cipher, but the fact it was thirteen characters in length, began with an A and ended with an M, along with Zodiac's penchant for word games, it seemed the obvious choice to place the first 13 letters of the alphabet under the cipher. 

A to A = 0, B to E = 3, C to N = 11, F to K = 5, H to M = 5, K to N = 3, A to L = 11. 
The above is achieved by staying within the alphabet and counting the numerical distance between the letters. Obviously, when we do not have two alphabetical characters there can be no difference, so a zero is attributed. You could attribute an X, but it actually makes no difference to the resulting symmetry.    

Highlighted in red and green the obvious symmetry can be observed. But how likely can this be created by accident? By taking the three circled 8's as H's, it can still be seen that only three natural numbers are ever produced - that of 3, 1 and 5. 
How do we know if this is the technique that Zodiac employed? If we apply this technique to the 'near' Zodiac on the twentieth line of the 340 cipher using the correct spelling of Zodiac and it again produces perfect symmetry, then we have possibly bolstered our case. If, in addition, it produces something significant that relates to the 13-Symbol cipher, does it then become even more compelling? The most obvious choice this time is to place Zodiac underneath the six symbols on the twentieth line, like so:

Using the identical technique we used in the 13-Symbol cipher, we shall again count the numerical difference in the columns.
Z to Z = 0, O to O = 0, D to triangle = 0, I to A = 8, A to I = 8, C to K = 8.
That is three 0's and three 8's, carried forward to the 13-Symbol cipher on April 20th 1970. But that is not all.

Either side of the 'near' Zodiac on the twentieth line of the 340 cipher we have the crosshairs and an 'inverted Aries' in part.  
Both of which are situated on the 13-Symbol cipher, either side of the circled 8's (shown in the red rectangular boxes above).
This means that eight characters out of the last nine were effectively carried forward from the 340 cipher to the 13-Symbol cipher. It could be argued that the last eight characters of the 340 cipher were carried forward using the plus sign (+) at the end of the 340 cipher, signifying their addition to the 13-Symbol cipher.

​Zodiac is now represented by the three circled 8's. 'In Christian numerology, the number 888 represents Jesus, or sometimes more specifically Christ the Redeemer. This representation may be justified either through gematria, by counting the letter values of the Greek transliteration of Jesus' name, or as an opposing value to 666, the number of the beast.' Wikipedia. This may be important when we consider the Zodiac's tendency to speak of "paradise" and the "afterlife" in many of his communications - in particular his 408 cipher. He would also cross "paradice" and "slaves" in the form of a crucifix on the Halloween card, as well as pasting a red crucifix on the 13-Hole postcard.  

You can see in the above diagram that the letters K and M are embedded within the three 8's and therefore embedded in the name Zodiac. Were these his initials, and was he elevating himself to divine status? He certainly had the ego for it.

# There are some additional features of interest:
The 408 cipher was divided up into three sections of 8 lines and mailed to three different newspapers.
The final line of the 408 cipher contains an M and reversed K.
The final line of the 340 cipher contains an M and reversed K.
The 13-Symbol cipher contains the letter M and K.
The final character at the end of each of the three communications of the 408 cipher is either an M or reversed K.
The top line of the 32-Symbol cipher mailed on June 26th 1970 contains an M and reversed K.​

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The 'Exorcist' letter was mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on January 29th 1974 - to some a form of epitaph to his impending death by suicide. The final paragraph however warned "If I do not see this note in your paper, I will do something nasty, which you know I'm capable of doing," seemingly contradictory to this notion. The letter opened in mocking fashion, describing the recently released Exorcist film as "the best saterical comidy that I have ever seen". Was he constructively criticizing the film, or had its content of exorcism hit closer to home from the point of homosexuality. On October 18th 1969 Paul Avery ran a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle describing the Zodiac Killer as a 'latent homosexual'. Under the banner Zodiac-Portrait of the Killer  he stated "The killer of five who calls himself 'Zodiac' is a clumsy criminal, a liar and possibly a latent homosexual". This was covered extensively in two articles, Skeleton in the Closet and What a Drag, but we shall explore this possibility further in respect the October 11th 1969 murder of Paul Stine.

This was the late 1960s, a time when the gay community suffered unspeakable prejudice from the police, authorities and a seeping religious intolerance. Christian fundamentalists, cloaked in toxic reverence of themselves, believed incorrectly by summoning the will of God upon the person with homosexual feelings, that the devil could be driven out of their body and thus cleanse their soul. It therefore wouldn't be a great leap of faith to believe that the Zodiac Killer had utter contempt for this form of religious piety and the practice of exorcism, hence the description of The Exorcist movie as the "the best saterical comidy that I have ever seen". ​This contempt for the police and newspapers may have been well founded, as arrested gay individuals had their names and addresses routinely published in the newspapers as a form of public shaming.​ 

The Zodiac Killer would reference the film Badlands on May 8th 1974 and the Red Phantom movie (also known as El Espectro Rojo) on July 8th 1974, which had a showing at the Lyric Theater in Mill Valley at the end of April. The Zodiac Killer certainly appeared to have a penchant for the theatrical, with his references to The Mikado in his correspondence, and his 'grand curtain call' at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969. However, did this extravagance for attention spill out into his personal life. Did these 'attractions' for Zodiac have any bearing on his movements in the hours prior the murder of Paul Stine. 

Taking meter readings from the taxicab at the crime scene and information acquired by Robert Graysmith and Officer Harvey Hines, it was believed the Zodiac entered the taxicab of Paul Stine outside the Westin St Francis Hotel in Union Square. But where had he been in the hours preceding this fateful journey? The 'Exorcist' letter was without doubt a response to the San Francisco Chronicle article entitled Weird Goings on at the Movies, authored by Paul Avery and published on January 11th 1974 detailing the audience reaction to the recently released Exorcist movie in 1973. The news report was from the Northpoint Theatre, located at 2290 Powell Street, San Francisco. The theater was located 3.4 miles from Washington and Cherry Streets, the intersection where Paul Stine was murdered and only 1.3 miles from Union Square where the taxicab driver picked up Zodiac.

The Exorcist movie opened its 26 week stint at the Northpoint Theatre on December 26th 1973 and had performances throughout the day. A typical schedule was 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm for films two hours or longer. The area where Paul Stine picked up the Zodiac Killer was the bustling theater district in San Francisco, so his perceived  leanings to the theatrical in his communications may have played a part in his choice of pick-up point. Had he just exited from an early evening performance? The arrival of the taxicab at the intersection of Washington and Cherry at 9:55 pm indicated a departure time of approximately 9:40 pm from Union Square, conducive to his exit from a nearby theater. The Westin St. Francis Hotel may also have been familiar. Union Square borders the Nob Hill and Tenderloin districts, which combines both the LGBT and theater influences under one banner. Jose Sarria, a high profile San Francisco drag performer and gay activist was arrested at the Westin St Francis public restrooms for solicitation - a location known to be frequented by homosexuals.

Had the Zodiac Killer been somewhere else that evening, rather than a stage performance. Could he have been viewing a movie at the Northpoint Theatre. A two hour film beginning at 7:00 pm and finishing at 9:00 pm would leave a 25 to 30 minute walk back to Union Square, possibly with a quick takeaway, to enable the Zodiac Killer to enter Paul Stine's taxicab circa 9:40 pm. But what was playing at the Northpoint Theatre on October 11th 1969?

Midnight Cowboy ran from the 16th July 1969 to 17th December 1969. The film, starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight won three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was the first gay-related Best Picture winner. In addition, it was the only X-rated film ever to win Best Picture. Ironically, the film that preceded Midnight Cowboy was The Great Bank Robbery with writer William Blatty accredited for screenplay. 
Here is a very relevant clip from Midnight Cowboy where Dustin Hoffman has an altercation with a Yellow taxicab driver. The taxicab incident in Midnight Cowboy was apparently not scripted in the film - but likely Zodiac's impending murder of Paul Stine was conceived beforehand - a predetermined reel of murder for which there was only one end.

In 2007, the David Fincher 'Zodiac' film burst onto our cinema screens to bring a new audience to the now 49-year-old murder mystery. The film was based on the 1986 Robert Graysmith book and employed many previous investigators as consultants or technical advisors to the film, such as George Bawart, Russell T. Butterbach, Pierre Bidou, Kelly Carroll, Donald Fouke, Armond Pelissetti, Ken Narlow and Dave Toschi, to name but a few. The film does provide a good overview of the Zodiac case, although clearly employs a fair degree of artistic license not based in fact. However, there is one key scene that we shall focus on here, where the Halloween card arrives at the San Francisco Chronicle headquarters and a piece of Paul Stine's shirt is discovered within the greeting card. 

The Zodiac Killer mailed three pieces of Paul Stine's shirt, firstly, in the October 13th 1969 letter, secondly, in the November 9th 1969 Bus Bomb letter and thirdly, to Melvin Belli on December 20th 1969, yet no mention was ever given to a fourth swatch of Paul Stine's being received with any subsequent correspondence. The film, up to this point, had been accurate in this respect, so why was it necessary to invent this portion of the story when the Halloween card stood on its own merits as a Zodiac correspondence, being perceived as a personal threat to newspaper reporter Paul Avery. With many previous and current investigators involved in the film, this seemed an unnecessary addition of fiction. Unless of course it wasn't.

The Zodiac did not mail the entirety of the shirt section he removed from the taxicab driver on October 11th 1969, and we have come to believe he wasn't a collector of souvenirs. So why didn't he just mail back the remainder of the shirt in later communications, particularly ones he must have realized would be questioned as authentic correspondence from the killer?      

This is not claiming a piece of shirt did arrive with the Halloween card but is looking for reasons why it could be a possibility based on the card's contents. There would seem little reason to withhold this from the newspapers when previous pieces received had been fully disclosed.

Despite this, in 1970, certain details contained in several correspondences were withheld from publication, most notably the whole of the Little List letter mailed on July 26th 1970, eventually released to the press on October 12th 1970 only two weeks prior to the arrival of the Halloween card. Whether the investigators were trying to force a mistake from Zodiac by 'interfering' with his communications can only be surmised. 

The immediate communication after the disappearance of Donna Lass on September 6th 1970 was the Zodiac 13-Hole postcard containing a pasted red crucifix. In later years, a potential burial site was explored by Officer Harvey Hines near Clair Tappaan Lodge, where a rock configuration of 13 stones were positioned in the form of a cross. It was considered that Zodiac may have been pointing us toward the burial site of Donna Lass (the area he had concealed her remains). ​Was the Halloween card also pointing us toward an area of concealment in a rather more subtle way? The author of the Halloween card had certainly made great effort in creating additions to this card in similar fashion to the 13-Hole postcard, but obviously in a more magnified fashion. What purpose belied the addition of a pumpkin over the pelvis of the first skeleton, as well as adding the second skeleton on the card inner? If indeed this held great purpose, then it was largely missed by most observers. One would like to believe the pumpkin and skeleton were placed on the card for more than just the casual amusement of its creator. That is what we shall investigate.       

The first thing to look at is "peek-a-boo you are doomed", a perceived threat to newspaper reporter Paul Avery, placed around the knothole of the tree on the card inner. Peek-a-boo is a form of play where a parent may cover their face with their hands and then reveal themselves to the infant, exclaiming peekaboo. Was this Zodiac patronizing his investigators, painting himself as the parent while subtly mocking the police and journalists as children, warning them they were "doomed?" In addition, was it suggestive of something hidden that was about to be revealed, with the eye in the knothole telling us to look closer.

The Zodiac Killer could have drawn on the Halloween card but chose to add a cut out pumpkin and skeleton. The inside of the envelope contained the phrase "sorry no cipher" twice and was fashioned into an X formation. There may have been no cipher, but was the X marking a location to be found? The pumpkin on the card outer was fashioned over the pelvic region of the skeleton, only to be effectively removed from the skeleton on the card inner to the delight of the author in the form of the word "Boo". Again, an extension of something concealed to the observer before its unearthing. Everything in the card screams out to something hidden that will be revealed. If the Zodiac Killer didn't place a small piece of Paul Stine's shirt behind the pumpkin, it could be argued he missed a Halloween trick - or treat in his case. He drew a colored mask on the eyes of the inner skeleton (that likely in the real world would be made of fabric), that once again hints at concealment.   

The Zodiac Killer may have written 14 on the Halloween card three times. Firstly, the number fourteen on the hand of the outer skeleton. Secondly, in the form of 4-TEEN above the head of the inner skeleton. And thirdly, in the form of a strange symbol at the foot of the card inner, which may represent 'Zodiac Victims Fourteen' or 'Zodiac Fourteen.'  There may however be another possibility, based on the 'four eyes' near the pelvic region of the skeleton, and near the strange symbol at the foot of the card, where the Zodiac Killer curiously added four dots.

The Bay Area killer certainly was indicating 14 victims, or a potential 14 victims. However, he also appeared to be emphasizing the number 4. He deliberately separated the number fourteen to create 4-TEEN. He placed four larger eyes close to the pelvic region of the skeleton as if urging us to see something, along with the four dots around the symbol. Could the symbol stand for 'Zodiac Four,' or was it still 'Zodiac Victims Fourteen,' with four attachments to date. The fourth piece of Paul Stine's shirt possibly concealed under the pumpkin by the pelvic region of the outer skeleton, highlighted by the four large eyes imploring us to discover. The Zodiac Killer mailed the Halloween card just after the first anniversary of the Presidio Heights murder, so if he was to send any more pieces of Paul Stine's shirt, this may have been his opportune moment. There appears little reason to conclude this information was withheld by investigators, but it doesn't hurt to consider the possibility. 

In the aftermath of the Cheri Jo Bates murder in Riverside on October 30th 1966 a library reconstruction was performed on November 13th 1966, with fingerprints and hair samples taken from the attendees to compare to crime scene evidence. How many college students and personnel were ultimately screened can only be speculated, but it was likely extensive. But who on the fringes of Riverside City College slipped through the net. Riverside College was undergoing extensive renovation at the time and was likely a hub of activity, that included contractors employed for this very task. Who could travel unhindered around the college campus, with access to buildings usually considered off limits? The murder was committed at the end of October, with the Bates letters mailed on April 30th 1967. We are looking at a period of 6 months, before the Zodiac Killer disappeared and apparently resurfaced in Benicia just over one and a half years later. If the Zodiac Killer was responsible for the events in Riverside, then it is conceivable that if he worked around or within the Riverside City College campus, he took his profession with him when he resumed his murderous activities in northern California. The focus of our killer seemed to centralize around the Riverside College campus. We shall therefore look at some key bullet points. 

#1. Cheri Jo Bates arrived at the campus shortly after 6:00 pm,  but screams were heard from the alleyway circa 10:30 pm. What  happened during this time period is unknown, but the killer specifically targeted Cheri Jo Bates Volkswagen Beetle and may have remained on site for upwards of four hours. Does this suggest he was comfortable in these surroundings and could travel around the campus largely unnoticed? Did the killer have access to a building in the vicinity of the library annex? Was he able to approach Cheri Jo Bates, only because he was familiar to her, yet he wasn't a close friend or fellow student?

#2. The two buildings either side of the crime scene were unoccupied. Would a killer lure a woman into this particular alleyway and commit a brutal attack, lasting possibly a minute or more, if he thought that these dwellings were inhabited by potential eyewitnesses - or even park his vehicle nearby? This goes to the very heart of whether this perpetrator knew the status of these two buildings and the area he was operating in. Knowing in advance that nobody was overlooking the crime scene was seemingly fundamental to his escape from justice.

#3. A Timex watch was ripped from the murderer's wrist during the struggle. It carried white flecks of paint. Did this belong to a worker, or somebody who was involved in the renovation of the campus facilities. 

#4. Here is a little background on the Riverside City College library: "The library is located on the Terracina Avenue side of the Quadrangle. Its collection included more than 35,000 books, 400 current periodicals and newspapers, 1,950 reels of microfilm and 2,000 pamphlets. Its indoor and outdoor facilities could accommodate 225 students. The library staff, included five professional librarians, who offered students and faculty individual assistance. The services of the College Library were available to students and residents of the area without charge. Students had free access to any of the books and magazines in the collection and were encouraged to use the library for their recreational reading as well as for academic pursuits. The circulation period was flexible and was determined by the demand for the material in question. Usual loans were for three weeks, but shorter periods may have been required for assigned reading in limited materials. Longer loans could be made upon request. Borrowers were held responsible for any library materials which were lost or damaged while in their care. Hours of service were: Monday through Thursday 7:45 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.; Friday 7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Sunday 1:00 - 5:00; 6:00 - 9:00 p.m".   

Did the killer have access to the library facilities outside of hours - somewhere he could write unhindered on the library desktop, without fear that his unsavory poem could link him back to any murderous deeds he may commit? If the Riverside Desktop Poem was a precursor to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates, then an absence of onlookers would be preferential.

#5. The murderer of Cheri Jo Bates may equally have used other facilities from the library. The 'Confession' letters mailed by the killer on November 29th 1966 were several generation copies: "A photocopying machine, where students could secure 8 1/2 X 11 inch black and white copy of printed or typed material, was available at the library for ten cents".
Photocopying an admission of murder in public may have been perilous, unless you could access a machine in relative obscurity, such as a library during closing times.

#6. The photocopying machine would have been acquired by the college library in respect to the paper likely used by the college, staff and students alike. The three Bates letters mailed on April 30th 1967 measured 8 1/2 X 11 inches, identical to the size offered by the photocopier in the library. 

​#7. "An unrelenting search had been in progress for the murder weapon, and that Tuesday detectives used a metal detector in shrubbery adjacent to the murder scene in an effort to find the knife used by the slayer. Captain Cross revealed to the news media that the autopsy showed that the murder weapon was probably a pocket knife with a 3 inch blade or less. The broadcast and published information about the knife caused the police switchboard to be flooded with calls reporting knives of similar description being found all over the city of Riverside." ​

On November 14th 1966, one day after the highly publicized library reconstruction, the police did get a call from a Riverside City College gardener: "That he had unearthed a hunting knife with his rake. The knife had apparently been buried near the murder scene. Detectives hurried to the campus and turned over the knife to the homicide detail. However, examination failed to show any evidence of dried blood on the knife blade. Also, its width did not compare with the incisions made by the stab wounds". Did the killer plant this knife to play games with the police - possibly observing them from the campus grounds as a casual onlooker? Was the murderer familiar with the routine of the college gardener, knowing he would eventually unearth the knife, or did he make a call to police, something that was withheld from the newspapers?

#8. The 'Confession' letter stated "She was young and beautiful but now she is battered and dead. She is not the first and she will not be the last. I lay awake at night thinking about my next victim. May'be she will be the beautiful blond that babysits near the little store and walks down the dark alley each evening about seven. Or may'be she will be the shapely brownette that said no when I asked her for a date in high school. But may'be it will not be either". Was the killer referring to the alleyway where Cheri Jo Bates was murdered? Could he have been present on the Riverside College campus throughout this period - perfectly visible - yet at the same time inconspicuous because of his connection to the college. What, if anything, was significant about the month delay in claiming the crime in the 'Confession' letter? Was this indicative of how close he was to the college - or was the author a hoaxer, simply reading the newspaper reports and leading us on a merry Danse Macabre.

Here we will take one final look at the vital four minutes from the time of the attack on Paul Stine, detailed in the police report as 9:55 pm, to the sighting of an unknown white male by the intersection of Jackson and Maple by Donald Fouke at 9:59 pm.
It is often claimed that trying to break down a timeline to individual seconds can lead to incorrect conclusions (and that is a worthy contention). However, when the discrepancy is so extremely glaring, it is something that should not be overlooked. In major investigations involving many suspects, as it is imperative to interview each and break down the movements of the individual around the relevant time period to consider the validity of their claims. Timelines are crucial in identifying unachievable claims, and including and excluding suspects from the investigation.

There is an argument to be made that two individuals were present in the taxicab that night, and the white male subject observed by Officer Donald Fouke approaching the intersection of Jackson and Maple was not the white male subject observed in and around the taxicab on October 11th 1969, yet both were present as it pulled up to the intersection of Washington and Cherry Street at 9:55 pm. To shoot a taxicab driver in the wealthy district of Presidio Heights, then carefully tear a rectangular piece of the victim's shirt to take from the crime scene is extremely daring. But to then remove his keys and wallet, wipe down the taxicab, and inexplicably attempt to pull Paul Stine into an upright position behind the steering wheel on a busy Saturday night with the certain conviction that nobody has heard the gunshot and called police, is bordering on insanity. This whole sequence of events from murdering the taxicab driver to leaving the crime scene, we have to consider, took just 60 seconds.    

It is without doubt the author of the Bus Bomb letter mailed on November 9th 1969 was a participant in the murder one month earlier. The statement in the letter claiming "2 cops pulled a goof about 3 min after I left the cab", is not only proof he knew the exact time of the murder, but had knowledge that two police officers in a patrol car were present near the intersection of Jackson and Maple at the correct time that night. This information was never published in the newspapers.

Officers Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms received the police dispatch of an assault and robbery of a taxicab driver at about 9:58 pm. This radio dispatch was also received at 9:58 pm by Officers Armond Pelissetti and Frank Peda while patrolling along Washington Street. Pelissetti and Peda arrived at the murder scene a little before 9:59 pm. 

Upon receiving the initial radio broadcast, the journey time is 1 minute for Donald Fouke and Eric Zelms to reach the intersection of Jackson and Maple from their location on Presidio Avenue (passing Washington St), where they spotted the unknown white male on the north side of Jackson Street - apparently the one who described that "2 cops who pulled a goof". This places Donald Fouke at the intersection of ​Jackson and Maple at 9:59 pm. Armond Pelissetti arrived at the intersection of Washington and Cherry just shy of 9:59 pm. But how do we know Armond Pelissetti arrived at the crime scene nearing 9:59 pm? The answer lies in the expanded statement of the three teenage eyewitnesses that night: 

"As both Robbins kids were the oldest, their statements were the given the most weight. Also they were the least traumatized by the event. One of the kids (not sure which) noticed a cab parked outside (in that now famous spot) with the interior lights on. So when Lindsey told me that the light inside the car was like a spotlight, it was so bright. The first kid at the window said the driver looked "sick, or something". Lindsey and Rebecca went to the window and saw the driver laying across the front seat, head toward the passenger door. His head was in the lap of another man (passenger). Rebecca saw blood and said out loud, "he's stabbing that man." She was seeing blood on the victim and saw the glint of a knife, so she assumed a stabbing was taking place. (No shots were heard by anyone). We know now that Zodiac was cutting off a large piece of Stine's shirt with the knife. At this time, Lindsey went downstairs to get a better look at what was happening, while one of the kids upstairs called the police. Downstairs, the lights were off, so Lindsey knew he could not be seen from the outside. He got close to the window and watched his actions. He was shortly joined by Rebecca. 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. When he was finished, Zodiac calmly walked to Cherry St. and walked north. Not many know this, but Lindsey (being 16. feeling immortal, and believing the suspect to be armed with only a knife) ran out of his door to see where Zodiac was going. He ran to the corner of Cherry and watched as Zodiac continued his casual pace right up to the corner of Jackson & Cherry. At this exact point, the first SFPD car arrives with two officers. One, Pelissetti, approached Lindsey and tried to extract what was happening. The other officer went to the cab and found the bloody victim. While Pelissetti was asking questions, Lindsey was trying to explain that the suspect was in sight on Cherry St. By the time Pelissetti got the point, they both looked and the Zodiac was gone".

The key line in the Robbins statement is the last one. Lindsey was trying to show Armond Pelissetti the subject nearing the top of Cherry Street before he disappeared along Jackson Street. The journey time from the intersection of Washington and Cherry to the top of Cherry Street is approximately 1 minute. The remaining journey time from here to Jackson and Maple is about 2 minutes. The total journey time is approximately 3 minutes, exactly as 'Zodiac' had claimed in the Bus Bomb letter, stating "2 cops pulled a goof about 3 min after I left the cab".  Donald Fouke spotted the unknown white male at 9:59 pm, meaning the subject left the taxicab at around 9:56 pm.

Based on the subject leaving the taxicab at 9:56 pm, the unknown white male taking 1 minute to walk up Cherry Street, would place him near the top of Cherry Street at 9:57 pm, where Lindsey pointed him out to Armond Pelissetti as he arrived at the scene. This is where a major problem arises. Armond Pelissetti didn't even get the initial broadcast until 9:58 pm, and still had to travel to the scene "red light and siren". Let us assume that Armond Pelissetti was only 20 seconds away from the crime scene when he got the radio dispatch. He brings his police car to a halt at the intersection, then approaches Lindsey, and "while Pelissetti was asking questions, Lindsey was trying to explain that the suspect was in sight on Cherry St". Attributing all of this only 30 seconds (which is highly unlikely), it would mean the time after the initial radio dispatch of 9:58 pm, was now 9.58:30 pm - and the time he saw the subject at the top of Cherry. But we know that the subject was there at 9:57 pm based on everything above.

According to the timeline of Donald Fouke, the subject left the taxicab at 9:56 pm, so how could he have been spotted 2 1/2 minutes later at the top of Cherry Street, at 9:58:30 pm. Even using this stringent timeline, there is a discrepancy of 90 seconds over the length of Cherry. Another way of looking at it, is that only 30 seconds after the initial radio broadcast, the timeline is already out by a minimum of 90 seconds. If Armond Pelissetti took a more reasonable 1 minute to arrive, park up and meet with Lindsey at the intersection of Washington and Cherry, the time would now be one minute after the initial broadcast (a time of 9:59 pm), when he was made aware of the subject nearing the top of Cherry. However, this is the same time that Donald Fouke spotted the subject nearing the intersection of Jackson and Maple (at 9:59 pm). A discrepancy of two whole minutes. A discrepancy calculated over 10, 20, 30, or 60 minutes could possibly be explained away, but this discrepancy of two minutes, only one minute after the initial radio broadcast, is something that cannot be explained away by an argument of nitpicking the timeline.

In the 2007 Zodiac documentary, Armond Pelissetti stated he "got down to the corner of Jackson Street. Had to make a choice. I was on the east side of the street so I turned right to the east and went up in that direction". The question being, did he make that choice because of Lindsey pointing the subject out to him, which is a more realistic reason to why he headed east.      

Therefore, we apparently have the same white male subject at the top of Cherry Street at 9:59 pm, and at the intersection of Jackson and Maple at 9:59 pm, leading to the notion they are two different people. Lindsey had tracked the movements of the subject in and around the taxicab that night, as well as when he rounded the corner to head up Cherry Street, thereby inextricably linking this person to the crime scene. Could he have entered Jackson Street and was able to see the red light and siren of Donald Fouke at the other end of Jackson Street pulling over an innocent pedestrian, subsequently referencing this in his Bus Bomb letter a month later, to give the impression that it was actually him Officer Donald Fouke had spoken to? This is highly unlikely, because this person, had he been an innocent pedestrian, would not have directed Donald Fouke away from the crime scene toward Arguello Boulevard, as can be inferred from the statement of Donald Fouke in the 1989 Crimes of the Century' documentary. 

In the 1989 documentary, Donald Fouke recalled "We proceeded on Jackson Street towards Arguello continuing our search, as we arrived at Arguello Street the description of the suspect was changed to a white male adult, believing this suspect was possibly the one involved in the shooting we entered the Presidio of San Francisco and conducted a search on West Pacific Avenue, the opposite side of the wall and the last direction we observed the suspect going, we did not find the suspect". Why would Donald Fouke be heading away from an assault and robbery to which he was supposed to be responding towards?

The likely answer is contained in the Bus Bomb letter: "2 cops pulled a goof abot 3 min after I left the cab. I was walking down the hill to the park when this cop car pulled up + one of them called me over + asked if I saw anyone acting suspicious or strange in the last 5 to 10 min + I said yes there was this man who was runnig by waveing a gun & the cops peeled rubber". The white male subject sent them on a wild goose chase, knowing that, presented with the option of the police further questioning him or burning rubber to protect the public from a man waving a gun, the police would choose to quell the imminent threat. Which is why Donald Fouke went off route, away from the crime scene towards Arguello Boulevard. The officers likely made the correct call at the time, as they were on the lookout for a negro male adult, not a white male. Unfortunately, they were duped by the man they stopped. Therefore, it is highly unlikely this man was an innocent pedestrian, rather somebody with a more sinister motive - and likely the man who penned the November 9th 1969 Bus Bomb letter. We could therefore make the case for more than one Zodiac.     

The following are the three descriptions of the unknown male, given by Officer Donald Fouke, the three teenagers, and eyewitnesses at Spruce Street moments after the 'meeting' at Jackson and Maple. Spruce Street was situated just over one block east from the sighting of the suspect, just past the Jackson and Maple intersection, and was indirectly referenced in the Bus Bomb letter: "I said yes there was this man who was runnig by waveing a gun & the cops peeled rubber + went around the corner as I directed them + I disappeared into the park a block + a half away never to be seen again".

Here is the description attributed to the teenagers on the police report, who observed the Zodiac Killer in and around the taxicab on Washington Street from a residence across the street: "#2 SUSPECT: WMA, in his early forties, 5'8", heavy build, reddish-blond, crew cut hair. wearing eyeglasses, dark brown trousers, dark (navy blue or black) "Parka" jacket, dark shoes.

Donald Fouke's description of the likely Zodiac Killer was a "WMA, 35-45 yrs, about 5'10", 180-200 lbs, medium heavy build, barrel chested, medium complexion, light colored hair possibly graying in rear, crew cut, wearing glasses. Dressed in dark blue waist length zipper type jacket (Navy or royal blue). Elastic cuffs and waist band zipped part way up. Brown wool pants pleated type baggy in rear (Rust brown)".

The October 12th 1969 San Francisco article detailed the sighting of a man entering Julius Khan playground, stating "Later reports indicated someone was seen running into Julius Khan playground in the Presidio, and all seven police dog units were pressed into the search. The suspect was described as white, about 40, 170 pounds, a blond crewcut, warning glasses".
 
The three descriptions over a five minute period appear to indicate that one man left the taxicab, headed toward the Jackson and Maple intersection, and on to the area of the Julius Khan playground near Spruce Street. Yet we still have a major discrepancy regarding the statements of Donald Fouke and the Robbins children.

If two assailants were involved that night, then the first assailant could have shot the taxicab driver at 9:56 pm and departed the crime scene immediately. He would have been spotted by Officer Donald Fouke three minutes later at the intersection of Jackson and Maple at 9:59 pm, corroborated by the Bus Bomb letter which claimed "2 cops pulled a goof about 3 min after I left the cab." The second assailant would be the one spotted by the three teenagers, indicating they looked out of the window after the first assailant had left. This man spent two minutes wiping down the taxicab, tearing the section of Paul Stine's shirt, removing the keys and wallet, while subsequently attempting to lift Paul Stine into an upright position behind the steering wheel, before leaving at 9:58 pm. Armond Pelissetti receives the initial radio broadcast at 9:58 pm and arrives en scene just shy of 9:59 pm, at which point the second assailant is approaching the top of Cherry Street, and is pointed out by Lindsey. This would explain the discrepancy in the timeline.       

This may possibly explain the evident lack of urgency displayed by the second assailant in and around the taxicab that night. Had the police arrived earlier, his actions could have been explained as an innocent passer-by, who noticing the stricken taxicab driver had ripped a portion of shirt to staunch the blood flow. He wasn't in possession of the 'smoking gun', so how could he be the killer? However, when he realized the police were not upon him, his last action was to grab the keys from the ignition, and head in the same direction as his accomplice. If he was attempting to lift Paul Stine into an upright position, this would certainly explain why bloody fingerprints were discovered on the dividing panel to the right of the driver side door, which clearly he would have used to brace himself. But why he was doing it, one can only conjecture.

Lindsey was fairly clear in the details observed that night, particularly in the attempt to draw Armond Pelissetti's attention to the white male heading up Cherry Street. If this recollection is accurate, then the man observed walking towards Jackson Street was not the same subject spotted by Donald Fouke as he approached the intersection of Jackson and Maple. These two men were separated by two full minutes. If either of the accounts by Lindsey or Officer Donald Fouke are flawed,  then the idea of an accomplice dissolves away into the night, just like the lone Zodiac Killer.  

In the previous article we estimated that the Zodiac Killer arrived at the location of Bryan Hartnell's 1956 White Karmann Ghia at approximately 6:00 pm. Here we shall reverse the timeline of Ronald Fong, the man who noticed the stricken couple from his boat on Lake Berryessa and set off for help at the Rancho Monticello Resort, and hopefully attempt to verify or negate this finding. It may also answer the question of whether the 6:30 written on Bryan Hartnell's vehicle was the time of the attack or the time of writing. Here are some key statements to consider.

#1. On page 6 of the police report it read "White stated at approximately 18:55 hours 9/27/69 he was on routine patrol around the Lake Berryessa area when he received a call from Park Headquarters to proceed to the Rancho Monticello Resort where a person was reporting a possible stabbing. Ronald Fong advised him that he had seen a male and a female victim on the beach area south of Rancho Monticello Resort, hollering that they had been stabbed". link

#2. Bryan Hartnell interview: "There was a boat kept circling around out there in the lake and we started yelling at it and finally it came within about 100 yards of the shore and turned off its motor and stayed there watching us for about 15 minutes". link

#3. "I heard this screaming", said Fong, who has relocated to Washington state but was back in San Francisco last week visiting his family. "I used binoculars to see what was going on. He wanted me to go help him. But I had my 9-year-old son. ... I was close to the boathouse, so I went and told the park rangers". link

#4. "Victim stated he thought suspect had been with the couple for approximately 15 minutes from time of observing suspect until suspect departed". link 

The Rancho Monticello Resort is 3.7 miles by road from the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia (3.2 miles as the crow flies). By boat from the area of the crime scene to dock at the Rancho Monticello Resort is also approximately 3.7 miles. We shall use these pieces of information to calculate the time of the attack, by first using the shortest timeline.  

What we don't know is the speed that Ronald Fong traveled in his boat, so we will estimate this to begin with, giving an initial value of 10.mph. ​Sergeant William White received a call from Park Headquarters regarding the attack and proceeded to the Rancho Monticello Resort at 6:55 pm. Because this time is approximated, we will take 6:55 pm as the time Ronald Fong reported the stabbing at the Rancho Monticello Resort, and assume it was transferred through fairly quickly. The journey time of Ronald Fong at an estimated 10 mph is 22.2 minutes (22 approx). After docking his boat he traveled by foot to the Rancho Monticello Resort, and allocating little time to the delay in transferring the call to Sergeant William White, this will be estimated at 6 minutes. Thus far, a minimum of 28 minutes had elapsed since Ronald Fong departed the crime scene.

Bryan Hartnell stated that after the attack Ronald Fong had "stayed there watching us for about 15 minutes". This time may have appeared longer than it actually was, but it will be left untouched, because Bryan Hartnell certainly wouldn't have started shouting for help immediately with the Zodiac Killer nearby. This delay in calling for help will be incorporated into the 15 minutes. Keeping these timelines as tight as possible will compensate for the speed of Ronald Fong's boat, had it traveled slightly quicker. Adding the 15 minutes to the 28 minutes already elapsed after Ronald Fong left the crime scene, we have 43 minutes to deduct from 6:55 pm (18:55 pm), to give us an indication of when the Zodiac Killer finished his attack on the young couple. This would have been 6:12 pm.

Now let us ramp up the speed of the boat to 20 mph. This would cut his journey time in half, to 11 minutes. Giving us a total time elapsed of 32 minutes, placing the end of the attack at 6:23 pm. Traveling at an unlikely 30 mph, the end of the attack would be 6:27 pm. But having kept the timeline as tight as possible, to allow the 10 mph boat speed, the end of the attack was can be approximated to 6:12-6:17 pm.

On page 6 of the police report it continued "Sergeant William White stated he proceeded to the Rancho Monticello Resort where a person was reporting a stabbing. Ranger Sgt White, accompanied by Archie White, Mrs Elizabeth White and Ronald Fong, proceeded to the beach area via speedboat owned by Archie White. When they arrived on the beach they observed a young female lying on the ground with what appeared to be numerous stab wounds. White stated he immediately radioed in and had Park Headquarters radio the Sheriff's Office to dispatch an ambulance and deputy". Deputy Ray Land and Sergeant David Collins were dispatched directly to the crime scene from St Helena and Napa respectively. Sgt David Collins spoke on the documentary 'This is the Zodiac Speaking', stating "It took us a half hour from Napa and/or St Helena to arrive at the location. And we later found out of course that crime had occurred at least half an hour before we were notified". They were notified at approximately 7:10 pm, which by their statement above, would place the crime at around 6:10 pm.

Allowing Sergeant William White 8 minutes from being radioed at 6:55 pm to entering the speedboat and 1 minute to docking and reaching Cecelia Shepard once they arrived at the crime scene (9 minutes), and then contacting Park Headquarters, who in turn contacted the Sheriff's Office, would give us 6 minutes for the speedboat journey (15 minutes in total: ie 6:55 pm to 7:10 pm). Or 7 minutes if we tighten the timeline. The speedboat was therefore traveling approximately 30-37 mph. This is the reason they took Archie White's speedboat - it likely accommodated four people and could travel at a far greater speed than Ronald Fong's small fishing boat. Indicating that the 10-20 mph range of Ronald Fong's boat - and more likely the lower end estimate - is likely the correct one. 

But what time did the Zodiac Killer approach the couple?
Bryan Hartnell estimated that "he thought suspect had been with the couple for approximately 15 minutes from time of observing suspect until suspect departed". Therefore, if the end of the attack was 6:12 pm, the Zodiac must have approached the couple at 5.57 pm. The distance from the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia to the crime scene was approximately 510 yards. Allowing for the terrain, and the time for the killer to hide behind the tree and don his costume, it would take approximately 7 minutes. This would have the Zodiac Killer spotting the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia at 5.50 pm, slightly earlier than the anticipated 6:00 pm in the previous article. But allowing for a little flexibility in the timeline and taking the end of the attack at 6:17 pm, would have the killer approaching the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia at 5.55 pm - only five minutes out from the previous article. Had the attack finished at 6:12-6:17 pm, then Zodiac would be writing on the car door at 6:19-6:24 pm.

Keeping a tight timeline, with Ronald Fong's boat traveling between 10-20 mph, the end of the attack on the young couple never would have exceeded 6:23 pm. His small boat was extremely unlikely to have reached anything in excess of this range, and indicates the Zodiac Killer more than likely 'signed' the car door by at least 6:30 pm, or possibly slightly earlier. 

The last article theorized Zodiac's vehicle just over a mile north of this location. However, if he had parked by the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, the Zodiac Killer could have had anywhere from 70-80 minutes for his 40-50 minute journey to the payphone in Napa, indicating he either went off route on the return journey, he stopped or was delayed, or his vehicle wasn't parked behind the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia of Bryan Hartnell. 

But why did Ronald Fong, if he frequented the area regularly, travel 3.7 miles north to the Rancho Monticello Resort for help, when he could have traveled 0.7 miles south - directly to Park Headquarters.  
​
LAKE BERRYESSA- A KILLER'S TIMELINE [PART ONE]

The following will re-examine the timeline of the Lake Berryessa attack on September 27th 1969, placing the Zodiac Killer's vehicle approximately 1.1 to 1.2 miles from the crime scene during the brutal stabbing of Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard. 
Two other sets of eyewitnesses, Dr Rayfield and his son, and the three young women, all may have seen the killer that day, possibly from the near identical location around Smittle Creek. This location being 0.8 miles from the 1956 White Volkswagen Karmann Ghia of Bryan Hartnell. To get an overview of the crime scene we must use details given in the police report - and in addition to this - use the Zodiac Killer's phone call to Dave Slaight to pinpoint the likely location of his vehicle that day. These are some of the crucial measurements:

The Zodiac Killer stated in the phone call to police, "I want to report a murder, no, a double murder. They are two miles north of Park Headquarters. They were in a white Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. I'm the one that did it".  The victims were in fact 0.7 miles north of Park Headquarters. The three young women who potentially saw Zodiac, "parked their vehicle at a location two miles north of the A & W Root Beer stand on Knoxville Road." The Sugar Loaf Park A & W was situated at 5100 Knoxville Road. The second set of eyewitnesses saw the Zodiac later that day: "Dr Rayfield and his son stated that they did not notice a vehicle in the area of their vehicle and only this subject at a distance of about 100 yards. This location was approximately 8/10ths of a mile from the scene of the victim's vehicle. There are four coves of water between the scene of the crime and the area where the doctor saw the subject". Using these statements we can now create the relative positions of everybody that day, using the measurement tools on Google Maps.   

The first thing to be noticed using these approximate measurements, is that the position of Dr Rayfield & his son would be at the very same location as the three young women - or at the very least - in the same vicinity (Smittle Creek). The Zodiac Killer's vehicle would have been relocated slightly north of the three young women, after he had 'stalked' them from the hillside. In fact, he could have been as little as 600 meters north at the Smittle Creek Day Use Area. The police report stated that "at 3:30 pm she and her two girlfriends parked their vehicle at a location two miles north of the A & W Root Beer stand on Knoxville Road". They then walked to the beach. "After approximately one-half hour had passed, they observed what appeared to be the same subject standing with 40 or 50 feet of them, apparently observing them. The subject hung around the area for approximately 45 minutes and then the girls observed him walk up the hill". This would have the man walking up the hill at around 4:45 pm, or marginally later.

One page later in the police report, it stated "The three girls left the area about 4:30 pm and the subjects vehicle was gone".  This discrepancy is not crucial to the remaining timeline, so we will estimate the time the man left at 4:45 pm, with the girls shortly after. If the Zodiac Killer was preparing an attack on the three girls, then he certainly had second thoughts and departed the scene, not unlike his attack at Blue Rock Springs on July 4th 1969 and his switch of intersections at Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969. In both of these examples he was not to be denied, and continued on with his murderous intentions. There may be good reason to believe he had the very same intentions here. The reason being:   

"Dr Rayfield stated that about 6:30 pm the previous evening, he and his son had parked their car north of Park Headquarters in the general area of the crime scene. They stated they went down towards the beach area when David noticed a white male adult subject walking in the area, described as about 5'10", heavy build, wearing dark trousers, a dark shirt with red in it, long sleeves".
By the time they reached the beach and then noticed the man, it was likely closer to 6:45-6:50 pm. There is a very good chance that the individual they saw that evening was the Zodiac Killer - and the dark shirt he was wearing "with red in it" was likely the blood of Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard. The Zodiac Killer was returning to his vehicle from the crime scene 0.8 miles south. The killer was effectively traveling from south to north, and likely had to pass the location of Dr Rayfield and his son to reach his vehicle. 

We have established that this is virtually the same location the three girls were present earlier that afternoon. Therefore, when the three sunbathing girls saw the man leave up the hill at approximately 4:45 pm, it could be argued he drove northwards, just beyond this location, which is why he had to pass this area after the brutal double stabbing of the young couple. The journey time on foot from the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia (6:30 pm) to the location of Dr Rayfield and son, is approximately 20 minutes along the hillside, This ties in with the estimated time of the David Rayfield sighting, given earlier as 6:50 pm. But why did the Zodiac Killer leave the scene of the three girls and park a short distance north of their location? This cannot be fully established - but he may have had second thoughts about murdering the three girls with his vehicle in such close proximity to the scene. There is every chance he left with the full intention of returning 15 minutes later with a 'buffer zone' in place. However, the girls had left shortly after him, and his murderous plot was foiled. I have made a calculated guess on the position of the Zodiac Killer's vehicle that afternoon and evening, based on his possible movements after leaving the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, the fact an off-road parking area is present at that position on Google Maps (and maybe 1969), and the phone call he made from 1231 Main Street - which we shall return to later.    

The man would have walked back to the girls location at around 5:00 pm (4:45 pm + 15 minutes). He then had to walk back down the hill to approach the girls for a second time. Unfortunately for him, they had left the area and returned home, leaving the Zodiac Killer searching the area in vain, possibly for alternative victims. The search, and travel time up and down the hill, we shall guesstimate at 30 minutes, taking the time to 5:30 pm. The Zodiac Killer then travels 0.8 miles south along the hillside, searching for potential targets along the way. He happens upon the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia at 5:50 pm (0.8 miles walking time of 20 minutes). This allows the killer 30 to 40 minutes to approach Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard, enter into brief dialogue, secure them, and begin his deadly attack, before returning up the hill to 'sign' the car door with 6:30 pm.

His journey time back to his vehicle, past Dr Rayfield and his son, would have taken roughly 25-30 minutes, which placed him entering his vehicle at approximately 6:55 to 7:00 pm for his 28 mile return journey towards the Napa payphone. Traveling at near 40 mph, he would have arrived at the 1231 Main Street, Napa payphone circa 7:35-7:40 pm and the exact time the call was logged by police dispatcher Dave Slaight. The phone call contained the ominous message "I want to report a murder, no, a double murder. They are two miles north of Park Headquarters. They were in a white Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. I'm the one that did it". However, Park Headquarters was only 0.7 miles from the crime scene, not 2 miles as he had claimed. So how could the killer make such a pronounced error, particularly if he was familiar with the area.

If the Zodiac Killer had parked at the Smittle Creek Day Use Area, left it there, and trawled the hillsides of Lake Berryessa traveling south, while looking for potential victims, then on his return from the attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard he would have to pass by Dr Rayfield & Son at Smittle Creek Trailhead to reach his vehicle. That is why they spotted a suspicious man traveling across the upper reaches of the hillside sometime after 6:30 pm, wearing a shirt with red in it. The Zodiac Killer traveled a further 600 meters to the Smittle Creek Day Use Area, got in his vehicle and drove 1.83 miles south along Knoxville Road past the Park Headquarters. When he reached the payphone at Napa he mistakenly described this distance of 1.83 miles as "two miles north of Park Headquarters", accidentally giving away the location of where he parked his vehicle on September 27th 1969. Or maybe he was just terrible at distances - but great at cryptograms, codes, maps and radians. We all have to be bad at something.

Deputy Ray Land and Sergeant David Collins were dispatched directly to the crime scene from St Helena and Napa respectively.  Sgt David Collins spoke on the documentary 'This is the Zodiac Speaking' "It took us a half hour from Napa and/or St Helena to arrive at the location. And we later found out of course that crime had occurred at least half an hour before we were notified." They were notified at 7:10 pm, so arrived en scene at approximately 7:40 pm. 
The Zodiac Killer would have exited the Berryessa-Knoxville Road literally minutes before they entered it.

​LAKE BERRYESSA- A KILLER'S TIMELINE [PART TWO]

The 'Confession' letter purportedly typed by the hand of Cheri Jo Bates' murderer delivered a sense of foreboding: "She is not the first and she will not be the last. I lay awake nights thinking about my next victim. Maybe she will be the beautiful blond that babysits near the little store and walks down the dark alley each evening about seven. Or maybe she will be the shapely blue eyed brownett that said no when I asked her for a date in high school. But maybe it will not be either....Yes I did make that call to you. It was just a warning. Beware...I am stalking your girls now." 
 
This was equally true of the Riverside Desktop Poem, discovered by a Janitor at Riverside City College in the December of 1966, after the murder of Cheri Jo Bates and after the 'Confession' letter, but in all probability was written before the October 30th 1966 murder. It gave a chilling prelude to what may transpire, what may be denied, but ultimately the threat of more to come: "Just wait till next time. rh."  If the Desktop Poem was written in the October of 1966 by the same mind who typed the 'Confession' letter, then it could be argued it was the prelude to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates, and equally argued as the first correspondence of the Zodiac Killer, if you believe a connection exists between the Bay Area and Riverside.    

The Zodiac Killer often ended his communications with an unbridled mockery of police and signed off many with a running victim total and the promise of more. The July 31st 1969 San Francisco Chronicle letter warned us of future murders "If you do not print this cipher by the afternoon of Fry.1st of Aug 69, I will go on a kill ram-Page Fry. night." The 'Bus Bomb' letter stated "up to the end of Oct I have killed 7 people". In the November 8th 'Dripping Pen' card he added the months of his alleged attacks, stating "Des, July, Aug, Sept, Oct = 7." The Halloween card is also believed by many to be a future threat towards Paul Avery. Could the initials rh be offering us something similar. The author of the Riverside Desktop Poem warned us of a "next time," then gave us the initials. Could the author have instructed us on the time and place of his next murder, much like the unconfirmed 'Albany' letter mailed on August 1st 1973.

What if we apply the same model to the Riverside Desktop Poem, where he signs off the poem with "Just wait till next time. rh". The Riverside Desktop Poem was discovered in the December of 1966. But it might very well have been written prior to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates on October 30th 1966, and the warning of "Just wait till next time. rh" was referring to the time and place of his next murder. Remember, the author of the Confession letter had suggested he was trying to lure Cheri Jo Bates into his vehicle. This may possibly indicate he had planned to murder Cheri Jo Bates later than the believed 10:30 pm, when screams emanated from the alleyway, likely on Halloween Day itself, but something clearly had resulted in the unplanned struggle in the alleyway and her 'premature' murder from the perspective of the killer. Had he achieved his objective in luring the young woman into his vehicle, the likely prediction of the Riverside Desktop Poem would have come true: "Just wait till next time. riverside, halloween." The author was giving us the area of the crime and the exact date. The Riverside Desktop Poem was the ode to murder, the 'Confession' letter was its completion. He may have planned the murder of the young woman on October 31st 1966, the day she was ultimately discovered by groundskeeper Cleophus Martin.   

​On March 13th 1971 the Zodiac Killer referenced his exploits in Riverside by 'complimenting' the police on connecting the murder of Cheri Jo Bates to him: "I do have to give them credit for stumbling across my riverside activity, but they are only finding the easy ones."  

In the aftermath of the Cheri Jo Bates murder the police made appeals to the public to be on the lookout for the murder weapon, described as a small knife: "An unrelenting search had been in progress for the murder weapon, and that Tuesday detectives used a metal detector (see right) in shrubbery adjacent to the murder scene in an effort to find the knife used by the slayer. Captain Cross revealed to the news media that the autopsy showed that the murder weapon was probably a pocket knife with a 3 inch blade or less. The broadcast and published information about the knife caused the police switchboard to be flooded with calls reporting knives of similar description being found all over the city of Riverside."  Was one of those callers the murderer, who did state in the 'Confession' letter "Yes, I did make that call to you." 

How many of these calls were followed up is hard to determine, but curiously on November 14th 1966, one day after the highly publicized library reconstruction, the police did get a call from a Riverside City College gardener: "That he had unearthed a hunting knife with his rake. The knife had apparently been buried near the murder scene. Detectives hurried to the campus and turned over the knife to the homicide detail. However, examination failed to show any evidence of dried blood on the knife blade. Also, its width did not compare with the incisions made by the stab wounds." Did the murderer of Cheri Jo Bates plant the hunting knife and make a call to police, which ultimately got lost in the myriad of calls flooding the switchboard, and consequently was not followed through? Or did the killer make contact with the Riverside City College gardener to volunteer this information, while viewing the unfolding police presence from a distance?
​ 
The police had thoroughly searched the crime scene with metal detectors in the days after the murder, so it seems likely the knife was planted subsequent to their search by either the perpetrator or a misguided prankster. The planting of a larger hunting knife near the murder scene may have been another foreboding message by the killer, that "It was just a warning. Beware...I am stalking your girls now." Stalking them with a larger and more deadly knife. After all, he did claim that he "plunged the knife into her and it broke."

For many people, Cheri Jo Bates checked out her own library books. This being the case, we have approximately four hours in which her whereabouts are unexplained. Had she gone somewhere willingly, it is highly likely she traveled there by foot, having left her vehicle parked on Terracina Drive at about 6.15 pm.
Does this center the investigation close to the college campus?

The author of the 'Confession' letter was fond of referring to that "alley," when he stated "Maybe she will be the beautiful blond that babysits near the little store and walks down the dark alley each evening about seven" and "it just might save that girl in the alley." Was he referring to the alleyway in which Cheri Jo Bates was murdered, or some other alley in the vicinity of the Riverside City College campus? Somewhere he could monitor the comings and goings of young attractive women. If he was able to go unnoticed, without drawing suspicion to himself around the college campus the evening of October 30th 1966, had composed the Desktop Poem earlier that month, and had subsequently planted the knife near the crime scene, was this indicative of somebody who worked at, or frequented the college on a regular basis? Somebody who could travel within the confines of Riverside City College unchallenged and blend into the background. 
​
The Timex watch discovered ten feet from the body of Cheri Jo Bates, apparently ripped off the wrist of the killer in the struggle, had white paint specks on its face. The Riverside City College was undergoing renovation at this point in time, so is this another small pointer. The attack on Cheri Jo Bates was fairly prolonged, evident by the wounds sustained by the young woman, inflicted on her in an alleyway bordered by two vacant properties. Is this yet further indication of prior knowledge to college affairs, that the killer was prepared to attack Cheri Jo Bates here, knowing that nobody resided within these properties. This again, reinforcing the idea that the murderer either worked within the college campus, or frequented it regularly. He would seemingly stick around until at least April 30th 1967, when three more virtually simultaneous communications were received from the alleged murderer, in similar fashion to the beginning of the Zodiac correspondence, just over two years later.